Chapter 12: God-damn finally
"He... kissed back?" Chloe rasped, the question catching like a burr. Her voice was barely audible over the rhythmic beep-beep-beep from down the hall.
Lily shrugged, popping a gum wrapper into her mouth before answering. "Kinda." She leaned closer, her voice dropping conspiratorially. "He didn't push back in an attempt to run; he just sorta stood there while I..."
"...while I basically climbed him like a tree," Lily finished, grinning wickedly.
Chloe felt the flush bloom hot across her chest, creeping up her neck. Her thighs pressed together instinctively beneath her scrubs. The rhythmic beeping down the hall seemed to sync with her own pounding pulse.
Lily’s grin widened, sharp and knowing. "Right? Total deer-in-headlights stuff." She shifted her weight, leaning her hip against the counter, invading Chloe’s space just enough. "So yeah, I had his back flat against the door. Could feel his heart hammering through his stupid tee."
Chloe swallowed hard, the image impossibly vivid. She could almost feel the scrape of the door against Benji’s shoulders, smell the cheap beer on Lily’s breath. Her own pulse thrummed low and insistent, a counterpoint to the distant monitor.
"And then," Lily continued, her voice dropping to a husky whisper that somehow cut through the station's low hum, "I just went for it." She mimicked the action, a slow, deliberate lean. "Got my hands right under that shirt. Skin’s surprisingly soft for a guy."
A small, involuntary sound escaped Chloe’s lips – half gasp, half whimper. She pressed her legs tighter together beneath the counter, the friction almost painful. Focus dissolved, replaced by the heat blooming under her own scrubs.
"Stayed like that for a minute," Lily mused, tapping a finger on the laminate. "Me plastered against him, him stiff as a board. Thought he might actually bolt through the damn door." Her laugh was short, sharp. "Honestly? Kinda hot, the whole ‘trying to be good’ act."
Chloe squeezed her eyes shut for a fraction of a second. Benji’s conflicted restraint, Lily’s bold assault… it shouldn’t scramble her thoughts this way. The cool countertop felt like the only reality anchoring her.
"Eventually," Lily sighed dramatically, "he got over himself. Stopped pretending to be offended." A predatory gleam lit her eyes as she leaned even closer. "Got his hands on my hips. Finally kissed me back. Properly."
Chloe’s breath hitched. The antiseptic smell vanished, replaced by phantom scents – cheap beer, sweat, desperate want. Her fingers dug into her own thighs through the thin scrub fabric. The beeping monitor down the hall seemed impossibly loud, syncing with the frantic rhythm inside her.
"And then?" Chloe breathed, the word barely more than a tremor in the air. She couldn't look away from Lily’s knowing smirk.
Lily’s smirk softened into something almost wistful, a crack in her usual armor of bravado. “Honestly, Chlo? The hottest part wasn’t even the kiss.” She traced a finger along the counter’s edge, her gaze momentarily distant. “It was him stopping it.”
Chloe blinked, drawn in despite herself. The relentless beep-beep-beep from Room 300 seemed louder suddenly. “Stopping?”
“Yeah.” Lily met her eyes again, a flush creeping up her own neck now.
Lily leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial rasp that vibrated in the sterile air. "He pulled back, Chlo. Actually pulled back." Her eyes held a strange, heated reverence. "His hands were still on my hips, burning hot, but he pushed me away just enough to look me dead in the eye." She swallowed, the flush deepening. "Said we shouldn't be doing this. Said he was drunk, I was drunk, yadda-yadda-yadda. All that noble bullshit."
Chloe felt pinned by Lily’s intensity. The counter’s cool laminate was the only thing stopping her knees from buckling. Lily’s gaze was distant, reliving it. "And goddamn it," Lily breathed, shaking her head slightly, "I was soaked. Just from that. From him trying to be decent." Her laugh was low, almost disbelieving. "The respect? The hesitation? Fuck me sideways, it was hotter than anything."
"So what did you do?" Chloe whispered, the words scraping out. Her own skin felt too tight, hypersensitive.
Lily’s smirk returned, sharp and decisive. "I called his fucking bluff." She mimed reaching past an invisible figure. "I had him pinned against my apartment door, right? So I just... reached around him." Her hand twisted in the air. "Grabbed the knob. Turned it." She paused, letting the image hang. "The door swung open behind him, into my dark apartment."
