Heart Like Mine

by Maggie McGinnis

  “Stranger danger?” He winked.

  “Pretty much. Just one of the reasons I work on the sixth floor. Fewer humans up there.”

  He laughed. “Well, from what I’ve seen this week, nobody would know you’re clinically terrified. You’ve handled the third-floor strangers pretty well.”

  “Right.” She rolled her eyes. “Those ones are scared not to be nice to me. They’re all sure I have their employee ID numbers recorded on my layoff sheet.”

  “True.” He nodded, smiling. Then he put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed gently, steering them toward his truck. “Come on. Let’s go to the party. I have a feeling you get out just about as much as I do these days. We could both use a couple of hours away from the hospital, don’t you think?”

  She bit her lip as he opened the truck door, letting his hand slide down her back. When she turned to answer, she found herself deliciously trapped between his body and the truck, and for a long moment, neither of them spoke. His eyes went to her lips, and she felt her breathing go shallow as her own eyes traced his five o’clock shadow, then the open collar of his shirt, then back up to his eyes, which had cruised silently from friendly and amused to downright hot.

  She swallowed. Oh, God. He was going to kiss her.

  And oh, God, she was dying for him to. If he didn’t kiss her right now, she was going to kiss him.

  Then he closed his eyes tightly for a brief second, stepping back. “We should—the party.”

  “Right.” She swallowed. “Of course.”

  He took her hand to help her into the truck, but didn’t linger this time. Instead, he closed the door and headed around the truck, leaving Delaney to attempt a two-second recovery before he got into the other side.

  He opened his door and slid inside, throwing her a friendly smile, like the previous minute hadn’t actually happened. “Ready?”

  She took a deep breath. More ready than either of us wants to know right now.

  “Ready.”

  “Quick piece of advice, since this is your first Bellinis party.” He started the engine, then squeezed her knee. “No matter how hard Molly’s dad tries, do not have more than one of his killer drinks, or I will have to carry you out of there.”

  Delaney’s stomach jumped again, picturing him slinging her over his shoulder and taking her home. She wished the thought wasn’t so appealing.

  “I might have three, just to see if you can do it.”

  Oh. God. Had she really just said that?

  He looked over, his eyebrows up.

  Yep. She’d said that.

  He cleared his throat. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  * * *

  “So.” Ethan sidled up to the bar next to Josh two hours later, lifting a beer as he scanned the crowd.

  “So—what?”

  “So—Delaney.”

  Josh’s eyes locked on her, sitting in a booth across the restaurant with Josie. She was laughing at something Josie’d just said, and though he couldn’t hear the sound over the noise of the crowd, he’d heard it last night in that same booth, and he could feel it in his gut.

  He looked sidelong at Ethan. “Have you been assigned by Josie and Molly to get the scoop?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Josh rolled his eyes, lifting his beer to his lips, trying not to think of her tongue nervously licking her own lips just a couple of hours ago, sending him to a fresh hell as he’d watched.

  “Colleague. She’s just a colleague.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Let me ask you something.” Josh turned toward him. “Why is it that everyone is suddenly so interested in my nonexistent dating life?”

  Ethan shrugged, a sly smile on his face. “Maybe because it looks like the nonexistent part might be waning?”

  “We’re not dating.”

  “I know. Self-imposed hospital-employee dating ban and all.”

  “Exactly.”

  “So tell me this—if you didn’t work with her, would you want to date her?”

  Josh paused, not willing to answer. His eyes traveled to the far booth again, and he could see Delaney’s shoulder where her lacy summer sweater had slipped down. He had an overwhelming urge to push through the crowd, kiss that shoulder, and then slide the fabric back up for her.

  He cleared his throat. “I might.”

  “You’re in so much trouble, buddy.” Ethan laughed as he clapped him on the shoulder. “Tell you what. I’ll cover for you if you want to go offer her a ride home. If you leave now, you might be able to catch the sunset down at Twilight Cove.”

  “I’m not dragging her out to our old high school make-out spot.”

