by Jaci Burton
She stopped and turned to Katie. “Yes. And yes, if you must know. We had sex. Lots of it.”
Katie grinned. “Awesome. No wonder you look like shit. You probably stayed up screwing all night long and you’re worn out from him giving you multiple orgasms. He looks like the type of guy who’d give a woman a lot of orgasms.”
Her body quivered at the mention of orgasms. She inhaled, then let it out. “Eight.”
Katie’s brows rose. “Eight? Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Get the hell out of here. Eight? And you let him go? I’d have called in sick today and had him give me eight more.”
She laughed. “Shut up. I don’t call in sick to have sex. I don’t call in sick, period. Even when I am sick.”
Katie shook her head. “Then you’re doing it wrong, Aubry.”
“Come on.” She pulled on Katie’s sleeve. “We have work to do. We’ll talk about sex later.”
She immersed herself in her job, trying to shove thoughts of Tucker out of her head for the next several hours. Fortunately, she was busy. Not as busy as when she worked nights, but she’d had a steady stream of work. A broken arm from a job-related injury, a sick infant, and an elderly gentleman with a bowel obstruction.
Fortunately, Dr. Chen hadn’t noticed she’d barely made it on time this morning, so she’d dodged a bullet there.
Late afternoon she finally found time to get a bite to eat. She got a salad in the cafeteria, grabbed her medical notes and sat in the lounge, enjoying the few minutes of peace and quiet so she could study.
Until Katie came in with her bag of food. She pulled up a chair across from Aubry at the table, laid her iced tea down, and opened her bag.
“Surely you’re not going to study. Don’t you ever shut off that brain of yours?”
Aubry looked up from her notes. “We have a lot to learn in a short period of time. And you never know when Chen is going to ask us about some complex brain trauma we’ve never heard of.” She pinned Katie with a stern look. “You could stand to study more.”
Katie pointed to her temple and bit into her sandwich, talking with her mouth full. “I’ve got it all right here, honey.”
“Sure you do. What you’ve got is balls enough to bullshit your way through Chen’s tough questions. Or you just don’t care.”
Katie took a sip of her drink. “Of course I care. I just don’t walk on eggshells around Chen like you seem to. He wants us all to do well, and his bark is way worse than his bite. You need to relax. Didn’t those eight orgasms do the trick, or are you going back for more tonight?”
“I . . .” She paused, not sure how to answer. She’d left Tucker at her place early this morning, without thought as to when, or if, she’d ever see him again.
She didn’t date. She spent days and nights at the hospital, and when she was off, she studied and caught up on things she had to do at home. She’d used one of her rare nights off to go out with him last night. Surely Tucker would understand that she wasn’t looking for a relationship, right?
“You what?” Katie asked, interrupting her thought process.
“I don’t know. We had a fun night. Isn’t that enough?”
“Of course it’s not enough. You two had awesome sex, Aubry. Wouldn’t you want more of it? I mean, it isn’t often we can find a man to give us one orgasm, let alone eight. Why would you let a guy like that go?”
She laid her fork down. “Because I don’t have time for a guy. There’s work and study and those are my priorities.”
Katie sighed. “You need to reset your priorities, honey. Men can give you great orgasms—as you know so well—which reduces your stress and allows you to fully focus your efforts on work and study.”
She couldn’t help herself. Her lips lifted. “You have that all figured out, don’t you?”
“On a spreadsheet and everything.”
Aubry laughed. “Men can also be complicated.”
Katie took a bite of her sandwich, swallowed, then shook her head. “No. We’re complicated. Men are simple. Keep them well fucked and they’re happy as can be.”
Sliding Katie a look of disbelief, she said, “I don’t believe it works that way.”
“Trust me. It works that way.”
“So you’re saying all I have to do is fuck Tucker’s brains out on a regular basis, and I won’t have to worry about any emotional entanglements?”
“Absolutely. If he’s an average male. And from what I’ve seen of him? He looks like an average male to me. Quite possibly above average.”
Aubry couldn’t believe she was even entertaining the idea. She had no time for this. But she had to admit the idea was tempting.
And there was no denying the side benefits would be well worth it. Tucker had seemed fun and easygoing last night. Not at all intense.
At least not until they’d gotten in bed. Then? The intensity level had been off the charts amazing, which she had no complaints about.
She hadn’t been lying to him when she’d told him it had been a long dry spell for her in the sex department. Sex on a regular basis sounded so good, especially with all the pressure she was under at work.
And if she could get that without an emotional tie?
Even better.
Tucker had said he’d call. He’d pushed her about going out, so she expected her phone to buzz sometime today.
They’d make plans, and she’d see where she could fit him into her schedule.
At least sex-wise.
TUCKER PITCHED AN OKAY GAME ON THURSDAY NIGHT. He’d given up eight hits and two runs, but his team had rallied and won.
He could have done better. A lot better. His curve had been a little wonky, and he hated road games, especially in Denver where the altitude always messed with his pitches. But they’d won two of three from Denver and he was happy to be headed home for the next series against New York.
