Janelle had been right about the ER being packed over the holidays. From the second Sonnet got on shift Sunday night, they were slammed from start to finish. At about five thirty in the morning, Dr. MacIntyre paged her. She went to his office, where he had donned green surgical scrubs, and stood with a foot propped on a visitor’s chair while he laced his sneakers.
“You wanted to see me, sir?”
“Nurse Mendoza. Yes. I got called in to do an emergency C-section this morning. The patient’s ob-gyn is with her family in sunny California on a trip to Disneyland. The patient went into labor early this morning, but she can’t deliver naturally. So I stepped in.”
“Lucky her,” she offered.
He cracked an ironic smile. “Indeed. Listen, I meant to speak to you the other day. I got word from my colleague. They have an opportunity in Maryland.”
The stress of her harried shift slid off her, and Sonnet’s ears perked up. Maryland meant Johns Hopkins. “You did?”
He considered her with calculating blue eyes. “Yeah. In normal circumstances, I’d wait at least six months to do an evaluation, but something’s come up. I received an email yesterday that at the start of January, they plan to implement a new introductory program. As part of it, they want to take on new medical students. This is the first I’ve heard about it, but I guess they’ve advertised it in select Illinois universities since June. There’s an entrance exam later this afternoon at the University of Chicago. I pulled some strings and slotted you in for the exam at two o’clock in the afternoon.”
Sonnet opened her mouth, not sure what to say. Her heartbeat accelerated.
“Now, if you decide not to take it, or you take it and don’t pass it, it won’t affect your chances with Johns Hopkins next year. I’ve spoken to my colleague and he agrees it will be more of a trial run, unless you happen to be a brainiac prodigy. But it will give us an idea of your aptitude and where you stand on things you need to study. My suggestion is to take it, regardless.” Dr. MacIntyre laced his fingers together and studied her. “You remember what I told you about not getting distracted with relationships if this is something you really want?”
She nodded. It had been in the back of her mind now more than ever, with Griffith moving into her house and knocking down the walls of her heart. It was a painful tug-of-war she continually struggled with. “I do, sir.”
“Well, it’s something to bear in mind, because on the off chance you do pass the exam, it is possible they might consider you for the program. You would need to be fully dedicated to it. Should it happen, it’ll give you a good kick-start and get your foot in the door a lot earlier than we’d talked about. I figured I’d give you the choice. You interested?”
Sonnet blinked. “Are you kid—sir, yes. Oh my God, yes.” She could almost hear Papi cheer her on like a coach from the sidelines. Take that one shot and run like the wind, mija!
Dr. MacIntyre folded his arms. “I don’t do this for random people. But I’ve watched you, and from what I’ve seen, you’re dedicated as hell and intelligent. Are you familiar with the MCAT?”
“The Medical College Admissions Test? Yes, I have the manual at home. I’ve studied every night since you told me about the opening. I think I could pass it, or at least get pretty close.”
He patted her shoulder on his way out. “That’s why I’m giving you the opportunity” He paused in the doorway, and a cloud passed over his face. “How are you since the incident a month ago?”
She met him eye to eye. He needed to know she wasn’t afraid of what had happened; she’d faced her fears head-on. “I’m fine. I’ve met with Kate a few times, and it’s good. I’m okay.”
“Has Officer Parker taken care of you?”
A pang filled her heart, and she nodded. Griff had taken more care of her than anyone knew. She would need to sort out what to do about him and the house if med school became a reality. Maybe he could stay there while she was gone.
“He’s a good kid. Works himself to the bone. We’ll be sad to lose him. He graduates from the police academy in—”
“—three weeks,” she finished. He raised an eyebrow, and she blushed. Jeez, she might as well have worn a T-shirt with Griff’s name on it. Had she been too obvious? She cleared her throat. “What I mean to say is, we’ve gotten to know each other. You’re right. He is a good guy. The best.”
“Not a lot of men of his caliber around these days. My secretary will send you an email around eight-thirty with the contact information of the liaison. You’ll need to call him and go to the University of Chicago at two to test, so you may want to grab a keg of coffee, hunker down, and hit the books when you get off your shift.”
“I will, sir. Thank you.”
He shook her hand. “Your dad would be proud of you.”
She inhaled as tears sprang to her eyes. What an understatement. Papi would punch the sky with both fists, do a dance, and sing the Rocky theme song at the top of his lungs. When Dr. MacIntyre rounded the corner, she took a moment in the empty hall to lean against the wall and breathe.
