He met her gaze, his piercing. “I’ll do condoms, even though those aren’t really necessary, either, but no dental dams. I don’t want anything between my mouth and your—”

“Diesel,” she hissed.

He merely raised a brow, unbothered. “Are you undetectable?”

“Yes, but—”

“Is the CDC a reputable organization?” he interrupted.

The Centers for Disease Control? “Yes, of course, but—”

He kissed her quiet, and she tasted herself on his mouth. It was all she could do not to moan. “The CDC says ‘Undetectable equals Untransmittable,’” he said. “They have it on their website. ‘U equals U.’ There are posters for the doctors’ offices. You have one on the wall in your very own clinic.”

“I know, but—”

He kissed her again. “Are you a good doctor?”

“Yes, but—”

Another kiss. “Would you post medical advice in your clinic that wasn’t true?”

“No.”

He grinned. “No buts?”

“No. You’ll just kiss me again. Which, y’know, is fine, but—”

He kissed her again, but he smiled through it. “Dani, I’m taking Truvada. You’re taking your antiretroviral meds. You get your levels tested how often?”

“Every month.”

“How often is the recommended frequency?”

She let out a breath, knowing he already knew the answer. “For positive patients with undetectable viral loads who are taking their medications, every three to four months. I go more often because I’m a medical professional.”

He smiled down at her. “So you’re covered. We’re covered. We can use condoms because you don’t want to get pregnant and I’m okay with that, but I do not want to use dental dams. I will if your viral loads become detectable, but if that never happens, why should we?”

She stared at him desperately. “If I made you sick, I’d never forgive myself.”

“If we made me positive, we’d share the responsibility equally. But we’re not going to make me positive. Honey, listen to yourself. You’re boxing with shadows. A lot of energy for no payout. I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer to expend my energy on more . . . pleasurable pursuits.”

She closed her eyes. He was right. She knew he was right. If she were her own patient, she’d be telling herself the exact same thing. She wasn’t sure why she was fighting so hard. “You deserve so many pleasurable pursuits.” Far more than she could give him.

He kissed her closed eyelids so gently. “Dani? Honey, look at me.”

She forced herself to open her eyes. And her breath caught in her throat at the sheer adoration she saw there.

He leaned his forehead against hers, his hands cradling her ass like she didn’t weigh anything. “You deserve to have pleasurable sex, too,” he whispered. “And if that voice in your head is telling you otherwise, you should tell it to fuck off.”