Lily’s eyes locked onto Chloe’s, the memory sharpening her focus until the buzzing fluorescents and antiseptic sting faded. “He was still leaning back against nothing, off-balance,” she murmured, her voice husky. One hand drifted up, hovering near Chloe’s shoulder.
Chloe held utterly still, the cool counter forgotten, aware only of Lily’s proximity and the frantic echo of the monitor beep-beep-beeping from down the hall. Her own breathing felt shallow.
“I stepped sideways,” Lily continued, demonstrating a slight shuffle away from Chloe, creating space. Her gaze never wavered. “Left the hallway wide open. Freedom, right there.” She tilted her head, a challenge in her smirk. “Looked him dead on, Chlo. Said, ‘Benji, I’m getting dicked down tonight. Question is, are you gonna do it, or do I need to find someone else who will?’”
A small gasp escaped Chloe’s lips. The bluntness, the raw demand in Lily’s imagined words, sent heat pooling low in her belly. Her knuckles whitened where she gripped the counter ledge.
Silence stretched between them, thick with the hospital’s ambient hum and Chloe’s pounding heartbeat. Lily watched her, waiting, just as she’d watched Benji that night. Chloe felt pinned, breathless.
Then Lily moved. Not suddenly, but decisively. Her palm pressed flat against the center of Chloe’s chest, right over her sternum. Not hard. Just firm. Grounding. Claiming. Chloe felt the warmth seep through her thin scrub top.
“He just stared,” Lily whispered, leaning in slightly, her hand still firmly on Chloe’s chest. Chloe could smell the faint mint of her gum, see the flecks of gold in her dark eyes. “Didn’t say a word. Didn’t move towards the door.” Lily’s fingers flexed minutely against the fabric. “So I pushed. Like this.”
Lily applied gentle pressure. Chloe didn’t resist. She allowed the push, letting her body sway back a fraction, mirroring Benji’s yielding. Her spine arched just slightly off the counter behind her. The room seemed to tilt.
“He didn’t stumble,” Lily breathed, her voice dropping to an intimate rasp Chloe felt in her bones. Her hand remained, a warm anchor. The distant beeping felt like a drumbeat. “Didn’t fight it. Just… let himself be pushed back, over the threshold.” Lily’s thumb brushed lightly against the hollow of Chloe’s throat.
Lily’s thumb brushed lightly against the hollow of Chloe’s throat. The pad felt rough against her skin, a stark contrast to the frantic flutter beneath it. Chloe didn’t breathe. Didn’t move.
The metallic tang bloomed sharp and sudden on Chloe’s tongue. She’d bitten down hard, the pressure sharpening into a sting. A tiny bead of warmth welled where her teeth met her lower lip. Lily’s gaze flickered down, just for an instant, then snapped back up. She didn’t comment on the blood, nor the hummingbird pulse hammering against her palm.
"I pulled the door shut behind me," Lily murmured, her voice thick with memory. Her hand remained, a warm, heavy weight anchoring Chloe to the spot. The fluorescent buzz seemed to fade into white noise.
The fluorescent buzz seemed to fade into white noise. Lily slowly lifted her hand from Chloe’s sternum, the sudden absence of contact leaving a phantom warmth. Her gaze flickered downwards, just for a fraction of a second, tracing the unmistakable peaks straining against the thin cotton of Chloe’s blue scrubs top.
Lily’s eyes snapped back up, meeting Chloe’s wide, startled blues. A slow, knowing smirk played on Lily’s lips, but she didn’t mention the blatant evidence of Chloe’s arousal.
"I don't normally get all... excited," Lily began, her voice low and surprisingly rough, "from power dynamics." She leaned back slightly against the counter, crossing her arms. "But me? Pushing a certified mountain of a man over my own doorsill?" Her eyes held a dark, hot intensity. "Yeah. That did it."
The image of tiny Lily forcing Benji back was seared into her mind, warring with the feel of Lily's palm moments ago. Her own body hummed in response, a traitorous, undeniable pulse.
Lily’s smirk deepened, sharpening into something predatory as she tracked the flush creeping down Chloe’s neck. "So," she began, her voice dropping low, intimate despite the sterile surroundings. "Door shut. Just us in the dark." She paused, letting the anticipation coil tight in the air thick with disinfectant and Chloe’s unspoken tension. "He finally kissed me back. Like, really kissed me."
