로그인A month into the emergency call rotation, Ethan had learned three things with absolute certainty: rainy season made every ambulance run twice as tense, Dr. Arnold8's approval was rationed out like a precious resource, and stolen hours with Jessy had become the only thing keeping him upright through the exhaustion. Tonight, though, exhaustion had won the argument for both of them. He found her in the on-call room a little after midnight, still in scrubs, sprawled across the narrow bed with one arm flung over her eyes. She didn't stir when he came in, and for a moment he just stood in the doorway, watching the rise and fall of her chest, cataloguing the small furrow between her brows that never quite disappeared even in sleep. "You're staring again," she mumbled, without opening her eyes. "You're always doing something worth staring at." "Flattery," she said, "will get you a spot on this mattress if you hurry up and stop hovering." He toed off his shoes and lay down beside her, th
Jessy woke first, tucked against Ethan's chest, his arm slung heavy over her waist like even in sleep he wasn't ready to let go. She lay still for a long moment, listening to him breathe, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath her palm, and let herself simply exist in it—no guilt creeping in at the edges, no mental list of everything that could go wrong once they stepped back into the daylight version of their lives.That would come. But not yet.She shifted, and he stirred, one eye cracking open. "You're staring," he murmured, echoing her own words from the night before."You're annoyingly handsome for someone who just woke up."He huffed a laugh, pulling her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Careful. Flattery this early and I might start believing I have a chance with you.""You already have more than a chance," she said, quieter now, some of the teasing falling away. "You have all of it."The confession sat between them, fragile and enormous, and for a moment nei
**114**The lamplight painted long shadows across Jessy’s bedroom walls. We’d barely made it past the living room couch before clothes started coming off again—my shirt left on the hallway floor, her jeans kicked somewhere near the kitchen doorway, her panties still tangled around one ankle when I lifted her onto the bed.She landed on her back with a soft bounce, hair fanning across the pillow, eyes glittering with the kind of reckless want that had been simmering since the moment she walked into McGreevy’s earlier.I stood at the foot of the bed for a second, just looking.Her chest rose and fell quickly. Thighs parted just enough to show how wet she still was from before—glistening, swollen, marked by me. The sight made my cock twitch against my stomach, already half-hard again despite the fact we’d only finished twenty minutes earlier.“You’re staring,” she said, voice low and teasing.“You’re fucking beautiful.”A slow, wicked smile curved her lips. She bent one knee, letting it
Mark's povThe pizza box sat forgotten on the coffee table, grease stains blooming across the cardboard like abstract art. The movie credits rolled in silence—neither of us had really watched the last forty minutes anyway. Jessy’s breathing had evened out against my shoulder twenty minutes ago, but I hadn’t moved. I liked the weight of her there, the faint antiseptic-and-citrus scent that still clung to her skin despite the long shower she’d taken before I arrived.Her hand had slipped from my chest to my thigh sometime during the third act. Innocent at first. Then not.She stirred, lashes fluttering, and instead of sitting up properly she turned her face into my neck. Lips brushed skin. Not a kiss, not yet—just the suggestion of one.“You’re still here,” she murmured, voice rough from sleep and twelve hours of trauma bays.“Wasn’t going anywhere.”Her fingers flexed against my thigh, nails dragging the faintest line through denim. “Good.”The single word landed low in my gut.She sh
We ended the call shortly after, and I sat staring at my phone for a long moment. Everyone seemed to be coming around, offering support and congratulations now that the investigation had cleared Jessy of any wrongdoing. It should have felt like vindication, like proof that we'd been right all along.Instead it just felt exhausting—all these people who'd been ready to judge, to question, to suggest we end things for the sake of propriety, now falling over themselves to be supportive now that official approval had been granted.But maybe that was unfair. Maybe they'd just been scared too, worried about careers and reputations and doing the right thing in an ambiguous situation. Maybe fear made everyone a little bit worse, a little bit more willing to choose safety over courage.My phone buzzed again. Jessy this time: About to head in. Wish me luck?You don't need luck. You're brilliant and they all know it. But good luck anyway. I love you.Love you too. Talk later.I spent the evening
I woke to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar windows and the smell of coffee brewing somewhere in the apartment. For a disoriented moment I couldn't place where I was, then Jessy's voice drifted from the kitchen—she was on the phone, speaking in that professional tone she used with colleagues, clipped and efficient."Yes, I'll be in this afternoon for my shift. Four to midnight... No, everything's fine. The investigation concluded yesterday... I appreciate that, Dr. Chen. Thank you."I found her in the kitchen, still in my t-shirt from last night, hair falling loose around her shoulders as she poured coffee into two mugs. She looked up when I appeared in the doorway, and her whole face softened."Morning," she said, sliding one mug across the counter toward me. "I made it strong. Figured you'd need it after last night.""What time is it?""Almost nine. I let you sleep—you looked like you needed it." She took a sip of her own coffee, watching me over the rim. "That was Dr. Chen from
JessyThe car ride back was suffocating.Mark hadn't said a word since we left the restaurant. He sat beside me in the back of the SUV, his hand still gripping mine, his jaw clenched so tight I could see the muscle jumping beneath his skin.Vincent drove in silence, his eyes flicking to the rearvie
Jessy's POV Morning arrived with the cruelty of routine. I woke to find Mark already dressed, standing at the window with his phone pressed to his ear. His voice was low, clipped—the tone he used when things weren't going according to plan. He didn't acknowledge me, didn't even glance over as I s
Jessy's POVThe silence woke me before my eyes even opened.Something was wrong. Not dangerous-wrong, but different...wrong. The kind of wrong that made my skin prickle with awareness even as I lay perfectly still in the massive bed.I stared at the ceiling, my heart already beating faster than it
The guest room was dim, the soft hum of the city filtering through the blinds. I lay on the bed, mind racing. Every word Mark had spoken, every step he had taken, echoed in my thoughts. Rules. Control. Possession. His obsession was no longer just about dominance—it was about ensuring I stayed exact







