The Choice

by Shayla Black

  He managed to grab her by the shoulders before she tumbled to the linoleum. “I’m sorry, miss. I…”

  She raised fluttering lashes to him. Beck locked stares with the most startlingly blue eyes he’d ever seen. His train of thought fell off a cliff and died. Electricity sizzled through his veins. His heart chugged and pumped. Every muscle tensed. The hungry length between his legs roared to life with an urgency he hadn’t felt in forever.

  Who. Was. She?

  He had no idea, but fuck… Peachy pale skin. Lush mouth. Cheeks flushing rosier with every moment he stared. And painfully young.

  “I-I’m the one who’s sorry. I was turned around and not watching where I was going, Doctor…” She dropped her gaze to the name stitched on his lab coat, then quickly backed out of his grip. “Oh, you’re Dr. Beckman?”

  Suddenly, she looked intimidated. So, his exacting reputation had preceded him. She was probably wondering how the hell to get out of his path. He was already trying to figure out how to get her into bed.

  “We haven’t met before.” He damn well would have remembered her. “What’s your name?”

  “I’m Heavenly. Heavenly Young.”

  The name certainly fit—and underscored every reason he’d be terrible for her. Unfortunately, that didn’t quash the growing problem in his pants, stretching and scraping against his zipper.

  “Nice to meet you. You’re new here?”

  She nodded. “I’m going to nursing school online and volunteering for class credit. Today was my orientation.”

  “And you’ve already heard of me?”

  She nodded again, her gaze dipping to the floor. The action was so naturally, unconsciously submissive Beck shoved down the urge to hook a finger under her chin and lift her gaze to his. This one would scare easily. He had no business thinking about her as anything other than a medical professional in training. Unfortunately, he still wanted to fuck her breathless.

  Because he was stupid, Beck bent closer and inhaled her scent. Jesus, she smelled wholesome, like summer berries, humid breezes, and a thousand other sweet things he couldn’t name. His knees nearly gave out. His cock jerked as if she’d stroked it.

  “Don’t believe everything you hear, little girl. I’m not the big, bad wolf.”

  Sure, plenty of people would disagree. But for Heavenly, he’d make an exception—just like he’d make an exception for the previous rules he’d given Kathryn.

  “All right.”

  His reputation usually intimidated most, yet she now met his gaze straight on. So Heavenly might be shy but she didn’t lack spine. Interesting…

  “Excellent. Where are you headed?”

  “The front entrance. But I’ve only managed to walk in circles for twenty minutes.”

  With a hospital under construction and half the elevators not working, he wasn’t surprised. “I can help. Want an escort to the lobby?”

  Her grateful smile was blinding. “That would be great. I was beginning to fear I’d wander the halls for a week. This is a big hospital.”

  “Once you get the lay of the land, it’s not so bad.” Grateful for any excuse to touch her, Beck wrapped his hand around her elbow and led her toward the entrance.

  A pink blush stained her cheeks. It took all his willpower not to cup her face, simply so he would know what she felt like. Fantasies about putting his hands on the wet, aching parts of her filled his head. He imagined her breathless and begging for him…

  His cock gave an approving lurch.

  “Are you in your first year of nursing school?”

  “Yes.”

  “Been tough?”

  “It has, but it’s worth the effort because helping people is a passion. I just didn’t realize how much I’d have to learn.”

  He smiled. “I remember feeling overwhelmed a time or two in medical school. If you ever need any help, just call. Here’s my card.”

  When he pulled one from his pocket and set it in her palm, she raised her big eyes to him again. His heart fucking stuttered.

  Get real, man, the voice in his head scoffed. She might look as scrumptious as Little Red Riding Hood, but once she finds out you really are the Big, Bad Wolf…

  She’d run screaming in the other direction.

  “Thank you. You’re so kind.”

  Kindness wasn’t in his vocabulary, but he’d try if it would persuade her to get naked. He’d also have to think of some way—any way—to run into her again. Because fuck his rules. He wouldn’t stop pursuing Heavenly Young until she was his.

