Page 15 of Venus

Sunlight slides through the blinds in diffused stripes, landing across Carter, casting a pretty glow over his stupidly perfect blond hair.

We’re still exactly where we were last night, curled up on the couch and wrapped around each other like we were afraid we’d float away if we let each other go. It’s warm and quiet, and for a moment, I allow myself to pretend this perfect little moment will last forever.

Carter’s phone alarm begins ringing, and he lifts his head with a groggy grunt before shutting it off. He rubs his palm over his face. “We gotta get up,” he mumbles, before sweeping a loose strand of my hair from my face as if it’s the most natural thing for him.

I groan and bury my head in his chest. “Already?” I ask, as if I don’t already know the answer.

“I’ve got a shift in a few hours,” he says.

I groan again. “Yeah, me too.” I sit up and stretch slowly, sore in the best ways and well-rested .

Carter rests his hand on my bare thigh as I pull the elastic out of my hair and readjust my ponytail. “I’ll take you home to get ready. Coffee run on the way?” he asks.

“I’m fiending for an egg and cheese bagel sandwich.”

Carter chuckles. “We can stop for bagels too.”

I smile triumphantly, a new energy in my veins at the prospect of breakfast in my future.

Ten minutes later, we’re in his truck with the windows cracked and soft country floating through the speakers.

The streets are just beginning to wake up, and there’s a biting chill in the air from the turn of the seasons.

I rest my forehead against the window and watch the streets pass by as Carter aimlessly drums his fingers on the steering wheel.

We stop at the same cafe all of Terracotta, Georgia gathers at every morning.

It’s buzzing with every working-age person waiting for their morning fix, and we’re no different.

We place our order at the drive-through window.

Black coffee for him, iced coffee for me.

The bagel I’ve been waiting for is just as delicious as I had hoped it would be, and Carter sneaks a bite while I sip my coffee.

An easy silence sits between us like it belongs there, like it knows we don’t mind it.

He glances over and in between chews, asks, “You good?”

“Always,” I say, still sipping my coffee. “Just a little tired. We were up pretty late.”

A smirk finds its way to his lips. “It was worth it though, right? ”

Finally, I look over at him and give him a smile that reaches my eyes, saying to him what I know I won’t.

When we get to my apartment complex and he drops me off outside my building, Callie is waiting outside, sitting on the trunk of her Honda waiting for me with a proud smile on her face. She gives Carter a friendly wave.

I meet Carter’s eyes and give him a small smile. “Thanks for the bagel, and the orgasms. Text me later?”

“If you’re good,” he says, like he knows that’s not gonna happen.

I smirk. “Me? Good? Always,” I say, before hopping out of the truck and running into my apartment to change.

The hospital is chaos, as per usual. Labor and delivery is never quiet. Between check-ins, screaming through contractions, new babies, and emergency c-sections, Callie and I barely have time to breathe, or pee.

God, I have to pee.

By the early afternoon, the morning coffee has completely worn off and I’m running on fumes. With only a few minutes to myself, I duck into a supply closet to ‘grab an extra blanket for a new mom’ to finally let out a real exhale .

It smells like baby powder and alcohol in here, and it about perfectly sums up the shift. I reach into the shelves, rummaging around for nothing to keep myself looking busy when the door cracks just a second after it closes behind me.

I expect it to be another nurse looking for supplies, but instead, a hand wraps around my mouth and another pulls me backward into a hard body.

“Shhhh.”

“Carter!” I gasp, turning around to face him. We’re practically in each other’s clothes with how tight this closet is. “What are you doing here?”

His hand touches my stomach and then trails downward, sliding right under the waistband of my scrubs like he pays rent in there.

I freeze, hesitating at the thought of someone walking in, but then his fingers touch me, and I melt. Instantly. All inhibitions gone.

His mouth brushes my ear. “Brought someone into the ER. Couldn’t stop thinking about you so I slipped away to come find you. Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick. But I needed this. I needed you.”

My brain tries to file a complaint, form an objection, but my body shuts it down.

I grab the collar of his shirt and yank him closer, stumbling back and hitting the shelves behind me with a soft thunk . Boxes rattle above me and giant pads rain unsexily around us, but I don’t care.

His fingers curl inside me as soon as they slip in, pulling a gasp from my throat .

“Be quiet ,” he murmurs, grinning like the absolute menace he is, knowing he’s wrecking absolute havoc on my body. “Be good .”

As he begins to pump his fingers inside me, I reach into his pants and squeeze his length.

He groans quietly into my ear and we both decide in the same moment that we want to make the other break.

He adds his thumb to rub circles on my clit while I focus my attention on his head, spreading his precum around to make the movements easier.

I bite my lip to keep a moan from slipping out, but he’s using the curve of my neck as his salvation to keep quiet. I bet he’s leaving a mark, but that’s an issue I’ll have to deal with later.

All I care about right now is the way his fingers are touching me in the most delicious way. He’s fulfilling a craving I didn’t even realize I was having until now.

It’s rushed, reckless, and a mess of hands and heat and shared desperation.

I bite down on the inside of my cheek to keep from gasping.

He groans quietly into the side of my throat and I feel it in my spine.

The whole damn supply closet blurs until there’s nothing left except him and me and the pulse in my cooch.

And as soon as we’re done dressing, he backs away like nothing happened. He adjusts his pants, shoots me a wink, and leaves.

Just leaves.

I stand pressed against a shelf of newborn diapers, trying to remember how to do my job. My scrubs are rumpled and my heart continues to race as I straighten them out. I smooth down my hair before randomly grabbing a few supplies and stepping back into the hallway just like he did.

Like nothing happened. Like he didn’t just completely wreck me.

As soon as I leave the closet, the world returns to normal. Nurses share updates, monitors are beeping, supervisors make small talk. Callie offers me half of her granola bar.

I find a random room and deliver the blanket to the new mother, and she thanks me for being so thoughtful and thinking of her. I smile with masterful deception, accepting her appreciation as if my actions truly were altruistic.

The next room over, I watch as an overly-cautious couple changes their new baby’s diaper, asking if they’re doing it right every five seconds. Then I move on. Chart. Answer phones. Check on mothers. Pretend my skin isn’t on fire and Carter isn’t on my mind.

Pretend like I can’t hear him whispering in my ear.

Hours later, at the very end of my shift, I finally take a seat at the nurse’s station. I’m exhausted, but somehow dying for attention from a certain firefighter.

My phone buzzes in my pocket.

Speak of the devil.

Carter: Worth it?

I stare at his name for a second, then answer.

Me: Maybe .

Me: I think we should try it again, just to be sure.