He’d thought a lot about Aubry while he was gone, but he hadn’t done anything about it. He figured after that intense first night, he needed to take a step back. It wasn’t in his nature to enter a relationship, and maybe he’d had a little too much of a connection with her that night.
He liked her, but he also preferred to keep things with women light and easy.
He’d call her when he got home. They could reconnect and have some fun again.
Once the plane landed and he got back to the private parking lot at the stadium, he grabbed his gear, said good-bye to his teammates and made the drive back to his condo. He tossed his bag down, went out and grabbed a bite to eat, then settled in on his sofa. He turned on the television and watched about an hour of sports recap on TV, then picked up his phone.
It was eleven thirty. He wondered if Aubry was still up. Or maybe she was working tonight. He probably should have asked her schedule. Or maybe texted her.
He kind of sucked about things like that. He was more of a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy.
He stared at the key pad, pondering.
If she had worked day shift, she’d likely be asleep by now. He wouldn’t want to wake her. Then again, if she was dead tired, maybe she wouldn’t wake up if he texted.
Shrugging, he sent the text.
Hey! You at work or sleeping?
When he didn’t get a reply right away, he set his phone aside, figuring she was probably asleep.
He’d try again tomorrow.
AUBRY WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF SUTURING A PARTICULARLY difficult elbow gash when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She ignored it until she finished, gave the patient aftercare instructions, then entered discharge information into the system.
She picked up her phone and read the text message on her way down the hall.
Tucker.
It had been four days since he said he’d call. Four days without a word. And now this? She checked the time. It was after midnight.
Did he think she was available twenty four/seven for him? Maybe he thought she’d answer and he could come over for some hot, after midnigh
t sex. Like she was some kind of escort.
Ha.
What a jackass.
Irritation shot through her.
Whatever. She slipped her phone back in her pocket and decided to ignore him.
Just like he’d ignored her for the past four days.
She didn’t know what she’d expected from him. Maybe that he’d call like he said he would?
This was why she concentrated on her work and didn’t do relationships.
They sucked up time and energy better devoted to her career—a career that didn’t disappoint her like men often had.
THOUGH HE HADN’T PITCHED THE GAME THIS AFTERNOON, it hadn’t gone well. Tucker felt bad for Garrett Scott, because he knew exactly what it was like when everything seemed to go against you. Everyone’s bats had been cold today, and Garrett hadn’t hit the strike zone with any of his usually stellar pitches.
They’d lost three to one, and other than Jack Sanchez’s solo home run, they’d had nothing in the way of offense. Tucker couldn’t do anything but pace and hope someone got a hit to get things moving.
It hadn’t happened. They’d had guys on base in two innings, otherwise it had been dismal. And Garrett’s pitching had been way off. He’d been lucky to only give up three runs. Tucker chalked that up to Garrett’s icy-cold control, because even with a bad game, Garrett had managed to hold the opposing team’s run production down to three.
“Tough one today, Garrett,” Tucker had said after the game. “You’ll come back for the next one.”
Garrett gave a short nod, but mostly stared at his knees as he sat in front of his locker. At least they were at home, because the only thing worse than losing a home game was losing on the road.
He also knew he’d said what needed to be said. You couldn’t pump up a losing pitcher. They felt bad, and nothing you could say would make them feel better, so the less said, the better. It was best to just move along.
When he stepped outside the locker room, there was an onslaught of family members and friends waiting for the players. Wives and parents and girlfriends and the like. Which was good for them.
His parents lived on the family ranch in Texas. They came up on occasion when they could, and would often drive up for his games in Dallas and Houston. But he was an adult and certainly didn’t need his mom and dad to attend all his games. His brothers had pro careers of their own, though they sometimes flew in for his games as well, and now that he played for St. Louis, Grant would show up for games, which was nice.
But Grant was doing a PR thing in New York this week, so he was out of town.
Not that he expected his brother to come to all of his games. As a baseball player, he played a lot of damn games, and Grant had a life.
Still, he wondered what it might be like to have a . . . someone. Someone he knew would be there when he walked out that door after every home game.
“Tucker.”
He turned around at the sound of his name, smiling when he saw his agent, Victoria Baldwin. She was with Elizabeth Riley, who was also a sports agent, along with being married to the Rivers first baseman, Gavin Riley.
He walked over to them.
“Hey, Victoria. I didn’t know you were at the game today. Hi, Liz.”
Victoria shook his hand, while Liz kissed him on the cheek.
“Tough loss today,” Liz said. “I know Gavin will hate it. And Garrett will, too.”
“Yeah, Garrett’s not happy. Are you here to see him, Victoria?”
She nodded. “We have a meeting scheduled for this afternoon, though I’m sure he’s not going to be in any mood to talk business.”
“He’ll be fine. We shake off a loss pretty fast and look forward to the next game.”
Victoria laid her hand on his arm. “Of course you do, because you’re all superstars. That’s why I represent you.”
Liz laughed. “Only the best for us, right Tori?”
“Indeed. And speaking of my clients, do you mind, Liz? I’ll take a few minutes with Tucker.”
“Not at all. Good seeing you.”
“You too, Liz.”
