The Predicament (The Propositio - Katie Ashley

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DEDICATION CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN

EPILOGUE

To my readers—thank you for loving the characters of The Proposition. Your love has blessed my life in more ways than I can ever say, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

As she sat in a leather chair beside the crackling fireplace, Casey Rossi gazed down into the diminutive face of her drowsy-eyed daughter. After glancing at the clock on the mantle, Casey smiled. “Hang on, Liv. Just ten more minutes until Daddy walks through the door to see you.” Olivia widened her dark brown eyes as she appeared to be

contemplating Casey’s words. But then the overwhelming desire to sleep won out. With her eyelids drooping, she gave a yawn and then snuggled closer against Casey’s chest. Considering keeping a sleeping baby awake was the equivalent of skipping through a landmine, Casey let Olivia drift off. Nate could wake her up if he wanted to and then deal with the repercussions. Instead of turning on the TV or catching up on work emails, she merely stared at the perfection that was Olivia. Watching her daughter sleep had become

one of her favorite pastimes. It amazed her that she never seemed to tire of doing it. Each time she did, she noticed something different about Olivia’s tiny features—the way the double dimples she had inherited from her father never faded even when she wasn’t smiling, the way her dark little brow furrowed from time to time as if she was having some sort of baby dream. Everything about Olivia was enthralling, which never ceased to surprise Casey. After all, she had never been a baby person. When she was growing up,

the only baby she had really ever been around was her kid sister, Carlee. She sure as hell didn’t do any babysitting when she was a teenager. For a long time, she hadn’t even planned on having children. But then a 6’5 stud with a heart of gold came into her life and changed her mind…although she put up a hell of a fight for a long time. As she eyed the sparkling diamond on her left hand, Casey thought of the many years it had been on her finger. It had been over a decade since she had literally bumped into Nate Rossi

at a Starbucks in downtown Atlanta. Her iced mocha had drenched the front of Nate’s jeans, making it appear like he had pissed his pants. Thankfully, his steaming hot cappuccino had stayed put in its cup, and he had good-naturedly found the incident amusing, rather than being angry like she probably would have. Coming off a two month fling with an out-of-work musician, Nate was just the kind of guy she usually ran from. While he was panty-melting gorgeous, he didn’t exude the personality of a

player. Even at twenty-three, he had his shit together where at twenty-one, she was still giving her parents grey hairs about the outlook of her life. She’d dropped out of college once and then changed her major twice. It was after her parents last “come to Jesus” sit down with her that she had enrolled at Georgia State University to do something with marketing or public relations. At least that’s what she had assured her parents that their tuition money would be paying for. Normally she would have

apologized profusely and then gotten the hell out of there, but something about Nate’s dark chocolate eyes, the Tom Selleckesque double dimples in his cheeks, and his sincere smile made her take him up on his offer to have dinner with him. This was of course after he insisted on buying her another iced mocha. And at dinner that first night, she knew she had met the man she wanted to marry…just not at that moment. The thought scared the hell out of her, but at the same time, she didn’t want to run

away. For the first time in her life, she wanted to see things through with a decent man. Nate truly brought out the best in her. He knew just how to smooth her rough edges while slightly taming her wild-child side. They were the old adage of “she made him want to be a better man” in reverse. With her free hand, Casey reached over to pick up the picture sitting on the table next to her. She and Nate stared out of the sterling silver frame with genuinely happy smiles on their faces. The picture was of the two of them on

their wedding day along with their herd of bridesmaids and groomsmen. The lone redhead in the group caught Casey’s eye and made her smile. It was through Nate she met her best friend, Emma Harrison. Another life-time ago, Nate’s med school roomie had been a hell of a nice guy named Travis. After spending a few nights hanging out with him at the apartment, Travis insisted that she needed to meet his high-school sweetheart and fiancée, Emma. Just like that first dinner with Nate, Casey knew the moment she met

Emma that she had met a best friend for life. It didn’t hurt that the two shared a major and even some classes. Of course, Casey often found herself corrupting the shy, sweet girl, but at the same time, Emma had the same affect as Nate and tempered her outrageous antics. But it had been tragedy that bonded their friendship even deeper than she could have ever imagined. Travis had been killed in a car accident just a year before his and Emma’s wedding. Casey immersed herself in the role of comforter for both Nate, who had lost

his best friend, and to Emma, who had lost the love of her life. Those dark, agonizing days, weeks, and months had moved them all past friendship into a family. The rumbling sound of the garage door rising up had Casey popping out of her chair. Olivia grunted softly in protest at being jostled as Casey padded across the hardwood floors to the kitchen. Just like clockwork, Nate arrived through the door at seven forty-five. Before Olivia came, he made it home much earlier, but now after his shift ended, he grabbed a

quick shower in the doctors’ lounge to wash away any germs before being around the baby. A beaming smile stretched across his lips at the sight of her. “Hey gorgeous,” he said, as he pulled her close to him. Even though she had shed her work clothes for a ratty sweatshirt and pair of leggings, Nate had the ability with one look and a few words to make her feel like a million bucks and wearing the finest couture. Closing her eyes, she pressed her face against his chest and inhaledhis

comforting, familiar scent of Dior cologne and fresh soap. “How was work?” she asked, as she pulled away. In the past, she would have been pissed at him ignoring her question. But in this case, she had to smile at the way he was staring adoringly at Olivia’s dark head. Without pressing him for information, she gently passed the baby into his eager arms. Olivia only stirred slightly as she settled against Nate’s broad chest. “Hey, baby girl. How was your day? Did you have fun with Nana?” Nate crooned

softly. Since Casey had returned to work a few days a week, Nate’s mother had been keeping Olivia. While Emma had been happy to quit work to be a full-time mom, Casey knew she would never be able to give up completely on her career. After initially having a rough start settling on what she wanted to do in life, she adored her job. She dealt with the obligatory “mommy guilt” of working, but she knew that Olivia was in the best hands with Nate’s mom. The retired kindergarten teacher was already itching

to start lessons with Olivia. “She did. She had her first taste of some applesauce.” Nate’s brows rose as he momentarily tore his gaze away from Olivia. “Did she like it?” Casey smiled. “She did—at least what she actually ended up getting in her mouth.” A hearty chuckle rumbled through Nate’s chest. “My baby girl is growing too fast. First it’s food, and then it’s—” “Dating?” Casey teased. Nate’s expression became pained

like he’d been sucker punched in the gut. “God forbid.” With a smile, Casey mused, “Between you and Aidan, I don’t think Caroline and Olivia will see the light of day outside of a convent.” “Sounds good to me,” Nate replied with a wink. Casey rubbed Olivia’s plump cheek. “Don’t worry, Liv. I’ll save you from your Daddy’s overprotectiveness.” Tilting her head thoughtfully, she then added, “But not if you want to take too much after me.”

Nate threw back his head and laughed, which startled Olivia awake. Instead of crying, she just eyed her parents curiously before lifting one side of her mouth in what Casey loved to joke was a pity smile. “I’m pretty sure that little smirk is all yours, babe,” Nate teased. “Then we’re in serious trouble.” Using his free hand, he smacked her playfully on the behind. “I guess I better get this wee one upstairs and into bed,” Nate said. Casey didn’t bother asking him if

he was hungry. She knew he scarfed something down on the way home so that all of his time could be devoted to Olivia. “You head on up, and I’ll grab her bottle.” “Thanks, babe,” Nate said before bestowing a kiss on her cheek. The corners of her mouth turned up with pleasure as she listened to Nate chatter to Olivia on the way up the stairs. Casey then went into the kitchen to grab the bottle of milk she had pumped earlier. Letting Nate do the before bed bottle was one way she was

able to make him a part of Olivia’s feeding schedule. When she got to the nursery, she found Nate at the changing table. As he blew raspberries on Olivia’s bare tummy, she giggled and kicked her legs. “She already needed changing again?” Casey questioned as she sat the bottle down on the table beside the glider. “Someone had a massive blow out in her diaper on the way up the stairs.” Casey giggled as she came to Nate’s side. “Good going, baby girl. Save those for Daddy.”

Olivia grinned at Casey while Nate only shook his head. After he put on a fresh diaper, he buttoned up Olivia’s pink and white sleeper. Turning to Casey, he said, “I’ve got it. You go on and do what you need to do.” Leaning up on her tiptoes, she planted a kiss on his lips. “Love you.” “Love you, too.” Casey then kissed Olivia’s cheek. “Love you, too, Livvie Boo.” At Olivia’s little coo of a response, Casey’s heart melted. When she got to the doorway, she glanced back

one last time at Nate and Olivia. Some nights she loved to just hang around and watch the two of them interact. It might’ve meant not getting to watch a little TV or read, but it was well worth it. But not tonight. Tonight she was a woman on a mission—a seduction specific one. She wouldn’t think about the laundry piling up around the washing machine or the dirty dishes in the sink. No, they could all go fuck themselves for all she cared. She was going to have some mind-

blowing sex—the kind she and Nate used to have pre-Olivia. Over the last week with sex being MIA, Casey came to realize how different things were for her and Nate in the bedroom. Even after all the years she and Nate had been together, she could still count on sex being a consistent four to five times a week. And they weren’t just “let’s get it over with” quickies before bed either. Ever the patient and understanding husband, Nate hadn’t been the first one to initiate sex post Olivia’s birth. During

her healing time, she had thrown him the obligatory bone, so to speak, for his boners in the form of either hand or blowjobs. In the end, she had been the one eager to get intimate again after her doctor cleared her for action. When the first few times weren’t as toe curling as before, she chalked it up to her being tired, to postpartum hormones, to Olivia being in her bassinet next to the bed. She even went as far to blame it on the fact it was a full moon—anything not to have to question that something was wrong. But as time

passed and things didn’t improve, Casey didn’t just worry—she began to panic. Sex had defined who she was ever since she lost her virginity at sixteen. She hadn’t been stereotypical girl pressured to give in to some horny guy. She had been equally as horny as her boyfriend. Once she’d had her first taste of sex, she wanted more and more. Before she had someone like Samantha Jones on Sex and the City to relate to, she sometimes wondered what was wrong with her that she had such a healthy libido compared to some of her

friends. By the time she and Nate got together, she could no longer count her sex partners on one hand. While he was far more conservative about sex, Nate had always enjoyed and appreciated her voracious appetite. They were the perfect couple physically and emotionally. Just not anymore…at least not physically. But that was going to change tonight. Over the last two days of mulling things over in her head, Casey had worked on a strategy. She had

approached taking back the heat with as much tenacity as she would project at work. So what if she was exhausted from starting back to work coupled with Olivia’s up and down nighttime schedule? That didn’t mean she couldn’t have some hot, sweaty sex with her husband. She practically sprinted across the hall to their bedroom before dipping inside her walk-in closet. With lips pursed in concentration, she began rifling through her lingerie section. Some women might have a drawer or two

devoted to the naughty, but not Casey. She believed in dressing to impress on a daily basis, so it only made sense to take that same motto to the bedroom. There was a little bit of everything—lacy bustiers with matching panties, racy teddys that left little to the imagination, and even some naughty themed costumes. Tonight called for something a little daring...maybe something a little nostalgic to recapture the old fire. “Oh hell yes,” she murmured at the sight of her slutty nurse’s costume. A

little role-playing never hurt, and Nate always got a big kick out of her wanting to play doctor on the doctor. After grabbing the costume on its hanger, she headed into the bathroom to change. Once she shed her leggings and GSU Alum sweatshirt, she started to put on the skimpy white uniform. “Umph,” she grunted as she writhed and wriggled beneath the material. Having to use exertion to get outfitted for sex was a new experience. She usually saved all the huffing and panting for the act itself. Although she

had lost most of her pregnancy weight, there was still a pesky five to ten pounds that kept hanging around no matter how hard she dieted or worked out. While it seemed to even out in her clothes, the same couldn’t be said for the skintight lingerie. Once she had wrestled the fabric across her back, she reached for the zipper. She should have anticipated that it wouldn’t come up as easily as it once had. She had to tug and jerk it to get it up over her hips. But that was a piece of cake compared to what happened when

