by Melody Anne
Nick was completely taken aback by her speech, and he was stunned to realize she was somewhat right. Not completely, of course, but somewhat. He was unbelievably attracted to her, and he was pushing hard to get her into his bed, but maybe he was wrong in how he was going about it. It had been a long time since his hand had been slapped for misbehavior, but Chloe had done it pretty damn impressively.
“I think we understand each other quite well,” Nick said with a genuine smile. His change in attitude seemed to knock her off-kilter. He noticed her fingers trembling when she picked up the cup and took a sip of her cooling coffee before setting it back down again. In silence, she grabbed her bagel, slathered on cream cheese, and took it, and her coffee, to the breakfast bar.
“I’ll let you finish your breakfast while I get warmed up,” Nick told her.
Chloe gave him a sharp look before finishing the bite she’d been chewing. “Don’t do anything until I get in there. It will only be a couple minutes.”
As Nick walked away, he thought about what a contradiction she truly was. She obviously took her job very seriously because she didn’t want him hurt. And it was more than clear she was attracted to him, but she wanted him to know there was a line she wasn’t going to cross without one hell of a battle.
It must be hard to walk around as uptight as she was, he thought with a chuckle as he slowly moved through his large house. If she even had an inkling of his thoughts, he had a feeling she’d kick his ass. Nick was adding strong women to his list of “types” he found attractive from the opposite sex.
Pausing as he pulled the lateral bar down, Nick enjoyed the burn as he held it for several seconds before releasing it back up. He completed his set, then leaned back, knowing Chloe was in the room with him.
When he turned, this time he expected the zap of electricity that passed through him. He kept his gaze trained on her, saw the awareness in her, and felt power in their connection. What he didn’t understand was her reasoning in holding back. If he could comprehend that, then maybe he’d give her some breathing room.
“What is your secret, Chloe?” he asked, surprising them both. Her eyes widened for the tiniest moment before she blanked her expression. Her lips turned up, but there was no amusement in the expression.
“I’m an open book, Nick,” she said. She kept her distance.
Nick had no doubt she was lying to him. He didn’t know why, though. And what was even more shocking was that it didn’t affect how he was feeling. Shifting on the bench, he decided to watch her actions and expressions rather than focusing on her words.
Chloe’s lips moved as she said something, but he had no idea what she’d just said. She moved a little closer and her floral scent wrapped around him, fine-tuning even more of his senses. Sight, smell, touch. Who needed sound? Not him, unless it was her moans filling the air.
His mind took him back to the pool, to the feel of her lips against his, how they’d been so pliant, soft, and flavorful. He had never fantasized about a kiss before, never replayed it over and over again in his mind, had never become hard from fantasizing about where else he’d like to kiss one particular woman.
His imagination continued on as he pictured running his fingers through her silky hair, and then down her smooth shoulders, over her plump breasts and down to her hot center. How was he going to work so closely with her day after day without living out his fantasy? He wasn’t sure he’d accomplish the task.
“Did you even hear what I said?” Chloe snapped. Then her expression became concerned as she moved even closer to him, prolonging his torture of her nearness. “Are you okay, Nick?”
“What?” he asked, almost in a trance.
“Nick, I’m worried. Are you having a seizure? Stroke?” She bent down and reached out to him, but she didn’t touch. It was the most beautiful agony he’d ever endured.
Nick felt like stone as he pinned her to the spot with the intensity of his gaze. The connection between them was so real―but he’d always been open with his feelings. Maybe he was misreading the situation. Nick didn’t even know anymore.
“I’m feeling a bit hot,” he said honestly. “But I’m not having a stroke or anything else.”
“Are you being real right now?” she asked. The concern was genuine on her part. It was just another reason he respected this woman.
“Yes, but I’m not ill,” he told her with a sigh.
A look of understanding crossed between them. Nick was surprised when she didn’t back off. But there was a look in her eyes he didn’t know how to interpret. There was determination, sadness, and a hint of desire. She was fighting it, but there was more reasoning behind it than she wanted him to know about.
“Nick,” she began with a sigh. He thought about interrupting her, but he waited for her to finish, though the pause seemed to draw out for an endless amount of time. “I’m not a fool. I won’t lie and say I’m not attracted to you. But nothing can come of it.”
Now it was his turn to pause. She didn’t say anything more.
“Why? I don’t get it, Chloe. We’re both adults, and we like each other. What’s wrong with doing something about it? Is it because you don’t see me as a whole man?”
He said it with a smile, but underneath his forced expression, he felt an ounce of insecurity. He couldn’t move how he’d once moved, and he couldn’t pick her up in his arms and carry her off to his bedroom. Maybe she was slightly repulsed.
Chloe instantly reached out, touching his cheek as a sheen of tears entered her eyes. She blinked them back.
“Never would you be considered anything other than a whole man, Nick. You are the epitome of sexiness,” she said with a slight smile.
“Prove it,” he told her, his grin returning.
“You are also hopeless. Can we please just focus on your recovery?” she asked, almost sounding desperate.