  “She didn’t grow up here. She won’t know. She’ll just think you’re a sucker for sunsets.”

  Josh rolled his eyes. “You know, you’re starting to sound an awful lot like a sappy old married guy.”

  “Scary, isn’t it?” Ethan put his empty bottle on the bar. “Go get the girl, Josh.”

  “I don’t have time to date somebody. You know that. It’ll end just like the rest of them have, and Delaney’s too—nice—to do that to.”

  “Or … maybe it won’t end like the rest of them have. Maybe she’s different.”

  Josh paused, picturing her walking around his pediatric floor all week. “Oh, she’s definitely different.”

  “Well? How can you not want to at least find out if there might be something there? Don’t be a dumbass, or you’ll end up watching somebody else leave with her. How’s that gonna feel?” Ethan clapped him on the shoulder again, then turned to head across the room toward Josie and Delaney.

  Josh did want to find out if there was something. He so did. But who was he kidding? The heat between them at his truck earlier could have seared them both, had he actually leaned in and kissed her. She’d wanted him to—he’d felt it. But really, that’s what would do him in eventually. He’d ask her out on a real date, things would maybe go well, and a month down the road, she’d be itching for more time together and he’d be unable to deliver it.

  And kaput.

  That’s how his relationships went. Every single time. Even the one that he’d thought was different.

  Since Nicole, he hadn’t actually dated women he could envision spending more than a month with, anyway, but still. Between the hospital and Avery’s House, he was lucky to have five free hours a week. It wasn’t fair to make any woman think he had any more to give than that right now.

  Maybe someday, when he had his own practice and could make his own schedule, he could finally think about more than casual, once-in-a-great-while dating. But right now, with both of his workplaces operating on shoestring budgets and not enough people, he was much better off keeping to himself.

  His parents had sacrificed everything so he could be a doctor, and then they’d died before he’d even graduated. They’d been so tied down with his debt that they hadn’t even retired yet, and the guilt of that still ate at him every day. So no way was he going to do his job halfway. Ever. He owed them that.

  He looked at Delaney again, but this time, she was looking straight at him, and he felt suddenly guilty for leaving her alone for so long. She didn’t know a soul besides Josie and Ethan in this crowd of Bellini family members and restaurant regulars.

  Then his view was interrupted as Molly’s dad pushed through the crowd with a pitcher of his signature lemonade, headed straight for Josie and Delaney’s table. Ah, hell. If that man filled up their glasses again, both he and Ethan would be hauling the women out of here in wheelbarrows tonight.

  He headed across the bar, determined to get to Delaney before she regretted the entire evening.

  Chapter 16

  “Delaney, have you tried my lemonade yet?” Papi held up a frosty pitcher, tipping it toward her empty glass. Delaney blinked hard, realizing she was seeing two of him. Either she was way more tired than she thought, or the delicious lemonade she’d just inhaled was spiked.

  She pulled her glass toward he
r. “Just finished one, Mr. Bellini. I think I’m all set.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You come to my restaurant for a private party—you call me Papi. That’s the way it goes. And you drink my lemonade.”

  He poured the icy liquid into her glass, then turned to Josie. “Josie? You want some more?”

  Josie shook her head. “One’s good for me, Papi.”

  “Okay, then. You girls have fun. You want we should start the music?” He did a funny jig-style dance move, making both of them laugh, then moved back toward the bar, stopping to refill glasses along the way.

  Knowing she probably shouldn’t, Delaney took a long sip of the lemonade, loving the way it slid down her throat with both a chill and a tiny burn. It was getting hot in the restaurant, and the drink was refreshing and delicious.

  “Careful with that.” Josie pointed at her glass. “They catch up with you.”

  “Is this the drink Joshua warned me about?”

  Josie tipped her head. “Joshua?” Then she smiled. “Yes, this is exactly the one he warned you about.”

  Delaney subtly flexed her fingers, blinking her eyes as she looked down at her lap. “Does the fact that I see fifteen fingers and three hands mean I’ve maybe had enough?”