she reached her boobs. “Mother… fucker,” she grunted as the teeth of zipper cracked and popped over the track. Yeah, her normally C cup breasts had gotten enormous since she was breastfeeding Olivia, but it wasn’t like she had turned into Dolly Parton or something. When the suit was finally zipped, she let out a sigh of relief. Standing in front of the lighted mirror, she twirled one of Nate’s old med school stethoscopes between her fingers while turning from side to side. As she

surveyed her appearance, her lips pulled into a frown. She didn’t feel like the sexy seductress she usually did. Was it the way her milk-laden breasts made the dress’s zipper pull too tightly across the chest, or was it the post-baby pooch around her middle? Whatever it was, she sure as hell wasn’t liking it. She had never, ever felt unsexy before. Her thoughts were interrupted by a high-pitched squeal. After striding over to the doorway, she cautiously questioned, she strode over to the doorway. “Everything okay?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Nate replied in a humorous tone. “If you’re sure.” “Positive, babe.” Within a few seconds, Olivia quieted down, so Casey went back to the bathroom to touch up her hair and makeup. After a day at work and then an afternoon with Olivia, she could have used another shower, but she didn’t have the time. Much to her dismay, the voices of self-deprecation about her appearance didn’t stop even after her full lips shimmered with gloss or her dark hair

fell in waves down her back. In the end, she felt like she had just painted the pig, or she was the equivalent of Jabba the Hut styling too tight lingerie. She was just about to lose her nerve and throw in the towel, or in this case the stethoscope, when she heard Olivia’s door close. “Oh fuck it,” she muttered before hurrying out of bathroom and into the bedroom. At the sight of Nate in the doorway, she lunged forward and threw herself into his arms. He hadn’t anticipated her, and they both went

staggering back into the hallway. “I guess you’re glad I’m coming to bed, huh?” Nate asked. “Oh yes. But not to sleep.” “And here I was thinking that’s what we did in there,” he replied, his voice vibrating with amusement. She eased back in his arms. Running her fingers through the strands of his dark, curly hair, she said, “If sleeping is all you remember us doing in there, I think you need your head examined, Dr. Rossi.” When Nate’s dark eyes flared

with desire for her, it instantly silenced all the chattering voices of doubt in her head. “God, you’re sexy as hell in that outfit.” “Really?” she asked, her cracking and betraying her false bravado. “Oh yeah.” He dipped his head to capture her lips with his. The kiss sent a tingling from her head straight between her legs. He had always been able to make her weak in the knees with just a kiss, and after all their years together, he still had the gift. When he finally broke the kiss,

both of their chests rose and fell in harsh pants. “So you’re up for a head examination, Dr. Rossi?” “Mmm, hmm.” Casey slid one of her hands down Nate’s chest past his belt to cup his growing erection. “I think this head needs my immediate attention. Don’t you?” “I’d like that very much, Nurse Casey.” Shooting her a sexy grin, he added, “I leave myself in your capable hands.” While she kept stroking him over

his slacks, she used her free hand to unbutton his shirt. Once she had it open, Nate helped her by sliding it off his shoulders and letting it drop to the floor. She then turned her attention to freeing his cock that was straining against his zipper. After sliding his pants and underwear over his hips and down his thighs, Casey couldn’t help standing back and admiring Nate’s body. He kept himself in fabulous shape. She traced his washboard abs with her fingers, causing them to tighten at her touch.

“Your examination methods could use some work, Nurse Casey.” Tilting her head at him, she questioned, “You don’t like the care I’m giving you.” He smiled. “That’s just it. You’re killing me with the teasing.” “By all means, please tell me how to do my job. I want to take care of you,” she urged. It was more of a challenge to him since he usually wasn’t the dirty talker in the bedroom—that was usually her job. “I want—no I need you to put

your hands and mouth here.” He brought her hand back to his dick, which throbbed under her fingertips. “I’m so sorry. Let me take care of that for you right away.” She guided him over to the bed before placing both hands on his shoulders and playfully shoving him back to where he fell down onto the mattress. His hooded eyes stayed on hers as he pushed himself up in the bed, giving her the room to kneel over him. While he might’ve given her all the room she needed, the fabric of her

nurse’s outfit didn’t. It took two tries before she was finally able to get up on the bed. Cursing inwardly, she swore she would burn it the minute she got free. Bending down, she brought her lips to his. When Nate widened his mouth, she darted her tongue inside, dancing hers along with his. Knowing he was dying of anticipation and probably a case of blue balls, she decided to prolong his agony a little. After all, delayed gratification usually made the most mind blowing orgasms, and she wanted more than anything to give him

that. She started kissing a trail over the stubble on his chin, down his neck across his bobbing Adam’s apple to his chest. While some women hated chest hair and would have encouraged Nate to wax, she happened to rather like the dark dusting across his chest and stomach. Of course, she had to draw the line with back hair, which a lot of the Italian men in his family had. When his erection bucked against her stomach, she teasingly rubbed against it, giving him a little friction. “I

think I’m going to have to report you to the charge nurse,” he rasped. Casey grinned as she flicked her tongue across Nate’s pebbling nipple. When she drew back, she blew air across it, causing Nate to suck in a harsh breath. “At least I’m not making you beg.” She cocked her brows at him. “Yet.” “I’ll make sure to remember this when it’s my time to play doctor.” His words coupled with the dark look glittering in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine and a shot of heat

between her legs. Wanting to get to that moment, she decided it was time to get down to business. When she took him into her hand, he groaned and arched his hips off the bed. After taking him deep inside her mouth, she bobbed her head up and down, alternating between fast and slow. Call her crazy, but she was one of those strange women who actually liked giving blowjobs. She wasn’t necessarily someone who thought it was better to give than receive, but she loved nothing more to have Nate groaning and writhing

with the pleasure she was giving him. With her nurse’s uniform starting to cut off the circulation around her middle, she was forced to momentarily let Nate’s cock fall free from her mouth as she shifted from sitting on her knees to lying down beside him. Closing her eyes, she lay her cheek against Nate’s thigh, which still gave her easy access to stroke and lick him. She found the position a lot more comfortable than she had imagined. It was downright cozy. Why hadn’t she thought of doing him like this other

times? Before she realized it, her hand began to slide slower and slower on his shaft. “Casey?” “Hmm, what?” she murmured drowsily. “Um…I think you fell asleep.” “Huh?” What the hell was he talking about? Of course, she had fallen asleep. I mean, they were in bed after all. Her eyelids flicked open to take in her surroundings. To her surprise, she not only found herself eyelevel with Nate’s dick, but she had it in her hand.

Her gaze left Nate’s deflated erection to stare up at him. Propped up on his elbows, he wore an expression of amused concern. “You just fell asleep in the middle of giving me head,” he replied. Holy shit. She had seriously just dozed off…with Nate’s dick in her hand. How the hell was that even physically possible? Maybe she had passed out… maybe she’d had a stroke or something while she was stroking him. I mean, she couldn’t possibly have checked out voluntarily in the middle of a sex act.

A fiery mortification burned its way over her body causing her skin to feel inflamed and not in the good, erotic way. Her lungs screamed for the air that she couldn’t seem to bring into them while her stomach lurched and churned. “Babe?” Nate questioned. He rose up to a sitting position and reached for her. The moment he touched her, she scuttled away from him so fast that she ended up falling off the end of the bed. “Ow!” she cried as her ass smacked against the hardwood. Of course she had

to fall off the end and not the side where the ton of throw pillows would have been to cushion her. “Jesus, are you all right?” When she stared up into Nate’s concerned face, her already overwrought emotions went even more haywire. For a second, she wished he was mad or frustrated at her for what had happened. But considering the goodhearted guy Nate was, he was worried about her feelings…and her soon-to-be bruised ass. “I have to get out of here,” she

blurted as she lunged to her feet. “Casey, it’s okay.” “No. No, it isn’t.” “But I’m not mad. I swear,” he said. Sprinting into the bathroom, she eyed the pile of clothes she had shed a half an hour ago. The tight as hell nurse’s costume would take too long to wrangle out of, and she needed to be out of the bedroom and house. Like five minutes ago. She snatched her terry cloth robe off the hook and jerked it on. As she was

frantically tying the belt, Nate appeared in the doorway. “Babe, let’s talk about this.” She couldn’t bear to look at him. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. Not right now.” After she blew past him and started out of the bedroom, he called in surprise, “You’re not leaving, are you?” “I just need some time to myself,” she replied in a low-tone as she went past Olivia’s closed door. “Where the hell are you going to go at this hour?” “I don’t know.”

It wasn’t a second before Nate was at her side. He tugged gently on her arm. “Casey, I don’t want you driving when you’re upset like this.” “I’ll be fine.” “Case—” When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she whirled around and held up her hand. “Please, Nate.” The pained expression he wore told her how much he wanted to argue with her, but instead, he clamped his lips together. Crossing his arms over his chest, he said, “Fine. Just promise you’ll

be careful.” “I will.” She didn’t have to tell him to take care of Olivia—that was a given. Instead, she grabbed her keys and hurried into the garage. She had told Nate she didn’t know where she was going, but that wasn’t the truth. There was only one place—one person—that could make her feel even the slightest bit better at the moment. She had to see Emma.

After careening into the familiar driveway on two wheels, Casey screeched her SUV to a halt just before dinging the garage door. Not even bothering with her phone or purse, she flung open the car door and sprinted up the flower-lined front walk. She gathered up the hem of her bathrobe to pound up the porch steps. Just as she reached for the

doorbell, she quickly recoiled her hand. Considering how late it was, she didn’t dare ring it for fear of waking Noah and Caroline. Instead, she started banging out a steady rhythm like Morse code on the wood. It took a few moments before the porch light flicked on, and the door swung open. Standing before her with a bewildered expression etched on his handsome face was Aidan Fitzgerald. Barefoot and shirtless, he sported a pair of orange and green checked boxers—a subtle nod to his Irish heritage. In one

hand was a longneck Corona and in the other was a baby monitor. His blue eyes widened as he took in her disheveled appearance. When he opened his mouth, she held up a hand. “Out of my way, douchenozzle. I need to talk to Em.” Aidan didn’t protest as she blew past him through the front door. Nor did he give her any grief about calling him “douchenozzle”. While she had first used it as a derogatory term against him, it was now a more endearing nickname between the two.

Craning her neck down the hall, Casey questioned, “Em?” “She’s not here.” Casey whirled around. Placing her hands on her hips, she demanded, “Where the hell is she?” “Down the street at Becky’s for Book Club.” Casey grimaced. In her turmoil, she had completely forgotten that Wednesday night was Book Club. More accurately it was “a kid free night hanging out with the girls while the wine freely flowed”. Casey would have been

there herself if not for Nate’s work schedule. At the prospect of not getting to unload her traumatic troubles on her bestie, Casey stomped her house-shoed foot like a petulant toddler. “Motherfuckingshitdamnhell!” she screeched. Aidan snorted in amusement at her cursing. After crossing his arms over his chest, he asked, “What could have possibly happened that warranted a ‘motherfuckingshitdamnhell’ situation?” Gazing into his amused blue eyes,

Casey did something she rarely, if ever did—she burst into tears. Through her blurry vision, she almost laughed at the look of horror that stretched across Aidan’s face. As he shifted on his feet, it looked like he was debating tearing out of room and sprinting down the street for Emma. That was something the Old Aidan from three years ago would have done—the one who broke out in a nervous sweat at the sight of any expression of female emotion. But thankfully, Emma had changed all that.

