I forced a grin and looked into his eyes. We looked at one other for what seemed like forever. It took that long for the laughter to stop and something else to take its place. His eerily identical gaze from before had my heart racing.

How bizarre! I looked down at the ocean and blinked fast at the waves. This may mean I wasn't hallucinating.

Does it sound good? He asked a question in a low voice that sounded shaky, and it caught me off guard.

Specifically, what was he providing? "Some?"

"Lemonade."

Right. I was completely wrong to assume anything. "Oh. Sure."

While he was filling a cup from the pitcher, my attention was pulled to his hands. In addition to their stunning appearance, they also had considerable skill and economic value. With that, how many peoples' lives had he managed to save?

We heard the garage door open, vehicle tires peeling out, and car rolling backwards down the driveway on the other side of the house.

Here you go," he replied, handing me the cup from his crouch at the pool's edge.

"Appreciate it." First, I sampled it to see how he'd do with my opinion. To express my disapproval, I pursed my lips. "Ugh. It's okay to let it all out. To put it bluntly, it's overly sour.

I put the cup down on the pool deck and looked down at the stairs. As much as I wanted to, I had to go. As Dr.Jonson gathered the cups and pitcher, I climbed out of the pool.

He stopped when he saw me at the railing with my arms folded. The air was warm, but the wind made it seem cold. After becoming completely soaked, I refused to go back inside the home to change until the drips had ceased.

You didn't bring a towel out, he gently questioned.

I said, "No." Yes, and David stole mine in the process.

He took the disgusting lemonade inside with him as he shook his head and mumbled something under his breath. Thirty seconds later, he returned and handed me a folded towel.

I just said, "Thank you." If I went in there, I would have dripped all over your carpet.

"Since you can consider others' needs before your own."

It was obviously a jab at David, but I had no idea how to respond. I pushed my lips together, wrapped myself in the towel, and tried to relax.

Dr. Johnson didn't appear too frustrated; he seemed to be trying to say something more but was restraining himself. There was dismay in his dark eyes.

He hovered uncomfortably and said, "Can I get you anything else?" It was almost as though he was hoping I'd strike up a chat. I tried to remember something, but came up empty.

I managed to mutter, "I'm good."

In other words, "Okay. Let's go inside, shall we?

Because of how quickly he turned and retreated inside the home, he didn't catch my gaping mouth as it opened. The guy had surgical training. He exuded assurance and never looked rattled by tense situations. David's father was worried when he wrecked his vehicle two years ago, but he kept his calm through it all.

Observing Dr.uncertainty, Jonson's what do you make of it? Honestly, that gave me the willies.

My hair was down, my phone was in hand, and I was shivering as I made my way back inside to the warmth of my abode. The huge television was on and the level was so low I could hardly hear the news program that was playing on it.

Dr. Johnson didn't seem to be paying attention.

He slung his arm over the back of the wide sectional sofa and stared vacantly at the coffee table in front of him. The way his torso was angled and the snugness of his t-shirt highlighted his muscular physique. His pants clung to his muscular legs as I stood in the doorway, staring at him oddly as my toes dug into the soft carpet.

I really wanted to speak to him but knew that I shouldn't. It was he who fathered David. I mean, I couldn't exactly go to him for guidance on what I should do right now, could I? I wrapped the towel around my waist even more tightly and went into the guest room to change.

After closing the door, I walked slowly as my disappointment weighed on me. I groaned as I set down my phone next to my pile of laundry. I didn't know what to do. Let David call me, please. The deed was technically completed. I told him it was finished.

Cracking sounds of knuckles hitting wood. "Jessica?"

My heart rate increased and I became immobile. "Yeah?"

"I.. need to make a comment," From behind the closed door, Dr. Johnson's voice could be heard. 'May I come in?'

I gripped the edge of my towel with all my might. Yet though he had seen me in my swimsuit only a minute before, that had been by the pool, and I hadn't even begun the process of changing. I knew it was silly, but as I set foot inside the home, I immediately felt more vulnerable. This idea was immediately dismissed by me. "Yeah."

He came in, closed the door, and turned to face me with drooping shoulders. Apparently, whatever it was he was about to say was of the utmost importance to him, and he had given it much thought.

