Man in Love

by Laurelin Paige

  “He doesn’t,” Scott confirmed. “He’s too busy heading up the Tisch Dysautonomia Research Department to add to his current patient load, but he’s agreed to make an exception.” He looked toward Tey. “If you’re interested.”

  Tey and I exchanged a glance. I could sense her reining in her excitement. “There’s no way my insurance would cover this. The whole clinic is out-of-network.”

  He swatted his hand in the air, as if her comment was an insignificant fly. “Cost is not your concern. Whatever you need for treatment will be covered as well.”

  It was my turn to be cautious. “Um, I don’t know if I can let you pay for this, Scott. It’s impressive, and I appreciate the gesture...” But it was too much. Way too much.

  Teyana crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. “Is this really where your morality line is going to get crossed?”

  Considering I’d spent the weekend sleeping with an engaged man, she had a point, and I really didn’t want to be the one who snatched this opportunity away from her. But it wasn’t just the ethics of it all. It could take years to get a working treatment plan for a POTS patient. What happened if we broke up? When we broke up, because odds were it would happen eventually. Where would Tey be then? Surely he wouldn’t continue to pay indefinitely.

  Turned out my concerns were moot. “I’m not paying for this,” Scott said. “The DRF is.”

  Well, that was more palatable.

  Except, the DRF couldn’t afford…

  “SIC is going to sponsor them?!” It was the only possibility. The foundation was struggling right now as it was. They needed the sponsorship to make a commitment this grand.

  Scott nodded. “Yep. And we’re writing into the contract a stipend that is specifically to be used for Tey’s treatment.” He shifted to her. “Again, if you’re interested.”

  “Of course, I’m fucking interested.”

  I hadn’t seen a grin that wide on Teyana’s face since before she’d been diagnosed. Hell, I hadn’t seen her smile that wide ever. I was grinning right along with her.

  “There is one small catch,” Scott said, and I felt my breath slow as I braced myself for the worst. “Since all of this is PR related—sorry, I know that’s gross, but it is what it is—we want to film a documentary following a handful of people that are helped with the funds. Brings awareness as well as makes us look good. We’d love for Teyana to be one of those people.”

  That explained the film crew. The woman they’d been interviewing must have been another one of the people chosen for the documentary.

  And whoa. A documentary was huge. It would bring so much attention to the disease. This was exactly the kind of project that the foundation had wanted to pursue if they got the money.

  But how the heck had Scott done all of this? Without my knowledge and with the contracts not even signed. “You’ve talked to DRF about all of this?”

  “We had some exploratory discussions about it yesterday,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure there was something to tell. The rest we pulled together today. And in case you were wondering, no, Kendra doesn’t know yet. I thought it would be more fun if you told her.”

  I was floored. About all of it, including leaving Kendra out of it. Mostly I was shocked about the speed at which he’d thrown this together. I knew money made people jump, but this? “You’re fast.”

  “I’m fast.”

  I blushed at the hidden innuendo. “Wow. Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Ditto that,” Tey chimed in.

  “Hey, you’re the one who put this together in the first place. None of this would have happened if you hadn’t put Sebastian Industrial together with the DRF.”

  Scott’s refusal to take credit put things in a different perspective. I’d done this. I’d put all this in motion. I’d done it for Tey, of course, but I hadn’t thought it would directly affect her like this.

  From here on out, whatever happened between me and Kendra because of my deceit, I couldn’t say it wasn’t worth it.

  My job wasn’t over yet, though. The papers still had to be signed, which was likely just a formality at this point, but still necessary. Conscience Connect had to be paid. The partnership had to be made official. Kendra would want to move forward as soon as possible. “I guess that means there will be a coordination meeting this week.”

  Teyana’s grin faded. “Tess, your time off.”

  Scott rose a quizzical brow.

  “Kendra gave me a vacation until the next coordination meeting,” I explained.