The New Aidan gave her the sweetest, sympathetic look. “Oh hell, Case, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have teased you. It’s obvious from your...” He motioned at her attire. “look that something is wrong.” “No. It’s okay,” she reassured, as she swiped the mascara stained tears from her cheeks. Placing a hand on her back, Aidan instructed, “Come over here and sit down.” With expert precision, he guided her through the maze of baby paraphernalia littering the living room

floor. When Casey sank down onto the couch, her ass emitted a high pitched squeak. She quickly reached under her to jerk out a fluffy pink toy. A smile played at her lips because her Olivia had one just like it. In spite of it being annoying as hell, it was the four month old’s favorite. “Do you want to talk about it?” Aidan asked, as he sat down beside her. Groaning, Casey tossed the bunny to the side. “It’s too mortifying.” Aidan nudged her knee. “Come

on. Nothing can be that bad.” Oh fuck yes it can. Staring down at her hands, Casey decided to bite the bullet and tell Aidan the truth. As the flashback played in her mind, she pinched her eyes shut. “I kinda dozed off…” She swallowed hard. For a moment, she felt as bashful as Emma was when it came to talking about sex. “I dozed off for just a second while doing a…job.” When she dared to look at Aidan, his blond brows were scrunched in confusion. “You fell asleep at work?”

Rolling her eyes, Casey then grunted in frustration. “No. Not at work.” “Then what—” “I fell asleep while blowing Nate, okay!” she blurted. Her words had the same effect on Aidan as if she had slapped him. He shook his head back and forth like he was trying to wake himself out of a daze. For the next few seconds, he just stared ahead without blinking. Throwing up her hands, Casey demanded, “Well say something,

dammit!” “Motherfuckingshitdamnhell,” Aidan muttered. “Thanks for making me feel so much better,” she snapped. “I’m sorry. It’s just…wow.” Rubbing her fingers along her temple, she said, “Once again, you’re not helping.” “Yeah, well, I’m really sorry. It’s just it’s one thing for you to come barreling in here, looking like someone was killed or something, and then you drop that kinda bomb on me…It’s going

to take me a little while to recover.” “Well, I’m sorry if my threshold for patience and understanding is a little thin. Catch me on a day when I haven’t just fallen asleep giving oral sex.” Aidan made a strangled noise. When he recovered, he questioned, “I’m still not completely grasping how that is even possible?” A frustrated growl escaped Casey’s lips. “I don’t know exactly. It just is.” “You didn’t like…” Aidan swallowed hard and shifted on the

couch. “Bite him. Did you?” Casey rolled her eyes. Leave it to a man to be only concerned with the all mighty dick in the story. “The last thing I want to do right now in my frame of mind is get technical with you, but if you must know, Nate and his dick are unscathed. I didn’t have him in my mouth when I dozed off.” Aidan exhaled what could only be described as a sigh of relief. When she glared at him, he held up his hands. “Sorry. I needed to put that worry to rest.”

“Ugh, you men and your precious Penis Brotherhood.” Leaning forward on the couch, Aidan picked up his phone. “Don’t you dare call Nate and let him know where I am!” “I’m not. I’m texting Emma to come home. I’m am so not the person for this situation.” Casey shook her head. “I don’t want to interrupt book club.” Aidan snorted. “Like I don’t realize there’s no real reading involved, and it’s a just a means for her to have a

kid free night with the girls.” Widening her eyes, Casey said, “You know?” “Yeah, I know. I just play dumb to save face. As much as she does for me and the kids, she deserves three hours to herself.” “That’s pretty damn considerate of you, Douchenozzle,” Casey said. “I have my moments.” Nudging her knee again, he said, “So let me have a moment to play the sensitive, caring guy friend. Tell me exactly what happened.”

After studying the earnest expression on Aidan’s face, Casey decided she might as well open up. Once she had drawn in a ragged breath, she purged herself of the story from start to finish. She didn’t look at Aidan until she was done. She hadn’t wanted whatever facial reactions he had to interrupt her train of thought. When she finally dared herself to tear her gaze away from wringing her hands, she found him to be staring earnestly at her with a concerned, contemplative look on his face.

Thankfully, he didn’t appear to be feeling his original shock and horror. Breaking the silence between them, she said, “So tonight was supposed to be perfect—I was supposed to get my hot sex life back. Instead, I fell asleep in the middle of giving oral sex, threw a psycho fit, and ran out on my poor husband.” “I can see why you had the reaction you did.” “You can?” Aidan nodded. “Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but you just had

a baby four months ago. All aspects of your life are turned upside down, especially your sex life. Change is hard regardless the circumstances, but then when you throw in all the postpregnancy hormones, it makes for an emotional shit-storm.” Casey blinked a few times as she took in his words. Either she was farther gone mentally than she thought, or Aidan was making good sense. “Okay, I gotta be honest and say that you’re slightly wigging me out with the words of wisdom. It’s not like you…well, maybe

it’s not like the old you.” Aidan’s bare chest rose and fell with a chuckle. “Just calling it as I see it…and felt it.” “I didn’t realize you went through anything like that.” With a wry smile, Aidan said, “Yeah, I’m sure it’s hard to imagine me ever being that deep.” “That’s not what I meant,” she argued. “I know. I’m just teasing you.” “So what happened with you?” Aidan drowned the last of his

beer. “Well, obviously I didn’t have the hormones, but Noah’s birth was a real transition for me. Sure, I was so fucking happy to have him and to have Emma, but in the course of a few months, my life was completely unrecognizable. And that wasn’t my previous wild and crazy life—that was just the life I built with Emma as husband and wife. Then there were three of us—one being completely dependent on us for survival. I was scared out of my fucking mind that I wasn’t going to be the father that he needed—that after screwing up before, I

would screw up again.” “How did you get through it?” “By talking to Pop and some of my brothers-in-law—you know, people who had fought their way through the trenches of fatherhood before.” “I see.” “But even if you talk to all the women in your mommy group, you still have to communicate what’s going on in your head to Nate.” Casey winced and rubbed her eyes. “He has to already think I’ve lost my damn mind.”

“Knowing Nate like I do, I’m sure that’s the last thing on his mind.” “Like you wouldn’t be slightly concerned about Emma’s sanity if she had run out on you like I had?” “Well, maybe a little,” Aidan admitted. “I rest my case.” Aidan’s expression became suddenly grave. “Okay, I’m going to tell you something—something not a living soul besides Emma knows. And I’m only telling it now so that you can feel a little better about what happened.”

With Aidan’s tone and body language, Casey couldn’t help leaning forward expectantly on the couch. “What is it?” she questioned in almost a whisper. After doing a nervous pop of the knuckles on his hand, Aidan cleared his throat. Whatever he was about to tell her seemed especially painful. “This one time when Noah was about two months old…” He swallowed hard. “Emma fell asleep when I was going down on her.” Seconds crept by as she could merely stare at him, blinking. If her

situation hadn’t been so bleak, she probably would have busted out laughing at the absurdity of it all. “Aidan, while I appreciate you trying to commiserate, I can tell you from a woman’s perspective that’s really not a bad thing.” Aidan’s blue eyes widened. “Are you fucking kidding me? Putting your wife to sleep during a sex act is never, ever a good thing.” “But oral for a woman can be very relaxing—sometimes an orgasm is just what we need to get the best sleep of

our life.” He shook his head furiously from side to side. “Oh hell no. It’s not supposed to be this—” He closed his eyes, lolled his head to the sound, and made exaggerated snoring sounds. “But—” “It’s supposed to be this!” Rolling his eyes back in his head in mock ecstasy, he then mimicked the highpitched voice of a female as he moaned, “Oh God! Oh God! Yes, yes, YES!” Casey snorted back a laugh, which earned her a frustrated grunt from Aidan.

“Last time I ever tell you something to make you feel better,” he grumbled before hopping up off the couch. As she watched his retreating form stomp away, Casey sighed and rose up herself. She followed him into the kitchen where he had his head stuck in the fridge. “I’m sorry.” He pulled back to eye her around the side of the fridge door. Waving a longneck at her, he asked, “Want one?” Her mouth watered in anticipation. “I really shouldn’t.” “Pump and dump. You’ve earned

it.” A laugh escaped her lips. Who would have ever thought Mr. Manwhore Fitzgerald would understand all the ins and outs of breastfeeding? “Okay. You twisted my arm.” Always the gentleman, he popped the top off before passing the cold bottle to her. Holding his bottle, he clinked the neck of hers. “To great sex.” With a groan, she repeated, “To great sex.” After taking a long, foamy swig, she leaned back against the counter. “Just for the record, your

reputation as the ultimate lover has not waned one bit in my eyes because of that story.” Aidan grinned at her over the top of his longneck. “Really?” “Really.” “I’m glad to hear it.” After nibbling his bottom lip a tad bit nervously, he added, “And it was only that one time.” Casey bit back a smile. “I believe you.” “Good.” Aidan’s phone began to ring.

When he picked it up, he glanced at her. “It’s Nate.” Sitting the beer down on the counter, she waved her hands back and forth. “I don’t want to talk to him.” With an exasperated look, Aidan answered the call. “Hey man.” Although Nate couldn’t see him, Aidan bobbed his head. “Yeah, she’s here, and she’s fine.” Nate must’ve asked about talking to her because Aidan grimaced before scratching the hair at the back of his neck. “Um, she really doesn’t want to talk to you right now.”

If she tried, she could almost picture Nate at home, pacing around their bedroom—his dark brows furrowed in worry. His hair was probably disheveled from jerking his fingers through it, which was one of his nervous quirks. The thought that she was the source of that worry caused an ache to burn through her chest. “Tell him I’m on my way home,” she blurted. Aidan’s brows rose, but he didn’t question her. “She’s coming home.” Once again, he bobbed his head. “Yeah,

I’ll make sure she gets to the car okay.” Tears stung Casey’s eyes when she thought of how concerned Nate was for her. God, she loved that man with all her heart and soul. The last thing in the world she ever wanted to do was hurt him. Humiliation once again stung her at the way she had overreacted. Man, she could sure manage to fuck up a situation, couldn’t she?” As soon as Aidan hung up the phone, it dinged signaling a text. After glancing at it, he said, “That’s Em. She’s on the way home. You sure you don’t

want to wait for her?” Casey shook her head. “I need to get to Nate—to make this right.” Aidan patted her shoulder. “It wasn’t ever a wrong, Case.” “If you say so.” “I know so. But I’m glad you’re going home. Nate sounded pretty desperate.” “God, I was such a heartless bitch to run out on him like that,” she lamented. “You were just doing what you thought was best in the moment. If you

had stayed, you might’ve said something you would have regretted.” Casey stared at Aidan in surprise as she weighed his words. After shaking her head, she questioned, “Whenever did you get so wise, douchenozzle?” He laughed. “Becoming a husband and father was the jumpstart to maturity I desperately needed.” She reached out and patted his cheek. “It looks and sounds really good on you.” “Thanks. That means a lot coming from you.”

“You’re welcome. And thanks for listening to me.” “Anytime.” With a wink, he added, “But if it’s all the same, I really hope Emma’s home the next time you have a crisis.” Casey snickered. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Picking up the baby monitor, he then proceeded to walk her out to the car just as he had promised Nate. He went as far as to open the car door and shut it back. She waved at him before cranking up. As she backed down the driveway,

she thought how lucky Emma was to have Aidan. What had started out as a proposition had turned into so much more. Although there were a million things she wanted to say to Nate, she didn’t pick up the phone. What she needed to say should be said in person. When she pulled into the garage, Nate stood waiting for her in the doorway. He’d thrown on a pair of boxer shorts, but besides that, he was exactly as she had left him. From his body language, she

could tell he wanted nothing more than to bound out to the car and take her into his arms, but he wouldn’t let himself. He was giving her the space he thought she needed. Just when she thought she couldn’t love him more, she did. She flung open the car door and sprinted to his side. For the second time that night, she threw herself into his arms. “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry,” she murmured against his neck. He rubbed comforting circles over her back. “You don’t have to apologize.

“Yes, I do. I acted like a crazy shrew.” Nate’s chest rumbled with a goodnatured chuckle. “You had your reasons.” “Not good ones.” He brought his hands to her shoulders and gently eased her back. Staring into her eyes, he smiled. “Let’s don’t play the blame game anymore, okay? It’s late, and we both need rest. Let’s spend the time we have working things out about about what happened earlier.”