Was this actually happening?
“Sonnet?”
Griff.
The muscled wall of his chest stopped in front of her. “I came to get you since your shift’s over. Trey said he saw you go into MacIntyre’s office. Are you all right? You’re shaking. What—”
She threw her arms around him, and buried her face in the crook of his neck. He hugged her in return. He touched the back of her braid, and his other hand spanned her back. “I don’t mean to complain here, because your hugs are worth their weight in gold, but what’s the mat—”
“Just hold me for a second,” she whispered, an ear-to-ear grin plastered on her face.
“I can definitely do that.”
She laid her cheek against his chest, and listened to his heartbeat while he rubbed her back.
“You gonna tell me what this is about?” he asked after a minute. She noticed Janelle come around the corner and pause to stare at them. Sonnet stood back from Griff.
“In the car.” She straightened her scrub top. “Come with me. I need to get my jacket and purse from my locker.”
“Okay.”
* * * *
On the way home, they got drive-thru coffee and an early breakfast from Starbucks, and she told him about Johns Hopkins and Dr. Macintyre’s exam offer. Griff listened with rapt attention.
“So, I’m just going to wait on his secretary to send me the information in a few hours, and study like crazy in the meantime. Well? What do you think?”
He turned the car into their neighborhood and sighed. “It’s…a lot to take in.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Wait. You’re slotted for the entrance exam today?”
“Yeah. This afternoon.”
“So, we’re both sleep-deprived and about to take two life-altering tests today.” He pulled the car into the driveway and turned off the engine. “Want to stop by the sanatorium on our way to work tonight? I can check us into a calm blue room with lots of padded walls.”
“Sounds good to me. If it’s full, maybe they can admit us in the psych ward at the hospital. Two-for-one special. No pressure or anything.”
He laughed nervously. “Oh, none whatsoever. Only the rest of our lives.” She knew he had his POST final exam today. She now understood what Griff went through on a daily basis. How did he even manage it?
She leaned back against the headrest, took his hand, and squeezed it. “Hey, we jumped out of a virtual plane and skydived in a glass room. This should be a cakewalk.”
“If you say so.”
Sonnet put a hand to his cheek. “You’ll do fine and I’ll do fine. Then tonight we can come home and collapse like the lunatics we are.”
“Sounds good to me. Sit tight.” He got out, went around, and opened her door. When they went inside, he wolfed down his breakfast and hit the shower. She parked her rump on the couch, threw Abuela’s old afghan over her lap, and dove into her MCAT exam book. She was hard-pressed not to check her email every two seconds.
Half an hour later, Griffith’s delicious aftershave wafted into the room, and he appeared from the hallway in his dress blues. She glanced at his impressive shoulders. He scooped his keys and wallet off the counter, wiped his palms on his trousers, and approached her with a shaky breath. “Well, I’m off to the guillotine. Wish me luck.”
She’d never seen him this nervous, edgy perhaps, but never nervous. On an impulse, she moved the books and afghan aside, stood up, and put her hands on his chest. “All right, hero. I’ll give you this one for free.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed him.
He let out a staggered breath against her lips. He hauled her to him, locked his arms around her, and deepened the kiss. She let him take it for all it was worth. He caged her face in his palms, and when his velvety tongue entered her mouth and touched the tip of hers, she whimpered at the sweetness, and wound her arms around his shoulders as they explored one another.
This was everything she’d wanted with him, and in the unguarded moment, their passion unfurled. She wrapped her ankle around his, and moaned at the hard bulge of his cock pressed into her stomach. He grabbed her ass and kneaded it. A sweet thrill gushed through her body until it flooded and overflowed her senses. She was embarrassingly wet, and if they both didn’t have somewhere to be, she was certain this would have ended up in the bedroom.
A strangled noise escaped his throat, and his fingers wound into her loose hair. He pressed his forehead to hers when they parted for air.
“Damn it all…I better go, or I’ll be late. I don’t want to, though. I want to continue this.” His eyes caught the light and sparkled with promise.
“Good luck today.” She traced her fingers along his neck. She knew her resolve had weakened. The adrenaline rush of possibility had clouded her practical judgment, but she needed this, damn it. His kiss drugged her, and she couldn’t stop.