Lily’s gaze drifted beyond Chloe’s shoulder for a second, lost in the memory. "Yeah," she repeated, a low hum in her voice. "Like, finally. Tongue and everything. All that pent-up 'noble' bullshit crumbling." She gave a small, dismissive shake of her head. "Tasted like cheap beer."
"Got his shirt off finally," Lily continued, her voice dropping even lower, conspiratorial. "Like peeling plywood." A faint smirk touched her lips, devoid of its earlier heat. "Okay, shoulders were decent. Broad." She shrugged one shoulder. "Rest? Meh. Soft. Kinda... undefined."
Lily’s gaze lingered pointedly on the taut fabric straining across Chloe’s chest before sliding back up. Chloe’s flush deepened, but she didn’t look away, captivated despite herself.
"Pants came next," Lily said, the words clipped now, matter-of-fact. "That’s where the real disappointment kicked in." She made a vague gesture near her hip. "Boxers. Grey. Predictable." She paused, letting the anticlimax hang. "And the main event? Solidly... unremarkable."
Beep-beep-beep. The monitor’s rhythm seemed to hammer the word unremarkable into the tense air. Chloe’s breath caught, a tiny hitch she couldn’t suppress. Her thighs pressed together harder beneath the counter, seeking friction against the impossible heat blooming there. Lily’s eyes tracked the subtle movement.
"Seriously," Lily emphasized, leaning closer, her voice a husky rasp inches from Chloe’s ear. "For a guy built like a brick shithouse? Total letdown. Average length. Average girth. Just... fine." She pulled back slightly, meeting Chloe’s wide blues. "Surprisingly average fingers too. Nothing special."
Chloe swallowed, the coppery taste of her bitten lip sharp again. Her mind conjured the image – Benji’s formidable frame yielding to Lily’s push into the dark apartment, only for the reality to be so mundane. Lily traced an idle pattern on the laminate. "Mouth was okay, I guess," she conceded flatly. "Did the job. Didn’t reinvent the wheel."
The fluorescent lights buzzed louder suddenly, highlighting the flush climbing Chloe’s neck, the rapid rise and fall of her chest beneath her scrubs. Lily’s gaze was unwavering, dissecting Chloe’s silent, visceral reaction. Lily leaned back, crossing her arms again, a picture of casual disappointment. "Got one solidly okay orgasm out of the whole deal," she stated, her tone utterly pragmatic. "Not earth-shattering. Not terrible. Just... adequate."
Chloe exhaled a sharp puff of air she hadn't realized she was holding. "Seriously?" Disappointment laced her voice, sharp and unexpected even to her. "All that build-up, the pushing, the tension... for adequate? That’s... such a letdown." She unconsciously pressed a hand low on her own stomach, the phantom warmth from Lily’s story still lingering beneath her scrubs.
Lily’s eyes snapped to her, sharp as scalpels. A slow, wicked grin spread across her face. "Oh, honey," she drawled, leaning conspiratorially close again, her voice dripping with amusement. "Look who suddenly has opinions about adequate dick! As if you'd know the difference these days." She tapped a finger hard against the counter near Chloe’s clenched fist. "When was the last time you even saw one outside, Ms. I-Haven't-Seen-Anyone-In-Seven-Months? Dusty cobwebs down there, Chlo?"
The flush that had been receding roared back across Chloe’s face and neck, scalding hot. Her wide blue eyes flickered away, then back defiantly. "That’s— That’s not the point!" she stammered, her voice tight. "The point is the story! You built it up! The noble act, pushing him inside... it deserved a better payoff than...fine." She gestured vaguely, frustration making her movements jerky.
Lily threw her head back and laughed, a bright, ringing sound that seemed momentarily out of place amidst the antiseptic sterility. "Payoff?" she echoed, wiping an imaginary tear. "Life isn't a porno, sweetie. Sometimes the mountain you climb is just a molehill wearing lifts." Her gaze dropped pointedly, lingering on the still-prominent peaks straining against Chloe’s top.
Lily’s gaze lingered, a knowing, almost scientific assessment of the flush staining Chloe’s neck and the undeniable evidence pushing against pale blue scrubs. "Payoff," she repeated, the word now laced with a predatory amusement. "Maybe the real payoff was watching you squirm against the counter while I talked." She leaned her elbows on the laminate, chin propped in her hands, eyes gleaming."Admit it. You were practically rocking."