Casey groaned. “Why do you have to be so good at communication?” “Just one of my many gifts,” he teased. As he started to pull her into the house, she stopped him. When his brows rose in surprise, she said, “I love you, Nate. More than I can ever say or show you.” A pleased expression flooded his face. “I love you, too, babe.” He then wrapped an arm around her shoulder and guided her into the house.

The next morning before work Casey found herself pulling into the parking lot of her favorite coffee house. She eased her SUV into a space next to Emma’s. After what had happened the night before, an emergency girls’ meeting had been called. To ensure that they were able to speak as freely as they needed considering the subject matter, Emma had left Caroline and Noah with Patrick

while Casey had dropped off Olivia at Nate’s mom’s house an hour earlier than usual. As she stepped inside The Grind, Casey inhaled appreciatively of the tantalizing smell of roasted coffee. She had loved the illicit substance before Olivia’s birth, but she had practically been mainlining it to her veins during work hours to keep herself awake. Even though pumping and dumping was a pain in the ass, it was a necessary evil to keep her beloved coffee. After she inched forward in the

line, she craned her neck around, searching for where Emma was sitting. Casey spotted her in the far corner. Always the punctual one, Emma had arrived early and snagged one of their favorite spots—an overstuffed couch and table. Like Casey, her appearance was a little more thrown together these days considering Caroline and Olivia were only a day apart, and then Noah was twenty months. But if there was anyone who could make motherhood not only look easy, but a walk in the park, it was Emma.

Once she had her venti Vanilla latte, Casey headed over to the table. When Emma caught her eye, she popped off the couch like a Jack in the Box and opened her arms in an inviting hug. With a roll of her eyes, Casey snorted and held up her coffee free hand. “Jesus, Em, would you stop being so melodramatic? I only fell asleep during a blowjob.” Emma shook her head. “You can play it off all you want, but I know you.” “Is that right?” Jerking her chin up, Emma

replied, “Yeah, it is. You hold three things sacred in your life—your family and friends, your career, and your sex life.” Casey gave a grunt of frustration before sinking down into the soft cushions of the plush couch. “You do know me too well.” “I would be a pretty lousy bestie if I didn’t,” Emma replied, with a teasing smile. “True,” Casey murmured before taking a steaming gulp of her coffee. She couldn’t help laughing when she saw the

longing look on Emma’s face. “You know, you can always pump and dump like I do,” she suggested. Emma sighed as she swished the cup that held her Passion Tea Lemonade. “I know. It just seems like even the least amount in my bloodstream has Caroline wired for hours. It never seemed to effect Noah.” Casey grinned. “I think it’s more that Caroline is going to be a little firecracker and take after her Aunt Casey.” Emma laughed. “That’s true. She’s

already way more outgoing and social than Noah was, and he hammed it up most days for kisses and smiles.” “So far so good that Liv seems to be taking after Nate personality wise,” Casey mused. They were momentarily interrupted by Emma’s phone dinging. After glancing down at it, Emma smiled. “Megan’s here.” “I thought she was working today.” “She is. She’s just popping over during her break.”

Great. The fact that Emma had felt the need to invite Megan made what had happened last night seem even more horrific. Swallowing another gulp of coffee, she said, “Please tell me you didn’t invite Connor, too.” Emma’s cheeks tinged pink. “He couldn’t make it this morning. But he sends his love and support.” Casey groaned as she sat her coffee down. “Jesus, Em. You’re seriously making feel like a real nutjob, you know that?” “That wasn’t my intention at all. I

just wanted to be supportive,” Emma argued. Megan pushed through the front door and made her way through the crowd. Outfitted in a pair of pink scrubs, her long, blonde hair was swept into a ponytail. “Hey guys,” she said with a bright smile. As she sat down across from them, the enormous diamond wedding band on her left hand caught the light and almost blinded Casey. After marrying the handsome and dashing Alpesh “Pesh” Nadeen two months ago, Megan exuded the perfect picture of a

happy newlywed. “Damn, Miss Newlywed and Oversexed, I’m practically getting a contact orgasm from sitting across from you,” Casey joked. While Emma’s eyes widened at the comment, Megan only grinned. “I have to say I’m a very satisfied woman.” “Yeah and I hate you,” Casey replied sullenly. Megan’s brows shot up in surprise at the change in Casey’s tone. “What?” Attempting to diffuse the situation, Emma slid an iced mocha across the

table to Megan. “I went ahead and got yours.” “Thanks,” Megan replied, before sucking a large gulp out of the straw. After she swallowed, her gaze flicked between Casey and Emma. “Okay, seriously, what’s up?” “Emma didn’t tell you already?” Casey questioned. Megan shook her head. “Nope. Just that we needed an emergency girls’ summit.” Casey rolled her eyes. “Really it’s nothing.”

“Case,” Emma implored. Refusing to look at Emma, Casey said to Megan, “Em’s just overreacting. You know, I never got to hear all the details on the Paris honeymoon.” Emma wagged one of her fingers in Casey’s face. “Oh no. Don’t even try to change the subject,” she warned. “Em, I—” “Did you or did you not show up to my house at nine o’clock last night wearing your bathrobe where you proceeded to cry on my husband’s shoulder?” Emma demanded, tapping her

shoe. “Yes,” Casey grumbled. A triumphant look flashed in Emma’s green eyes. “I rest my case.” After glancing curiously between the two, Megan asked, “Once again I’ll ask, what’s up?” When Emma opened her mouth, Casey shook head. “It’s my story. I’ll tell it.” “By all means.” Casey had hoped after talking to Aidan it would get easier telling what had happened. But she soon found that

wasn’t the case. In the light of a new day, her whacked out reaction seemed even more insane, not to mention it was still mortifying that she had actually fallen asleep during a blowjob. Once she finished with every mortifying detail, she gaged Megan’s face for a response. With blonde brows furrowed in confusion, her mouth hung slightly open. “Wow,” Megan murmured. Casey snorted. “That seems to be the unified consensus.” Emma shook her head. “That’s not what I said when Aidan told me.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Casey countered, “Oh really. Just what did you say?” “If you must know, I said, ‘Poor Casey’ because I knew how devastating it had to be for you.” “Seriously? You weren’t the least bit confused about how I managed to do it? Like was Nate’s dick harmed if I was blowing him?” “No because Aidan was pretty thorough when he told the story, especially when it came to the fact that Nate was…you know, all right down

there.” Rolling her eyes, Casey muttered, “Fucking Penis Brotherhood.” “What?” Emma asked. “Nothing.” Megan leaned forward on the couch. “Look, at the end of the day, shit happens. What happened to you could have happened to any one of us--” When Casey started to protest, Megan shook her head. “There isn’t a woman out there, who if she’s honest, hasn’t had something mortifying happen in the bedroom.”

“Oh really?” “Yes. Really.” Casey’s brows rose in challenge. “What’s yours?” Paling slightly, Megan shifted on the cushions. “Well…there was this one time I farted in a guy’s face when he was going down on me.” “No you didn’t!” Emma questioned in horror as Casey snickered. Megan nodded. “I was a freshman at UGA. I was up on a kitchen counter at this guy’s apartment I’d been crushing on. He was on knees below me. In my

defense, he had a death grip on my sides and was squeezing the hell out of my stomach.” Closing her eyes, she shook her head. “Needless to say we never had sex, and he never called me after that.” “Oh my,” Emma murmured. “Thank you for that,” Casey said. With a laugh, Megan replied, “You’re welcome.” When both Casey and Megan looked to Emma, her face turned blood red. “Do I really have to?” “Yes,” they both answered in unison.

Staring down at her hands, Emma practically whispered, “Once when Aidan was going down on me, I fell asleep. He didn’t realize it until he heard me snoring.” Casey busted out laughing at the absurdity of hearing a repeat of the story that haunted Aidan. When she continued to laugh, Emma straightened her shoulders in a huff. “Well, I don’t think it’s that funny.” After wiping her eyes, Casey said, “No, it’s not. It’s more the fact that Aidan told me the same story last night.”

Emma gasped. “He did?” Casey nodded. “He was trying to make me feel better. You know, like a ‘We’ve all been there falling asleep during oral sex’ kinda thing. It surprised the hell out of me that he admitted it.” “It surprises me, too. I mean, men have such fragile egos when it comes to sex, and while Aidan might put on a good front, he is very sensitive about his abilities as a lover and in turn, what that says about him as a man,” Emma replied. “I might not have a dick, but trust

me that I feel his pain. Sex is something I’ve always been good at.” With a shake of her head, Megan argued, “And you still are. You had one slip up. It’s not a game changer in any way.” Emma nodded. “Megan’s absolutely right. Aidan felt way worse than he needed to about what happened, and he did for a long time. Just like with you, there were outside forces at hand. I had just gone back to work after having Noah. I was emotionally and physically exhausted. It felt so good that I just got

way too relaxed. But in no way did it mean that Aidan was a lousy lover—his track record over the years totally disproved that one. Just like yours does.” “I guess you’re right.” “No. Deep down, you know I’m right—you’re just too stubborn to admit it,” Emma teased. Casey laughed. “Fine. You’re right, and I’m wrong.” Holding her fist triumphantly in the air, she declared rather loudly, “My name is Casey Rossi, and I’m fantastic at fucking!”

At her exclamation, a few people turned to stare in their direction. “Seriously, Casey,” Emma muttered, her face flushing crimson. Megan and Casey merely laughed at Emma’s embarrassment. Once the people turned back around, Emma cleared her throat. “Bottom line is you just have to stop being so hard on yourself. You just had a seismic shift happen in your life. Things are never going to be the same both for the good and for the bad.” “I know. It just doesn’t seem fair

that getting something as wonderful as Olivia means having to lose something. It shouldn’t be an all or nothing thing.” Emma shook her head. “It doesn’t. You just have to adjust a little.” “Is that what you do now that you’re a mom?” “Yes and no. When Noah was born, my attitude about having sex was completely different than it is now.” “Because you just had him, rather than having Caroline, too?” “No, it wasn’t because I was less stressed or less tired because there was

just one child to care for.” Emma grinned. “Well, three if you count Aidan.” “So if it wasn’t the kid factor, what was it?” Casey questioned. Emma thoughtfully twirled the red and white striped straw in her cup. “Aidan and I were still newlyweds when Noah was born. I guess I felt a little pressure to make sure he was taken care of sexually. You know, considering the strength of his sex drive.” Casey grinned. “Yes, the force is strong with that one.”

“Ew,” Megan replied, but then laughed in spite of herself. “I guess I just felt I owed it to him, and that wasn’t a good way to feel. It also meant the sex wasn’t that great either because my heart wasn’t in it. It wasn’t long before Aidan figured out what was going on.” “He really has come a long way in the emotions department. Like quantum leaps,” Casey mused. Emma laughed. “I know, right? Once he confronted me and I admitted it, he really stepped up his game to make

me want sex again, which was amazing. Sure there were still nights when it was just a wham, bam, quickie—” “Once again, ew!” Megan interrupted, covering her hands with her eyes. Casey patted Megan’s knee. “I just want you to know that I really appreciate you supporting me right now, even though it means hearing about your uncle’s sex life.” Megan peeked through her fingers at Casey and grinned. “You’re welcome.” She then nodded at Emma.

“Go on and finish.” “Only if you’re sure.” “I’ll be okay.” “Anyway, since having kids, sex is something I chose to prioritize. I’m sure a lot of women wouldn’t agree with me, and that’s okay. We each have to do what is best for us and our marriages. Do I feel sexy and alluring most days we do it? Hell no. But in the end, Aidan makes me feel beautiful no matter what. And thank goodness we have better communication since Caroline was born.”

