Chapter 692

Jamison held her close, burying his face in the curve of her neck, breathing in her scent, saying nothing.

“Hey, I’m talking to you. What are you doing?” Ivy squirmed, giggling as he made her neck itch, twisting around to look at him.

His voice rumbled low and deep, “When you stay at the hospital, it’s easy for me to take care of you. Once you’re home, I can only be with you at night. If I work late, I barely get to see you at all.”

She rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t mean I should live in the hospital forever, does it?”

“We’ll talk when you’re completely recovered.” His tone was muffled against her skin, his lips brushing her neck as he breathed her in, sometimes kissing her softly. Ivy frowned, starting to understand what was going on with him.

With the nurse gone, they were alone in the hospital room. The quiet, the warmth, the happiness – it all wrapped around them like a cocoon.

It had been a full month. All Ivy’s tests had come back clear – no infection. Jamison was running out of patience.

When he’d finally had his fill of nuzzling her neck, he lifted his head, searching for her lips.

She tilted her head back, half laughing, half protesting, “What are you doing?”

He gave her a smoky, teasing look. “Take a guess,” he murmured, his voice rough with longing.

Ivy did her best to stay rational. “No, we can’t. The doctor said at least three months…”

“A kiss won’t hurt anyone,” he whispered.

“No,” she said firmly, refusing him with a seriousness he couldn’t argue with.

Jamison froze, his dark eyes locked on hers.

Clinging to each other, Ivy could feel his desire – clear, insistent. But she meant what she said…

“We have to wait. We can’t take any risks,” she said gently, cupping his face in her hands and planting a quick kiss on each of his cheeks. “There. Happy?”

He looked at her, completely unamused. To him, those didn’t even count as kisses.

He stared at her in silence.

“What’s with that look?” she challenged, meeting his gaze. “Come on, you know it’s a special situation. Once I’m in the clear, you can make up for lost time as much as you want.”

Ivy felt a blush creeping up her face as she said it, her own patience running thin.

She tried to get up, but before she could move, Jamison’s arm tightened around her waist and pulled her back. He kissed her, insistent, but Ivy turned her face away just in time.

Frustration simmered in his chest as his breath traced her cheek, her jaw, then down her neck…

“Jamison, quit it. We’re in the hospital. Someone could walk in at any minute.”

He brushed her hair back. “Didn’t you say you wanted a nap? Go to sleep. You’ve got to work later.”

“Jamison, you’re hurting me,” Ivy protested, pushing at his shoulders, but he wouldn’t let up.

When his hands started working at the buttons of her shirt, Ivy panicked, smacking his shoulder hard. “Jamison, if you don’t stop, I’ll be seriously mad!”

She barely got the words out before the door swung open.

They both froze.

Ivy sat in Jamison’s lap, staring straight at the doorway.

Standing there, arms full of fancy gift bags, were Katrina and Naylor. Ivy went rigid for a second, then quickly turned away, fumbling to fix her clothes.

Jamison straightened his back, clearly trying to shield Ivy from view.

He turned, scowling, ready to see which idiot had barged in without knocking, when a familiar, infuriating voice piped up: “Oof, looks like we picked the worst time. Didn’t mean to ruin your fun!”

Naylor strolled in, grinning, arms laden with expensive gifts.

Katrina looked mortified, glancing from Jamison’s murderous glare to Ivy’s flushed cheeks. She tugged at Naylor’s sleeve, signaling him to quit before things got uglier.

But Naylor grinned and looked back at her. “What’s with the tugging? Relax, Professor Ludwig here’s mellowed out these days. He’s practically a saint.”

Jamison clenched his jaw. Once Ivy finished adjusting her shirt and stood up, he followed, shooting Naylor a glare. “What do you want?”

“I had something to do at the hospital. Katrina mentioned your wife was still here, so I thought I’d drop by. Plus, it’s been ages since I’ve seen you.”

For the past month, Jamison had barely set foot at home, spending every free moment at the hospital with Ivy. He’d vanished from the social scene completely – Naylor really hadn’t seen him in weeks.