He rubbed his freshly shaven cheek against hers, and ran his fingers along her palm. “You, too.”
* * * *
Compared to the aroused, dreamlike state Griff left her in, the rest of the day played on like a satirical comedy of the gods. After she nursed a scary amount of coffee and took a quick shower to wake up, Sonnet remained glued to her laptop and books. When the secretary’s email came through, nerves won out, and Sonnet was on edge as she read and re-read information she already knew.
Ironically, with all the preemptive studying she’d done even before getting out of nursing school, she was probably better prepared for this than some of the other applicants. Self-doubt was a formidable opponent, though. It had the power to weaken the strongest person, and sap creativity from the gifted. So instead of succumbing, she spoke to Abuela’s picture about the exam, and gained strength from the wise, soulful eyes of her grandmother. Nothing could shake Abuela in life or in death, so perhaps some of that tenacious fortitude could rub off on Sonnet.
After a light lunch, she drove to the University of Chicago through heavy afternoon traffic, and climbed the stairs to the exam room. Griff would have finished his test by now, but they didn’t allow the cadets to have their cell phones on them while training, so he wouldn’t get her text until after he left there. She sent him one, anyway.
Hey G, hope you had good luck today. About to take the MCAT. I’ll be the one curled in the fetal position when you get home. Bring me Ben and Jerry’s if you know what’s good for you. ;) -Sonnet
As nervous as Sonnet had been, once she sat at an exam desk and took up the number two pencil, she unwound when she realized she had this. The answers were long since filed away in the shelves of her brain, and she took her time with each question, picturing Abuela and Papi next to her as she worked through the test.
When she left the testing room at quarter past four, she shut her eyes and took a moment at the top of the steps to breathe. She’d done it, and whether or not she passed, a sense of accomplishment and pride filled her. She looked around at the vacant staircase and foyer, and punched the sky once for Papi. Smiling, she tucked her hands in her pockets and made her way to her car, considerably lighter.
The weight of sleep deprivation had never felt so good. With any luck, she could catch a two to three-hour nap before her shift tonight. The traffic home was gridlocked, and it took over an hour. Too tired to cook, she grabbed an organic pizza on the way home.
Griff’s car wasn’t in the driveway, and he usually was home by now. She ate a slice of pizza, left the rest out for Griff, and changed into her PJ’s. If she could log at least two hours of sleep, she’d be functional for her shift. She was brushing her teeth when the rattle of the front door deadbolt and series of beeps for the alarm entrance code sounded.
By the time she got to the living room, Griff lay stretched out on the sofa, still in his academy uniform with his hands behind his head. He’d placed his gun and holster on the coffee table in front of him, his legs extended below it. He stared at the ceiling, clearly in the grip of raw anger.
Oh no.
Had he failed the POST exam?
She put up her hands. “I can come back later if you and your thoughts want to be alone.”
He exhaled and looked at her. “Sorry, high speed. I’ve just got a lot on my mind. Your ice cream’s in the freezer.”
She padded over to the sofa and sat next to him. “Thanks. How did it go? Poopy day?”
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “The test was fine. I won’t know if I passed it for another week, but I think I did…it’s not why I’m pissed.”
“Why are you? You’re the most levelheaded guy I know. It must be big.”
He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Hard day. This morning they gave everyone a surprise urine and blood test. They do that occasionally. At least they know I’m completely clean, nothing in my system or STDs, but I already knew that. After the POST exam, our sergeant put me in charge of a training exercise to see how well we worked together under pressure. Simmons screwed up, and my sergeant tore me a new one like it was my fault right in front of everyone. It made no sense. A week ago he makes me the team leader and tells me I show so much potential he’d be surprised if I didn’t get promoted within the first year, and then today before I left, he said I wasn’t serious enough about this, said my heart wasn’t invested in it. He knows damn well I’m all heart.” He beat his fist against his chest. “I’m nothing but heart.”
“I know you are.” She touched his arm.
His expression softened, and he glanced at her hand. “I just don’t get why he placed the blame on me. It’s bullshit. All I do is the best I can there. Simmons is the one who makes constant mistakes and acts dodgy, and I’m on the brunt end of it, when the truth is, he has no place at the academy. It’s frustrating.”
He was more upset than she’d ever seen him. She scooted closer and pressed her body against his. Only then did he begin to relax.
