Open Heart One Shots (Choices)

Heart First

Summary: After a heart to heart in the beer garden, Cassie and Ethan head to his apartment to continue their reunion. 

Set in my canon-divergent hc of their secret relationship in Book 2, immediately following the last scene of Come Back to Me.

Cassie Valentine didn't think life could get any better than this moment right now. She was finally a second-year resident and, starting tomorrow, a junior fellow on Edenbrook's famed Diagnostics Team with its leader, her medical hero.

She knew she still had much to learn but she was looking forward to that. Just a few short months ago, she had thought she would never get to practice medicine again. But now her dreams were coming true years ahead of schedule. And wasn't that exciting?

On top of that, she was in a relationship with the hottest man alive.

Well, right now she was kissing him, her lips captured in his, his tongue dueling with hers as their reunion took a sensual turn.

They were in his apartment, the undraped floor-to-ceiling windows letting in views of the water and the night sky outside. He had discarded the green leather jacket as soon as they'd walked in the door. She'd pushed him on to the living room couch, desperate to get her hands on him after their abbreviated heavy make-out session in the beer garden.

She straddled his thighs, her skirt riding up when his hands had cupped her ass. Her breasts were barely holding up her top, the straps slipping down her arms as he peppered kisses down her throat and across her collarbone. She pressed against him, feeling him quicken as she unzipped him and started to fondle him.

He tugged her top off in one quick move, her bra soon followed. She moaned as his palms covered her breasts, their warmth at odds with the coolness of the air-conditioned apartment. Sparks flew across her nerve endings with every caress, his mouth replacing his hands to suckle her.

She knew she was in too deep, that they were either going to last forever or they could break. Her head was telling her to slow down, that she could get hurt, more than she had ever before. After two months of absence, she wanted to dive in heart first; pretend that tomorrow didn't exist. Everything that they were was now. This moment. Lost in each other.

She had never been in a relationship quite like this before. The secrecy was thrilling, but she worried about how she would keep her distance in front of the team; stop herself from reaching for his hand to interlace their fingers together. Her demeanor professional even though she knew exactly how his body felt against her.

To everyone in the world, he was the austere and highly accomplished Dr. Ethan Ramsey. To her, in this moment and always, he was just Ethan. But tomorrow, the masks would go back on. Dr. Ramsey and Dr. Valentine. Mentor, mentee. Peers, but not quite equals, yet.

That thought had her going still as the ramifications of what they were doing filled her mind. He wasn't her direct supervisor; they had taken care of that several months ago by talking with Naveen and HR. But the rumor mill could still be malicious.

It didn't matter that they were going to be colleagues now. It only mattered what the perception was. She was strong enough, she hoped, to not let what others thought matter. But could he?

He'd had doubts all along, pushing her away last year and denying him, and them, of what could be. His recent trip had meant that they didn't have to face reality for a while. But now he was back. They would be working together day in and day out, not just sporadically on Naveen's case.

"Clearly I need to up my game if you're thinking about something other than me at this moment," an amused masculine voice cut into her thoughts.

"I'm sorry," she blushed at the arched look in Ethan's eyes.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked.

"I'm worried about tomorrow," she admitted. "I know we agreed to keep this, us, a secret until we're ready. But now that we'll be working together on the team..."

She shrugged, her words trailing off as she saw he understood exactly what she was getting at. She looked away but he grasped her chin with his fingers, holding her still, his sincere eyes boring into hers.

"I don't know what will happen tomorrow or in the future," he said intently. "But this I promise you; we will deal with it together. Okay?"

She nodded, leaning down to rest her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and she nuzzled close, her hands tucked into his side.

"Since we're now officially together, there's something you should know about me," she said a few minutes later. "Well, two things really."

"That sounds ominous," he chuckled.

"I like to eat. A lot," she bit back a yawn as his warmth surrounded her, making her drowsy. "And I'm not a dainty eater either. So, you might want to increase your grocery order if I'm going to spend time here. Oh, and I like junk food, none of that healthy crap."

"Okay," he said slowly, warily as if uncertain where this conversation was headed.

"Second, I really want us to make love because it's been a very long two months," she continued. "But the truth is, I'm more hungry for food than I am for you."

"Seriously?" he said affronted.

She nodded sheepishly and then her stomach growled as if to underscore the point.

"Alright, Rookie. Let's get you fed," he said with a loud sigh. "You're lucky I went grocery shopping before heading to Donahues."

Cassie reached for her top and tugged it over her head, grinning at the disappointment in his eyes when she was fully covered again.

"Let me, Dr. Ramsey," she said, brushing her lips across his before jumping off his lap.

"Do you even know how to cook?" he asked doubtfully.

"I'm a Valentine," she scoffed, insulted at the thought and made her way to the kitchen.

"Fine, but if you tell me you burnt yourself, I'm going to say I told you so," he said, following slowly.

He leaned his elbows on the marbled top of the wide kitchen island, enjoying the sight of her in his home.

"Eggs, cheese, peppers," she murmured, ignoring his barb as she perused the contents of his refrigerator. "A bit too healthy for my taste, but I suppose it will have to do. Omelet okay with you?"

"Yes, if you're sure you can manage it," he said solicitously, but Cassie heard the skepticism in his voice.

She smirked as she gathered the ingredients and set them down on the counter. She moved around the unfamiliar kitchen like a dancer, following his direction on where he kept pots, pans and cooking utensils. She checked his knives for sharpness before chopping the vegetables and scraping them into a bowl.

"Did you ever consider surgery?" he asked impressed, eyes tracking the movement of her hands.

She just shook her head and smiled as she poured the egg mixture into a heated skillet.

"Too gory for me," she said, skillfully flipping the skillet with a twist of her wrist. "I'd rather talk to my patients than open them up. Did I tell you how I had to assist Harper and Bryce when Raf got injured?"

When he said no, she told him about the derailment and everything that had happened that night, how she'd had her hands on Raf's appendix. They continued to talk about the last few months while she finished preparing their late-night snack.

She plated the eggs with a flourish and then joined him on the other side of the island where he'd set up two place settings. He poured wine for both of them before picking up his knife and fork.

Cassie watched him take a bite, smiling when he glanced up in surprise and delight as the flavors exploded on his tongue. Pleased, she dug into her own meal and prepared to enjoy a quiet evening with her lover.

Come tomorrow, everything could change, or nothing. All she knew was that it would up to them to decide how they balanced work and love. And they would do it like he said. Together.