𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 [𝟏𝟖+] ✔

10

After a long day at the beach, my skin is so red that it hurts.

I'm not technically working, so I plan on heading straight to the hotel once Ivy gets into the car they hired. Watching Toby fold her wheelchair in the back and buckle Ivy into her seat, I discuss with her mum about other days out we can take her on.

Her smile always lightens up my day, and she giggles when I smile back. "Did you have fun today?" I ask her, placing her Pikachu toy on her lap. She claps, nodding her head once in excitement. "We'll go again soon, okay?" I tuck a strand of her golden hair behind her ear and say goodbye.

"Are you going with them?" I ask Toby, who gives Ivy the thumbs up, pulls a funny face to make her laugh, and closes her door.

He shakes his head, and I feel a smile fighting its way to the surface. "My car is at your hotel. I'll walk back with you."

I'm not really sure why I'm frowning, or why I give a shit where he goes, but I feel a pang of disappointment. "Okay," I reply in a quiet tone, dropping my eyes to my moving feet.

We could easily finish where we left off since we're free for the rest of the day, but I don't want to mention that unless he does first. Call me stubborn, but I meet halfway on this stuff, I don't make all the effort.

Anyway, it's just a bit of fun.

"Sorry about earlier," he says, walking beside me along the promenade, the sun starting to fall behind the tall buildings on our left, the warm glow reflecting on the sea on our right. "I can't miss a call on my work phone, in case it's about Ivy or another patient. I only started a month ago, so I'm trying to impress." His smile at the last word, it completely lights up the blue in his eyes, and I'm staring for too long before I shake it off.

"It's okay," I shrug. "I didn't know you were new."

We chat the whole way, more about me than him, he seems a little closed off with himself. He also enjoys the fact that I have an ex-boyfriend and an ex-girlfriend. He blushed and bit his lip when I asked if there was an issue and he shook his head. I knew he was picturing it in his mind, me and another girl. Seriously, what is it with people and sexuality?

"I'm allowed to experiment, I had enough of men for a while."

"And now?" he asks, crossing his arms and leaning against the hotel's main entrance wall. "Have you still had enough of men?"

I laugh as his intense eyes burn into me. "I've had enough of everyone."

He hums, nodding, glancing at his watch. "I think I can change that," he says as he looks back up, wrapping his fingers around the leather strap of my bag, pulling me to him.

I almost stumble, inhaling his manly scent, but his arm encircling around me keeps my feet steadied on the ground while the other cups my face. He runs his thumb along my cheekbone, dipping his head, his nose nudging mine before his lips softly press against my own.

It's not a greedy kiss, no tongue, no gasps for air, just his mouth pressing against mine, and he still overwhelms every sane part of me. The voice in my head is yelling at me to stop kissing my assistant out in public, to stand back and tell him that it's wrong, completely forbidden. But as I feel a strong wave of comfort wrapping around me, around us, I ignore my inner Aria and melt against him.

As soon as my brain catches up with my actions, I pull away, nervously glancing around us at the people walking by. "Someone might see us." I pinch my bottom lip between my finger and thumb, looking up at him smirking at me, the heat coating my cheeks. "Moves like that kind of cross the line of having whatever this is as no-strings only."