TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 159

One hundred and fifty nine

Lisa POV

I woke up to an empty space beside me.

I turned my head before I could stop myself. The sheets were disturbed, still carrying the shape of where he had been. I already knew he wouldn’t be there, but my body checked anyway, as if it needed proof.

He was gone.

I stayed there for a while, staring at the empty side, letting the silence settle in. Then I shifted into his spot, pressing my face into the pillow. His scent lingered, and it pulled an emotion I refused to name. Last night hadn’t been imagined. It hadn’t been one-sided either. That made it worse.

My hand moved across the sheets until it brushed against paper. I picked it up and unfolded it.

I enjoyed last night.

Cameron.

I read it again, then let out a breath. A smile formed before I could stop it. It sat there, then I caught myself.

He enjoyed it.

So did I.

Yet, that didn’t change anything.

I folded the note and placed it on the bedside table, then lay back. The warmth from earlier was gone, replaced with an awareness that I was stealing what didn’t belong to me.

I got out of bed and got ready for the day. When I stepped into the kitchen, my mom looked up from what she was doing. Her eyes lingered on me.

“Morning, sweetie,” she said.

“Morning,” I replied, reaching for a glass.

She watched me, then smiled in a way that made me pause.

“You slept well,” she said.

I shrugged.

“Mmm,” she hummed. “The voices and movements, though?”

Shit.

“What voices?”

She snorted and looked at me, that same knowing smile still there, but a warning underneath.

“Mom.”

“I’m not judging you, Lisa. You’re an adult. A pregnant, hormonal adult.”

“You’re imagining things.”

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“And what exactly do you know?”

“That he won’t interfere with your work,” I said.

He nodded. “You said something similar yesterday.”

“I meant it then too,” I replied.

“And you also said there was nothing between you and him,” he added, with something that sounded like a tease.

“That hasn’t changed,” I said.

“Of course.”

Silence stretched before he continued.

“My concern isn’t personal,” he said. “It’s professional. Situations like this tend to complicate things.”

I didn’t respond to that.

He moved on, finishing up with the same steady pace.

“I’ll be traveling this weekend for the festival,” I said.

That got his attention.

“Approved by him?”

I nodded.

“Then I’ll be coming with you,” he said.

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“This is not a low-risk situation,” he continued. “You’re in a sensitive stage, and your case has already had complications. The hospital won’t clear travel without medical supervision.”

“I didn’t hear anything about that,” I said.

“You weren’t supposed to,” he replied. “That’s my responsibility.”

“That’s not necessary,” I said.

“It is,” he said calmly. “It’s protocol. I already have leave approved. This falls under my work.”

I leaned back, letting the information settle.

A doctor made sense. That was the problem. Because the moment I accepted that, another thought followed immediately.

Cameron.

I already knew he wouldn’t like it. Not because it didn’t make sense, but because it involved someone he didn’t trust. That alone was enough to turn this into something else.

“You’re thinking about him,” Harry said.

I looked at him. “I’m thinking about logistics.”

“Call it what you want,” he replied.

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“I need a doctor,” I said. “And you’re the one assigned to me. That’s all this is.”

“If that helps you keep it simple,” he replied.

I didn’t like that answer, but I didn’t argue with it either. He returned to his notes, already moving on.

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