  Thursday, December 6

  “Heavenly, can you find Mr. Hammerman and Mr. O’Neill and update them on Raine’s condition? Then show them where they can get cleaned up. No doubt they need it. It’s been a damn rough morning,” Dr. Beckman said, barely taking his concerned gaze off the battered brunette in the ER bed.

  Heavenly couldn’t stop staring at the woman, either. The black eye, the stitched lip, and the finger-shaped bruises circling Raine’s neck broke her heart. Heavenly had heard the whispers that Ms. Kendall’s father had beaten her—and that she’d had to kill him to survive. The horror and the shock of that stunned Heavenly. Her father was her person, the one who had always loved and encouraged her. How must this woman feel after being forced to take the life of the man who’d given her half of her DNA?

  “Of course, Dr. Beckman,” she murmured. “I’ll be happy to.”

  And she was…but she couldn’t stop wondering about his relationship with the victim. Obviously, Ms. Kendall was more than a mere patient because, despite not being her physician, he hadn’t once left her side. After calling his staff to say that he had a personal emergency and wouldn’t be in today—at least according to the hospital grapevine—he’d come flying into the ER and begun barking orders. He’d only let go of Raine Kendall’s hand when he’d acted as a buffer between her and the police. He watched over her with solemn dark eyes and a clenched jaw, staring as if her pain was killing him. And he called her princess.

  Was he in love with her?

  As she left the room, Heavenly silently admonished herself. She barely knew Dr. Beckman, other than the short ten-minute conversations they shared almost every day when they somehow managed to run into one another. Her crush on him was stupid. Of course the sophisticated, hunky doctor was in a relationship. So what? She was here to learn, not find a boyfriend.

  Unfortunately, that didn’t stop her fascination.

  According to the rumor mill, Ms. Kendall had stumbled into his office less than a week ago, seemingly distraught. He’d taken one look at her, canceled a whole afternoon of appointments, and shepherded her away almost immediately. Heavenly already knew he took his patients—and his career—very seriously. He wasn’t the sort to slough off on a Friday just because. He’d also been absent on Monday and Tuesday, at least according to gossipy Kathryn.

  Had Dr. Beckman spent that time with Raine?

  Probably. She was obviously important to him. Heavenly knew her pang of envy was silly. But unlike creepy Dr. Manning, the gorgeous vascular surgeon had never asked her out. Sure, he’d shown her professional interest, patiently answering her questions via email the night before a test. Definitely kind of him. And she thought once that maybe he’d stared a bit longer than professionally necessary. But the consideration he’d shown her was nothing like the focus and dedication he’d given Raine Kendall this morning.

  At the end of the hall, she dismissed him from her thoughts and entered the waiting room. “Mr. Hammerman? Mr. O’Neill?”

  A tall, bearded man whose rumpled suit was covered in blood zipped toward her, humming with a pent-up impatience that made his frame taut and his eyes something just short of wild. Another restless stranger whirled her way, his shirt also stained crimson. He zeroed in on her with narrowed eyes, his handsome face sharp with demand. Their intent stares made her nerves jangle. She bowed her head without knowing why.

  “Yes?” the one with the beard barked as if he wanted to shove past her and
stalk through the door.

  “Do you have news?” asked the clean-shaven man. He had an accent of some sort. Irish? Hard to tell when he sounded frantic.

  How did they know Ms. Kendall? Given all the blood, maybe they’d rescued her. Were they Dr. Beckman’s friends?

  “Ms. Kendall doesn’t have any major injuries. She’s alert and talking. Dr. Beckman has been with her since she arrived. He’s personally ensuring she’s comfortable.”

  The Irishman let out a huge sigh of relief. “Our girl is okay?”

  Their girl? Heavenly frowned. Were they her…brothers? They didn’t look a thing alike, but she had no idea how else to interpret his question.

  Heavenly nodded. “She’ll be fine.”

  “When can we see her?” the first one demanded.

  “Neither of you are family?”

  “Technically, no. But…”

  So they weren’t her brothers.

  The one with the beard gritted his teeth and sent the Irishman another frustrated stare. “Why hasn’t one of us married her yet? That would have solved this.”

  They definitely weren’t Ms. Kendall’s brothers. Dare she hope one was the woman’s boyfriend?

