“Right. You’re right.” I took a deep breath.
It was fine. I’ll be fine. Not passing the bar wouldn’t be the end of the world.
I mean, it would be the end of my world, but not the end of the world.
I walked to my laptop and typed in my username and password with shaking fingers. My breakfast swirled in my stomach, and I regretted wolfing down the blueberry waffles Josh made.
When the score report loaded, I closed my eyes, my heart a frantic steel drum in my chest.
Just get it over with. You’ll be fine.
Behind me, Josh rested his hands on my shoulders again, his presence strong and comforting.
I finally cracked my eyes open and zeroed in on the total score at the bottom of the page.
295.
It took a second for the numbers to process. Once they did, I let out a loud squeal.
“I passed!” I jumped up and banged my knee against the underside of the table, but I didn’t even feel the pain. I turned and threw my arms around Josh’s neck, smiling so wide my cheeks ached. “I passed, I passed, I passed!”
He laughed and spun me around. “What did I tell you? Congrats, Red.” Pride seeped into his voice, rich and warm. “Now you can support me on your big-time lawyer salary while I toil away in my residency.”
I was scheduled to start my job at Silver & Klein next week. Part of me was sad to leave the clinic, but I hoped I would still be able to work with LHAC in some capacity. Lisa mentioned she was interested in partnering with a corporate law firm to expand the clinic’s services, and after I established myself at Silver & Klein, I planned to propose a partnership between my new company and my old one.
Meanwhile, Josh had entered his fourth and final year of residency, after which he’d take his board exams and become a fully licensed doctor.
We were well on our way to achieving our dream careers, but honestly, I was happier about the fact I had Josh by my side through it all. It made every achievement sweeter and every failure less bitter.
“I knew you were a gold digger.” Even after paying off his med school loans, he had enough money from selling the painting to be financially comfortable for decades, but that didn’t stop me from teasing him. “Using me for money. I am shocked. Appalled. Scandalized—”
Josh cut me off with a kiss. “Don’t worry.” His voice lowered as he ran one large, warm palm up my thigh. “I can repay you in non-monetary ways.”
My heart rate picked up, and I bit back a moan when he reached the cleft between my legs. I was already soaked for him, as confirmed by the satisfied gleam in Josh’s eyes. He was always such a smug bastard about sex.
I hated how much I loved it.
“I don’t believe you,” I breathed. “I need a demonstration first.”
“You drive a hard bargain.” He slipped my underwear to the side and rubbed his thumb over my clit. “What kind of demonstration would you like? You want me to fuck your pussy till you forget your own name? Eat that sweet little cunt out until you come all over my face? Or maybe…” He pushed a finger inside me and curled it until he hit a spot that made my limbs tremble. “You want me to fill every hole like the needy little slut you are.”
A whimper escaped at the mental picture he painted. My toys weren’t strangers in our sex life, and the last time he’d used them on me while fucking my mouth…
A pleasurable shudder wracked my body.
“Which is it, Red?” Josh worked another finger inside me. “Use your words.”
“I…” I struggled to form a coherent response, but I was too distracted by the slow pump of his fingers in and out of me.
A bundle of electricity pooled between my legs.
“Your verbal skills could use work.” He tsked in mock disappointment. “But since I’m feeling generous and we need to celebrate you passing the bar, I’ll provide a sample demonstration of all three…”
Josh was right about my verbal skills needing work, because by the time he finished his “demonstrations” three hours later, my body was limp and it was a struggle to even remember my own name.
“Mmph.” I made a contented noise as drowsiness settled over me like a warm blanket and pulled heavy on my eyelids. We’d moved from the living room to his bed, and I just wanted to sink into his pillows and never leave. “Good sample.”
Josh’s soft laugh tickled my skin as he pressed a kiss to my shoulder. “How do you feel about a full demonstration, then?” He caressed the curve of my ass, and the butterflies in my stomach went crazy again.
“Stop,” I moaned, half horrified, half aroused. “I will die if I have one more orgasm.”
The chances of me walking properly tomorrow were already close to zero.
“Okay, okay. I’ll give you a reprieve.” Josh laughed again before he rolled over and reached for his phone. “I actually bought you a proper gift in anticipation of you passing the bar.” His dimple deepened. “Well, I bought us a gift.”
I perked up, my curiosity overpowering my drowsiness. “Is it a toy? Lingerie? The Kama Sutra?”
“No, Red.” He tapped my nose, his eyes sparkling with exasperated amusement. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
I made a face while he pulled something up on his screen. “Look who’s talking. Your mind lives in the gutter.”
Josh swatted my ass in light punishment before he handed me his phone. “Careful, or that reprieve is going to be more temporary than you thought.”
I ignored my prickle of anticipation at his words and squinted at the document onscreen. It looked like…a plane ticket?
When the tiny words finally came into focus, I sucked in a sharp breath. “New Zealand? We’re going to New Zealand?”
“Early next year when I have vacation days again. But I bought flexible tickets so we can change the dates in case you can’t take that week off at your new job.” Josh’s grin nearly blinded me. “Excited?”
“Are you freaking kidding? It’s New Zealand!” My stomach flipped as images of snow-capped mountains and pristine blue waters filled my mind. Outside of the US, I’d only been to Eldorra, Canada, Mexico, and a few Caribbean islands. New Zealand was one of the top destinations on my bucket list.
“What if I hadn’t passed?” I asked, staring at the e-ticket again to make sure it was real.
Yep, there they were. My name, the travel dates, and the destination. All real.
He shrugged. “Then it would’ve been a comfort gift.”
Emotion clogged my throat and crawled into my chest. “Josh Chen, sometimes you are…” I set the phone aside and kissed him. Forget salted caramel. Nothing tasted as good as him—like mint and sex. “Tolerable.”
“Tolerable?” He hitched an eyebrow. “That’s not good. I’m supposed to be insufferable, and you…” He threaded his fingers through my hair and gave it a gentle yank. “You’re supposed to hate me.”
I dug my nails into his thigh until I heard his sharp inhale. “I do.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Show me.”
I dug my nails harder in his skin before I trailed them over his chest and climbed on top of him. I tugged hard on his hair and flinched when he spanked my ass again, this time so hard the sting reverberated through my body.