  “She deserves the time off.” Teyana was emphatic. “If I have to postpone this so that she can get it—”

  Scott cut her off. “No need to postpone anything. There are still details to be worked out with the lawyers. I can’t see us scheduling to sign any earlier than next Monday.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Is that real, or are you just saying that?”

  “Does it matter? It’s done.”

  I wanted to jump into his arms, but now that I’d realized we were here in a somewhat official capacity, it seemed even more important to refrain. Somehow that recognition made the desire to touch him even stronger, the tension even thicker between us. I wondered if he could see all that in my eyes, which were locked on his.

  “Yoohoo? Lovebirds? I’m still here, you know.”

  I could feel myself blushing as I broke from Scott’s gaze to give Teyana my attention.

  “And in answer to your question, yes. I’m still fucking interested. Camera me up all you want. Which do you think is my better side?” She turned her face one way, then the other. “Maybe straight on is best.”

  Just then a technician stepped out from the back offices. “Teyana Lewis?”

  “That’s me!” Tey said, and the two of us crossed to the technician.

  Simultaneously, Scott gestured to the camera crew and followed us over. “The staff has already been informed about the filming. We’ve got the necessary release forms signed from everyone except you, Teyana. We can get that when we get in the back room.”

  The technician frowned, as she seemed to be counting all of us. “Not enough room in the back for everyone. We can take the patient and the crew. You two will have to stay out here. It should be about ninety minutes for the full workup.”

  “Is that cool with you?” I asked Tey. I didn’t know why I was concerned. She’d been to plenty of doctors without me in the past.

  “I got this,” she assured me.

  Scott turned to one of the crew. “RJ, can you take care of the paperwork?”

  “Under control,” he said.

  “Then let’s get on back there.” The tech opened the door to the back and led them all.

  I faced the solid wood of the door for a beat after it had closed, feeling slightly disappointed that I wouldn’t get to be with Teyana during her workup.

  On the other hand, that left me alone with Scott. And being alone with Scott was always exciting and dangerous. Good thing we weren’t alone alone.

  Except he had other plans for us. “Come on. We have somewhere else to be.”

  A shock of pleasure jolted through my body as he took my hand in his and tugged me out the clinic doors.

  As soon as we were in the hall, we were in each other’s arms, all the awkwardness between us completely gone.

  “I missed you,” I said against his lips in between kisses. “And thank you. For Tey, you can’t—”

  My gratitude was cut short by the intensity of his next kiss. Then the kiss was cut short by the clearing of a throat. We broke apart to realize we were standing in the way of a teenage boy and his mother who were trying to get into the clinic.

  “Excuse us. Sorry,” I said.

  Scott moved to open the door for them, and I tried not to giggle. When they were once again out of sight, he reached again for my hand. “This way.”

  Yeah, good idea. Maybe we could find a quiet stairway. Somewhere less public.

  With
my fingers laced in his, I let him lead me down the hall since he seemed to have an idea in mind.

  Now that my mouth was off his, I remembered the other reason I was eager to see him. “Hey, what happened with your parents?”

  “Eh, they weren’t happy.”

  A much shorter explanation than I’d been hoping for. Maybe he just wasn’t used to sharing his life with a woman. I was his first girlfriend after all.

  I took it upon myself to prod for more. “You knew they wouldn’t be. But there wasn’t any drama? They accepted it?”

  “I don’t know if accepted is the right word, but I’m a grown man. It’s not like they can force me to do anything.”

  So then they’d put up a fight. The confirmation made me tense up, which was silly. Like he’d said, he was a grown man. They could be unhappy all they wanted. It didn’t mean that Scott had to listen to them. And from what he’d just said, he wasn’t going to. I hoped it hadn’t been an ugly fight.

  Maybe it had been and that was why he didn’t want to talk about it. Still, I wished he would trust me though to tell me. Wished he would let me all the way in.

