Silent Strings

Chapter 19 (18+)

The gossip was spreading through the hospital faster than a code blue alert.

"Dr. Huáng is in love. That’s the only explanation."

"He’s always stoic. Now he’s grinning? Suspicious."

"I’m telling you, he either won the lottery, got a promotion, or… well… you know."

“Winning a lottery does not matter to him, right? He’s already filthy rich!”

Ines tried to focus on her rounds, but the chatter was impossible to ignore. Her colleagues were buzzing with theories about Jackson’s behavior. She knew Jackson was unusually charming this morning—heck, she’d been on the receiving end of that charm many times before—but this was a whole new level of insane.

The elevator doors opened, and Ines stepped out, clipboard in hand. She barely made it five steps before Alice intercepted her, hands on her hips, wearing her signature I’m-about-to-ruin-your-day grin.

"Kassandra Ines Cua," Alice said in a mock-serious tone, blocking Ines’s path, "what aren’t you telling us?"

Ines blinked, confused. "What?"

"Don’t play dumb. You’re acting way too calm for someone working in the same building as that." Alice jerked a thumb toward the general direction of the ORs.

"That?"

"Jackson Athanasius Huáng," Alice hissed like it was a forbidden name, "a.k.a. Dr. Hot-and-Unapproachable, a.k.a. The Surgeon With a Stick Up His Perfectly Sculpted—"

"Alice!" Ines cut her off, horrified.

Alice smirked. "You get the point. He’s been acting like a Disney prince all morning, and here you are, waltzing around like you know exactly what’s going on. You’re close friends with him, right?"

"Maybe he’s just… in a good mood?" Ines said weakly, trying to edge past Alice, but it was no use.

"Good mood? Dr. Huáng? In what universe?"

Suddenly, another nurse, May, joined the fray, carrying a clipboard but clearly more interested in the conversation. "Oh, Kassandra. Sweet, innocent Kassandra. Spill it. What’s the tea?"

"What are you talking about? There’s no tea!" Ines protested, but her voice cracked slightly, betraying her nerves.

Alice raised an eyebrow. "No tea, huh? Dr. Jackson Huáng is not sharing everything to you?"

Her eyes narrowed, scanning Ines like a hawk spotting prey. Ines froze under the scrutiny, instinctively clutching her clipboard tighter.

“No…”

Then—Alice struck.

With lightning speed, she leaned in and plucked the collar of Ines’s scrub top just enough to reveal the faintest hint of a red mark peeking out from her nape.

The silence that followed was deafening.

A senior nurse gasped so loudly it could’ve been heard three floors up.

Alice’s eyes sparkled with triumph. "Well, well, well." She let go of Ines’s collar and crossed her arms. "Care to explain this, Miss ‘There’s No Tea’?"

Ines’s soul imploded. Her face went up in flames as she slapped a hand over the back of her neck.

"I—it’s not what it looks like!" she stammered, voice climbing several octaves.

Alice and May exchanged a look before bursting into laughter.

"Not what it looks like?" Alice repeated, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye. "Girl, unless you accidentally walked into a vacuum cleaner, that’s a hickey."

"Alice!" Ines hissed, shooting panicked glances around the hallway.

"Relax, this is the oncology department. The patients are asleep, and the doctors are busy saving lives. Now, spill."

By now, a small crowd of nurses had gathered, their curiosity piqued by the scene. Ines wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

"Oooh, is our Kassandra finally dating someone?" one nurse chimed in, grinning ear to ear.

"Wait—does this have something to do with Dr. Huáng’s weird behavior today?" another asked, eyes widening as if they’d uncovered a government conspiracy.

"Maybe it’s connected!" May said, gasping dramatically. "Dr. Huáng’s been acting suspiciously happy all morning, and now Kassandra shows up with a mystery hickey. Coincidence? I think not!"

Ines’s jaw dropped. "Are you all insane?!"

Alice leaned in closer, practically radiating glee. "We’re not insane. We’re investigative. Come on, Ines. Who’s the lucky guy?"

"No one!" Ines snapped, her voice betraying her rising panic.

Alice gave her a look. "Kassandra Ines, honey, you’re a terrible liar."

"I am not lying!"

"Really? Then how do you explain this?" Alice gestured wildly at the now-infamous hickey.

"It’s—I—it’s from—uh—" Ines floundered, her brain scrambling for an excuse. "I burned myself with a curling iron!"

Silence.

The nurses stared at her. Then—

"While doing your hair for work? In a ponytail?" Alice asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ines groaned, burying her face in her hands.

Alice clapped her hands together. "Alright, ladies, we’ve got a mystery man! Let’s narrow it down." She turned to the group. "Place your bets! Who is Kassandra Ines Cua’s secret lover?"

"Maybe it’s one of the residents," a new nurse suggested.

"Or that cute pharmacist from the third floor," another nurse chimed in.

"What about Dr. Lee? He’s been super flirty lately."

"It’s not anyone!" Ines half-shouted, her voice muffled by her hands.

Everyone got silent for a while until Alice broke it out.

