Brooke’s eyebrows shot up at the name. “Really?”
“Really.” His expression turned serious and he leaned over the table towards her, licked his lips in a way that would bring any woman to her knees, and whispered, “When the chicken hits your tongue, it will ignite a fiery passion of flavor onto your taste buds, so much so, that you’ll feel it down to your toes, causing them to curl in pleasure. Then, when those waves of flavor pass, it will practically melt in your mouth, leaving you satisfied, but ultimately craving more.” He leaned back into his chair with a smirk, opening the black cloth napkin and draping it across his lap. He waited for a moment before looking back up at Brooke.
Her eyes locked on his as she said, “I never knew food could be so... erotic.” She ran a hand through her hair, suddenly feeling hot.
Just then the waiter came up. “Can I take your orders?” he asked, as he pulled out a pen and paper.
“I’ll have The Garden of Chicken,” Brooke said quickly, not able to look at Ethan who was giving her the biggest smile, for fear the waiter would see how flustered she was.
“And I’ll have the Steak and au gratin potatoes with a side salad. And a glass of red wine,” Ethan said.
“Make that two glasses, please,” Brooke added.
The waiter nodded and left, and Brooke turned her attention back to Ethan. “I love how mine was so seductive and you were just ‘oh, I’ll have the steak and potatoes.’”
Ethan laughed.
“What’s so funny?” she questioned.
“You are what’s funny, Brooke. You make me laugh. I enjoy your company,” he said, taking a sip of water.
She unfolded her napkin and laid it across her pants, giving herself a mental high five for being herself and having it work for once. “Well, then, I guess that’s a good thing.”
“Indeed, it is,” he said.
They had small talk and sipped on their wine as they waited for their food to arrive. Brooke decided to stay clear of asking any questions relating to relationships or dating. One, because she didn’t want to discuss all the rumors about him yet again. That seemed to be getting redundant. And two, she didn’t want it to lead to questions about her dating, or lack thereof, she should say. It was best to keep this date simple and not too personal. They had gotten personal enough the other night, now, it was time for the boring, get to know you type of questions. But, the more questions she asked him, the more interesting he became.
“Tell me what was the last book that you read,” she asked.
She watched him pull his bottom lip in before he said, “Wildly into the Dark by Tyler Knott Gregson. It’s a book of poetry.”
“You don’t look like the type of guy to read poetry,” she stated, as she took a sip of wine. “I mean, you’re sophisticated and intelligent, but I would never picture you sitting down at night and reading a poem.” She wanted to laugh, but the thought of him doing that actually turned her on more than she thought it would.
Ethan frowned and said, “I’m not sure why you find it hard to picture me enjoying poetry. I first fell in love with poetry when I was a freshman in high school.”
She pointed her finger towards him and said, “See, that’s not normal.”
Ethan tilted his head back and laughed. When he regained his composure, he said, “There are certain aspects of both of us that are not normal, so I’m okay with you thinking it’s weird for me to read poetry.” He pointed out towards the horizon and said, “Look, isn’t it gorgeous?”
Brooke turned in the direction he was pointing and saw beautiful rays of orange, pink, and blue hues light up the pale blue sky as the sun was beginning to set. She nodded. “Yes, it is.”
“Here you are,” a deep voice said, breaking the tranquility of the moment.
“Wonderful, thank you very much,” Ethan said, as he examined his food and watched the waiter refill his wine.
So far, she was impressed with her meal. It was laid out like the cooking shows she watched all the time on TV, and looked delicious. She hoped it was as fulfilling as Ethan had made it sound.
After the waiter topped off her glass and left, she looked up to see Ethan staring expectantly at her. “What?” she asked.
“Hurry up and try your food,” he urged, with a wave of his hand.