Chloe jerked back as if scalded, her palms slapping flat against the cool surface behind her. "I was not rocking!" The denial came out too loud, sharp enough to make a passing orderly glance their way. She dropped her voice to a furious hiss. "You were describing… intimate details! It was… distracting!" Her eyes darted around the bustling station, checking for eavesdroppers, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. The sterile air suddenly felt thick, hard to breathe.
Lily just grinned wider, completely unfazed. "Distracting enough to make you leak through your scrubs?" She arched an eyebrow, her tone deliberately casual, conversational. "Impressive, Chlo. Truly. Seven months of dust bunnies down there, and one story about mediocre Benji gets the sprinklers going."
Heat flared anew across Chloe's face, a furious crimson. "Shut up, Lily!" She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, a futile attempt to hide the betraying peaks, her knuckles white. The rhythmic beep-beep-beep from Room 300 felt like it was mocking her pulse. "It was the tension you built, okay? The… the psychology of it! The push! Not… not him!"
Lily laughed again, a low, rich sound that vibrated in the space between them. "Psychology? Honey, your body wasn't reacting to Jungian archetypes."
"Your body was reacting to the power of want," Lily stated, her voice dropping to a husky whisper that vibrated in the space between them. The clinical scent of disinfectant seemed to vanish, replaced by Lily’s faint, clean soap and the electric charge of proximity. "You wanting. Being wanted."
Another step. Chloe felt the heat radiating from Lily’s smaller frame, smelled the mint on her breath. Lily’s eyes, usually bright with mischief, held a startling intensity, pinning Chloe in place.
She took a step closer, invading Chloe’s space deliberately. Her hand lifted, not quite touching, hovering near the frantic pulse at Chloe’s neck.
"Tell me I'm wrong." Lily’s challenge was soft, intimate, yet utterly inescapable. Her gaze flickered down to Chloe’s lips, then back up, holding her captive. The weight of the demand pressed down, suffocating Chloe’s weak protests before they could form. Her own treacherous body thrummed, a raw, undeniable hum beneath her skin, screaming the truth Lily already saw.
Chloe’s mouth opened. Closed. Words dissolved. The cool counter dug into her lower back. Lily’s proximity was a physical pressure, a warmth that contradicted the sterile chill of the hospital air. That hummingbird flutter in her throat felt like it might burst.
Silence stretched, taut and heavy. Lily didn’t move, didn’t retract the demand. Chloe felt a bead of sweat trickle down her spine beneath her scrubs.
"You’re frozen, Chlo," Lily murmured, her voice disturbingly soft, almost gentle, yet laced with absolute certainty. Her eyes swept down Chloe's body once more, lingering deliberately where the fabric clung, then snapped back up. "Like Benji against my door. Only you're not fighting the want. You’re drowning in it."
Chloe flinched, the truth landing like a slap. Her crossed arms felt flimsy, useless armor against Lily’s surgical perception. She tried to look away, but the intensity in Lily’s dark eyes held her captive. A shaky breath escaped her, fogging the cool laminate counter for a second before vanishing.
"Shut up," Chloe whispered, the words lacking any heat, barely audible over the station's low hum and the distant monitor. "Just... stop."
Lily leaned forward, invading the scant space left between them. The scent of antiseptic was momentarily overwhelmed by Lily’s clean, soapy skin and that faint mint. Her knuckles brushed Chloe’s tightly crossed forearm – a deliberate, feather-light contact that sent a jolt straight through her.
"Why?" Lily breathed, the word a warm puff against Chloe’s cheek. "Because it scares you? The wanting? Or because you’ve forgotten what it feels like?" Her thumb traced the frantic pulse point at Chloe’s wrist, exposed by her grip on her own elbows. "Seven months is a long time to be quiet."
"It’s... messy," Chloe managed, her voice thick, trembling. She finally met Lily’s eyes, her own wide and scared. "Complicated."
Lily snorted softly, a dismissive puff of air. "Life’s messy, Chlo. Feelings are messy. Wanting?" She slid her thumb up Chloe’s forearm, tracing the path of a vein beneath the skin. "Wanting cuts clean. Right through the bullshit." Her gaze locked onto Chloe’s, stripping away pretense. "You want. You ache. I see it. Stop pretending you don’t."
The raw honesty was almost painful. Chloe felt exposed, flayed open under the fluorescent glare. The image of her rocking against the counter surfaced, undeniable. Lily’s perception was terrifyingly accurate. She swallowed hard, the coppery tang of her bitten lip faint again.