Alice grinned wickedly. "Oh, we’ll figure it out, Kassandra. You can’t hide from us forever."

Meanwhile, in the President's office, Jackson leaned back in his chair, sipping his coffee with a smug smile. He knew exactly what he’d done.

And he had absolutely no regrets.

The sun wasn’t up yet when Jackson stirred awake, the weight of her body pressed against his making him not want to move.

His arm was slung lazily around her waist, fingers tracing slow, absentminded circles against the bare skin of her hip. Ines was still asleep, her breath soft, steady. He exhaled, pressing a sleepy kiss to the back of her shoulder.

His lips curled.

Last night had been…

Wild.

Raw.

Desperate.

And this morning? He’d been starving for her all over again.

She stirred slightly, shifting against him, and just like that—his body remembered exactly how she felt. Warm. Soft. His.

Jackson wasn’t a patient man, not when it came to her. Not when she was right there, wrapped up in him, her skin still littered with the marks he’d left in the heat of the moment. His fingertips ghosted over her stomach, tracing lines that made her skin tingle and her muscles tighten in anticipation—

"Morning, princess."

Her gaze flickered downward, landing on the unmistakable bulge beneath the sheets. A slow, knowing smile curled on her lips as a thrill shot through her—a mix of power and unspoken desire. She knew exactly what he wanted, what he ached for.

And she was more than ready to give it to him.

“Can I?”

Sliding down his body, she took him in her mouth for the first time in three years. The taste of him was familiar yet new, like the first sip of a fine wine after a long fast.

Jackson's hands tangled in her hair, guiding her, as she took him deeper, her tongue swirling around his shaft with an enthusiasm that had been dormant for far too long. Each suck and lick sent a bolt of desire straight to his core, making his toes curl and his breath hitch. He watched her, the sight of her mouth wrapped around him pushing him closer and closer to the edge.

“f**k. I missed this, baby,” he groaned.

Ines felt alive, empowered by the control she had over him, by the sounds of his pleasure. She moaned around him, the vibrations sending a shiver down his spine, making him groan. His hips bucked upward, and she took him deeper still, eager to show him just how much she had missed this intimate dance of lust.

Her mouth grew wetter and sloppier, as she lost herself in the act. The saliva pooled around her lips, making the sounds of her sucking echo in the quiet room. She could feel his thighs tensing, his grip on her hair tightening, and she knew he was close. The taste of him grew stronger, and she swallowed around him, eager for his release.

“Damn, you still got it.” He caressed her face and pushed her head deeper making her gag and filling her eyes with tears.

Jackson couldn't hold back anymore. With a strangled cry, he came, his seed filling her mouth as she continued to suck, eagerly swallowing every drop. His body convulsed, and she felt the tremors of his orgasm resonate through her, a reminder of the bond that had never truly been broken.

“You’re so good to me, princess. So beautiful,” he said breathlessly.

As he lay there, spent and satisfied, Ines kissed her way back up his body, leaving a trail of wetness in her wake. She straddled him, her breasts pressing against his chest, her eyes never leaving his.

"You like that?" she whispered, her voice thick with desire.

Jackson's eyes snapped open, the haze of sleep dissipating instantly. He felt the ache of need, the hunger that only Ines could satisfy.

“More than that, princess. Let me return the favor.”

He rolled her over, his body covering hers, his mouth claiming hers in a bruising kiss. His hands roamed her body, reacquainting themselves with every curve and dip, every sensitive spot that made her moan.

Her legs parted willingly, and he slid into her, their bodies moving together in a symphony of passion.

“Oh, goodness. Jackson!”

The sound of their skin slapping filled the room. He watched her face, the way her eyes fluttered closed and her mouth formed a perfect 'O' of pleasure, and he knew that she was his—now and forever.

Their bodies moved in unison, their hearts beating as one. Ines could feel the beginnings of another climax building, her walls tightening around him, urging him deeper. Jackson groaned, his own need spiraling out of control as he felt her body respond to his.

He reached up, taking one of her breasts in his hand, his thumb flicking over the sensitive peak as he drove into her. Her hips met his, her nails digging into his back as she arched, her orgasm crashing over her like a tidal wave.

Her screams of pleasure were his undoing, and with one final, powerful thrust, he emptied himself into her, his climax shaking him to the core. They did it a few more times afterward.

By the time they were finally done, she was sprawled across the sheets, on her stomach, utterly wrecked, panting as she tried—and failed—to glare at him.

"We are going to be late," she mumbled, her voice hoarse from all the sinful things they’d done.

Jackson just smirked, lazily pressing a kiss to her already bruised neck. "Your fault."

"My fault?!" she spluttered.

"You looked too good to resist."

She groaned, covering her face with a pillow. "I hate you."

"No, you don’t." He pried the pillow from her hands, dragging his lips down her collarbone, smug as ever. "Come on, princess. One more round before work?"

"Jackson, I swear to the gods—"

"Swearing this early in the morning? Tsk, tsk. You’re a terrible influence, Ines."

"Get off me!"

"You weren’t saying that a minute ago."

"Jackson!"