“Did you ever mention how Simmons made the strange faces and acted weird to your sergeant?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I did the day after we spoke about it. He said he’d handle it, but today he one-eightied. I was held accountable.”
“It’s because you were the team leader. He wanted you to know what it was like to be responsible for your team.”
Griffith rubbed his forehead and glanced at her. “Shit. You’re right.”
“I bet he wanted to see if you could take the heat for someone under your command, like I suspect you’ll have to in the police department when you make captain someday.”
He tilted his head then, like air let out of a tire, the tension eased from his body. He exhaled with a puff, and his arms went around her. Effortlessly, he tugged her onto his lap and into the muscle-laden wall of his chest. She’d be lying if she said it didn’t make her feel all sorts of feminine. She put her arms around his torso as his kiss landed on the top of her hair.
She pulled back and smiled at him, her mouth close to his.
“I’m so glad I moved in, Sonnet. What would I do without you?” he murmured.
She was about to give back a sassy retort, but the passion in his eyes stopped her reply.
His heart slowed while hers sped up, and his head dipped closer. His breath was warm against her parted lips. Before she could move or say anything, he pressed his lips full against hers, and she was swept away in his kiss.
Despite the pull of sleep and the strain of the day, her nipples tingled and a heat surged inside. She needed him. Before she knew what happened, he lowered her onto her back against the couch, and ah—there was that delicious, hard heat between her legs, right where it should be. She opened her mouth to tell him she was tired, and they needed to think this through, but then his tongue entered her mouth, and she was a goner.
His hand slid beneath her back, traveled lower, and clutched her ass. She shivered, pulled him closer, and moved her foot along his leg. He thrust against her with a moan, and moved his lips to her neck. She tingled with bliss as he laved a gentle trail with his tongue. A wicked heat filled her, and she bucked her hips, craving more. His hand slipped beneath her pajama top and inched it up. He stroked his thumb along the flat of her stomach along the way.
“Griff, I—”
“Shh.” He kissed her neck, and inhaled her scent. He unbuttoned her PJ top as he kissed along the line of her collarbone. “I love coming home to you. You feel like home, and I’ve never had that, Sonnet. I—”
“Have to go into work in a few hours,” she mumbled as his lips neared her breasts. “Need to sleep…” When her nipples were exposed to him, they hardened as if beckoning him. Amazing the way the body could never lie about what you truly felt.
His large hand slid up her abs, and his warm breath heated her right nipple. He looked to her for consent, but she was torn between screaming take me this goddamn second, and telling him they needed to stop.
His tongue darted out and licked the tip, and she jolted. She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes. “Griff…” She’d meant it to come out as a warning, but her body betrayed her, and it sounded like a plea.
His mouth closed over the nipple. She ran her hands through his hair as he sucked, and she ground her pussy against him. “Oh…”
He switched to the other breast, and adored it with the same reverence as he had the right. She’d fantasized about him on this very couch, and now here he was doing exactly what she wanted him to. She knew they needed to stop, but she couldn’t break the reverie to tell him. He sucked her nipple and massaged her other breast with his palm, and her control ebbed further away the more lost she became in his exquisite touch.
“Want you, Sonnet,” he growled against her areola. His palm slid past her rib cage, over her belly, and dipped beneath the hem of her pajama bottoms.
She moaned as her body ached for him, but she caught his wrist before he ventured any further. “G-Griff, stop.”
He did, and looked at her, his eyes bright with questions.
“I want to, believe me…” She swallowed. “But let’s think about this, okay? We’ve both had intense days, we’re running on little to no sleep, and we’re fooling around while we’re both ridiculously horny. Our heads aren’t on straight.”
He moved up her body, his lips hovering over hers. “Hornier than I’ve ever been,” he growled, and stole a lip-tugging kiss. “You make me crazy. I can’t even stand next to you without wanting you. You’re so damn sexy, and amazing. Why shouldn’t we have each other? It’s what we both want, right? You just said you did.”
She put her fingers against his lips. Her body was on fire, and she didn’t think she could put him off much longer. “My point is, we’re not thinking clearly, and I don’t want this to come back to bite us.” She wanted Griff terribly, but she also wanted to do the right thing. What if she passed the test? She’d be in medical school in Maryland, and he’d be starting his police career in Chicago. They’d have no time to be with each other, and she knew—she knew if they got into bed it would be more than just sex. She’d been losing her heart to him for weeks.
