When Love Ignites

by Neideffer, Tara

  Chapter 22

  ETHAN

  Walking down the hall, Ethan saw Conference Room 5 on his right. He always hated these meetings, besides boring, they took away valuable time that could be used for patient visits. Giving Mrs. Butcher a nod, he settled into the chair situated next to Brooke. She looked over at him and he leaned into her and whispered, “How long is this meeting supposed to last?”

  “I think an hour, or at least that’s what the email said. Did you not read it?” Brooke asked as she crossed her legs and looked over at him.

  Grimacing, Ethan said, “I was in a hurry and just scanned through the email. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t even know what room the meeting was in. I hate these meetings. I’d rather be doing more important things, like seeing patients.”

  Stuffing her phone into her pocket, Brooke said, “I’m sure the hospital sees these meetings as important or else they wouldn’t pull you away from patients.”

  She gave him a nudge and Ethan pretended to make a pained noise. “Okay, smart ass.” He didn’t have a better retort than that because she was probably right. They rarely had meetings, unless some kind of hospital policy had changed. But with Brooke sitting next to him, he didn’t think this meeting would be as boring.

  He looked up when he saw Mrs. Butcher head to the front of the room, and the room full of fifty or so people suddenly became quiet. Sporting her always-rigid stance, she leaned down and began pushing buttons on the laptop. A slide show appeared on the large screen and someone got up and dimmed a couple of lights that were above the screen.

  Halfway through the meeting, Ethan began zoning Mrs. Butcher out. So far, the meeting was redundant with no new information. He already knew half of this stuff and was becoming more and more irritated about how much time he was wasting sitting in this pointless meeting. As Mrs. Butcher hit the button to go to the next slide, Ethan looked over at Brooke sitting quietly next to him. She was so fixated on the overhead screen that she didn’t notice him staring. An idea of how to make this meeting more enjoyable hit him and he moved his foot to find hers. He looked over to see a cautious smile spread across her face as her foot began moving against his own. He suddenly felt like he was back in middle school and flirting with his crush in the lunch room.

  Playing footsie was fun, but he wanted to amp it up a little more. He slowly inched his hand closer to her leg and smirked when he saw her eyes widen in the dimly lit room. The notion of him touching her in a meeting made her nervous, and to see her out of her comfort zone was kind of a turn on. Plus, the whole sneaking around thing was too exciting to pass up.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed, as she leaned in closer to him.

  He leaned into her as well, meeting her halfway so his lips brushed against her ear as he replied, “Having a little fun in this superfluous meeting.” His hand found her leg and he squeezed, smiling when her eyes widened.

  “Who uses ‘superfluous’ in everyday life? Is that another of your word of the day?” she asked, playfully pushing his hand away as she looked around the room to make sure no one was watching them.

  “As a matter of fact, it is, and it fits perfectly for this superfluous meeting that I’m being forced to partake in. Now, stop pushing me away and let me have a little fun,” Ethan said, as he put his hand back on her leg.

  “Someone could look over here and see us,” Brooke remarked, as she squirmed under his touch.

  “No one can see what I’m doing under this table,” Ethan said, as his hand moved farther up her leg.

  Letting out a sigh, Brooke breathed, “Oh my God, Ethan, I can’t do this here.”

  Laughing under his breath, Ethan said, “Shh, just be quiet and pay attention to Mrs. Butcher.”

  “Like I can do that when you’re doing this,” she muttered, gesturing to where his hand was now rubbing.

  Ignoring her, he slid his hand even farther up her leg and was pleasantly surprised when she parted her legs a little bit for him. As he found the spot he was looking for, he knew she was enjoying it when he saw her eyes partially close and her lips part slightly. Turning his attention back to the front, he pretended to be focused on the lecture at hand so no one would suspect anything. But, the warmth radiating through Brooke’s thin fabric was distracting and he found himself getting even more turned on when she began to squirm beneath his touch. He wasn’t sure how he was going to leave the meeting with an obvious erection. He hadn’t thought this scenario completely through when he began, now he had put himself in an awkward position.

  “We have a little, or should I say, big problem now,” Ethan said, leaning forward against the table as he tried to adjust a little.

  “Oh my God, is someone watching us?” Brooke asked, her tone full of paranoia as her body tensed.

  “Hardly, everyone is staring straight ahead,” Ethan said, and then grabbed Brooke’s hand and placed it over the erection that was growing by the second.

  With a wide smile, she said, “You’d better get that thing under control before the meeting is over. How are you going to explain how Ruthless Mrs. Butcher was able to turn you on in this lame meeting?”

  Ethan shuddered at the thought of being aroused by anything Mrs. Butcher did, and said, “I like dirty talk, but if you keep talking like that, I won’t have a problem any longer.”

  “That’s the idea,” she teased, pulling her hand away.

  With the meeting looking like it was about to end, Ethan pulled his hand out from between Brooke’s legs, leaned back in his chair, and loosened the blue tie that now felt suffocating. He was relieved when things were calming down below his own waist and shot Brooke a fleeting glance. Her cheeks were coated in a pink hue and she was breathing hard. He smiled, liking the look on her. Another idea crossed his mind and he wondered if she was up for it.

