by T. C. Clark
He’d contacted her last month to request that she do a surgery for a classified patient. The man had given some information to the U.S. government that saved millions of lives. That same action had cost him the lives of his family. He’d made a major enemy in his country and now no one would touch him for fear it would get back to whoever it was.
Yoel had taken it personally and promised to find someone who could do the surgery. Surprisingly, his superior officers had suggested Yoel contact her. They’d sent her a contract with a hefty bonus and a nondisclosure agreement. This wasn’t the first time she’d worked with the military. In addition to her work with the various hospitals, she’d done a lot of military and missionary surgeries as well.
She’d signed on to the project without a second thought. She trusted Yoel, and if he needed her help, she didn’t mind giving it to him. It was funny that they were so close now. Out of their divorce had blossomed a strong friendship. When it was official, they had gone out for drinks. No one understood how it worked. Hell, she had no clue how they’d gotten here.
“Of course, I will be there. I wanted to talk to you about something else,” she said, wondering how she was going to explain what she was feeling.
“Oh no, this is serious. I thought you wanted to talk about the surgery. A call from you in the middle of the day—that can’t be good.”
“You remember what I told you about Aidan Tura, my university boyfriend?”
“Yep, I remember everything you told me about that prick. Why are you asking about him? Please tell me you two aren’t back together,” he said harshly. She could imagine the scowl on his handsome face.
“No, it’s not like that. He’s sent me a case to consider as my next project.”
“He has got some balls. I give him that. Are you interested?”
“Very, but I need your advice. Your relationship with Sharon wasn’t the best,” she said cautiously. Yoel always got defensive whenever she brought up Sharon. She waited for the explosion, but it didn’t come.
“Understatement of the year,” he said dryly. She could hear him tapping his fingers on the desk.
“But you put it aside and somehow the two of you have raised a beautiful little girl. Your relationship with her ended worse than mine with Aidan; how did you do that? How did you get over it so that you could be good parents for your daughter?”
“We had a sit-down talk after one of our more explosive fights. We both decided to never mention anything from the past and treat each other like we’d just met. I don’t know how it works, but it does. When we don’t think about the past too much, we can bury the pain to some degree.”
“Okay, so I need to have a talk with him before we get started.” She closed the file and laid her head down on her desk. She hated confrontation, and she knew Aidan was going to have some things to say to her. This wasn’t the first time he’d tried to contact her. She would have to find a way to make this work.
“So, you’re going to do it?” Yoel smiled; of course, she was going to do it. Anita was a kind woman. If she thought she could help someone, then she would. They hadn’t worked out. She’d never gotten over that asshole Aidan, and Shannon had made their relationship difficult, to say the least. When they broke up, Yoel reached his lowest point. He knew now that they’d been doomed before they began—they’d both had too many issues at the time.
“Yeah, I have to. I would be an asshole if I turned down her case. I’ll go there first and then head your way soon after. I’m going to tell Sabrina to get everything set up tomorrow. But I will take your advice and make it clear to him that I’m off limits. He may not even care; to be honest, he walked away from me. I’m probably making too much out of this.”
“No, you’re not. You are beautiful, intelligent, and kind. He is an arrogant jackass and he most definitely will make a play for you. But you’re stronger than that; you know you can’t trust him, so you’ll see him coming.” Anita laughed, as she always did when he complimented her. She had a bad habit of downplaying her attraction. Her modesty was adorable.
“You are,” he emphasized. “You got this, go and take care of that patient, and I will be waiting here for you when you’re done. Just think, I will finally get a chance to show you the beauty in Sri Lanka. Now that we’re not married, I won’t take no for an answer. You can go on at least one hike with me.”
“You want me to go outside!” she said in a scandalized tone. He laughed; their whole marriage he’d tried to convince her to love the outdoors.
“Yes, we are going outside. It’s time we got to know each other again.” He paused and yelled something at a fellow soldier. “I got to go, Anita, the secretary of defense is visiting, and my men are freaking out.”
“Okay. Thanks, Yoel. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“I appreciate you coming here. I’ll find some way to thank you, Anita. I have a lot I want us to talk about when you get here. Bye,” he said softly. He needed to be on her mind when she saw Aidan again.
He’d looked Aidan up during their marriage. He’d wanted to know more about the first man his wife had ever loved. He’d disliked him instantly. He was too attractive, too rich; he wasn’t the man for Anita. She needed someone grounded and stable, someone, like him.
He wanted a second chance with her. He’d tried to talk himself out of it so many times. She was one of his closest friends, and he cherished her. He knew better than to make this kind of mistake, but he couldn’t help himself.
He’d waited for two years. Every time they talked, he asked about her personal life. He was lucky she’d been so obsessed with her work that she’d never noticed the handful of men who’d come sneaking around. He’d decided to try to convince her to give them a second chance when she came down to do the surgery.
This time around, they could be different. Shannon had someone else in her life, and they were co-parenting nicely. His attention could be on Anita. He’d always been attracted to her, but it was different than the electricity he’d felt with his ex-wife. He hadn’t taken the time to foster their chemistry.