Griffith moved his lips away and stroked her hair. “Nothing with you could ever be wrong. You bring out the best in me.”
She blinked, and tenderness filled her heart. Despite her fears, Griffith was so much more than she could ever hope for in a man. The timing, however, couldn’t be worse. She touched his cheek, conflicted.
“I do like being with you like this—”
“It feels right,” he whispered, nestled between her thighs.
She sighed. The last thing she wanted was to lose his hard, demanding heat against her eager pussy. “It does…but let’s sleep on it and talk tomorrow when we’re both coherent, okay?”
He lifted off her, and supported his weight on his hands. “Is that what you want?”
She knew her eyes gave her away as they raked his hard body. No. I want your cock buried inside me this second. I want you to plow me into the couch until we can both hardly move.
She ran a hand through her hair. “For now, yeah. I don’t trust myself when I’m this tired and turned on, and it’s not fair to you.”
“Okay.” Griff closed her pajama top. He buttoned it and stood, then scooped her up in his arms.
Sonnet hooked an arm around his neck as he carried her down the hall. “What are you doing?”
“Putting you to bed.”
She gave him a chastising, sleepy grin. “This is becoming a habit, Griff.”
His eyes remained glued to her lips. “Hmm. Well, some habits are good. And I happen to like this one.”
When he’d laid her on the bed and covered her with the duvet, he turned to go, but she held onto his hand. “Don’t. Stay with me. Cuddle with me for a few hours until we have to get up.” She didn’t mean to tease him or lead him on, and she hoped he knew it. He considered her, then glanced at her nightstand.
“Is your alarm set?”
“Yeah.”
He paused, then took off his watch, unbuttoned his uniform shirt, and draped it over her vanity chair. He wore a white T-shirt beneath. He took off his boots, and undid his trousers. The second he unzipped, the expanse of white cotton peeked beneath it, tented with his erection. She turned on her side and closed her eyes.
What in the hell was she doing?
But then Griffith’s warmth slid in behind her, his arm fell across her midriff, and she forgot to be concerned while snuggled in his arms. She drifted off.
The alarm went off what seemed like minutes later. Griff was wrapped around her from behind like a blanket, his cock pressed firmly against her ass, his hand on her breast. He grumbled and reached out his arm to paw the snooze button, and nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck.
“Need to get up,” she croaked as he pulled her closer.
“I know. But you’re so warm and soft.” His leg slid between hers, and her cheeks flared.
“Did you sleep?” she asked.
“Yeah. A little.”
“I have no idea how you do this every day and still function. I feel like I got hit over the head with a baseball bat.”
“It’s called an IV of caffeine.”
She giggled, and turned on her back. He had stubble along his chin, which lent an exotic, roguish aspect to his already handsome face. She put her hand to it, and felt the coarse hairs against her fingertips. “You could light a match off that thing, Griff. Whoosh…”
He kissed her, as though it were the most natural thing in the world to wake in her arms. His lips pressed lightly against her mouth, then he deepened the kiss. Fabric rustled as he moved into her, and it turned serious.
Sonnet moved her hand to his neck as he shifted on top of her. She tugged his bottom lip between hers, and she couldn’t tell who was in control or who wanted it more. But it didn’t matter because he nudged her legs with his knee. When she embraced him, his cock pressed close against her mound, the barrier thinner without the hindrance of his uniform pants.
The outline of his hardened ridges pressed into the apex of her thighs, and she gasped. “We…need to mmm—”
His tongue moved into her mouth, and she wrapped her legs around his waist and rolled her hips against his.
“Oh God,” he growled, and gripped her hip. “I can’t”—he thrust against her—“keep doing this. You’ll be the death of me.” His mouth crashed back down, and in an instant his hands were everywhere. One beneath her pajama top as he massaged her breasts, the other slid along her side insistent. She quivered and opened her legs wider to accommodate him. All it would take was one three-letter word to open the door she longed to go through.
He kissed the side of her neck, and she closed her teeth on his earlobe as desire burned her up.
“Jesus,” he hissed. He licked her neck. “I want you. I want to lay you out and taste you, to be inside you, but I don’t want to rush it. I want us both to take our time. I want more than a quick fuck. I want it all.”
She fought to catch her breath. “We should get ready for work then. And talk about this later, when there’s time.”
He groaned and buried his face in her neck. “I know. This sucks.” He was rock hard between her legs and his breath warmed her neck. “I’ll get up in a second. Let me have this for a minute. You feel so good beneath me.”
