God help me.
We get dressed slowly. Well, I do. Seamus slips his scrub pants back on with zero urgency, like we didn’t shatter every professional boundary known to man. He moves with this lazy confidence, like he’s got nowhere to be but here, bare-chested and entirely too at ease.
Meanwhile, I’m wrestling with my bra and trying to slide into my suit skirt without flashing him. My blouse is wrinkled, buttons all out of order, and I’m painfully aware of the way my hair’s probably a mess and my lipstick’s long gone. I’m used to commanding courtrooms in this outfit. Now I’m hoping I don’t trip over my heels on the way out.
He watches me with a lazy kind of amusement, his gaze fond and hot all at once.
“You’re staring,” I mumble, fumbling with the zipper on my skirt.
“I like what I see.” He waggles his eyebrows. “I’m curious why you’re trying to hide yourself when I was inside your body twenty minutes ago.”
“I’mnothiding,” I lie.
He raises a brow.
“I’m not used to parading around naked in abandoned buildings.” I pout.
Seamus laughs and pulls on his scrub top like he’s got all the time in the world. The picture of unbothered. Meanwhile, I’m adjusting my blazer and trying not to freak out in the wake of what we did.
It’s not the sex causing me to spiral—it’s everything around it. The uncertainty.
His eyes flick over to me with a lazy, post-orgasm grin. It’s infuriating how damn good he looks for someone who had his first time in an abandoned hospital room.
“So…I’ve got some time off,” he says casually, like we’re colleagues making small talk. “Have to burn it before the year ends.”
I glance at him skeptically. “Didn’t you take time off for the settlement?”
“Yeah, I didn’t realize how little PTO I’ve used over the past few years. I still have more than two weeks I haven’t touched. They won’t roll over to next year. This lawsuit shit aside, residency is chaos.” He shrugs. “So, I’m off until January.”
“Must be nice,” I murmur, trying to smooth my hair into place.
He watches me for a beat. “Do you ever take time off?”
“Sure. I’ve been leaving early every Friday to drive to Tacoma before rush hour,” I say. “After Dad’s health scare, I realized how important it is to prioritize my family a bit more.”
He nods slowly. “Yeah, Sunday nights are McGloughlin family dinner nights. Whoever’s in town shows up. It’s the one good meal I eat each week. Ma’s a great cook.”
I’m caught off guard by the softness in his voice. “It’s been good,” I admit. “Needed, really.”
He fixes me with the quiet, steady look he’s so good at. His confidence makes me feel like I’m standing too close to the sun.
“I was thinking.” He helps me on with my coat. “Maybe we could spend some time together.”
I pause, surprised by how easily the words land. He’s not asking for a weekend hookup. There’s something intentional about the way he puts it. Like he’s not trying to impress me—he’s trying tobewith me.
“It’s the holidays. Don’t you have plans?” I ask, hedging.
“As I said. Sunday dinner at my folks.” He smirks. “A little Christmas shopping for the kids.”
His casualness makes me laugh, and he smiles wider, like he’s been waiting to hear it.
“You’re serious?” I ask. “You want to spend time on your break with me?”
He raises an eyebrow. “Marcella, I had the most meaningful moment of my life with you. I’m not exactly rushing to fill my calendar with other things. Not if we can get to know each other better. Fuck like rabbits, of course.”
I look away, pulse fluttering. I’m not used to this—being wanted without a catch.
“I mean,” he adds, gentler now, “unless you’re a one-and-done kinda girl.”