“After last night, we’re good on communicating. Now it’s just actually finding a way to bring the heat back.” Casey then turned to Megan for her input. “How did you feel when you had Mason?” “I’m probably not a lot of help considering I was single. Overall, sex was pretty low on my to-do list.” “Totally understandable,” Casey replied. “But I do remember that after the insanity of the first six weeks when my hormones started evening out, I did have

moments where I wanted sex.” Megan furrowed her brows. “Funny thing was it was at the most bizarre times—like during Mason’s mid-afternoon nap. I’d be watching television and see some sexy as hell guy, and suddenly I was hot. In that moment, I would have jumped the next available penis that walked by my house—even if it was the ancient Mr. McMurray across the street.” Casey snorted at the thought. She had had the pleasure of meeting the decrepit neighbor at Mason’s baptism party. “Man, post pregnancy hormones

are a bitch, aren’t they?” “Here, here,” Megan said, raising her cup in a toast while Emma nodded vehemently in agreement. “So we know how you feel about the situation, but you never told us exactly what Nate said?” Emma questioned. Casey huffed out a defeated breath. “You know Nate. He’s honorable and chivalrous to a fucking fault.” Emma nudged Casey’s knee. “You say that like those are bad attributes for him to have.”

“I just meant that I wished he’d gotten pissed off at me, rather than being so understanding.” “What happened when you got back home?” Megan asked. “We had a long talk about the crazy shit I’ve been feeling about our sex life. Of course, he doesn’t seem to think things are as bad as I do, but then again, I’ve always been more sexual than he has.” Megan took a thoughtful swig of her drink. “It sounds like you’re missing more than just the physical act of sex.”

“Trust me, I’ve been pretty horny,” Casey argued. “And you’re getting satisfied physically with the sex, right? Like you come?” Megan questioned. Casey nodded. “Always.” “If you’re having a release, then your physical needs are being met. There’s something deeper going on.” “Interesting.” “It’s like you’re searching for the emotional connection you’ve found through being physical with Nate.” Pondering what Megan said,

Casey replied, “Hmm, I can see what you mean.” “Have you ever tried Tantric sex?” Megan asked. “That weird marathon sex shit Sting and his wife do?” Megan laughed. “Yes and no. It’s probably well-known because of them, but there’s so much more to Tantric. It’s about connecting on an emotional level before you even touch each other physically. Then when you do come together, it just heightens every feeling.” Casey gave Megan an amused

smile. “I see the good doctor is really packing the punches in the bedroom.” “Trust me. Pesh could be the poster boy for watch out for the quiet ones.” Closing her eyes in exaggerated bliss, she added, “Tantric sex really is amazing. There’s something about the withholding that makes it sizzle in the end.” “Sounds like something worth trying,” Casey said. “It’s not for everyone, and it’s not something you can just halfway do. So you need to make sure you have an

afternoon or evening to devote to it.” Wrinkling her nose, Casey said, “That’s going to be a little tough with Olivia.” Emma shook her head. “No, it’s not.” “Why do you say that?” “Because I’m going to take her for you.” Casey widened her eyes in shock. “You are?” “Of course.” “While I really appreciate the sentiment, I can’t ask you to do that.”

“Why not?” “Because you have enough on your plate with your own two kids.” Emma rolled her eyes. “Like Olivia would be so much trouble that I couldn’t handle her.” As much as she wanted to say yes, she hated to take advantage of Emma’s kindness, and in turn, Aidan’s. They’d both been so good to her about what had happened. Sensing Casey’s hesitation, Emma said, “How about this? I take Olivia for one day, and then you can take mine to

give me and Aidan some alone time?” “I like that idea a lot,” Casey replied. Emma laughed. “I’m not sure why considering you’re getting the short end of the stick considering I have two kids to your one.” Before Casey could argue, Megan said, “How about I help you out the day you have Noah and Caroline? We can pool our resources. Mason is great at entertaining Noah.” Casey smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Good deal.” Megan then glanced at her phone. “I gotta get back to work.” “Yeah, I need to get to work,” Casey said. “Feel better?” Emma asked. “Tons.” “I’m glad.” “I can’t thank you guys enough for talking me down from the ledge,” Casey said. “That’s what friends are for,” Emma replied as Megan nodded in agreement. “Will you be around to answer

any Tantric questions I have?” Casey asked Megan. “Of course. Anything you need.” “Thanks.” As Casey started for the door, she felt a renewed sense of purpose in her step. She had a plan to recapture her bedroom heat, and it started with getting her Tantric freak on.

Five days after her emergency girl’s summit with Emma and Megan, Casey stood in the middle of her bedroom ready to execute the next step of her seduction plan. Gazing around the room, she eyed the work she had done with a critical eye. She had spent her last several lunch breaks pouring over some of the Tantric sex books that Megan had recommended. She had highlighted and

studied the parts on the importance of breathing. While making mental notes about some of the suggested positions, she tried to envision the ones Nate would feel the most comfortable in, but also the ones that wouldn’t make her feel like a tremendous fat ass. She had also learned that one of the biggest steps was to transform their bedroom into a “sacred spot for lovemaking”. Apparently to achieve such sacredness one need not hire a Hindu priest for a blessing. Instead, she merely needed to add some fresh

flowers, light some scented candles, and break out the long forgotten pair of silk sheets. She had also stocked up on some aromatherapy oils. She was ready and willing to take out all the stops to ensure her afternoon was a success. When Nate left to grab a quick work out, she had taken Olivia over to Emma’s. Although Casey had tried talking her out of it, Emma remained firm in her resolve to help out. Considering it was a Saturday afternoon, Casey had thanked her and Aidan profusely. After watching the babies

play together on a pallet on the living room floor, Casey had a hard time leaving. With a roaring fire going and Chinese takeout littering the coffee table, the room was so inviting, especially with baby chatter echoing off the walls. Aidan and Emma lounged on the couch in their most comfortable sweats and yoga pants. But she managed to pull herself together and give Olivia a kiss goodbye. The moment she had arrived back home, she’d torn up the stairs and started a frenzy of preparation. One aspect was

changing into a comfortable piece of lingerie. While the silk nightie was sexy, it also gave her room to breathe. She sure as hell wasn’t going for anything like the nurse’s costume from the other night. She had just finished lighting the last of the candles lining the floor along the bedroom walls when she heard Nate’s car pull in the driveway. After the garage door shut, Nate called, “Babe?” “I’m upstairs.” Nate appeared in the doorway

with his gym bag slung over his shoulder. Thankfully, he’d taken the time to shower and change before coming home. Not that she didn’t enjoy when he was a sweaty mess. She just preferred being the one to make him perspire. Although what she had done to their bedroom was a surprise, their sexdate was not. After her coffee date, she had told him that she was planning time for them to be alone. At the sight of the bedroom illuminated in candlelight, Nate’s eyes widened. “Wow, you really went all

out.” She crossed the room to stand in front of him. “I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted us to try something a little different today.” Pulling her into his arms, he smiled down at her. “Of course I don’t mind.” “Even if it seems a little… strange?” Nate chuckled. “Should I be scared?” Casey grinned. “Of course not.” Tilting her head at him, she asked,

“Have you ever heard of Tantric sex?” “The ancient Indian practice of using energy through sex,” he rattled, sounding like a textbook. “I should have known you would know, Mr. Smarty Pants.” “You know you love my big brain,” Nate teased. Nodding, Casey said, “Oh yes, it’s my second favorite big body part of yours.” As Nate nuzzled her neck, he said, “Remind me what your favorite one is.” “Mmm, your big ass feet.”

Her smart answer was rewarded with a resounding smack on the ass. “Fine, fine. You’re fantastically huge dick.” “That is more like it.” Casey pushed herself out of Nate’s arms. “Okay enough of that for now. We need to get busy.” An amused look twinkled in Nate’s dark eyes. “I thought we were.” Wagging a finger at him, Casey said, “Today is all about Tantric.” “Yes ma’am.” After giving her a mock salute, he asked, “Where do we

start?” “With some dancing.” Picking up the remote to the iHome, she turned on a little T.I. to get the blood really pumping. Tilting his head, Nate eyed her curiously. “What? I’m supposed to dance like I’m at a club?” he questioned. “No. It’s like this. Stand with your legs hip-length apart.” Nate’s brows furrowed in confusion. “How am I going to dance like that?” “Like this.” Casey then illustrated what she had seen in the book, which

was basically a full body shake of your arms, legs, and ass. When the corners of Nate’s lips turned up, she demanded, “What?” “I was just thinking if I saw one of my patients doing this I would swear they were having convulsions.” She momentarily stopped shaking to smack Nate’s arm. “Not funny.” Jerking her chin at him, she said, “Come on.” Rolling his eyes, Nate began to mimic her movements. After a few seconds, he asked, “Exactly why are we

doing this?” “It’s supposed to let out all the tension in our body. Once the tension is gone, we can allow more pleasure in,” she replied. “And how long does it take to achieve that?” “Just a minute.” “Thank God.” After a minute had passed, Casey turned the music from rap to a sensual Indian relaxation song. “Okay. Now it’s time for us to breathe and rock.” Taking Nate’s hand, Casey led him over to the

bed. “Have a seat,” she instructed. “With my clothes on?” Casey nodded. Quoting one of the books, she replied, “We have to get emotionally naked before we can get physically naked.” “If you say so.” After climbing up onto the mattress, Nate shifted himself to the center of the bed. For a brief moment, Casey had a flashback of earlier in the week when he did the same thing the night of the disastrous blow job episode. She quickly shook her head and shook herself free of the memory.

“Okay, cross your legs Indian style.” As soon as he finished, Casey got up on the bed and crawled over to Nate. Once she reached him, she eased onto Nate’s lap to where they were face to face. Staring into her eyes, Nate wrapped his arms around her. “I like this.” “No touching yet.” “Seriously?” “First we have to become one through our breathing.”

With a resigned sigh, Nate let his arms fall away and rest on the mattress. “So exactly how are we supposed to breathe?” “We’re supposed to take each other’s breaths in. Like I breathe out, and you inhale. Then vice versa.” “Sounds easy enough,” Nate remarked. “While we’re doing it, we’re supposed to stay even further connected by gazing into each other’s eyes.” “I can do that.” Casey leaned forward on Nate’s

lap. Ignoring his hardening cock beneath her, she brought her lips to where they were almost touching his. As he opened his mouth, she breathed inside. The intensity burning in Nate’s eyes sent a shiver down Casey’s spine. Megan was right—this Tantric shit was pretty epic. Then the moment was abruptly broken when Nate’s expression changed from desire to concern. He inhaled sharply. "Do you smell that?" Casey widened her eyes. "I know you’re not trying to say I have bad breath!"

With a jerk of his head, Nate then replied, “No. Nothing like that.” “Then what.” “I thought I smelled smoke.” Grinning, Casey teasingly asked, “Are you getting so hot with anticipation that you think you smell a fire?” Nate opened his mouth to say something when a small explosion went off across the room. Both of them jerked their attention to the balcony’s French doors where orange flames licked and danced their way up the frilly drapes. “Holy shit, the curtains are on

fire!” Nate exclaimed. Nate grabbed her by the waist and threw her off his lap. “Oomph,” she muttered, as she bounced on the mattress. As she was pulling herself up, Nate scrambled off the bed. He fleetingly eyed the flaming curtains before sprinting into the bathroom. Throwing herself into action, Casey hopped down and grabbed her robe off the end of the bed. She started beating down the flames with the fabric. Nate reappeared with a bucket full of water. “Get back!” he commanded. The

moment she dipped to the side he doused the remaining flames with water, sending a loud hiss throughout the room. Once the fire was out, they both stood huffing and panting as they tried to catch their breath. After she felt she could breathe again, she gazed around, surveying the damage. “Damn,” she muttered. They would have to repaint considering parts of the once khaki-colored wall were now an attractive soot-stained black. The flooring in front of the door would have to be replaced as well considering

there were burned out holes in it. It was to go without saying they would need new window treatments since the old ones had been turned to ash. “I’m not sure how we’ll explain this to the insurance company,” Nate mused. Casey groaned. “It’s all my fault. I was too caught up in making the bedroom into a Tantric temple that I didn’t realize I put the candles too close to the drapes.” She shook her head. “Guess it’s safe to say that sure as hell didn’t go as planned.”