She picked up her fork and knife and said, “Calm down, Ethan, give me a minute.” She cut achingly slowly into her chicken on purpose, just for dramatic purposes, and laughed when she saw him begin to tap his fingers. Slowly, she brought the fork up, and as she slid it into her mouth, she closed her eyes and moaned loudly. She let the moan linger on for a few seconds, doing her best to sound as orgasmic as possible. She reached out and gripped the tablecloth into her left hand, clenching it into her fist as she tilted her head back and continued to moan. “Oh my God, Ethan,” she panted, the fork still resting in her mouth as if it was too good to take out. After a few seconds, she finally pulled herself together and opened her eyes to find Ethan staring at her with his mouth slightly open. She smiled and readjusted her blouse as if she’d just, in fact, had the best orgasm ever, and took a small sip of wine. When she was done, Ethan was still staring at her and she fanned herself lightly and shrugged. “That was absolutely amazing.”
He swallowed hard and quietly said, “I didn’t know food could be so... erotic.”
Stuffed from delicious food, and a little tipsy from the tangy red wine, they walked towards Ethan’s car, laughing and enjoying the evening they were sharing. Ethan stepped in front of her and opened her door, taking her hand, and giving it a light kiss before letting her get in. Brooke giggled, feeling like a girl on her first date ever, and slid into the leather seat of his Porsche, reveling in the last couple of hours.
They talked about the restaurant and Sweet Haven on the drive back to her house, and as he pulled into her apartment complex, she found herself disappointed the night was ending, but knowing she wouldn’t invite him in. She was taking things slowly, and that would lead her right back to where they were the other night.
“I’ll walk you up,” Ethan said, as they got out of his car.
He reached out and grabbed her hand as they walked along the sidewalk, and she said, “Thanks for a wonderful evening, Ethan.”
“It was my pleasure, thanks for coming.” He gave her a side long look and they both laughed at the innuendo.
She stopped at her door and fished her keys out of her purse; when she looked up and met Ethan’s eyes, his hands quickly cupped her cheeks, pressing her back against her door as his lips collided with hers. He tasted like tangy, red wine, and her hands gripped his waist and pulled him closer. Her keys fell to the floor, but neither of them noticed. His tongue swirled around hers in a frenzy of passion and then began to dissipate into an erotic, slow pace before he finally pulled away and kissed her forehead. His hands were still pressed against her cheeks, and he leaned down and gave her one last peck before pulling completely away.
“I’ve wanted to do that all night,” he said in a breathy whisper.
Brooke pulled her wet, bottom lip into her mouth and then said, “Me, too.”
He stared at her and then said, “I’d better get going. I promised to be a gentleman tonight and I like to keep my promises.”
His tone sounded disappointed but she knew it was for the best. “That’s right, you did,” she said, letting her fingers tug on his belt loop one last time before letting go. “I had a great time, Ethan. Thank you.” She leaned up and planted one final kiss on his lips before bending down and retrieving her keys and heading inside her apartment.
As soon as she shut the door behind her, she leaned back against it until she heard his footsteps heading down the stairs and his engine starting up. She let out a long, ragged breath, wondering how long she’d been holding it. The night had been beyond amazing.
She closed her eyes and let herself imagine
, just for once, what it would be like to be in a relationship with Ethan. She knew she was fantasizing, but just this once, she tried with everything she had to let herself imagine it could actually come true.
Chapter 5
ETHAN
Even though he wasn’t scheduled to see any patients on Brooke’s floor today, he made sure to cut through her department, anyway. Their date a couple of nights ago had gone better than he had anticipated, and they’d texted each other several times since then. He was doing his best not to let doubt or guilt creep into his mind, but it was hard. He knew he had no reason to feel guilty, but he did... regardless of how long it had been. It was time to be more open about dating, and Brooke intrigued him. She was funny, different, and interesting, and he found that he liked being around her. It would be his first time of really allowing himself to date the same woman more than once, and it was nerve wracking, but as he walked around the corner and saw Brooke sitting at the nurses’ station biting into a piece of fruit as she talked on the phone, he couldn’t help but smile at the opportunity.
