Future Investment: (Taboo Romance Series) (Forbidden Fruit Book 2)

by Ali Parker

  To say I was crushed by his subtle rejection would have been an understatement, but to say I was done with him was the truth. Maybe giving Parks a chance was a good call. At least he wouldn't keep me tucked in the darkness when we were together, as if I wasn't good enough to be called his.

  *

  “I'm surprised you wanted to come with us." Parks glanced down at me as we walked into the bar and showed our IDs.

  Steph bounced on her toes just ahead of us, but turned as Parks spoke to me. "I forced her to. She looked like hell when she got home today. Life can't just be about saving others. Who's going to save us?"

  "No one," I mumbled, and walked toward the bar after moving through the large group of residents who came with us. Everyone went out drinking and dancing on Thursday nights after work, but I'd yet to take them up on the offer to join them. After the shitty day I had with Aiden, coupled with having to deliver bad news to Mrs. Peterson, I needed a pick-me-up. Too bad the one person I wanted to call wasn't interested in anything related to me or my needs.

  "What'll it be, sweetness?" The bartender leaned down toward me and smiled.

  "Bud Light, please, and a shot of Patron. Make it two shots actually." I handed him my card and glanced back to see Stephanie hanging on Parks, who looked almost out of patience. When had my best friend become so needy and overbearing for a guy’s attention that she would drive all of us wild?

  About the same time I sold myself to my mentor.

  I took one shot after the other and growled as the liquor burned down my chest.

  Parks moved up beside me and picked up an empty shot glass, lifting it in the air and giving me a funny look.

  "Oh, damn… You drank yours and mine," he chuckled, and I did too before drinking half my beer.

  "I'm getting drunk tonight. Make sure I don't go home with anyone. Okay?" I smiled at him and turned to watch our group move out onto the dance floor.

  "Not even me?" He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and tilted his head slightly. He was wickedly hot and impossibly cute. Why was I working so hard to push him away? Right. I was in love with Aiden.

  "Definitely not you." I pushed at his chest to get him off of me.

  He glanced up to the bartender and tapped the bar. "Three more shots. One for me and two for the girl I'm taking home with me."

  "Lucky boy." The bartender chuckled as I rolled my eyes, and reveled in how fast the shots were working to help me find peace, comfort, numbness.

  We took another shot and Parks dragged me out to the dance floor. I finished my beer and laid it on the tray that a waitress carried by us.

  "Did I tell you that you're the sexiest resident at St. Mark’s?" Parks spun me and pulled my back to rest against his chest as we moved to the music.

  "Me? No." I closed my eyes and let my head drop back, imagining him to be Aiden. I wanted us to live a little, to experience something thrilling and overwhelming together. Our sex the one night we'd had it was all of those things, but there were so many other moments I wanted with him.

  Parks’ hands cupped my hips as he rocked against me, and lust blossomed deep inside my stomach.

  The sound of Stephanie speaking above the crowd as a fast song started pulled me from my fantasy, and I moved up a little.

  "Picture time. Crowd in and smile." I moved in next to her and cheesed it up good for the camera. Parks pressed his lips to my cheek about the time the picture went off, and we all moved back, laughing and jumping around to the music. I had to let my hair down more often. Just being around everyone my age and forcing myself to have fun was helping to heal my wounds and stitch up my heart.

  "Send me that picture!" Parks poked at Steph before wrapping his arms back around me and lifting his phone. "Take a picture with me."

  "Beauty and the beast?" I laughed and leaned back against him as he took the picture and then pressed his mouth against my ear.

  "Keep it up and I'm going to ignore your false pleas for me not to spend the night with you."

  I knew it wasn't right, but some part of me wanted to throw caution to the wind and forget everyone and everything for the night. Parks could help me do that for sure, but waking up the next morning would leave me worse off than when I’d started. My heart belonged to Aiden, which meant that, unfortunately for me, my body did too.