  “Sounds like it.” Josie laughed as she pulled Delaney’s glass toward her, then looked into her eyes. “You don’t drink often, do you?”

  “Hardly ever.” Delaney shook her head, which suddenly seemed awfully dizzy. This reminded her of that time she’d had two drinks at a Chinese restaurant, having no indication they were even alcoholic until she’d stumbled on her way to the bathroom. When she’d checked the ingredient list later, she’d realized that though the drink tasted just like a sweet summer lemonade, there was absolutely nothing nonalcoholic in the damn glass.

  “Oh, God. What will Joshua think?” She blinked again, trying to bring Josie’s two heads back onto her neck. Holy cow. She’d flown right past pleasantly buzzed in 0.5 seconds. “What does Papi put in this stuff?”

  Josie smiled. “Nobody knows. It’s a secret recipe from the old country, he says. He loves that everybody always downs at least a glass before it really hits. That way, he can get them to do his bidding before they know they’re drunk.”

  “That’s—terrible.”

  She shrugged. “It’s Papi. He just likes everybody to have a good time.” Josie glanced over Delaney’s shoulder as she slid farther into the booth. “I think the men smell trouble. Here they come to rescue us.”

  Ethan sat down next to her, then tipped his head as he looked at Delaney. “Uh-oh.” He winked. “Has Papi been feeding Delaney his lemonade?”

  Delaney closed her eyes, nodding carefully. “I feel a little bit like I’m being hazed. Give the new gal the mystery punch, you know?”

  “Josh didn’t warn you to steer clear of it?”

  “I did too.”

  Delaney snapped her head up as she heard Joshua’s voice right beside her. He was looking down on her with an expression that was half-amused, half-concerned. She slid over in the booth to make room for him, but did it gingerly. Then she propped her chin on her hand, hoping it would help her head stop swimming.

  She smelled the light cinnamon of his aftershave and leaned slightly to the left to catch a better whiff, but her balance was obviously off, because before she knew it, her head was leaning on his shoulder.

  She tried to right herself—she swore she did, but her head seemed quite happy exactly where it was, dammit.

  Ethan raised his eyebrows. “Did you tell her to avoid the lemonade, in particular?”

  “I did.” Joshua cringed, looking down at her carefully, sliding his arm around her. “Didn’t I?”

  “You told me he made killer drinks. I didn’t realize you meant—lemonade. Who spikes lemonade?”

  “Papi.” All three of them laughed.

  Joshua squeezed her lightly. “You okay?”

  “Yup.” Delaney tried to focus as she looked up at him. “But you have an awful lot of noses for a doctor.”

  Ethan shook his head. “Can’t believe you let her drink the lemonade.” Then he took Josie’s hand. “How about a dance?”

  “Um…” Josie’s worried eyes flitted between Delaney and Joshua, like she wasn’t sure whether she should leave them alone.

  “Come on.” Ethan gave her arm a tug as he slid out of the booth, and Delaney almost laughed at his obvious attempt to leave Joshua alone with her. “We’ll see you two later.”

  As the jukebox cranked out an old country song, Joshua squeezed her hand. “I should have—”

  “Been more specific?” She raised her eyebrows.

  “Been more attentive.”

  Her stomach warmed, and it wasn’t just because of the lemonade. His thumb was stroking her hand, and maybe it was the alcohol, but it was all she could do to not kiss him.

  He adjusted her sweater, and was it her imagination? Or did his fingers linger on her shoulder?

  He leaned close to her ear, and this time she definitely wasn’t imagining the linger. “Do you want to get out of here?”

  Oh, heck yes. She wanted to get out of here, find a secluded spot by the lake, and let him kiss her senseless.

  She cleared her throat. “I’m fine. It’s Molly’s party. Wouldn’t be polite to sneak out early on one of your best friends.”

  He laughed and gave her hand a little tug. “Come on. Let’s go get some fresh air. It’s a good antidote for Papi’s Poison.”

  Her eyes widened. “Is that what he calls it?”