Nate laughed. “I would disagree. You wanted to put some heat in our bedroom, and a house fire is one way to do it.” Swatting his arm, she replied, “Oh whatever.” They stood there for a few minutes just staring at the mess. “What now?” she finally asked. After all, they had a whole Olivia free afternoon to fill. Part of her wondered if they should try to make love just to do it, or if they should call it a day. Considering the acrid smell of smoke still lingering in

the air, they would have to use their imagination on where else to do it. “We could catch up on some sleep, or we could order in some Chinese, watch some Netflix and just veg out,” Nate suggested. “That sounds good.” “Or…” “Or what?” His dark eyes stared into hers. “We could go get Olivia and spend the rest of the day with her. Maybe go out to eat and take her for a walk in the park?” Casey reached out and cupped his

cheek. “I like that idea a lot.” Nate grinned. “Good.” For the second time that day, he sprinted to the bathroom. “I’m going to change. I probably smell like smoke,” he called. She nodded. “Me too.” When she eyed the soot blackened wall, she shook her head. Once again, her sex life had gone down in flames, and once again, she wasn’t sure how in the hell she was going to fix it.

A week passed without any improvement. She got slammed with back to back projects at work, and Nate helped out one of his doctor friends by taking their shift, which resulted in nothing but sleep happening in their bed. While the setback was disheartening, Casey wasn’t giving up. She had decided to view the time as a way to recoup and recharge and come back with

a better strategy. Thursday night found her sitting around Aidan and Emma’s dining room table as she bounced Olivia on her knee. Earlier that day, Emma had called to invite her for an impromptu dinner. Thankfully, it was not another meeting about her dying sex life. Instead, they were all there to support their friend, Connor, and his husband, Jeff, in their adoption journey. As she balanced Olivia on her shoulder, Casey rifled through her work bag. She pulled out a manila envelope

and passed it across the table to Connor. “Here is Nate’s and my recommendation letter. I had him do a separate one to lend his medical expertise to.” Connor beamed as he took it into his hands. “Thank you. And tell Nate thanks for taking the time to do one himself.” “He was happy to do it.” “We all are,” Emma said, as she reached over to squeeze Connor’s hand. When she pulled back, Jeff gave Emma a sheepish smile. “Out of everyone, I’m surprised that you didn’t

say no.” Emma’s green eyes widened in surprise. “Why ever would you think that?” “Because I didn’t want Connor to have a baby with you.” “I could never, ever say no to Connor’s and your happiness because of a grudge.” Glancing over at Aidan, she winked. “Besides, it all worked out as it should have.” “Here, here,” Aidan said as he raised his wine glass. Sorting through the paperwork,

Connor said, “I think that’s everything we need from you guys. Now that we have all the recommendation letters, we can move forward with the agency.” Casey smiled. “That’s so exciting.” Connor nodded. “To think that this time next year we could be parents…” His eyes closed as a hopeful expression came over his face. “It’s just amazing.” With a grin, Casey said, “There’s always surrogacy, too. I mean, between me or Em, we could pop you a kid out, I’m sure.”

Emma groaned. “Speak for yourself.” Connor and Jeff laughed. “While we appreciate the offer, we really want to give an unwanted child a home,” Connor said. After he wrinkled his nose, he added, “Jesus, that sounded rehearsed, didn’t it?” “No. It just sounds like something which you’ve given a lot of thought to,” Emma replied. Connor smiled. “We have.” “Well, any child would be lucky to get you guys for parents,” Aidan said.

“Very true,” Casey agreed. As she rose out of her chair, Emma asked, “Who wants some dessert?” Aidan rubbed his stomach. “I think I’m too stuffed.” Cocking her brows at him almost in a challenge, Emma said, “It’s Grammy’s Strawberry Delight Cake.” Her statement sent Aidan’s blue eyes flashing with pleasure. “Well, then, I think I could try a little piece.” Emma laughed. “I thought as much.”

“I’ll clear while you get it ready,” Casey suggested. “Here. Let me help,” Connor added. Once she handed Olivia off to an eager Jeff, Casey started gathering up the dirty dishes. As they started through the alcove to the kitchen, Connor asked, “So what’s been going on with you?” With a shrug, she replied, “Oh, you know. Same old same old.” After Connor sat the plates in his hands down by the sink, he gave her a no-nonsense look. “Hmm, so the same

old shit warrants an emergency girls’ summit?” Not really wanting to take a trip down memory lane with him, she rolled her eyes. “Just Emma overreacting as usual,” she replied, before heading back into the dining room. She should have known she wouldn’t be able to dissuade Connor so easily. He caught up to her the moment she reached the table. “Come on, Case. What’s up?” Aidan shifted Caroline on his knee. “You didn’t tell him?” he asked.

Before Casey could protest, Connor’s eyes widened. “You mean Aidan knows, and I don’t.” “It’s not some conspiracy against you, Connor,” she argued. “Just because I couldn’t make it that day doesn’t mean I shouldn’t get to know.” In her hesitation, he added, “Seriously. If you don’t tell me, I’ll just ask Emma.” “Fine. If you must know, I fell asleep giving Nate a blow job.” The wine goblet Connor had just picked up slipped through his fingers

and smashed onto the dining room floor. Without even looking at the broken glass, he questioned, “W-Wait, what?” “Em, bring the broom and dustpan. I just freaked Connor out with my narcoleptic oral sex story, and now we have a cleanup on aisle three,” Casey called in an amused tone. Poking her head in the doorway, Emma peered curiously around. “One second,” she replied. “I’m sorry for overreacting. It’s just…wow,” Connor said. Casey laughed. “Yeah, I know.”

When she gazed over to gage Jeff’s reaction, he shook his head. “Oh no. Leave me out of this one.” “Thanks.” Connor pulled out a chair and eased her down into it. Then he sat down beside her. “Okay. Tell me everything.” Holding up her hands, Casey said, “Seriously, do we really need to talk about this right now?” As Olivia grinned at her across the table, she added, “Call me crazy, but it’s kinda weird talking about it in front of the kids.” “Why don’t I take them into the

living room?” Jeff suggested. Aidan nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” “Traitors,” she muttered under her breath. Rising out of his chair, Aidan said, “Normally I wouldn’t pressure you to talk, but after what happened the other day, I think it might help.” “There’s more?” Connor questioned. Casey exhaled loudly. “Oh yeah. There’s more.” “Damn,” he murmured.

“Yep. Pretty much.” They were momentarily interrupted by Emma arriving with the broom and dustpan. After Aidan had helped get the kids and Jeff settled in the living room, he took his seat just as Emma brought the cake in. Although she probably shouldn’t have indulged, Casey needed a little sugar to fortify her strength to unload the continuing sad saga of her sex life. She finished up the last sordid detail along with the last bite of strawberry cake. Connor had sat in rapt

attention, nodding along through some of the parts while cringing at others. At the very end, he shook his head. “Man, that’s rough.” “Yup,” she murmured. “But as I’m sure the others have said before me, I can promise you it isn’t as bad as you think.” “Really?” He nodded. “When you have something as strong as you and Nate do, it can’t be lost so easily. It’s still there. You just have to have a little patience.” She grunted as she licked the icing

off her fork. “You should know I’m the last person in the world to have any patience.” “You’re just going to have to try. I mean, I haven’t had a child yet, nor will I have the hormones when I do, but I do know that all relationships and marriages go through sexual spells. Sometimes it’s just a lesser season for you.” “Ugh…I guess.” “And getting yourself all worked up over it doesn’t help matters. You just have to take a deep breath and relax.”

“The last time I did that I almost burned down my bedroom,” Casey quipped. Laughter erupted around the table. When it died down, Aidan leaned forward in his chair, a contemplative look on his face. "Maybe it's the bedroom." Casey furrowed her brows in confusion. "Huh?" "Like the issue is with the bedroom, the place, not the sex itself." Tilting her head, Casey paused to let Aidan's words sink in. In Casey’s

silence, Emma glanced between her and Aidan. "What could possibly be wrong with their bedroom?" she questioned. “Besides the destruction by my pyrotechnic candle lighting skills?” Casey mused. Emma laughed. “I thought you said the walls were repainted two days ago and the new window treatments are being delivered tomorrow?” “Yes, that’s right.” “So then what’s wrong with it physically or emotionally?” Emma asked.

"I'm not saying there's something wrong with it, just that to spice things up she might want to look somewhere different,” Aidan replied. Emma crinkled her nose. "Like a hotel?" Aidan grinned at her. "You say that like it’s a bad thing. If memory serves me well, the first time we were together was at a hotel." A blush of pink tinged Emma's cheeks. From the way she cast her eyes down, Casey knew she was having an elicit flashback. Aidan seemed to

appreciate her reaction. Taking her hand, he pulled her out of her to chair and eased her down on his lap. As his hand drew circles on her back, Casey chuckled to herself that Aidan and Emma would most likely be making use of their bedroom as soon as the kids were asleep. “So you’re advocating we go away somewhere to rekindle the heat?” Casey asked. Tilting his head thoughtfully, Aidan replied, “Not exactly.” “Then what?” Casey asked.

A devious glint burned in his blue eyes. “Consider a public place.” “That’s not exactly a first for us,” Casey admitted. With a shrug, Aidan replied, “It doesn’t have to be about trying something new. In fact, I think part of the problem is you’re getting too caught up in the planning and execution. You just need to throw caution to the wind and go balls to the wall.” Casey thought about Aidan’s suggestion. “Hmm, like a sneak sex attack at the hospital?”

Aidan bobbed his head. “I like that.” Connor cleared his throat. Smiling slightly, he asked, “Are you sure you want to be taking advice from him?” Aidan huffed indignantly. “Excuse me? Considering my reputation, I think anyone would be thrilled to have me dispensing sexual advice.” His comment earned him a smack from Emma. “Ow,” he muttered. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t be throwing around your former reputation in front of me, or you’ll be

needing some sex advice of your own.” Casey and Connor busted out laughing. “Burn, Douchenozzle,” Casey replied. Aidan merely grinned. “Sorry about that. I got a little carried away.” “I’ll think about letting you make it up to me later,” she replied, with a wink. “Angel of mercy,” Aidan teased as he nuzzled her neck. After pushing Aidan away, Emma turned to Casey. “Are you really serious about doing a hospital sneak attack?”

“Sure. Why not?” Emma shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess the aspect of it being Nate’s workplace makes it seem a little…seedy and sordid?” Wagging a finger, Casey argued, “Ha, like you and Aidan didn’t get busy in his office.” While Aidan snickered, Emma’s face flushed. “That was only because I was ovulating, and after taking my temperature, that was the optimal time to have sex for conception.” “Yeah, yeah, so you claim,” Casey

teased. “Fine. Go bang your husband all over the fourth floor. See if I care,” Emma huffed. “Speaking of my office, maybe you should come by sometime?” Aidan suggested as he wagged his eyebrows. Emma rolled her eyes as she pulled herself out of Aidan’s lap. “You’re all impossible. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to make sure my children haven’t terrorized Jeff into no longer wanting kids.” Casey laughed. “I’ll come with

you. It’s time I got Olivia home for her bath and bed.” After standing up, she winked at Aidan. “Thanks for the advice, oh mighty Douchenozzle.” “You’re welcome. Let me know how it works out.” “Call me Pessimistic Paul, but I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Connor said. “Me either,” Emma agreed. Casey grinned. “Ha, then I’ll just have to prove you both wrong.”

After easing her SUV into a spot in the parking garage, Casey threw a final glance at her reflection in the rearview mirror. “Hmm, a little more lipstick,” she murmured, before digging her makeup bag out of her purse. Once she fished out her favorite gold tube, she colored her lips a darker red. She puckered them and made a kissy face at the mirror. “Nice.”