  “That’s a good idea,” the other answered with a considering note in his voice and a wry stare. “We should do that. Are we going to arm-wrestle for it?”

  They were kidding, right?

  “Maybe you should flip a coin.” A tall, blond god horned in between the two men, staring at her as if he’d like to eat her whole. She almost took a step back when he stuck his hand in her direction. “I’m Seth Cooper.”

  She slid her fingers against his palm. A furious blush and a wave of shyness overcame her. Gosh, was he ever gorgeous… “I’m Heavenly. Are you the patient’s family?”

  “Just a friend,” Seth assured.

  “She has no one else. We’re like her family.” The man on the left stroked his beard as if he had restless energy to burn.

  “But you’re not actually related or married?” Keeping family apart when they could comfort a patient was unconscionable. On the other hand, she couldn’t violate hospital policy.

  “One of us will marry her in the next ten minutes if we’ll be allowed to see her.” The Irishman’s growl teemed with frustration. “Hell, we both would if it was legal.”

  Both of them? Heavenly had never heard of such a thing. Even more shocking, the growling man nodded as if he completely agreed. Were they…both Raine’s boyfriends? Did that mean Dr. Beckman wasn’t?

  It didn’t matter. Rumor was, he refused to date colleagues. She didn’t have time for men, anyway.

  Heavenly sent them an apologetic grimace. “I’m sorry. I don’t make the rules.”

  The bearded man elbowed Seth out of his way. “What else can you tell us about Raine’s condition?”

  She shook her head regretfully. “I’m just a nursing student. I’ve only been in to give her ice chips and blankets.”

  “Do you know how much longer before we’ll be able to see her?” The Irishman was hanging on to his temper by a thread.

  “The police haven’t finished with her, so I suspect it will be a while. In the meantime, Dr. Beckman asked me to escort you to a nearby lounge. You’ll be able to shower there. Just let me know when you’re ready.”

  The two men exchanged a glance, seemingly in instant agreement.

  “Let’s do it now,” said the one on the left. “In case we’re able to see her sooner, rather than later.”

  The Irishman nodded.

  “Follow me.” She used her badge to open the door to the secure area of the ER.

  The two men followed her, each carrying a bag of clothes.

  Before the door shut behind them, Seth called out to her, “Thank you, Heavenly.”

  She turned to him and smiled. He was almost too handsome to look at.

  She’d never been attracted to a man until recently. Now she felt a pull to two? Were her long-dormant hormones suddenly awakening?

  “You’re welcome.” Once Ms. Kendall left the ER, it was highly unlikely she would ever see Seth Cooper again. The fact that he tongue-tied her was no reason to be rude. “It was nice to meet you.”

  Then the door shut behind her, and she showed Mr. Hammerman and Mr. O’Neill where they could shower. They thanked her and disappeared to clean up while she checked another patient. Afterward, she swung by the nurses’ station. Jennifer, the charge nurse, sent her to the waiting room again to pick up food someone had brought for the men.

  Would she catch another glimpse of Seth? As she hustled down the hall, that idea made giddiness coil in her tummy. She’d never really flirted, but he seemed the sort who would let her—if she ever worked up the nerve.

  Heavenly gave the door a gentle push. Seth rose to greet her, carrying two Styrofoam containers on a cafeteria tray.

  A mere glance at him turned her palms damp and hot. The weight of his stare tempted her to look at him. She did and…oh, gosh. He made her dizzy. If she wasn’t careful, it would be all too easy to trip on her own two feet and wind up in a heap on the floor.

  “Hi. Is that for Mr. Hammerman and Mr. O’Neill?”

  Seth cleared his throat, and even that sounded sexy. “Yeah, eggs and toast. They haven’t eaten in hours, and they’re going to need their strength today.”

  Good-looking and thoughtful. She took the tray from his grasp, intending to assure him the men would receive the food right away. But her stare lingered in places it shouldn’t. He was so tall and he had strong legs and narrow hips encased in faded denim. And behind his zipper—

  He was…erect. Oh, goodness. She gulped.

  Was he having an involuntary male response? Or did he find her attractive?