"So what?" Chloe whispered, defiance flickering weakly. "What am I supposed to do about it? Chase inadequate dick like Benji’s?" The bitterness surprised her.
Lily’s lips curved into a slow, predatory smile. The amusement vanished, replaced by pure, focused intent. She tilted her head, studying Chloe like a complex equation she’d just solved. The chaotic energy she usually radiated condensed into a sharp, unwavering point.
"If you'll let me," Lily said, her voice dropping low and intense, devoid of its usual playful edge, "I’ll help you find your want." She paused, letting the words land, heavy and irrevocable. "Help you figure out what you’re truly aching for. Help you stop pretending."
Chloe stared at Lily, the fluorescent light catching the faint sheen of sweat on her forehead. The hospital air, thick with antiseptic and the distant, rhythmic beep-beep-beep from Room 300, pressed in. Her own pulse roared in her ears, frantic counterpoint to the monitor’s steady insistence. Lily’s words – Help you stop pretending – hung between them, a scalpel-sharp challenge. Chloe swallowed, the small movement tight and painful. Her knuckles, white where they gripped the counter ledge, slowly relaxed.
A shaky breath escaped her, fogging the cool laminate for a second. The phantom heat Lily’s story had ignited still pulsed low in her belly, undeniable. She saw the clear, unflinching certainty in Lily’s dark eyes, the predatory focus that had replaced amusement. Stop pretending. The words echoed, stripping away the last flimsy defense. Her crossed arms fell limp to her sides. The peaks straining against her scrubs felt less like betrayal now, more like raw, exposed truth.
"Okay," Chloe whispered. The word tasted strange, metallic like her bitten lip, but it carried a weight of surrender. "Okay. Help me."
Lily’s smile bloomed, immediate and dazzling, transforming her face. It wasn't predatory now, but fiercely triumphant, like she'd just cracked a complex code. She leaned back slightly against the counter, the sudden shift from intense proximity almost dizzying. "Finally," she breathed, a quiet exhalation laced with victory. Her gaze swept over Chloe, assessing, cataloging the flushed skin, the wide, vulnerable eyes. "Alright, fresh start. Forget Benji. Forget inadequate dick entirely. You deserve spectacular." She paused, letting the promise hang in the antiseptic air. "So, spill. What actually gets you going? What kind of man makes Chloe Peterson lose her damn mind?"
Chloe shifted, leaning her hip against the counter for support, trying to ground herself. Lily’s directness always left her scrambling. She looked past Lily’s shoulder, towards the humming computers, the stacks of charts. Where did she even begin? Her mind felt blank, wiped clean by the intensity of the last few minutes. She hadn’t thought about this, truly thought about it, in months. Years, maybe.
"Not... loud," she started haltingly, picking at a loose thread on her scrub sleeve. The distant beep-beep-beep seemed to slow, waiting. "Not flashy. Someone… solid." Her gaze drifted, unfocused, towards the hallway leading to the patient rooms. "Quiet strength, you know? Doesn't need to prove anything. Just… is." She remembered the way certain nurses handled agitated patients, calm and immovable. "Gentle. But not weak. Like, genuinely kind without it being performative."
Lily nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful, carefully neutral. "Uh-huh. Gentle strength. Got it." She tapped a finger against her lip. "Physically? Not a requirement, but… preferences?"
Chloe’s eyes flickered down to her own hands, then back up. She felt a flush creeping back, but it was different now – less panic, more a slow, warm unfolding. "I like… presence," she murmured, her voice gaining a touch of soft certainty. "Someone who takes up space without demanding it. Tall, maybe?" She pictured a broad back disappearing around a corner, the effortless way it navigated the cramped corridors. "Strong. Like, actually strong. Not just gym-show muscles, but… dependable strong. Like he could lift anything." Her gaze drifted unconsciously down the hall again, towards Room 300. "Safe hands. Big, capable hands." She blinked, suddenly realizing she’d described the hands she saw carefully adjusting IV lines, steady and sure.
"And eyes," she added unexpectedly, surprising herself. The words tumbled out. "Eyes that really look at you. Pay attention. Steady. Like they see everything but don't judge." She thought of a quiet intensity, a gaze that held hers across a crowded nurses' station without pressure. "Patient. Really patient. Doesn't get ruffled easily."
The words fell out of Chloe in a rush, a pent-up gush of revelation that left her feeling exposed, yet oddly relieved. She looked at Lily, waiting for the inevitable mockery. Instead, Lily's forehead creased in thought, her eyes widening with a mock dawning realization.