  Chapter 17

  Aiden

  I leaned back in my chair and ran my fingers over the papers sitting on my desk, trying to figure out how to make things up to Elizabeth. I'd been a dick that day to the only person I truly cared anything about. Saying that I was sorry would only go so far. I got up and walked back down the hall to Mrs. Peterson's room. They were going to pull the plug on Lance at eight, and I wanted to be there with her when they did. I knew Elizabeth would do a great job delivering the news, and some part of me was angry over having pussy-footed away from doing it myself.

  I cared about the little old couple and had fought hard for Lance's life more times than I could count over the last ten years. Between having to watch him die and deal with the shit between me and Elizabeth, I was mentally and emotionally wasted.

  After knocking on the door, I poked my head inside. "Sarah, can I speak with you for a minute?"

  Everyone turned to look at me as Sarah got up from the couch with the help of two middle-aged men who sat on either side of her.

  "Of course. Aiden, come in here and let me introduce you to my family." She gave me a tired smile, and I walked in and shook hands until we'd gone all the way around the room.

  "Nice to meet you all. I wish it were under different circumstances." I held the door open and glanced down at Sarah. "Let me buy you a coffee?"

  "I'd like that." She looped her arm into mine and glanced up at me with a sweet smile as we started down the hall. "You know something?"

  "Tell me." I turned the corner and held open the door to the cafeteria.

  "Lance always wondered if you would ever find the right woman. He was in here so often that I think he started to think about you like he did Fred and Tommy, our boys." She chuckled. "He used to always tell me that you were a good-looking man with a great head on your shoulders, but you were missing one vital thing."

  I lifted my eyebrow as I grabbed a couple of coffee mugs for us. "What's that?"

  "A good woman to complete you." She winked at me and took the mug, filling it up and walking toward a table in the center of the room. It was empty, which was good. I needed a few minutes with someone I knew would listen to me and offer sound advice. I had a lot of patients like Sarah and Lance. I guess that's why I never really felt alone until Elizabeth showed up. These people were my family.

  "Tell me about the girl you sent in to share the news about Lance." Sarah sat down and gave me a motherly look. "I assume she must be pretty important to you if you were willing to let her do that deed for you today."

  I let out a long sigh and sat down. "Yeah. I should have come in there myself. I just hated the fact that this was it. I've been with you guys since Lance's first heart attack. You're like family."

  "I know, Aiden. You are too, sweetheart." She reached out and brushed her hand over my forearm as I swallowed my devastation. It was a flavor I'd tasted far too often, and yet it was part of the job on a regular basis.

  "Elizabeth is an incredible doctor, or will be one day. She's at the top of her class and graduated number-"

  "Aiden, I don't want statistics on the girl. I know you came to talk to me because you're hurting. I could see it on your face when we talked about Lance earlier. Either she's incredibly sensitive, or she was hurting too. She cried right along with me, and I'd never seen her a day in my life." Sarah laughed. "I wanted to comfort her over us losing Lance, but she wasn't weeping over that, was she?"

  "No. I mean... she's sensitive and loving, so your pain was mostly shared by her, but no... I've hurt her." I ran my hands through my hair and let out a shaky sigh. "I'm in love with her, and I can't be."

  "And why in Heaven's name can't you be?"
She squeezed my arm and let out a curt laugh.

  "It's complicated, but it boils down to the fact that I'm her mentor and she's my resident. We can't step over those lines, or one of us will have to move to another hospital. She needs me as her mentor because I'm the only one truly capable of pushing her to greatness. I need her because she's the only woman who's made me feel anything... ever."

  "Wow. That is complicated." Sarah took a sip of her coffee. "Have you spoken to Peter?"

  I loved that Sarah and Lance knew me so well. We'd had coffee together many times over the years, and they had grown to love me, as I did them.