  Ethan leaned over and said, “Do you think you would be able to help me with something in my office, Ms. Todd?”

  The shocked look on her face was almost comical, but then he saw her lips turn into a sultry grin and knew she wasn’t too against the idea. “Ethan, I’m not sure about that,” she said, with only a slight hesitation in her voice.

  Needing to persuade her even more, he looked around to make sure no one was paying them any attention and then slid his hand between her legs again. He began rubbing his finger back and forth, and the dampness that coated her scrubs caused him to breathe harder. He wasn’t sure if he was persuading her or torturing himself.

  He felt her hips begin to move ever so slightly against his fingers and with each movement felt her resolve diminishing even more. Just as things were beginning to get intense, he heard Mrs. Butcher’s harsh voice rise an octave and the bright lights shine down on them. He paused, hoping they hadn’t missed something.

  “Now, I’m opening the meeting up to any questions,” she said, her abrupt voice cutting through the intimate moment they were having.

  “Shit,” Brooke groaned, as she pushed his hand away.

  Laughing, Ethan leaned back and willed the erection to go away. He had never hoped more in his life for someone to stall the meeting with questions. Just a few more minutes without touching Brooke was all he needed for his body to calm down.

  Fifteen minutes later they were walking down the hall, laughing.

  “I can’t believe you,” Brooke said with a giggle. “I felt like I was in high school again.”

  “Fun, wasn’t it?” Ethan asked, as he bumped her elbow.

  She gave him a coy look as she smoothed down her scrubs. “Yes, and crazy, but I like crazy.”

  He leaned down so his mouth pressed against her ear and said, “And I like you.”

  “You keep talking like that and I’ll have no other choice but to follow you to your office,” Brooke teased, as she let her eyes drop down below his waist.

  “I can show you how crazy I can be, if you want.”
>
  “Please, show me, because I’m very curious,” she said.

  “Right this way.” Ethan waved a hand towards his office door. “I need to discuss a patient with you, Ms. Todd,” Ethan said, loud enough to be overheard at the nurse’s station which was across the hall from his office.

  As soon as Ethan shut and locked the door behind them, he pushed her up against the wall, not able to hold back any longer. The teasing during the meeting had him wound tight and he needed to feel her body against his. He ran a hand through her hair and crushed his lips against hers, tasting fresh peaches.

  “You have to be quiet, Brooke. Can you do that?” he breathed against her neck, kissing her gently.

  “Mmhmm,” she moaned.

  He ran his hand from her thigh, up under her shirt to her breast and squeezed gently. The moan that escaped her parted lips begged him to continue. He pressed his erection against her, needing skin to skin contact, and grabbed the elastic of her scrub pants and yanked them down. He bent down and kissed the bare skin of her stomach, letting his lips roam from side to side before trailing farther down. As his mouth met the warmth between her legs, he heard her gasp and felt her hands run through his hair. He slid her panties to the side and let his tongue press gently against her clit. She pulled his head closer, urging him to continue, needing his touch just as much as he needed hers. He let his tongue move in slow, circular motions, and with each flick of his tongue he could feel her getting wetter.

  “I need you inside of me, Ethan,” she breathed, as she urged him up and let her hands reach down to his slacks. She fumbled for his zipper and hurriedly slid his pants down to his ankles.

  Ethan quickly slid a condom on, and pressed his mouth against hers as he gently eased his way into her. She let out a gasp and he covered her mouth with his hand. “Shh.”

  “I don’t know if I can be quiet,” she whispered, as she moved her hips against him.

  “You need to try, baby,” Ethan coaxed, letting his mouth fall to her neck. His kisses were frantic, needy; her chest rose and fell in gasping breaths. It wasn’t going to take him long. His fingers found her clit, and as his finger slid back and forth against her wetness, he felt her body begin to tense.

  “Oh, Ethan,” she whimpered, her hands digging into his back as her hips thrust vigorously against him.

  With his own climax coming on, he clamped his mouth around her breast, needing something to keep him quiet. His thrusts became faster and deeper, each one building upon the other. He nipped at her breast, and she arched her back, begging him to take her.

  Within seconds he finally found his release. His body fell against hers and she pulled him close to her. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, taking in the soothing peach scent that clung to her damp skin. He stayed that way until their breathing slowed. When he pulled away, his eyes found hers. They stared at each other, neither one wanting the moment to end, but knew they needed to get back to work before someone came looking for them.

  “That was incredibly sexy,” Ethan finally said. His voice was thick, still coated with sexual desire.

  Brooke nodded and kissed him. “Yes, it was.”

  She straightened her clothes and ran a hand through her hair, trying to make herself look halfway presentable before walking out the door.

  “You look fine,” Ethan said.

  “I’m trying to wipe the ‘just had sex’ look off me,” she said with a laugh.

  He cocked his head from left to right, studying her. “I think it’s off now,” he said with a nod of approval.

  “Okay, good. I’d better go before anyone starts wondering what’s going on in here,” Brooke said as she headed for the door.

  Opening the door, Ethan said, “Thanks for your concerns, Brooke, I’ll let you know what I find out about his test results later today.”