  “No. That’s what everyone else calls it.”

  They said their good-byes to Josie and Ethan, and as they wound their way through the tables toward the door, Delaney felt Joshua’s hand on her lower back, helping to keep her admittedly tipsy feet from tripping over themselves.

  Could she blame Papi’s Poison tomorrow morning if she made a monumental mistake tonight?

  She shook her head. If she was already clear-minded enough to be making a plan to blame the lemonade, it might be hard to make that defense.

  When they reached Joshua’s truck, he opened the passenger door. He had one hand on the door and one on the side of the truck, and as she turned slowly around, she found herself deliciously trapped. His eyes locked on her lips, but then he shook his head and closed his eyes.

  “What’s the matter?” Delaney’s voice was quiet, tight. Did he not want to kiss her?

  Instead of answering, he dropped his hand from the door and slid it slowly along her neck and through her hair, pulling her head into his chest.

  “You’re killing me,” he said, and she could hear the pain in his voice.

  “Not intentionally,” she whispered against his shirt.

  He groaned softly. “That’s the worst part.” He slid his other arm around her and hugged her tightly.

  After a moment, she pulled back, looking into his eyes. “We could always go back in. If you down some of Papi’s Poison, too, then we can’t be responsible for our actions, right?”

  Joshua chuckled. “I’m sure we wouldn’t be the first to use that excuse.” He gently brushed hair back from her face, tracing her earlobe slowly as he tucked the strand behind her ear. “But I have a feeling that once the fog cleared, you would regret it. A lot.”

  “Pretty sure I wouldn’t.” Delaney shook her head.

  She totally would.

  Even through the alcohol fumes, she definitely knew she would. And as much as she hated to admit it, she would probably be thankful tomorrow morning that he’d put the brakes on tonight when she was good and ready to go full throttle.

  Maybe.

  He kissed her forehead, then pulled away. “Liar.” He motioned toward the seat, and helped her inside, then shut the door softly. As he walked around the truck, she pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to recover.

  He slid in and put the key in the ignition. “How about I take you home? We can get your car back to you in the morning, if you want. I’m definitely not p
utting you behind a wheel right now.”

  The last place she wanted to go right now was back to her condo, where she’d collapse into bed alone and spend the night wishing she wasn’t falling so damn hard for exactly the wrong kind of man. But what was the alternative? She was a hospital administrator making budgetary decisions that directly impacted the doctor currently sitting two feet from her. The only place she should allow him to take her right now was home.

  “I … don’t want to go home.”

  Joshua smiled. “Okay? Where do you want to go?”

  “Honestly? Somewhere where I can make a monumentally terrible decision I’ll regret, but blame on Papi’s alcohol.”

  Oh, God. Still speaking with alcohol-brain.

  He laughed. “How monumentally terrible?”

  “Depends whether you’re willing to make a blood oath that when the evening ends, we shall never speak of it again.”

  “Wow.” He nodded like he was considering the offer, then shook his head. “As tempting as that is, I don’t make oaths with intoxicated women.”

  “I’m not that intoxicated.”

  “Delaney, you have enough of Papi’s Poison cruising through your system that you’re offering blood oaths. Pretty sure you wouldn’t think very highly of me if I took advantage of that.”

  She sighed. “I hate when people make good points that I don’t want to hear.”

  “Tell you what.” He turned the key in the ignition. “Let’s go catch the sunset on the lake. I know a perfect spot.”

  She raised her eyebrows. Of course he did. He’d probably taken half of the pediatric nurses out there at one point or another. And why wouldn’t he? He was young, single, and ungodly hot. The thought of it shouldn’t make her jealous.

  But it did.

  As they drove out of the parking lot, he took her hand in his, lifting her fingers up so he could place a soft kiss on her knuckles.

  “Thanks for coming with me tonight. I know it’s not really your—scene.”

  She pondered his comment through an admittedly slight haze. “What exactly do you think is my scene?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know yet, really. You’re kind of an enigma.”

  “Ooh. Woman of mystery and all that?”