She rubbed his back. She loved the way he anchored her to the bed. His solid biceps rested above her shoulder.
He shifted his weight, though the outline of his cock remained deliciously pressed against her wet heat. After a moment, he asked, “How did your exam go? I’m sorry I didn’t ask.”
She stroked his hair. “Don’t worry about it. You had a lot on your mind. It went fine. I think I got most of the answers right.”
He lifted his head, surprised. “You mean you think you passed it?”
“Well, if I didn’t, I came close. I knew most of the answers, and I didn’t think I would.”
“A guy I know at the academy said it’s one of the hardest tests to pass in the US.”
“Well, we’ll see. Even if I didn’t pass, it’ll give Dr. MacIntyre a feel for my aptitude.”
Griff beamed at her. “When will you know?”
“Usually it takes a few weeks, but MacIntyre hinted he’d know sooner.”
She looked at their bodies, pressed tightly together. Her pussy tingled with anticipation. She’d had about all she could take of his body against hers without the real deal. Something had to give. Either he’d say the hell with work, rip their clothes off, and make passionate love to her this damn second, or they needed to gain some distance and get ready for their shifts.
He took the hint, lifted his weight off her, and rolled to the side.
She closed her legs and moved stray curls from her forehead. She sat up and rubbed her arms. “I’m a little more awake than I thought I’d be. Still, I don’t get how you’re not tore up when you do this all the time. I’d be a wreck.”
“All my military training was apparently good for something, I guess.”
She scooted to the edge of the bed and wiped sleep from her eyes. His warm palm caressed her lower back. She glanced at him, lying there on his side with head propped in his hand. He was so handsome and butch, yet his face held a vulnerability that made her want to hold him.
“Got to get up,” she muttered.
In the shower, she fingered her clit and pumped her fingers inside her pussy, thinking of him as she came.
She was in way over her head.
* * * *
They were quiet on the way to work. She had no idea what to say. They’d come so close to having sex, and that’s where things were definitely headed. But should they? She knew him well enough to know he was a stand-up guy, and if the kissing was anything to go by, the sex would be explosive. But Griffith wasn’t someone she wanted to hurt, and if Johns Hopkins came through, she probably would.
She wasn’t the type of woman to toy with a man, regardless of how much she wanted him. He deserved better.
When he pulled into the hospital parking lot, she unbuckled her seat belt and turned to him. “Griff, listen. I’m worried we’re going too fast. Thanksgiving is tomorrow, things are changing, and it seems like we can’t keep our hands off each other for even a second.”
He put a hand above her headrest, but stayed where he was. “Why is it a bad thing? Think about what it would be like if we did make lo—”
“I have.” Sonnet blushed. “That’s the problem. But you and I have so much we’re doing with our lives, different directions we’re headed in. I care about you, and I don’t want us to regret this. I told you before you moved in I didn’t want a boyfriend, and I don’t. Not right now.”
He regarded her with a calm, studious demeanor. He struck her as more curious than angry. “Then why do you let me kiss you, if it’s not what you want?”
She bit her lower lip. “You know why.”
Griffith took her hand, and smoothed her palm with his thumb. “Because we can’t stop?” She pulled on her hand, but he wouldn’t let go. “Hear me out. If something feels right, and this does, why dismiss it just because our lives are complicated?”
“Because this would make it even more complicated. And beneath it all, I don’t want to lose you, to lose our friendship, and how great it is to be with you.”
He brushed his knuckles against her cheek and sat back with a sigh. “Look, you’re tired, I’m tired, and it’s been a hell of a long two days. I’ll tell you what. How about we get through tonight, you get some sleep, and we can talk about it on Thanksgiving when we’re both rested.”
“Okay,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
Sonnet got out of the car with a heavy heart. The web they were caught in was so tangled. She wanted Griffith in her life, to be with him and to open her heart. Everything in her core told her it was right. But she also knew what lay ahead of her in medical school, late hours studying, spending more time at school than at home, struggling to keep up. She’d done a search on the Internet, and found many medical students flunked out the first year due to nerves, shaky hands, and being incapable of dealing with the demanding schedule.
She would need to be at a hundred percent if she wanted to succeed. The road ahead of her wouldn’t be easy. Griff was a good man. He deserved so much better than a passing fling with someone who would leave soon.