I snorted a laugh.
He set the pan on the stove, turning on the burner with practiced ease. The faint hiss of gas accompanied the flicker of a flame. “You want scrambled eggs?”
“Sure,” I said, a wry grin pulling at my lips. “Guess you can show off your dexterous surgeon’s hands cracking eggs.”
He smirked, swiftly cracking two eggs with one hand, tossing the shells aside, then whisking them. I watched, impressed despite myself.
“Show off.”
“I’ve got a chef in the house. I have to show off.”
We fell into a comfortable rhythm—he cooked, I sipped coffee from his fancy espresso machine, occasionally tossing in a sarcastic remark about how I’d never see him flipping eggs in theED. He countered with a retort about how he’d never see me do surgery at the restaurant.
Damn goofball.
As he plated the eggs, my mind wandered to the twins. Ordinarily, I’d be consumed with guilt for not being there. But I knew the nanny was fully paid, thanks to Dom, letting me stay the night in a carefree bubble. A pang of longing flared—I miss them,but I also relished the mental break.
He set the plates on the sleek kitchen island, pulling up a stool beside me. We ate in companionable silence for a moment, the city’s morning buzz drifting through the windows.
This is surreal.
Part of me marveled at how quickly I’d adjusted to a “new normal” with this man, while the other part remembered the unstoppable spark that led us to hooking up on an island in the first place.
After a few bites, I cleared my throat. “So…once you’re in administration, you said you’ll sell your shares in the device company?”
He nodded, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Yeah. The time commitment to run that plus the admin role at the hospital would be impossible. I barely have time now.”
A sardonic smile tugged at my lips. “I guess that means no more expansions to your penthouse, huh?”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “I think four thousand square feet is enough.” Then his tone grew more serious. “But yeah, the company deserves someone who can give it their full attention. And if I’m going to help thousands of patients through hospital leadership, that’s where my focus will be.”
“You know,” I said quietly, “it’s kinda crazy how you keep leveling up, all in the name of saving lives.”
He paused, studying me. “It’s what I love. Sometimes it’s grueling, but knowing I made a difference—like with you and the twins—makes it worth it.”
My throat tightened, remembering how he’d literally saved us. The lingering gratitude, the sense of safety, it all rolled together, making me feel dangerously vulnerable. I poked at my eggs, forcing a casual tone. “Well, I won’t complain. Since your hero complex saved me and my girls, I guess I can let you keep being unstoppable.”
“Youletme, huh?”
I shrugged, fighting a grin. “As a favor.”
He laughed and gently smacked my thigh. “You are such a brat sometimes.”
“You like it.”
He smiled and shrugged, a silent admission.
Eventually, he stacked the dishes in the sink, rinsing them with quick efficiency. I hopped off the stool and wandered into the living room, trailing a hand over the back of his plush sofa. The memory of last night’s frantic passion sent a delicious shiver through me.
Dom joined me, wrapping an arm around my waist from behind. His breath tickled my ear. “Penny for your thoughts?”
“Just…thinking how my tiny apartment is going to feel even tinier now,” I joked, though a note of truth lingered.
He pressed a soft kiss to my neck. “Space is overrated,” he murmured. “Besides, if you had too much room to roam, there’d be nothing holding in your feistiness.”
A laugh bubbled up, and I twisted in his arms to face him. “Insult or compliment?”
“Compliment. Always compliment.”