Liz walked away and Victoria led Tucker over to a quiet spot away from the crowd. “Just checking in. I know we talk regularly, but I want to be sure you’re happy here since signing with the Rivers, that things are going well.”
“It’s great. I’ve settled in, I like the team and management. Nothing to complain about.”
She smiled. “That’s what I like to hear. I knew this team would be a good fit for you.”
“You were right. They have great talent and everyone gets along. Management is willing to spend the money to get the right players, and the coaches know what the hell they’re doing. I couldn’t have asked for a better fit.”
Victoria nodded. “Plus, one of your brothers lives here in town.”
“Well, you can’t have everything.” He cracked a grin.
She laughed. “You’re so bad. There’s Garrett now so I have to run. If you need anything, call me, okay?”
“You got it. Thanks, Victoria.”
He watched her walk away. She was smart, had been in the business for a long time now, and she was an absolute shark in contract negotiations. He couldn’t ask for a better agent.
He laid back and watched her scoop up Garrett and walk away with him, then he lingered awhile longer. Liz was there to greet Gavin, throwing her arms around him and giving him a long kiss and hug. Gavin had told him Liz used to be his agent, until the two of them got involved, and eventually married. Then they had to sever their professional relationship, but it sure looked like they had a great personal one. Gavin spotted him and waved as the two of them walked away, along with several of the other guys and their wives or girlfriends.
Nice.
He shook his head.
He had no idea why he was even thinking about all the other couples today. Not having a significant other had never bothered him before. He always worked his way past the crowds without a second thought.
So what made the idea of a . . . someone . . . pop into his head today?
He got into his car and started the engine. Was it because he’d never heard back from Aubry? Why did that bother him? He pulled out his phone. It had been two days, since he’d texted her. He punched in her number, figuring maybe this time he’d call.
She didn’t answer, which meant she was probably at work.
Rather than heading home, he turned his car onto the highway in the direction of the hospital. He’d just stop in and see if she was there.
He was sure she’d be happy to see him.
IT HAD BEEN A GRUELING DAY ALREADY. SHE WAS nearing the end of her shift, and Aubry found herself watching the clock, counting down every minute.
Chen had ridden her ass about a case she’d worked this morning. A mother had brought in a child with a broken wrist. No matter what she’d done or said, the kid wouldn’t stop screaming. It happened sometimes. The little girl was four, in pain, and utterly inconsolable. And the parent was nervous as hell about her little girl’s broken wrist, so instead of being the rock her little girl needed, the mother had only added to the tension.
So Aubry had had a screaming child with a broken wrist, along with an extremely upset parent, and she was trying to set the arm when Chen had chosen that moment to walk in on her.
It wasn’t her finest moment.
Of course, her normally gruff and not-at-all warm attending physician had somehow managed an utter personality transplant. He’d gone all smiley and sweet and calmed the highly emotional mother and got the little girl to stop crying. How he did that she had no idea, because half the time Dr. Chen made her want to cry. He was intimidating as hell, yet in the room he had the little girl laughing and the girl’s mother in a state of absolute calm about the whole ordeal.
Aubry finally managed to set the arm and cast it without the kid screaming the entire time. And after they got the cast on the girl and the instructions relayed to the now-calm mother, Chen talked
to her in the hallway.
“You didn’t handle that well.”
She lifted her chin. “I was handling it.”
“Not from what I saw. You were tense and nervous.”
“I’ve set broken bones before, Dr. Chen. I can assure you I knew exactly what I was doing.”
“Being a doctor is about a lot more than just the medical aspect of patient care, Dr. Ross. What you had in there were two people in severe emotional distress, one of them a child. And while the procedure might seem minor to you, to them it was traumatic. Your first priority was to calm both the patient and her mother. The medical procedure could have waited, since it wasn’t life threatening.”
No shit, Sherlock. She didn’t need him to point out the obvious to her. But he was her attending, and whatever he had to say, she needed to listen. “I understand, Dr. Chen. I’ll do it better next time.”
“See that you do.”
He walked away, leaving her standing in the hallway feeling like a total failure.
She knew her job, and she’d always thought of herself as completely empathetic to her patients’ needs, especially children. How had she so totally screwed that up today?
She headed back to the main station to update charts. It was change of shift, so she gave status reports to the incoming residents on patients who hadn’t yet been discharged.
“You have a visitor.”
She was charting notes and looked up at Marie. “A visitor?”
“Yes. Your hot baseball guy is in the waiting room.”
She cocked a brow. “Tucker?”
“Yes. He’s been here about an hour. I told him you were busy, but he said he’d wait.”
Interesting. So he ignored her for several days, then just showed up here, expecting her to drop everything and see him?
She was not in the mood for this—for him. Not after the kind of day she’d had. She should make him sit out there until he got bored or tired of waiting. That would send a message to him, wouldn’t it?
“So, do you want me to bring him back?” Marie asked.
“No. I’m due for a break, so I’ll take care of it. Thanks, Marie.”
She wandered out to the waiting room, which, fortunately, wasn’t too crowded at the moment. She searched the room and found him in the corner, slouched in the chair, sound asleep. She walked over and kicked his tennis shoe.