  Heat flashed up from her chest, straight to her cheeks. Her face was on fire—and getting hotter the longer she stared there.

  Heavenly blinked. “Um, yes. I-I will. Of course. Right away.”

  On the verge of panting with both mortification and thrill, she turned and dashed to the electronic door, balancing the tray in one hand and reaching for the handle with the other. She nearly collided with the solid wood instead, only managing to jerk it open with trembling fingers through sheer will.

  Oh, could she get any more ridiculous? For Pete’s sake, she was twenty-two, not twelve.

  Unfortunately, nearly a decade ago was the last time she’d had a “boyfriend,” who hadn’t even kissed her before he’d broken up with her. Seth Cooper obviously saw no reason to be self-conscious about his body. Then again, why should he?

  He probably had lots of sex with beautiful women…and he must think she was a skittish, tongue-tied dork. He couldn’t possibly be interested in her, and she shouldn’t read too much into his reaction.

  “Hey,” he called to her. “Are you—”

  Inept? Stupid? Klutzy? Heavenly didn’t stay to hear the rest of his question. She let the door slam between them and ran.

  Seth paced the ER waiting room, his gut in knots. It smelled faintly like puke, rubbing alcohol, and desperation. The news on the nearby television blared bullshit. He tuned it out, but the dude in the corner peering over a magazine who’d been watching their every move put him on edge. So did the waiting. Hammer and Liam had disappeared with the angelic blonde who’d given him a raging hard-on ten minutes ago, and he’d hung back to give his buddies alone time with Raine. Now he wished he’d followed. He could best help everyone by talking to Raine and dissecting CSI’s preliminary findings. With his experience, he could break down the evidence and determine what, if any, legal trouble she might be facing.

  He couldn’t do squat trapped out here.

  Whipping his phone from his pocket, he found Beck’s contact info. He didn’t know the guy well since they’d just met last week, but the doctor seemed okay.

  Quickly, he tapped out a text. A little help? Stuck in waiting room.

  Not two minutes later, Beck appeared and waved him inside.

  “How’s Raine?” Seth aske
d, following the other guy down halls crowded by medical carts and gurneys.

  “She’ll recover physically in a week to ten days.”

  But the doctor’s bleak tone said his concern had nothing to do with her visible injuries. Seth understood. Raine was a strong woman, but she’d endured enough today to break even the heartiest soul.

  Worry gnawed at him as he clapped eyes on Raine. She lay beaten and bruised, swollen and sporting fresh stitches, which didn’t stop her from trying to smile in welcome. There was a trace of the fighter he knew. Seth shuttled his urge to kill Bill Kendall all over again. Liam and Hammer, watching over their girl with guilt wracking their faces, obviously felt the same.

  Soft footsteps sounded behind him, and Seth craned around to find Heavenly carrying in a cup of ice chips. Hunger burned through his veins again. Though he liked women a bit older and more experienced, Heavenly made his heart rev full throttle. Parts south stood and saluted her again. He’d bet the attraction was mutual, and if she walked her gaze below his belt buckle once more, he’d be happy to whisper that every hard inch was for her…

  “Well, hello again.” He grinned her way.

  “Hi.” Her stare met his…but didn’t stray below his waist.

  She might not be looking—or touching—where he ached. Yet. But the day was young, and he’d be here for hours. He could work fast. He had skills. And if he could get his tongue on her…

  Until then, he’d fantasize about sinking his fingers into the pale mass of the angel’s hair and wrecking her elaborate braid as he aligned her pretty pink mouth under his. When she was breathless, he’d claim her lips. Of course, she’d melt against him, allowing him to slide his palms over her skin and prove she was as velvety as she looked.

  Every hot-blooded, masculine cell in his body shouted hell yes.

  In the hospital bed, Raine shifted and moaned. Shit, the woman had fought for her life this morning. He shouldn’t be thinking about what was going on behind his zipper. He’d come from New York to help Liam with Raine. His sex life would wait.

  Cup outstretched, Heavenly approached Raine on his right, then she sent a questioning glance Beck’s way. Asking him for permission? Granted, she sought to help a patient and Beck was the medical expert, but Seth didn’t like her submitting in any way to the sadist.