Operation Sneak Attack Sex was about to commence. The instant her office clock hit eleven, she’d grabbed her carefully packed bag out of her closet and hurried into her bathroom. Thankfully, her job as Vice President of Marketing meant she had one of the few offices with a private bathroom. She was certainly going to need a little privacy today. First, she took out a sexy pair of black lace stockings and a garter belt. Once she had them on, she put on the black and white lace panties that looked

demure but were conveniently crotch less. Then she put on the matching corset top. To ensure another nurse’s costume mishap didn’t happen, she had used her lunch break the day before to go shopping for a size larger than she usually wore. Standing back from the mirror, she appreciated her appearance. “Looking pretty sexy there,” she murmured. After quickly reapplying some makeup and fluffing out her hair, she pulled on her black, ankle length rain coat that if it had been brown, would have made her look

like a detective in a trench coat. After grabbing her purse and phone, she headed out of the office. She then made the twenty minute drive over to Nate’s hospital, in a break-neck fifteen minutes. Drawing her shoulders back, she stilled what little nerves she had and got out of the car. When she reached Nate’s floor, she drew in a breath and stepped confidently off the elevator. She was secure in the knowledge that in just a few minutes she would be giving Nate the surprise of his life. Just the idea sent

tingles up her spine and heat between her legs. She paused at the nurses’ station. “Hi, Mrs. Rossi, how are you?” Amelia, the charge nurse, asked. Most of the nurses knew her from the holiday parties. “Good, thanks you. Can you tell me where my husband is?” “I think he just stepped inside a patient’s room. Would you like me to have him paged?” “No, no,” Casey said a little too quickly. At Amelia’s raised brows, she

said, “I wanted to surprise him.” “Ah, I see. I think he’s in Room 415.” “Thank you.” Ignoring Amelia’s curious expression, Casey turned and started down the hall. When she finally reached room 415, Nate was just stepping out. At the sight of her, a pleased but confused look came on his face. “What are you doing here?” Without answering him, she demanded. “Where’s the doctors’ lounge?”

His brows furrowed. “Down the hall. On the right,” he answered almost robotically. She grabbed his hand and then proceeded to drag him down the hall, which considering his size and build was no easy feat. “Casey, what’s going on?” When they reached the door, she grabbed him by both sides of the face and jerked him down to where she could lay one on him. Once they were both breathless from her kiss, she pulled away. Taking a step back, she untied her

raincoat and flashed him. His dark eyes bulged as his jaw dropped to his chest. “W-What the hell?” “Now that I have your undivided attention, I want you to obey your Hippocratic Oath by giving me the best care possible.” Dumbfounded, Nate replied, “You want me to what?” She giggled. “Just how plain do I have to make it, Dr. Rossi?” “I don’t know,” he muttered. “If it’s not abundantly clear, I

came here for you to fuck me.” When she tried the door on the doctors’ lounge, she found it locked. Eyeing the card reader on the wall, Casey then jerked Nate’s keycard off the lapel of his white coat. “I want you right here and right now.” When she slid the card into the reader, it beeped approval and entry. As she shoved Nate inside, he shook his head. “Wait, Casey, not here—” “Yes. Right here and right now.” Reaching for his pants, she tugged on his belt. “Let’s get that fabulous cock out so you can fuck me until I scream.”

It was then she noticed Nate appeared to be frozen in place. Gazing up into his face, she saw he was staring past her. Whirling around, her eyes bulged in horror at the sight of five interns sitting scattered along the couches. “Holy shit,” she muttered. While most of the group sat openmouthed with pens hanging in midair above their clipboards, a blond rose to his feet. With an amused smirk, he brought his hands together and started clapping. “You go, Dr. Rossi. Get ya some!”

Laughter broke out at his outburst. “Oh. My. God,” she moaned, as a fiery mortification burned her cheeks. She snatched the lapels of her trench coat shut and furiously wound the belt tight. “Go back to your fucking paperwork, Farnsworth,” Nate growled before he grabbed her arm and led her into the adjoining room. Once again, she moaned, “Oh my God.” “I’m sorry babe, I tried to tell you.” She knew she couldn’t blame him.

He had tried, but she was too focused on her master fucking plan that she hadn’t listened to him. Great, not only had her plan gone down in flames, but she had embarrassed Nate in front of his interns. “I’m sorry.” When she expected to find the usual understanding Nate, she got a big surprise. With a somber expression, Nate said, “Casey, this sex obsession nonsense has got to stop.” “Seriously?” “Yes.” “No. Not until we’ve recaptured

the heat,” she pleaded helplessly. Nate shook his head adamantly. “It’s too much. It ends now.” Casey threw up her hands. “What? You don’t want to have sex with me anymore?” “Of course I want to have sex with you.” He motioned to her trench coat. “But not like this. Nor with all the other over-the-top antics you’ve been pulling lately.” A strangled cry escaped Casey’s lips. “’Over-the-top antics’? That’s what you think of what I’ve been doing?

Jesus, Nate, I’ve been busting my ass trying to please you, and that’s what you have to say about it?” “It’s never been about me,” Nate said in a low voice. “Excuse me?” Casey demanded. Nate chewed on his lip in his hesitation. “This is all about you and your insecurities.” “You asshole!” Casey shrieked. “I’m sorry, but deep down, you know it’s the truth.” Ignoring him, Casey pushed past him as she started for the door. “Casey,

wait. We need to talk about this.” “Fuck off,” she called as she stormed down the hall to the elevators. After slamming her hand against the down button, the doors opened up. She then punched the lobby button. To her frustration, Nate ducked inside just as the doors were about to shut. Jabbing a finger at him, Casey hissed, “I am not talking to you right now.” “Oh hell yes, you are.” Casey opened her mouth to protest when Nate turned and hit the emergency

button on the elevator pad. The car came to a screeching halt, causing both of their bodies to shudder. “What the hell do you think you’re doing trapping us in here?” “When I said we were going to talk about this, I meant it, dammit. You’re not getting out of my sight until we make things right.” Sneering at him, Casey replied, “Good luck with that one.” With his hips, he pinned her to the wall. Taking her arms in his, he placed them over her head. “Now you listen to me. I love you—I have since the moment

I saw you in Starbucks. Over all those years, we’ve had some ups and downs, but for the most part, it’s been good. Correct?” “Correct,” she grudgingly growled. “We’ve been a good team—we’ve learned to give and take from each other and work through our issues as a team. Correct?” “What does this—” Now it was Nate’s turn to growl. “Answer the fucking question.” “Correct, Asshole!” she snapped.

“We’ve gone on some amazing trips and seen cool places, had a beautiful wedding and then honeymoon in Italy, and we’ve had wonderful times with our family and friends. Correct?” “Correct.” “During all those years, we’ve also managed to have some scorching hot sex. Correct?” Her anger receded a little as she wondered where he was going with this. “Yes,” she murmured. “So when you look back over all those years together, what’s the first

thing that comes to your mind?” Closing her eyes, she let her mind momentarily drift. When she pictured them, their years of dating, engagement, and marriage, she saw one thing—and it wasn’t sex. It was the two of them smiling and laughing over the little things. Tears pinpricked the back of her eyelids. “Oh Nate,” she murmured. His fingers came to grip her chin, and she opened her eyes to gaze up into his. “It wasn’t the sex you saw, was it?” When she gave a quick jerk of her head,

Nate sighed. “Then why can’t you see what we have is good, and you don’t need to fixate on whether we’re having mind-blowing sex 24/7?” “I’m afraid,” she whispered. “Afraid of what?” Once again, she gave a jerk of her head. Although she was used to telling him everything, she couldn’t seem to bring herself to say this aloud. She hadn’t been able to voice this worry to anyone, not even Emma. Somewhere in her fucked-up head she thought that if she acknowledged it into words then it could

really happen. So it had stayed festering in her mind. The intercom in the elevator buzzed. “Everyone okay?” “No,” Casey muttered as Nate replied, “Yeah, we’re fine.” “We’re checking the system and should have you out in a minute.” “Thanks,” Nate replied. He stared intently at her. “Please, Casey. We don’t have a lot of time.” As she stared into the face of the man she loved with all her heart, her resolve began to waver. She didn’t want

to carry around the burden anymore. Swallowing hard, she finally uttered the thought that had been plaguing her. “I’m afraid that without the hot sex, you’re going to find someone else and leave me.” Nate’s dark eyes bulged. “Have you lost your mind?” She snorted as she swiped the tears from her cheeks. “Yes, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve officially gone over the edge.” “No offense, but you would have to be a little off to think I could ever

leave you.” “But don’t you see? You’re the one who is a catch in our relationship— you always were. You’re sweet, smart, and hot as hell. Any single doctor or nurse on this floor would kill to have you—hell, the married ones too I’d wager.” Tears welled in her eyes again. “They could give you something I can’t —something new.” “Is that why you’ve been forcing all the crazy stuff on us?” “Yes and no. Don’t get me wrong. You know how important sex is to me,

and I selfishly wanted more heat.” “I don’t think that’s selfish at all. You have needs, and I always want to meet them.” “And you do—you always do. I guess, it’s just after having Olivia, I was afraid you might get bored with me. After I’d finally given you the child you always wanted, you might not need me anymore. You might begin to realize that you’d been saddled with Crazy Casey for way too long, and that the sexy nurse with the gravity defying breasts and no pregnancy stretchmarks could make you

happier.” When he chuckled at her summation, she gave him the stink-eye. “I’m sorry, but I can promise you that’s last thing I’ll ever think or do.” “I’m sure a lot of men promise their wives that, and then they change their minds.” Nate cupped her cheeks with his hands. Shaking his head, he said, “This is me we’re talking about. That’s not who I am or who I ever was. Deep down, you know that.” As she stared into his eyes that

shone with love for her and only her, she realized what a fool she had been. “Yes, I do,” she whispered. “Babe,” Nate crooned as he pulled her into his arms. When she felt his arms tighten around her, she let her emotions truly go. As she wept inconsolably, Nate rubbed circles across her back while whispering words of love in her ear. “I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry,” she murmured over and over. “It’s okay.” “No. It isn’t. I’ve been such an

idiot.” He gently eased her back to look at him. “How about I think of some way you can make it up to me?” She smiled. “I’d like that a lot.” “Good. Now shut the fuck up, and let me kiss you.” For once, she did exactly as she was told. Just as Nate thrust his tongue into her mouth and deepened the kiss, the elevator doors popped open. But it was the sound of applause that caused them to jerk away from each other. Once again, they were faced with an audience

—thankfully this time it wasn’t Nate’s interns. Instead, it was a few of the nurses and doctors Nate worked with. “I better get going. I’ve caused enough trouble for today,” she said sheepishly. Nate laughed. “I’ll see you at home.” She nodded. “I love you.” “I love you, too.” After giving him a quick kiss goodbye, she headed off the elevator into the lobby. Although the day hadn’t turned out like she’d planned, she

couldn’t wipe off the goofy, satisfied smile on her face as she walked out to the parking garage.

A few days after her come to Jesus with Nate, Casey was immersed in her latest work project when her cell phone dinged and interrupted her train of thought. Although she was prepared to ignore it, she glanced down to make sure it wasn’t Nate’s mom calling about Olivia. When she saw it was Nate, her brows rose in surprise since it wasn’t like him to call during the day.