  "I did, but there's very little that he can do about it. The rules are black and white. We can sneak around for the next three years, or one of us can call 'uncle' and leave the hospital, but that would destroy anything we had between us anyway, or at least I think it would. I've been an ass to her since I realized that I was in love with her." I left out the part where we'd made an arrangement for me to pay for access to her delicious body. Sarah and anyone else with breath in their lungs would frown heavily upon that. And they should. It had to stop.

  "Life is short, but you know that all too well. Go get the girl, and you can figure out the rest later, Aiden. Love doesn't show up on your doorstep every day. It's rare, and it deserves to be treasured and fostered. Stop messing around, and trust that everything will work out as it should. Go take the first step. Lance did, and we had forty-three years of bliss. My daddy hated him, but he didn't care. I was more important than the opposing forces, and you know what?" Tears filled her eyes, as they did mine. "We won. We got all those years of being together. No one can take that away from us. Go get the girl."

  I nodded and got up. "You're right. You always are."

  After giving her a long hug and walking her back to Lance's room, I stopped by my office and gathered my things. I would text Elizabeth, and wherever she was... I was going there too. I wanted to tell her how much I needed her, how much I'd fallen in love with her.

  She could accept me or deny me, but I had to get it off my chest.

  I pulled my phone from my pocket as it buzzed, and stiffened as bile rose up in my throat. The text was from Parks, and there was picture after picture of Elizabeth wrapped in his arms, or his lips pressed to her cheek. They looked happy, whole - right. The message simply read that Parks was almost there with her. He was rounding first and headed toward home.

  Anger and regret raged through me like I'd never felt before, and I texted him back, asking where they were. The minute I got the name of the club, I got into my car and drove like a bat out of hell. It would be a holy nightmare for me tomorrow for busting into the club and dragging Elizabeth out, but I wasn't letting her go, and I owed Parks an explanation. He cared about me, and I had no doubt that he would be furious with me for keeping my feelings a secret, but he could get over it.

  She mattered far too much to keep my mouth shut any longer. Sarah was right. We would find a way to make things work out, and the rest of the story would fall in line somehow. We could make sure it did, but first... I needed to get to my girl.

  *

  I parked across the street from the club and walked in without too much hassle. I recognized a few residents from St. Mark's, but didn't see Elizabeth until I got further into the crowd. She was dancing with Parks, her arms around his neck and his face pressed to the side of her throat.

  There was no hesitation inside of me as I reached out and pulled her arm roughly. I half dragged her off the floor and pulled her toward the front door. We made it outside before I turned to her. She slapped me hard across the face, and that was it.

  Picking her up, I pushed her against the wall behind us and consumed her mouth, putting every ounce of anger and despair I had pumping through me into the kiss. She pushed at me at first, but melted a moment later, wrapping herself around me as she opened herself up and pulled me in tighter.

  I groaned and rocked my hips, wondering why the fuck we weren't naked and writhing with each other. Someone pulled at my shoulder, and I broke the kiss, looking back to find a wide-eyed Parks.

  "What the fuck, dude?" His hands lifted to the side as confusion filled his expression.

  "I'm in love with her. I should have told you." I held her to my side and pressed my lips to her forehead as she lolled against me. She was wasted, but I didn't care.

  "What? Yeah, you should have told me. Fuck, Aiden, I almost took her home with me tonight. Then what? Damn, man." He pushed at my chest, but not as if he wanted to start something. He was upset, and had every right to be.

  "I know. I'm sorry. I'll catch up with you tomorrow and explain. I saw your pictures and honestly thought I was going to go through the roof. Elizabeth is mine, and I'm done pretending that she's not." I squared my shoulders, not worrying if she could hear or understand me. She was lost to her liquor, but I would explain it all again to her in the morning.

  He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "Alright. That sucks, but I get it. I thought something might be up, but then you kept treating her like shit, so I figured I was wrong."