  There is time, I reminded myself. This was still new between us. Instead, I focused on the most important outstanding detail. “Are they going to talk to Kendra?”

  “Yes, but…” He stopped so he could turn to me. “They want to wait until the DRF thing is all wrapped up. So that she can’t fuck it up.”

  The thought hadn’t occurred to me that she might. I considered it for a few seconds. “She wouldn’t. I know Kendra, and she might be self-absorbed, but she’s not malicious.”

  “It never hurts to be cautious.” Once again he was towing me down the hall, as if he had a specific destination in mind. “In the meantime, you have time off? I was planning to steal you for a weekend getaway, but now I’m thinking we’ll make it a long weekend.”

  It seemed like a swift change of subject, one that should have made me cautious, but Scott knew the way to distract a woman, and it worked. Worry about Kendra and his parents dissolved into giddiness. “Is that your way of asking me if I want to go away with you for a long weekend?”

  “I thought you liked it better when you weren’t asked.”

  I did find a bit of being bossed about a real turn-on. The fact that Scott knew what kinds of things I wanted to be bossed on was a real plus. “Okay. I’m game. So where are we going?”

  He pulled me around a corner and then stopped abruptly in front of a closed door. “Uh-uh. Not ruining the surprise. We’ll leave tomorrow. Pack warm. Bikinis if you have them. I’d be fine if that’s all you wore. The skimpier, the better.”

  “I’ll see what I can come up with.” Now that I couldn’t raid my wardrobe from Kendra, I’d have to be creative. Luckily Teyana had some swimsuits I could borrow. I glanced at the sign on the door we’d stopped in front of. “And why are we at a walk-in lab?”

  Looking around first to make sure we were alone, he backed me up until I was against the wall adjacent to the door. With one hand braced above me, he leaned his head so his mouth was close to my ear. “Because there is no way I’m spending four days and nights with you and not fucking you bare.”

  A delicious shiver ran through me, and I had to press my thighs together and swallow hard. “So...STD tests.”

  “Yep. You said you’re on birth control, right?”

  “Yep.” Why was this so oddly romantic? There’d been men who’d wanted to fuck without a condom before. None had ever been willing to prove they were free of infection first, though. None had even bothered to try to assure me they were clean, which was why I’d been a faithful condom user despite being on birth control.

  The gesture alone was enough to make me want to climb him like a tree and let him fuck me bare right then and there. “You know, you could just tell me you’re clean, and I’d believe you.”

  He leaned back so he could look me in the face. “That’s very dumb of you, Tess, and you are not a dumb woman.”

  I’d never been so moved by a put-down. “It is dumb of me, but it’s the truth. I trust you.” Something flickered in his expression. Something I couldn’t quite read. “Unless... Are you worried your test results will come back positive?”

  “Not in the least.”

  “You’re so sure.”

  “One hundred percent. I haven’t been raw with a woman in years.”

  And again I was swooning. Because this made me special, didn’t it? I was sure he hadn’t lacked for sex before me. He’d hinted at it enough. Of all those women, I was the one he wanted to be that intimate with. Me.

  But then I realized if he wasn’t worried about the health risk that I faced by sex sans condom, then he was worried about his. “So it’s me you’re concerned about. What I might give you.”

  He gave me an oh, please look. “We’re both getting tested, Tessa, because it’s what responsible adults do. And because I very much like the idea of responsible adulting with you.”

  “I like that idea too,” I said, the words coming out quiet since my throat was suddenly tight. I liked it a lot. I liked him a lot. Liked the way it felt like we were making a commitment to each other by this simple act. Liked the way it felt like it was about something bigger than sex, like it was about something more real and special and intimate.

  And if there was a hint of trepidation underneath those feelings, I told myself it was me. I told myself it was because it was so new. Scott had gone above and beyond proving himself. With Tey. With this test. With altering the course of his future plans. Ever since he came clean about his engagement, he’d been nothing but transparent.