We need to know, "What's wrong?" I had to lower my voice.

This is none of my business, and I feel terrible saying it, but David-" He knitted his brows together thoughtfully. In other words, "You need to cut ties with him."

The thought of standing up so quickly made me dizzy. "What? Why?"

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke up. To make matters more challenging, his chest rose and fell with each breath, making it more difficult for me to ignore his movements. In my head, I ran a number of possible explanations for why he might ask such a question, and one of them was completely out there.

'Cause,' he explained, 'I've seen the way he treats you, and it's not right. He has reached a stage in his life where he is completely self-centered, and this is not going to change. That won't be happening anytime soon. Dr. Johnson looked as though he had given up. I speak from painful experience when I say, "Not until he learns to stop taking things for granted. This describes me perfectly when I was his age.

I had to take a moment to process everything, and my throat got very thick. You couldn't focus on anything when he was in the room. Perhaps there was something in the lemonade that made people feel woozy.

To tell him I had ended things with David five minutes ago, I opened my mouth, but he kept talking.

I realize how terrible this may sound. But what kind of a parent am I to suggest that you end things with him? In response to his own query, he shook his head. Regardless of what you do, I fear that one of you will be hurt. This is on him, not you; I'm probably going to leave this room regretting anything I said.

He scratched himself on his defined jaw with his hand, irritating the whiskers.

You deserve more than my son can give you at the moment because you're a wonderful girl, Jessica.

"Wow." As opposed to a spoken word, it was simply a breath.

Dr. Johnson's shoulders tensed up and his face contorted in embarrassment. I apologize. I apologize for saying what I did.

I shouted, "No, wait!" as he started to walk out the door. "I just broke up with him."

"You did?" He stilled. "Why?"

I dropped my gaze to the carpet. It was too hard to look him in the face as I told him his son was less than perfect, even when Dr.Jonson seemed to know David was human. "For the same reason you just said. David and me, we're different people from who we were three years ago." My gaze crawled up Dr.Jonson's body until I could meet his eyes. "I'm not sure the new me likes the new him all that much," I admitted.

"I get it," he said, and he genuinely seemed to. There wasn't defensiveness or anger in his eyes. It looked mostly like relief. "I grew up a lot when I was in school. I did stupid shit until I figured out how to be an adult, and I'm guessing that's where he is right now."

"Still figuring it out?" It was a half-question, half-statement, because I knew it was true. David couldn't get a handle on all the freedom of college life, and he'd gone overboard.

"Yeah. He's got a ways to go," his father said.

"I'm sorry."

Confusion flooded Dr.Jonson's face. "For what?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. That I couldn't make it work."

He looked at me like I was being silly. "Don't do that. This isn't your fault. Things don't work out sometimes, and that's just life."

I inhaled deeply. It seemed uncomfortable to discuss it with him, but also pleasant. It was good to know I wasn't at fault. I was already feeling down, but thinking about how he always seemed to know just what to say or do made me even more so. It's terrible. Even after we split up, I still feel like we're not together.

As soon as it left my lips, I regretted it. His irises sprang out in shock

Because," I said, "we'll never see one other again." Do we, like, part ways?"

When I left, I left a big hole in David's heart. Pictures of my boyfriend and I were all around the home. Indeed, I spent last summer's vacation with the Lowes.

I didn't get too choked up, but I did blink away the tears that threatened. Can I mention that I'm going to miss you without seeming weird?

Dr.expression Jonson's and voice had a similar gravelly quality, making it difficult to listen to. Absolutely not. It's not only you that I'm going to miss.

He came toward me, arms outstretched for an embrace as I cleared my throat of the lump. I quickly entered in and let him to press his chest on mine. He obviously didn't mind that my bikini was damp, so I decided to stop caring about it, too.

It was easy to feel safe and secure with him.

Tears threatened again as he held me in his increasingly tight embrace. The status quo was OK with me. Not wanting this ###Chapter to end.

I put my face on his chest and could feel his pulse racing. As his fingers calmly combed through the hair at the back of my head, I closed my eyes, fighting back the tears. If I stayed like this, how long would he stand for it?