The softness in her touch and expression in her eyes gave him hope of something more happening between them. It gave him the strength to push through this. Maybe if he focused on his recovery, the rest would fall into place.
“Okay, doc, we can do it your way for now,” he said.
“For now,” she agreed.
It was a start.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Their morning routine was down pat. Chloe would get up, do her jog while exploring the beautiful land Nick lived on. Then they met in the kitchen where they shared coffee and had something to eat. Then they spent hours in the gym and the pool.
He hadn’t quit flirting with her, but the intensity of it had diminished. It was more fun, almost innocent. And she was enjoying it far too much. She was still speaking to her father, but not daily, and she found herself not wanting to tell him anything―not that there was much to share.
No matter how she looked at the situation, she couldn’t see Nick as the monster her father said he was. She knew people could be good at deception, but the man worked hard, smiled often through the pain, and had a kind word to say to anyone stepping through his front door. How could he have done anything to put people who relied on him in danger? The pieces just weren’t adding up.
Chloe was exhausted from having her guard up all the time and fighting the attraction she felt toward the man. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to endure this task until the end―unless she told her father to go to hell and focused strictly on Nick’s recovery.
As appealing as that sounded, she’d never once before disobeyed her dad. If she were to do it now, the consequences wouldn’t be worth the lack of stress in her life. She was torn, and it most likely wouldn’t get better anytime soon.
Sitting on the back patio, Chloe heard the door open, and her breath hitched as she felt Nick draw closer to her. She wanted to turn and watch him, but at the same time, she didn’t need for him to realize how attuned she was to his every move around her.
“Why aren’t you in your swimsuit, doc?” he asked. He was close, no more than a foot behind her. Though she was sitting and he was on his feet, she stil
l felt as if his hot breath was cascading down her neck.
“We’re doing something different this afternoon,” she told him.
“I’m officially intrigued,” he said.
With a lot of effort, he slid down, wincing only a bit as he took too much weight on his leg before his butt reached the seat.
“I wouldn’t get too excited. I’m gonna make you hurt,” she warned him. Finally, she turned her head and felt the impact of his gaze. She wished it didn’t still affect her so much, but if anything, the attraction had only grown stronger in the past few weeks. He still made her world spin a little bit faster each time she got lost in his eyes.
“Ah, doc, you hurt me all the time,” he said with a smile. There was truth behind his statement, though, which made her wince.
“Yeah, my job isn’t always appreciated,” she said. There were times after working several weeks or months with a client where she had to take some much needed time off. Getting a patient back to full health, or thereabouts, meant hurting them along the way. There was nothing she could do about it, but it still made her feel bad.
“It’s appreciated more than you could ever know,” he said with sincerity as he reached out and laid his hand on her thigh. The spark of heat that gesture caused to rush through her made her clench her teeth together.
Maybe it had just been too long since she’d allowed herself to let go―to get lost in a man’s embrace. That had to be all this was about. The alternative was too crazy to even think about.
Chloe almost wished Nick would grow tired of her distancing herself and give up on her. If that were really the case, though, she wouldn’t feel the pang that thought caused her. Maybe Chloe was going crazy―on the way to becoming like her father―mean and bitter, with too much time on her hands to be a happy part of normal society.
Whatever was going on, she had best pull it together. Shifting in her chair, she managed to knock Nick’s hand off her leg as she stood. Strangely, she felt a loss of warmth at the removal.
“We’re going to practice some stairs,” she told him.
Already she’d set up the equipment she needed in the yard. It was a beautiful summer day, and she couldn’t force herself to go inside the hot gym with him. Maybe the fresh air would clear up her muddled brain.
It was doubtful.
Nick didn’t give her any arguments―as usual―just pushed through the new brutal tasks. And he earned even more of her respect.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Each day for Nick was exactly the same as the next as he rose, worked out, got a break, worked out some more, then without Chloe’s knowledge, pushed himself even harder when she wasn’t there.
He hadn’t wanted to rely on the wheelchair, and now it had been a week since he’d felt enough pain that he’d had to resort to using it. From the moment Chloe had come to his house, he’d also been determined to give up the crutches—and although that had only been at his home a few days, and he went to bed exhausted each night, he’d put those away as well.
It was all because of Chloe. Sure, he pushed himself as well, but he had no doubt if she hadn’t come along, he’d have injured himself further. He’d known he was being a fool, but he’d also been consumed with sorrow at losing his crew, and anger at being weak. He’d felt he’d had something to prove. Nick didn’t feel that way any longer.
It was because of Chloe and her faith in him, in the way she made him look at the world so differently. There were still things about her she was keeping from him, but he didn’t think it could be anything that would change how he felt about her. Instead of his feelings tapering off, they were only growing stronger.
He knew a lot of his appreciation was due to her help―especially with him walking without the aid of crutches, even if it were far shorter distances than he would like―but it was more than that as well. When she entered the room, he wanted to be a better person. Before she’d stepped into his life, he hadn’t even known he’d needed to change anything about himself.