Picking up the phone, she said, “Hey babe. What’s up?” Without his usual friendly greeting, Nate questioned gruffly, “Are you alone?” “Yes. Why?” “Is the door to your office opened or closed?” Her gaze flicked over to the doorway. “Um, it’s half open.” “Good. Now I want you to do everything I say. No questions asked. Got it?” Her heartbeat thumped noisily

against her breastbone. “Nate, what the hell is going on?” “I said no questions.” Before she could protest again, he said, “You’re wearing that tight, red skirt I like, aren’t you?” Her mouth gaped open. “Yes.” “Good. Staying right where you are, I want you to spread your legs as far as they’ll go.” She sucked in a sharp breath. Holy shit. Nate was calling her for phone sex in the middle of the day? It was almost too good to be true. Although

she desperately wanted to ask what had gotten into him, she didn’t want to piss him off and make him hang up. After widening her thighs, she said, “Okay. What now?” “Take your hand and place it on your calf. Then slowly trail it up your legs until you almost get to your pussy.” A shudder went through Casey hearing both his command and the use of the word ‘pussy’. Obeying his command, she slid her hand up her calf and up her thigh. She stopped just before she reached her underwear. “Okay,” she said

in a ragged breath. “Do you want to touch yourself?” “Mmm, hmm,” she murmured. “Then start stroking yourself—but only over your panties.” Casey didn’t have to be told twice. She ran her fingers over her hot center, rubbing her clit over the lacy fabric. Wetting her lips, she let her head fall back against the headrest of her chair. As she closed her eyes, her breath began to come in harsh pants. It had been a long time since she had touched herself like this, and it sure as hell hadn’t been

somewhere like her office. All those factors made her feel so wanton and made what she was doing to herself feel fucking amazing. “Does that feel good?” “Yes. Very good.” “Now slide one finger inside yourself.” She couldn’t bite back a moan of pleasure when she answered his command. Her hips rose and fell at the penetration while she kept rubbing herself. “Oh God,” she murmured. “Are you wet?”

“Drenched.” “Good. Now use two fingers on yourself.” “Gladly,” she replied, as she thrust another finger deep inside herself. “Does it excite you thinking someone could be watching you pleasure yourself right now?” A shiver ran from the top of her down her spine, causing her to tremble. “Yeah.” “Would you deny yourself coming if you saw someone watching you?” Considering how close she was

getting, she didn’t give a fuck about putting on a show. She just wanted to come. “No.” “Aren’t you a naughty girl?” “Yes. Yes, I am,” she panted, as she lifted her hips harder and faster against her hand. “Do you wish it was me?” “Oh God yes. Your fingers, your lips, your tongue…” She shuddered. “Your dick.” “Would you let me fuck you on your desk? Spread your legs wide and bury myself inside you?”

“Mmm, yes.” “Can you wait to come until it’s around my dick as it’s pumping inside you?” “No...” She shook her head. “I mean, yes. I’m just so close.” “Would you like for me to let you come?” “Yes.” “Then beg me.” Casey was momentarily taken out of the moment by Nate’s command. It was so unlike him, and that drove her absolutely wild. “Please.”

“Please what?” “Please, Nate. Please let me come.” At the sound of the door slamming shut, Casey bolted upright in her chair. Her eyes widened not at the sight of her boss or one of her coworkers. It was Nate. Without taking his eyes from hers, he took his cell and ended the call. In her shock, she had dropped her phone and had no idea where it went. Still unable to speak, she watched as he turned around and locked the door behind him.

The click echoed through the room and made her shift in her seat. As he started over to her, she asked, “W-What are you doing here?” “I wanted to be able to watch you as you came.” She sucked in a harsh breath at his words. Although she had a million questions for him, she bit down on her lip to keep from asking them. With an ache between her legs, she wanted to see this through. “I didn’t tell you to stop touching yourself, did I?”

“N-No,” she stammered. This authoritative side of him had her completely tongue-tied. “Are you still wet?” When she slowly nodded her head, he asked, “Do you still want to come?” “Yes. Desperately.” “Then I’ll let you.” At her sigh of relief, he held up a hand. “But not yet.” “What?” “Take off your shirt and bra.” At his command, she rose out of her chair. Her trembling fingers made it difficult to get the pearl buttons on her

blouse loose. Nate’s hooded eyes glittered with desire as he watched her slip the silky material off her shoulders. Her arms reached back to unhook her bra. His eyes flared when her breasts were bare and the cool air and her desire pebbled her nipples. “Now your skirt.” Her eyes widened. “You want me naked?” “Yes.” She quickly unbuttoned and unzipped her skirt and slid it down her thighs. Once it joined her top and bra on

the floor, she straightened up and looked at Nate. “Now your panties.” Oh God, she was going to be completely naked in her office with her coworkers just a few feet away. She stripped off the lace and stood trembling before him. “You’re so beautiful and sexy, Casey,” he said with adoration in his voice. “Thank you,” she replied, her voice barely a whisper. “Now get up on the desk,” he commanded. It took a moment for her to

process his words. Pushing aside her laptop and paperwork, she then scrambled up on the desk. Nate came around the side and eased down in her chair. Taking her legs, he pushed them wide apart. Her breath hitched as the cool air hit her scorching center. “Mmm, you are wet,” Nate said, as he gazed at her. “It’s all because of you,” she admitted. “And I’m hard as a rock because of you.” Casey’s gaze momentarily left

Nate’s to stare down his lap. Oh God, he was hard as a rock. She rubbed her thighs together, desperate for some friction to ease the ache between her legs. “Touch your breasts,” Nate commanded. She flicked her eyes to his. Once again, she did as she was told. When she held her breasts in her palms, Nate said, “Squeeze them hard.” When she did, her nipples grew even harder. Nate automatically noticed because he said, “Pinch your nipples.”

A gasp escaped her lips as she rolled the sensitive buds between her fingers. Just as she was about to worry that the stimulation was going to have her breastmilk leaking, Nate took her hands from her breasts and put one between her legs. “Now make yourself come. And keep your eyes on mine at all times.” Casey happily obeyed by slipping two fingers inside herself. She began rocking her hips as she stroked her clit. Just watching Nate watch her was enough to send her over the edge. As she

felt her walls tensing around her fingers, she closed her eyes and cried out his name. Her hips continued to pump as she rode the waves of the intense orgasm. When she opened her eyes, Nate loomed over her. Grabbing her by the hips, he dragged her to where her ass hung on the edge of the desk. His pants were down around his ankles with his erection jutting proudly out. Although she wanted nothing more than him to bury himself inside her, she pleaded in a ragged breath, “Taste me.” “Gladly.”

He dipped his dark head and licked his tongue up and down over her clit. Not caring about whether her coworkers could hear her, she shrieked with pleasure. As he sucked and nipped at her center, she pumped her hips against his mouth. Just as she was about to go over the edge again, he drew back. When she moaned with frustration, he smiled at her. “I want you to come around my dick this time.” “Well, when you put it that way, how can I refuse?”

Taking one hand off her hips, he then guided his cock to her center. He drove her wild rubbing himself against her wetness. Just as she was about to protest, he plunged himself deep inside her, causing them both to grunt with pleasure. “Oh Nate,” she murmured, as he set up a punishing rhythm. The sound of their harsh breaths and moans of pleasure coupled with their sweat soaked skin slapping together echoed through the room. As she climbed the wave of pleasure, she had to fight the

tears that stung her eyes. This was what she had been searching for. She’d finally gotten it because of Nate. When he reached between them to stroke her swollen clit, it pushed her over the edge. She gave in to the most satisfying orgasm she’d had in a long, long time. Nate followed soon after her, spilling himself inside her as he said her name. As she lay there, stroking his back, she couldn’t help murmuring, “Thank you.” Nate pulled his head up to smile

at her. “There’s no need to thank me.” “Yes, there is, and you know it.” “So you like my sex sneak attack?” She gave him a lazy grin. “Oh yes. Very, very much.” “Just wait until you see Round Two.” Her eyes widened. “There’s a Round Two?” “I have the rest of the afternoon off. I’m going to spend it fucking you all over this office. I think I’ll do you up against the window next…with the

blinds open.” Casey gasped. Taking his face in her hands, she demanded, “Okay, who are you and what have you done with my husband?” Nate chuckled. “Maybe you’re wild side has rubbed off on me.” He cocked his brows at her. “Are you complaining?” She furiously shook her head from side to side. “Nope. No complaints from me.” “Good. First up, I think it’s time you finished what you started.”

“Huh?” He flashed her a wicked grin. “I believe you owe me a blowjob.” She laughed. “Yes, I believe I do.”

Casey hopped down off the ultrasound table. In her hands, she held the grainy image of hers and Nate’s second child. As she stared at the tiny, twenty week baby, she beamed as she read the words typed out on the picture. “I’m a BOY”. She hurried out of her OBGYN’s office and headed straight for the

hospital. Since Nate hadn’t been able to get off for her last few appointments, she had decided not to tell him about the gender ultrasound today. She hadn’t wanted him to feel guilty about missing out. The last year had seen a lot of changes in their lives. Olivia was a precocious sixteen month old who had mastered walking like a pro and was now talking up a storm, although Casey didn’t know what the hell she was saying most days. Of course to Olivia, that jibberish made perfect sense.

Just like she and Emma had hoped, their daughters were the best of friends. It was seeing Noah and Caroline interacting that had finally worn down Casey’s resolve about when to have more children. It wasn’t just about the fact they weren’t getting any younger, as Nate loved to remind her. And while Nate would have loved a house full of kids, she was pretty sure they would be stopping with two. And just like with Olivia, she and Nate had a lot of fun trying to conceive. Even though she was anxious to get

pregnant, she was glad it took a little longer this time around. Things were still good between them in the bedroom. It wasn’t always mind blowing and life altering, but she had no complaints. Most of all, she appreciated the free flowing communication they had to make sure everything was good emotionally and physically between them. She had learned so much and grown a lot since Olivia’s birth. She knew when this baby arrived she would be a lot more prepared not just about motherhood, but about being a wife.

After finding a spot in the parking garage, she headed inside. She took the elevator up to the 4th floor. She waved hello to several of Nate’s colleagues. At the nurses’ station, she found out where he was and went in search of him. When she turned the corner, she saw him at the end of the hall. He and another doctor were conversing over a medical chart. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for him to finish. Finally, the other doctor nodded and walked off. A smile lit up Nate’s face at the

sight of her walking towards him. “Hello my love.” He pulled her into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips. “Hi there.” “What brings you here during work?” Suddenly, he pushed her back, his brows furrowed. “You’re not sick, are you?” Before she could respond, he demanded, “Is Olivia okay?” “We’re both fine, Mr.Worrywart.” Nate exhaled a relived breath. “I’m glad to hear it.” The fear in his eyes was replaced by amusement. “Are you here for another try at a sex sneak

attack?” Casey busted out laughing. “I can safely say hell no to that.” “Pity,” Nate replied with a wink. “Hmm, are you being a naughty boy today?” “Maybe.” After playfully smacking her bottom, he asked, “So what brings you here.” “I did go to the doctor today.” “Oh?” She nodded. Taking the picture out of her purse, she handed it to him. “It’s a boy.”

As he gazed at the image, Nate’s eyes flared with a mixture of pride, pleasure, and love. “A boy, huh?” “Yes. A very healthy boy who is measuring off the charts since he gets his height from his father.” Nate chuckled. “At 5’9, I’d hardly call you vertically challenged. “Whatever you say.” Once again, Nate pulled her into his arms. “Oh babe, this makes me so happy. We’re so blessed. A beautiful, healthy daughter and a son on the way.” When tears blurred her eyes, she

silently cussed her pregnancy hormones. “I know. We are.” A voice over the intercom interrupted their moment of elation. “Dr. Rossi, you’re needed in room 416.” Nate groaned. “Fucking duty calls.” She laughed. “It’s okay. I need to get back to work too.” She planted a kiss on his lips. “Don’t forget to come over to Aidan and Emma’s after work.” “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Casey smiled since she knew Nate was just as excited as she was to meet

Connor and Jeff’s daughter, Lily. They’d gotten the call three weeks ago that through their agency, a young mother in Kansas had chosen them to give her baby to. They’d dropped everything and gone out there to be there for the birth. They’d just arrived back home, and everyone was anxious to meet the newest member of the family. After giving Casey one last kiss, Nate bent down and kissed her belly. “Bye, son.” The gesture once again sent tears to Casey’s eyes. As she swiped them

away, she heard Nate’s words echoing in her ears. Yes, they were very, very blessed.