He stood at the nurse’s station and waited patiently for her to get off the phone, nodding politely to the other nurses who bustled from room to room, and smiling when she swung her chair around and saw him. She was mid-bite into a large peach, and her eyes widened when she saw him staring down at her. She quickly swiped at the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand to catch the dripping juice and Ethan’s mind quickly went into food porn territory. Again. What was it with this woman and food?
“Okay, thank you, Dr. Kingsley,” Brooke said rolling her eyes as she hung up the phone. “That woman will drive me crazy one day,” she said to Ethan.
“Yeah, she can be a real stickler,” Ethan said, watching her take another bite of the peach.
She paused mid-bite, noticing him staring at her with a smirk. “What?” she asked defensively.
Ethan leaned over the counter and said in a quiet tone, “I’m just admiring how juicy that peach looks.” He could’ve gone even dirtier with his description, but he was at work, and he’d promised her how much of a gentleman he could be; trying to seduce her at work with dirty talk over a peach wasn’t going to earn him any more points.
Her tongue slowly darted from her mouth and raked across her lips as she licked the juice off. When she was done, her eyebrow shot up at his blatant stare, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Stop turning every item of food into pornographic material,” Ethan hissed, straightening and running a hand down his suit in an attempt to secretly compose himself. She was close to getting him hard in the middle of the hospital, and he wouldn’t know how to hide or explain that.
“Am I bothering you, Dr. Harris?” Brooke asked.
“Bothering me? No. Distracting? Definitely.” He looked around to make sure no one was listening to their conversation.
“So, what are you doing here, I didn’t think you were on our floor today,” she asked, changing the subject as she tossed her half-eaten peach in the trash.
Ethan shifted from foot to foot, not wanting to give in and say he’d stopped by just to see her. “I, um, wanted to see how Mr. Monroe was doing today,” he said.
“Doing from what?” she questioned.
Ethan quickly raked his brain for Mr. Monroe’s file, searching for a reason why he’d be checking up on him. “He was just upset yesterday,” he blurted out, wincing at how ridiculous he sounded right now.
Brooke gave him a knowing smile. “Ethan, this is the psych department, all the patients are upset about something,” she said laughing. She paused for a moment and added, “You came over to see me, didn’t you?”
He rested his elbows on the counter and stared down at her, his mouth inching up to the right as he said, “Maybe I did.”
“Dr. Harris, hi,” a woman’s voice interjected, breaking their connection.
Ethan turned around to see Stacey standing behind him, a wide smile taking over her face.
“Hi, Stacey, is there something I can help you with?” Ethan asked, taking a few steps towards her. He turned and gave Brooke a fleeting look as he walked with Stacey down the hall, knowing he needed to get back to work, anyway. “Thanks for the update on Mr. Monroe, Brooke,” he said with a wink.
“I’ll let you know if he gets upset again,” she said, smirking.
“Great, thanks,” he said with a laugh. He saw a small smile appear before she quickly turned around and began charting again.
“I just wanted you to know that Mrs. Bland came out of surgery a half hour ago and is doing great,” Stacey said.
Ethan nodded, doing his best to keep space between them, but every time he took a step away from her, she followed, causing her arm to continuously rub against his. “That’s good news. I’ll be in to see her after I see the patient in 3500,” he said.
She smiled brightly up at him and said, “Okay, I’ll see you in a few, then.”
She gave him a small wave as she left and Ethan sighed as he turned and headed towards his next patient. Stacey always seemed to need something several times throughout the day and always found a way to touch him or stand right up next to him when she had the chance.
He looked down at his watch and saw it was heading on five. He had just finished his rounds and figured he had another hour of paperwork to do before he could head home. As he hustled down the hall, dodging an elderly patient pushing an IV pole, and wanting nothing more than to get his work done and go home, he saw Stacey standing at the nurse’s station. He quickly darted into Dr. Rhodes’ office. Clutching his laptop against his chest and looking disheveled, he breathed a quick, “Hey,” as he fell into the leather chair in front of his desk.
