Page 24 of Dr. Scandal Claus

Not only was this the loving concern of my son's physician; I could see in Nick's eyes that he genuinely cared about my son. The way a father would.

"Yes, please don't leave."

Ethan started to stir, and I felt bad. He was tired. He needed his rest, especially if his condition was acting up a bit. So I stood and grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch. I wrapped it around him and helped Nick slide out from under him without waking him more. Then I took Nick's hand, shut off all the lights but one, and we walked to my bedroom.

When the door was shut, I turned and wrapped my arms around him and laid my head on his barrel chest . His arms came around me in a warm embrace and I felt the kisses he placed on my head.

"I'm worried, Nick." My voice was muffled by his shirt, but he heard me. His hands slid up and down my back in a comforting gesture and then one of them wove up into my hair and gripped a handful. He pulled my head back so I was forced to look up at him.

"I'm here, and I'm not leaving, Scarlett. Ethan's going to be just fine." Nick's voice was an anchor steadying me in the anxious waves.

I nodded and sighed, and his lips brushed over mine. "Let me help you relax a bit. Then I'll check on Ethan."

By "relax a bit" I knew exactly what he meant, and while my body wasn't entirely in the mood, my heart longed to feel close to his. I nodded and let my eyes shut as his lips returned to mine. I felt him back me up against the door, his body pressing into mine. It felt warm and safe, exactly the feeling I needed at that moment.

As our clothes melted away, I couldn't help but admire the man in front of me. I traced my fingers over his abs and up to his chest. I could feel his heart racing just as fast as mine was. He delicately slid my leggings off, along with my panties, and the cool wood behind me chilled my skin as Nick remained on his knees kissing his way up my inner thigh.

His tongue was warm and wet as he delicately teased my clit. "Nick." I whimpered, grabbing onto the doorknob to steady myself. He chuckled against my skin and then slid two fingers inside of me as he continued to work his magic on my clit. He lapped and sucked. I used his head for balance when he draped one of my legs over his shoulder to have more room to devour me.

He was relentless, sucking and licking. His fingers found the sensitive spot inside of me that ached for his touch and he rubbed it until I was whimpering and trembling, on the edge of climax.

"Nick, I'm going to?—"

He didn't respond and instead slid in a third finger that angled just right. A soft grunt tore from my lips as waves of pleasure coursed through my veins. I trembled as he continued to suck on my clit. My knee went weak and I felt him bear up under my weight as I almost fell, but his lips never broke contact with my sensitive flesh. He continued working my pussy until I was a puddling mess, quivering and almost unable to walk.

When he slowly rose and gripped my hips, I felt the moisture on his hand and let my head rest against the door. My leg dropped, toes pressing into the carpet briefly before he bent and hooked two fingers behind each of my knees. "God you're addicting," he said in a low voice as he lifted me then secured my legs behind his back while he pinned me against the door in another scorching kiss.

I draped my arms around him and locked my hands behind his head as he carried me to bed. Once on the bed he lay me down and then positioned himself between my legs. I chuckled at the goofy expression on his face, but that laughter turned into a whimper as he entered me. He was slow at first, taking his time, savoring the moment. His length slid in and out of me, his eyes locked on mine. I wanted so much more than what we hadgoing on right now. I wanted what he asked me for last time we did this, and I had been so upset about having kept the secret about Ethan from him that I got scared and ran. But this was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

"Nick," I whined, feeling his depth hit my back wall and I clenched around him, almost shuddering again.

"Scarlett, you are so incredible. You know? You're everything I want…" His words sent me over the edge again, marrying my heart to a hope for our future that was already woven into my thoughts for days. It made tears well up as he kissed me and swallowed my moans of pleasure as my body convulsed and twitched under his again. It was powerful, and lasted longer than the first one, but Nick seemed to understand how my body needed to be touched to make it last as long as possible.

"Scarlett," he panted as he still moved in me, but reality slowed down now. His breaths were hard and labored but the look in his eyes said it all. He loved me.

He cupped my face, and I felt his body tense up as he whispered my name again, but this time it sounded like a prayer as he found his own release inside of me. Warmth flooded me, his sex draining out between my legs, and his lips covered mine again. I whimpered and bit his lower lip, then clawed at his butt pulling him in deep. He pushed in hard, and I wrapped my legs around his hips and locked my feet. I wanted him in there, to stay inside me, to make me feel full and whole and safe. All of my anxiety was gone when we were like this, when life felt stable.

"Mmm," he grunted, and he forced me to unlock my feet so he could pull away. I whimpered again, and followed as he rolled to the side, and I curled into his chest.

"I don't want it to be over…" I whispered, and I felt his smile as he kissed my forehead.

"I can't go all night, silly."

"I meant the closeness…I want to stay like this forever, where I feel safe." I spoke into his chest and he pulled me in closer. Nothing in the world felt right unless I was with him, and then nothing in the world felt out of place. I knew this was what was meant to be. It was probably always meant to be, and I was foolish and hid from it before. There was no more hiding now. I was going to tell him I loved him, and then I was going to tell him about Ethan.

"Nick, can we talk?" I asked, pulling back slightly.

"Of course…" He sighed and backed away a little farther. "But first I should check on Ethan. Then I'm all yours."

He was right. I nodded as he pulled away and got dressed though he left his shirt untucked. I rolled to my back as he walked into the living room and I stared up at the patterned ceiling swirls. I still felt uneasy about telling Nick about Ethan, but I knew it was the right thing. Or maybe it wasn't. I wrestled because I was torn.

I wanted him to know but I didn't want it to destroy our relationship. And now I played a thousand scenarios in my mind—telling Nick the truth, telling him I didn't know who Ethan's father was and that it could be him since we had that one-night stand, or just keeping it a secret entirely. Nothing felt right. Especially not the guilt and shame. I just knew when he was in me and I was against his body I needed him to know. Then he put space between us and I got scared.

"Scarlett!" Nick's shout sent dread to my heart. I raced for my night robe and threw it on as I dashed into the living room to see Nick on the phone. "I've called an ambulance. Get dressed. His heart rate isn't safe and he's hypoxic again."

I ran toward Ethan but Nick barked, "Get dressed," before he returned to his call, spouting off numbers and words I didn't understand.

I was startled by his sudden demand, but I ran to do what he told me anyway. He was the professional and I was the terrified mother. I threw my clothes on as fast as I could and noticed the time was 10 p.m. I had to be up at three to start baking and this was happening again. We had a huge order for Easter Sunday too…