  "I know. I'm a dick, and if she doesn't want anything to do with me when she sobers up, I'll move back and give you space to see if something exists between you guys, but if she wants me... I'm all hers." I reached out and squeezed Parks' shoulder. "I'm sorry."

  "Yeah. Me too." He patted my hand and moved back toward the club. "Take care of her, Aiden. She's a good woman. No more fucking this up if you get a chance to make things right. I'm waiting in the wings, as are a zillion other guys. Got it?"

  "Yeah. More than you know." I turned and picked her up as she mumbled something against my neck. I couldn't understand her, but I leaned down and brushed my lips by hers instead of trying. "It's alright, baby. I'm going to take you home with me, and I'll take care of you. Okay?"

  She closed her eyes and cuddled up against my chest as I walked to the car. She wasn't going to wake up for the rest of the night, but I didn't care. I would clean her up and hold her until she came to the next day. Then... I was coming clean with the beautiful vixen. I didn't just want access to her body, but to her heart as well.

  Funny to think that no amount of money could purchase such a treasure.

  Chapter 18

  Elizabeth

  I woke the next morning tucked against someone. Fear raced through me that I'd gotten completely drunk and let Parks take me to bed, but then I realized the color of the sheets beneath me. Aiden. I stiffened in the bed, trying like hell to remember the night before, and only getting quick glimpses of Parks dancing with me sensually.

  "Fuck," I whispered, hating myself. I might have been mad at Aiden, but cheating on him wasn't part of the deal. Was it cheating if we weren't really together?

  "You awake?" His lips brushed by the back of my shoulder, and I realized that I was naked.

  "Yes. What happened?" I turned onto my back and pulled the cover up as I looked over at him. My heart melted in my chest and tears filled my eyes at the dark circles under his eyes, coupled with the worried look on his devastatingly handsome face.

  "You got sick, so I held you over the toilet. Your clothes are probably dry by now." He moved up beside me and lifted to his elbow, which caused the sheet to slide from his chest and leave his upper body on display.

  Desire shot through me and I reached out, rubbing my hand up his arm to his shoulder. "Thank you. I'm so sorry. I think I danced with Parks. I was so drunk."

  "Shh... it's okay. It was my fault." He leaned over and brushed his lips against mine tentatively.

  Gratefulness that he was willing to care for me after what I'd done drove me to press into the kiss. I pulled at his neck and he moved to rest on top of me, the sheet getting stuck between us.

  "Take it easy, Elizabeth. I've been watching you all night, and it's not going to take much to have me starving for your touch." He pressed his nose to the side of my neck and breathed in deeply.

  "Oh God." I arched my back and tugged
at the covers. "Get under here. I need to feel you against me so fucking bad."

  He moved the covers, giving me a glimpse of his rock-hard erection. I reached down and stroked it as he growled softly at me.

  "Woman. I'm serious. Take it easy. I know you're not feeling well." He settled down on top of me, and I closed my eyes as tears burned my vision. It felt like heaven to have him against me.

  Fear wrapped around me so tightly that I couldn't breathe. I would have him for an hour or two, and then he would belong to the world he lived in and not me anymore. I would be a burden, a hindrance, until it was time to make love again.

  "I can't do this," I whispered as a sob bubbled up inside of me.

  He stroked my hair back and placed soft kisses all over my face before brushing his nose along mine. I opened my eyes to find his deep blue eyes filled with tears too.

  "I can't either. Let's not do this anymore." He kissed me softly, and I expected him to move, but instead, he pressed into me as I gripped the sheets and let out a cry from the pleasure that swelled in my stomach. "Let's not pretend that we're not in love with each other, Lizzy. Let's let down our guard and fall so far that we can't imagine breathing if something were to happen to the other."

  I cried out as he pressed in farther. His hands tightened around my face and he licked at my mouth before kissing me a few times and starting to pump in and out of me. I reached up and gripped him as if I might lose him.

  "I want to be on top," I whispered, and he rolled us over, never losing contact.