  “And thank you for being so attentive to your patient’s needs,” Brooke said, flashing him a tender smile before she turned and headed down the hall.

  Ethan headed back into his office, needing to see what patients were on his list today. Today was starting off great, and he hoped the rest of the day followed suit. He couldn’t believe Brooke had been up for a little sneaking around at work, but it had been sexy as hell.

  Everything about her was sexy as hell, and he knew he had completely fallen head over heels for her.

  Chapter 23

  BROOKE

  Music blasted throughout her kitchen as Brooke danced while stirring the pot of pasta. Her good mood was showing as she belted out the lyrics to Ed Sheeran’s new song, Shape of Me. She never would’ve thought things between her and Ethan would’ve progressed like they did, but she was glad she had made the decision to give him another chance. As she grabbed her phone to switch her playlist, she realized she had a missed call. Not knowing how she didn’t hear her phone ring, she looked down at the unfamiliar New York number and quickly pushed play. The voice that rang through her ears startled her. It had been years since she’d heard this person’s voice, and if she were to be honest, she had no intention of talking to her again. Her heart sped up as the message went on, the voice sounding urgent, desperate, and uncertain. Nothing like the person she remembered from so many years ago. There was something wrong for her estranged sister to be calling her. Something bad had to have happened, because, with the way they ended things three years ago, there was no way her sister would ever call her again unless she was desperate.

  The message ended and she put the phone down, staring at the screen like it would keep playing and give her more answers. The message was vague. Casey didn’t tell her why she was calling; just that she needed Brooke to call her right away. Brooke chewed on her nail as a million thoughts ran through her mind. Their parents were dead, both had died in a plane crash when the girls were teenagers, so it couldn’t be about them. What could’ve happened that would make Casey call her?

  She picked up the phone, hesitating for a second, not sure if she could do this. Her sister had betrayed her in the worst way, and Brooke squeezed her eyes shut as she remembered the nasty things she had said to Casey out of anger.

  At the time, she had been so angry that she wanted to hurt Casey like she had hurt her, but she’d never really wanted to write her sister off. More than anything, she just wished that whole incident had never happened. She wanted her old sister back and she could never understand what had made her betray her like that. There was so much resentment between them. What could she possibly want?

  With the phone tucked in her right hand, she began pacing the kitchen, randomly picking things up as she contemplated the situation. She just needed to call her back and see what was going on. But part of her was afraid to hear her voice. She loved her sister, but at the same time, she couldn’t stand her. She couldn’t stand how she had acted all those years ago. If her sister needed her help, she didn’t know if she could bring herself to help her—as bad as that sounded.

  She unlocked her phone and stared down at the number before finally hitting send. As it began ringing, dread formed in her core at what this call could mean. It only rang three times when her sister’s voice broke the silence.

  “Hello, Brooke?”

  “What’s up, Casey? Why did you call me after all these years?” she asked, hating the resentment flooding through her voice. She should be civil. She should be over this by now. But her sister wasn’t civil three years ago, at a time when she should have been.

  “Brooke, I’m sorry to call you. I know we haven’t talked in a long time and I know you hate me—”

  “I’ll never completely hate you, Casey, but you know why we haven’t talked. And I think my reason is just.”

  There was a pause, and then in a soft voice she said, “Yes, it was and I’m truly sorry for how I behaved back then. I had severe depression at that time, but that wasn’t an excuse and I know it.”

  Another long pa
use and Brooke wished she would just get on with it. Why was she dragging this out? “Casey, just get to the point as to why you called me after all this time?”

  Brooke heard a loud ruffling sound on the other end and thought she heard Casey crying. Her muscles tensed as worry filled her body. She was mad at her sister, but it was obvious something bad had happened.

  “Brooke, I think I’m dying. I have cancer and... and I need your help. I know I’m the last person you want to help, but Gram is too old to come here and help me. You’re all I’ve got, so I’m begging you to please help me.”

  The news hit her hard, leaving her speechless and sucking all the air from her lungs. She couldn’t breathe for a minute. Her sister was dying? Cancer? It wasn’t at all what she had expected to hear. It couldn’t be right. The doctors had to be wrong.

  “What do you mean you have cancer? How do you know? I mean—”

  “They found a tumor in my breast and they say it’s cancerous. So, I’ve been doing all the chemo and radiation crap, but it’s wearing me out. I’m weak and I’m going through this all by myself, and I’m just not strong enough to take care of everything that needs to be taken care of. I’m praying this will put me in remission, but it’s getting to the point that I’m unable to take care of my restaurant, and I’m afraid it will go under. The people I have working now are great, but they’re only able to do so much and I can’t afford to hire another manager to run it. Brooke, I need your help to keep it running for me. That restaurant means everything to me. It’s all I’ve got up here.”

  “What happened to Sam?” she asked. Hearing her say his name out loud put a bitter taste in her mouth, but she didn’t understand why Casey wasn’t mentioning him. Surely, he could help her out with her business?

  “Sam and I split up six months ago.”

  “Oh,” Brooke said. “I’m, um, sorry to hear that.” She wasn’t, but that was pointless now. Nothing could outrank what her sister had just told her.