Again, the feel of his warm hand on my flesh had me gasping for air as it was placed on the small of my back. He shifted the position ever-so-slightly, as though to settle me into his arms, and I felt a flash of unexpected pleasure. The feeling of embarrassment followed it immediately. All he was doing was giving suggestions and words of comfort. Getting sexual at this very moment was the worst possible idea.

Yet, the more I stayed in his arms, the heavier I became, because I just wanted to be with him more. His perfume was alluring; it was like a combination of wood and leather. He seemed to respond to whatever was going on between us by tensing up and contracting his muscles where I was holding him.

He gripped the side of my face and pulled me back so he could look down into my eyes while his hand in my hair shifted. The intensity of his stare took the life force out of me. cause a tingling sensation in all my nerves.

His stare was menacing. Wild. It made it clear he was contemplating a horrendous act.

We were two individuals standing on the edge of a cliff, terrified that the earth underneath them might give way at any moment and send them tumbling to their deaths. The quick, irregular breathing only helped us raise our shoulders somewhat. My eyes closed as his hand burned across my face.

I knew we were doomed as his eyes wandered to my slightly parted lips, and the worst thing was that I didn't care. Actually, I was hoping it would. As he leaned down to kiss me, I angled my head to meet his.

His soft, tentative kiss shook my whole body and drowned out any other noise. I responded to the tentative probing of his delicate lips on mine. Still, I pushed for it. I let his inquisitive tongue to enter my mouth.

When our careless kiss reached a new level, he took a long breath in via his nose, but it didn't stop him from exploring my lips. The palm of his hand pressed into my back, pulling me closer to him, and his hold on my face tightened. His silky tongue glided past my lips and into mine, sending shivers down my spine.

As he kissed me, I was paralyzed with fear that the spell would be broken if I did something so simple as think, breathe, or move.

By raising me higher with the hand that was cupping my face, Dr. Johnson was able to break the seal between our lips, but his mouth remained on my skin. Rapidly, it swept over my cheekbone and down the side of my neck.

I shivered.

The tremor that rocked my shoulders had nothing to do with the fact that my skimpy bikini was still wet and that air conditioning was blowing on us from a vent above. It wasn't the reason my breasts had become so firm that they protruded from the triangles of my bikini top.

Johnson, MD, was the man in charge.

As he approached and started walking me backwards toward the wall, I almost went tumbling over. He withdrew his hand from behind me and slammed his palm on the wall next to my head.

The sound of his labored breathing invaded my head and ears. What the heck am I doing?

Was he talking to himself? For the simple reason that he didn't stop. A fresh surge of shivers ran through me as his wet lips brushed over my neck and closed on the point where it joined my body. An electric shock surged between my legs as he sucked gently. My hands were tightly clutching his t-shirt while my arms were around his waist.

I knew I shouldn't like it, but I did, and it was fantastic.

I closed my eyes as I lowered my head into his palm, making more place for a kiss on my neck.

The question "You mean, what the heck are we doing?" To be honest, I didn't say much, but I was as invested in this as he was.

The notion slammed in my head as I ran my fingers through his thick hair. Is this dishonesty? The answer is obviously not that. The relationship with David was over when I terminated it. We both wanted more resolution after what I had finished, but we never got it.

As Dr.hand Jonson's slid down the wall and settled on my shoulder, the tips of his fingers brushing against the black thread that held my top in place, my heart sprang into my throat.

In an instant, the temperature in the room went from sweltering to icy. The battle between my mind and body was making me hot and cold. His lips closed over mine as his mouth climbed again up the incline of my neck.

He was older than me by twenty years. The dad of my ex-boyfriend. The question remains, "What was I thinking?" As we are? It was imperative that we seem completely crazy. A wet triangular pattern from my swimsuit bled into his shirt as he forced me up against the wall.

Upon his kiss, I melted into the floor. His mouth's movements on mine were more than merely alluring; they compelled submission. I wanted more of his rapacious kiss than I could possibly get.

What we're doing is wrong, and we need to stop, I said under my breath. The words coming out of my mouth contradicted the message my body was sending. Because of the arch in my back, I was able to push off the wall and make his hand drop. His fingers slowly traced the contour of my breast over my flesh