  So why, then, did it feel like there was still something he was hiding?

  Ten

  Scott

  “We have a problem,” Brett said when I answered my phone.

  It was the last thing I wanted to hear as I was getting ready to whisk Tessa off for a long weekend, but I knew Brett wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t urgent. It was the only reason I’d accepted the call in the first place.

  “Hold on a sec,” I said, then placed my cell against my shoulder. “Sit anywhere you like. Tell the crew if you need anything. I’m going to step away to take this call.”

  Tess’s eyes were still wide as she took in the luxury of the Sebastian private jet. I adored that about her, adored that about being with her. Adored the way she got giddy about the printer in the limo and the heated seats in the Maybach. She looked at things I took for granted and made me realize how lucky I was to live the way I did.

  I loved spoiling her too. Loved giving her a piece of the easy life. I planned to spoil her a lot over the next few days. Because she was worth it, but also because it eased my guilt for letting her think my arrangement with my parents was worked out.

  It would be. Soon enough.

  In the meantime, I intended to treat her like a queen.

  “There’s a TV!” she exclaimed. “And a fireplace!”

  Her enthusiasm temporarily lightened my concern about whatever Brett was about to tell me. “We won’t need it. If you’re cold, there are other ways to warm up. Like in the bedroom in the back.”

  “There’s a bedroom? On a plane?” God, she was enchanting.

  “Get settled in. I shouldn’t be long.” I brought my cell up to my ear as I made my way to the bedroom. “Better be important,” I snapped because I was an ass.

  And because Brett was a good guy, he overlooked my tone. “Your father got wind about the documentary. He’s a little irate.”

  Fuck.

  “That’s probably putting it nicely,” I said, tension stringing through my muscles.

  “There were a lot more curse words when he said it, yes.”

  I had a litany of my own curse words I was going through silently, many of which I’d learned from the old man. “How the fuck did he even find out?”

  “A camera crew in a medical office creates buzz, Scott. And you know how people like to tell things to your father, thinking it w
ill get them in his good graces.”

  I hoped Brett wasn’t one of those people.

  Immediately I felt bad for even considering it. My cousin and I weren’t all that close, but I trusted him. If for no other reason than the fact that I knew he cared about Tess.

  He was also right about people always sharing gossip with my dad, and the only reason I’d been able to get Teyana in with that specialist was because he belonged to the family country club. I should have expected word to get out. I just hadn’t expected it to move so quickly.

  I took a deep breath. “Tell him there must have been a breakdown in communication with the crew, and you’ll look into it immediately. Then assure him that we have put everything on hold and that there will be no more progress made until he says so.”

  “Got it. Am I lying?”

  “Isn’t it best if you don’t know?”

  It was Brett’s turn to take a deep breath. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “Yeah, Cuz. I hope so too.”

  I didn’t go immediately back to Tess after I hung up. Instead, I stood in the plane’s bedroom and quickly thought through all my options for the hundredth time, hoping I’d see something I’d missed before.

  Thank God I’d taken Cole’s advice and told my parents I’d needed time to decide after Dad issued his ultimatum. Dad had been none too happy about it, but since I wouldn’t budge, he had no other choice but to agree. Then first thing the next morning, he’d informed everyone in the company to put a cease on all negotiations with the DRF until further notice. It was exactly what I would have done in his position. He had to keep his leverage after all.

  Of course, there was nothing for me to decide. No way was I marrying Kendra. But I also was hell-bent on not killing the DRF sponsorship. It would break Tessa’s heart. Would she even want me if I made her give that up just to be with me?

  Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to find out. I just needed some time to figure out a way around Dad’s condition. The documentary was the one lead I had so far. It had been in the works already, and when the details fell into place Tuesday morning, it felt like fate. If I started sewing up things with the DRF now on the sly, maybe SIC would be in too deep for us to pull out. At least not without creating a PR nightmare, and heaven knew how much my father wanted to avoid that.