“Should I be worried?” Nick asked, as his gaze fell to the door behind Ethan
Ethan shot a worried look behind him, almost expecting Stacey to walk in, and said, “No, just dodging a certain nurse.”
Nick’s eyebrows shot up knowingly. “Ah, Stacey still chasing you around the hospital?” he said with a laugh.
“It’s not funny, Nick,” Ethan said sourly. “Every time I turn around, she’s there... smiling. It’s creepy.”
Nick laughed even harder. “Only you would be creeped out by women chasing after you. Must be nice to have that problem.”
“No, it’s not,” Ethan stated dryly. “I just want to get my paperwork done and get home, but I know if I run into her it’ll take another ten minutes just to get rid of her and get back to my office.”
“You’ll probably spend that much time hiding from her in here,” Nick countered.
“Yeah, but at least I’ll have my sanity. The woman is relentless.” Ethan looked up, and pulling himself out of his own problem, which now seemed insignificant compared to how Nick looked, he finally really noticed Nick. His brown hair was disheveled and dark circles sat beneath brown eyes that were normally glistening with a love for his job, no matter how many hours he pulled in a day. But right now, he just looked exhausted for the first time since Ethan came to Anderson Hospital. “Is everything okay?” he asked, as he studied his expression.
Nick let out a long sigh and pulled his eyes away from his computer. “Oh, I lost a patient on the table today,” he finally said, after a long pause. “An elderly woman who had a blockage in her heart. It always breaks me apart when that happens.”
“I hate to hear that. It’s always hard losing a patient,” Ethan said, feeling stupid now for being so inconsiderate. His problems in no way compared to what they both dealt with on a daily basis, and he didn’t know why he ran into Nick’s office trying to hide from a woman. It seemed completely silly now, in the light of things. “Damn, I’m sorry for rushing in here like this.”
“You were a welcome distraction from what happened today, so don’t worry about it. I’d much rather talk about your stalker than patients dying, anyway,” Nick said.
“Yea
h, but still. Do you need a beer after work?” Ethan offered. They usually grabbed a beer after work a couple of days a week, and today felt like as good of a day as any, maybe more so.
Nick ran a hand down his face as if trying to wipe away the crap from the day and said, “Yeah, man, that sounds good. I have about another thirty minutes left here.”
Standing, Ethan said, “Okay, I’ll meet you at the pub on 5th street in forty-five minutes.”
“See ya, and watch out for Stacey,” Nick joked.
Ethan waved him off and headed towards his office.
After grabbing some beers with Nick and hearing him talk about how nerdy guys like himself are destined to be alone forever, Ethan was finally on his way home while nerdy guy Nick and their hot waitress were heading back to his place. Ethan shook his head and laughed. Nick just lacked the confidence and needed a few beers to find it.
His phone buzzed and he quickly grabbed it.
“Dr. Harris speaking.”
“Hello, Dr. Harris, it’s Detective Kelley. I have some things I need to discuss with you.”
The deep voice on the other end was a shock to Ethan. He hadn’t heard from Detective Kelley in over a year now. What on earth could he possibly want? To check in? He’d assumed the case was closed and everyone had moved on by now.
He felt his heart rate pick up speed, and with a shaky voice, he said, “Yes, sir, Detective.”
It had been a full week since he’d last talked to Brooke. But, he needed to think about the phone call with Detective Kelley. It just wasn’t fair for him to be dating one woman while thinking about another. So, he’d managed to avoid her all week, hoping to clear his head. So far, he was no better off now than he was before, and at some point, he’d have to talk to Brooke, and explain what was going on, if she even wanted to talk to him now. She had texted him a couple of times early in the week, but after not getting a reply back, she had yet to try again.
When Love Ignites Page 4