Was it possible he was growing up? That thought made Nick smile. According to his mother and favorite uncle, Sherman, he sure as hell needed to. Maybe he’d keep these newfound thoughts to himself so he wouldn’t have to deal with their smug looks. Still, he was acknowledging his own faults. A few months ago, he’d had no faults―at least according to himself.
His coat on, he waited for Chloe to enter the room. When she did, she eyed him with suspicion before moving to the coffeepot and pouring herself a cup.
“Are you planning on skipping out on therapy?” she asked.
“Yep,” he told her with a grin.
“My time is valuable, Nick. If you don’t want my help . . .” She trailed off as she shrugged.
“I have to tell you I love it when you get that little scowl on your brow and your lips pucker. It’s adorable,” he said. That made the scowl deepen.
“I’m not trying to be adorable,” she said, the word sounding like a curse. “I’m trying to do a job.”
“Well, we’re taking the day off. I want to go down to the base.”
“Base? What base?” she asked. The scowl disappeared.
“My Coast Guard base,” he said. He reached for his truck keys.
“Why?”
“Because it’s my second home, and I miss it,” he said simply. “Now hurry and finish up with your breakfast so we can go.”
“I didn’t offer to go with you,” she pointed out.
“But you’re my doc, and you have to ensure I get there safely or you’ll be responsible for a delay in my recovery,” he said, not afraid to use emotional blackmail to get her to do what he wanted.
“That’s low, Nick,” she told him with an eye roll. “And a lot of BS.”
He laughed. “Okay, let’s just say I want your company,” he admitted.
“Maybe I don’t want yours,” she told him, not looking him in the eyes.
“Come on,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m a hell of a great guy to be around.”
Her lips tilted up before she covered them with the cup of coffee. He had won this little battle. He could see it.
“Fine. I’ll come with you, but only because I don’t want you behind the wheel of a vehicle right now.”
“Good enough for me,” he told her. He then had to wait impatiently while she slowly ate her bagel and then went to change out of her scrubs. He was almost sad to see them go. The doc looked damn good in them.
He changed his mind when she met him by the front door, wearing a pair of tight jeans and a fitted blouse. She was so naturally beautiful she didn’t even need makeup, though she wore a minimal amount. How had Nick ever thought the window dressing was the most important thing about a woman? Maybe it was because he hadn’t yet met Chloe.
They slowly moved from his house, Nick taking his time to get down the stairs. He wasn’t ruining his outing by slipping and falling. Then he wouldn’t be going anywhere but bed. Of course, if Chloe were in it with him, that would be a much more fun afternoon.
When they made it to his truck, she stopped in her tracks and turned to shoot him a disbelieving glance. He smiled at her before looking at the old Ford truck.
“You don’t actually think I’m driving that thing, do you?” she said.
“Of course I do. She’s a classic,” he defended as he reached out and ran his hand over her flawless hood.
“Yeah, a classic for sure,” she said before she took his arm and began leading him away from his beloved truck to her small car. He was now the one to pause.
“Seriously?” he questioned. “You want me to turn myself into a pretzel trying to get into this thing?”
“This is a perfectly nice Volkswagen Jetta. It saves the environment and doesn’t pollute the air with a loud engine or emissions,” she pointed out.
“And it’s a death trap on wheels. Hell, if a bicyclist hits us in this thing, we’re done for,” he told her.
“I happen to know it’s one of the safest compact cars on the market,” she co
untered.
“There’s a lot of things I do for women, but this has to take the cake,” he muttered as he moved to the passenger side of the car and opened up the matchbox-size door. It took him two attempts to bend down far enough to get inside, and then he fell into his seat with absolutely no grace.
Getting out of the thing was going to be even more of a problem. He was almost sweating as he adjusted himself and reached for the seat belt. He turned in time to see Chloe trying to hide a chuckle.
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed how much you’re enjoying my misery,” he told her.
She turned his way and gave him a brilliant smile that took his breath away. Damn, if he had known he was going to get that sort of reaction from her, he would have made an even bigger fool of himself. It was well worth it.
“You’re such a baby, Nick,” she said as she chuckled. He grinned back at her, and suddenly the laughter died down.
They were a heck of a lot closer together in her car than they would have been in his truck, which gave him some appreciation for the small vehicle. Nick desperately wanted to lean over and taste her lips. Her breath hitched, and he had a feeling he could get away with it.
But then he had no doubt she would regret it immediately, and their field trip would be over. So with a lot of reluctance, he resisted the urge to pull her across the short space between them. When she licked her lower lip, Nick’s body pulsed, and he cursed the distance she put between them.
“I need the address,” she told him, her voice husky. Nick wanted to groan. Instead he gave her the information for them to get on the road, and he tried to relax in the tight space of the car with her perfume saturating the air.
Though it took a lot of effort, Nick managed to make small talk while they took a ferry ride and rode into the city and made their way to the Coast Guard base Nick had been serving at for the past eight years. Chloe was tense for the first part of the drive, but she loosened up along the way. Nick was careful not to touch her, though that was difficult in the small space. He’d never been so relieved to pull up to his base as he was when they reached the guard unit.