Lily then nodded, a slow, appreciative smile spreading across her face, trying to hide the extent of her planning. "Gentle giant, huh? Quiet strength, patient, sees right through you. Sounds... perfect... You’re describing Ty you know." Lily said, her voice a soft, almost wistful whisper.
Chloe’s eyes flashed in surprise. “What?” It was like a bolt into her system, as if someone had accidentally injected her with cold adrenaline.
Lily, however, shrugged casually, her grin still firmly in place. “Ty fits that description to a T, Chlo. Solid, calm, strong as hell, and those eyes? They see right through you.”
A flush of realization spread across Chloe’s face, her eyes widening. “Ty?” she stammered, her voice trembling slightly. “Lily, he’s a patient!” She stepped back, her earlier surrender forgotten in the sudden flood of panic. “I can’t!”
"Can't what, Chloe?" Lily countered, her voice soft, yet firm, holding Chloe's gaze steady.
Chloe's breath hitched. The memory of Ty's nocturnal erection beneath the hospital gown flashed through her mind, vivid and undeniable. Her flush deepened, but she shook her head, denial automatic. "I can't, Lily. He's... he's a patient. It's unethical. It's... wrong."
Lily shrugged, her grin softening into understanding. "Maybe. But that doesn't change the fact that Ty's exactly the kind of man you're describing. Strong, steady, patient. Those eyes of his... they see through everything, Chlo. They see you."
Chloe's chest tightened at the truth in Lily's words.
"I... I can't just... with a patient. It's... it's wrong." She stepped back further, nearly stumbling against the counter.
Lily's eyes softened, her grin fading. She reached out, grabbing Chloe's arm to steady her. "Slow down, Chlo. No one's saying you should jump him in the middle of a shift. We're just talking here."
Lily's voice was firm yet gentle, her grip on Chloe's arm steady and reassuring. "No pressure. No decisions. Just an open mind. That's all I'm asking. At the next concussion check, when we are alone with him, just keep an open mind. See what you feel, Chlo. That's it." "But..." Chloe's protest was half-hearted, her resistance already waning under the weight of Lily's logic. She looked down at the floor, her eyes tracing the scuffed tiles beneath her sneakers. An open mind. It sounded so simple, so harmless. Yet, the implications sent a shiver down her spine. Lily released her arm, her hand lingering for a moment before dropping back to her side. Her voice took on a cautious, almost coaxing tone. "Just think about it, Chlo." Lily stepped closer, her voice low and insistent. "Nothing more. Just think about what you want. What you need. What feels right."
Chloe's chest heaved with a ragged breath, the cool air in the station suddenly too thin. She looked at Lily, the fluorescent lights casting harsh shadows across her features. The words echoed, a dangerous, exhilarating challenge.
"You're not... you're not trying to set me up with him, are you?" Chloe whispered, the question a half-hearted protest even to her own ears. She knew the answer before Lily even opened her mouth.
The smirk playing at the corner of Lily’s lips was all the confirmation she needed.
"Set you up?" Lily asked, her voice dripping with mock innocence. "Who said anything about 'setting up'? I’m just suggesting you pay attention to what your body’s been screaming at you since he got wheeled in." She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a low, husky whisper. "That’s all, Chloe. Just pay attention."
Chloe swallowed hard, her throat dry. "It's not appropriate, Lily. He's a patient. We can't..."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Since when do we let appropriateness get in the way of a good time?" Lily retorted, her voice laced with defiance. She crossed her arms, her bold gaze challenging Chloe's. "We're not talking about banging the guy in the middle of the day, for fuck's sake. We're talking about paying attention to what's right there in front of you." She nodded towards the hallway leading to the patient rooms, her eyes flashing with mischief.
Chloe's body tingled with a mix of excitement and trepidation. She knew Lily was right, that the feelings she'd been pushing down were undeniable. But the idea of acting on them, of even considering it, was terrifying.
It went against everything she’d been taught, every rule she’d ever followed. She knew it was wrong, knew it was a line she shouldn’t cross. Yet, the thought of ignoring it, of letting it fade away, was suddenly more than she could bear.
God damn it if she wasn’t going to take the leap.
Lily slapped Chloe’s shoulder, a reassuring gesture that was more for herself than for Chloe. "Come on, let's go see our boy. You'll see what I mean."