Aidan showing up was a definite hiccup in his plan. He was Anita’s kryptonite; the one mistake she’d never forgotten. The quicker he got her down here, the better. He didn’t know if she still had feelings for Aidan, but he wouldn’t let that man mess up his one shot. He walked out of his office to deal with the mess, and then he would turn his attention to planning for Anita’s arrival.
* * *
Anita and Sabrina walked through Aidan’s hospital doors two days later. She’d sent all of her information to his hospital’s HR department so that she could be given a license to work there. She’d started going through Mina’s scans and was creating a very detailed plan of attack.
Although the surgery was difficult, between them, they could accomplish it. She would need Aidan’s help. Mina’s tumor was a beast, and his familiarity with the layout of her brain was vital.
Plus, she’d done her research on him. Aidan was a fantastic neurosurgeon, double board certified with a list of awards behind him. He’d done everything he’d set out to. She wasn’t surprised. She’d seen the fire in his eyes long ago.
She made her way up the corridor and ignored the looks that followed. Only in a hospital setting was she famous. Her published studies and her work made her a name in the medical community. She hated it, but it was part of the job.
She braced herself when she got to his office. Sabrina placed a small hand on her back. She’d told her friend everything. She needed her to know exactly why this trip was going to be difficult. She knocked on the door and waited.
“Come in,” Aidan’s voice boomed from the other side. She’d taken care with her appearance to give herself some added confidence when they met. Talking to him at first would be like ripping off the emotional band-aid. She took a deep breath to settle her nerves and opened the door.
* * *
Aidan was busy talking on the phone, or rather, yelling into the phone. Mina had run inste
ad of committing herself to the next surgery. She didn’t understand the gift Anita was giving her. This particular surgical method was one of the only ones he could see working for her.
Right now, Mina wanted to find herself and, to be frank, she didn’t have the time for that. He slammed down the phone and looked at the door as it opened. He thought that he’d prepared himself for seeing her again, but he hadn’t. His eyes devoured her. His Anita, the first and only woman he’d ever loved.
She was even more beautiful than her picture. She smiled at him, and his heart stopped. For the first time in years, he could look at her without regret. He’d wondered what he would feel when he saw her again, and now he knew.
“Aidan, are you okay?” she asked. Her voice was the same one that featured in his dreams. To be this close to her again turned something on in his heart. A part of him that he’d buried was starting to come alive again.
“I’m fine. It’s Mina. She’s just worried about the surgery,” he lied. He couldn’t tell Anita she was a flight risk. Anita was a high profile doctor with a back list of potential patients. He didn’t want her to back out.
“I understand that. I need some time to get everything set up anyway. I also want to review her scans with her current doctors, and I bought a 3D printer so I can make a model of her brain. I want to know everything before we attempt this.”
“Thank you, Anita.”
“It’s not a problem. I just hope I can help. I should be getting my badge and a lab this evening. I wanted to stop by and say hello. This is my research coordinator, Sabrina Diaz.”
“Hello, I’m Dr. Aidan Tura.” He held out his hand, and she ignored it. She was an exotic-looking woman with curves for days. Her dark brown eyes shot daggers at him.
“Oh, I know who you are,” she said with a vicious smile. He could feel the ice coming from her. She didn’t like him.
“Sabrina…” Anita warned. “Be nice, he invited us here to do a job.”
“And a job we shall do, boss. Let’s head up now; I’m not trying to be in Chicago any longer than necessary, and you have Yoel waiting for you.” Before he could ask about Yoel, Sabrina pulled Anita from the room.
Aidan watched them go with mixed emotions. She had enough things to do to keep her busy while he tracked down Mina. No matter what he felt for Anita, getting Mina back for the procedure had to be his top priority.
He was sure she’d told her assistant about their past. He had his work cut out for him. Now that Anita was within his grasp again, he wasn’t sure he could let her go. He’d tried more than once to see her again, but she’d always shut him down. He was aware that this may be his one shot with her. He would find Mina and talk to Anita. More than anything else, he wanted a second chance.
* * *
“Girl, he is too handsome. No wonder you needed me to act as a buffer. I don’t know if I could turn down a night with the Rock look-alike.”
“I think you were doing just fine. What was with the attitude?” Anita asked as they found the room they’d told her would be their lab. She inspected it closely. She smiled—there was nothing like the smell of a new laboratory.
“He hurt you, so naturally he’s my enemy. It’s that simple. That’s what being girlfriends is all about. Don’t worry, I’m going to tone it down when I meet him again. I just needed him to know what team I’m on from the start.”
“Well, thank you. Are you ready to get everything started?” Anita asked as she set up a small office area at the front of the lab.
“I was born ready,” Sabrina said, opening up the small case she’d brought inside. They had a lot of work ahead of them. Most of the reason for Anita’s success was based on the sheer amount of research she did on her patients.
Anita would read through every medical file she could get her hands on. She needed to know exactly how Mina’s brain worked. She ignored the heavy beating of her heart. She hated that Aidan still had the power to effect her. There should be an expiration date on heartbreak.
At this point, she was sure that she would never love another man quite like she loved Aidan.
“Why did you mention Yoel back there?”
“I’m making him believe you are off the market so he won’t come sniffing around. But from the way his eyes followed you around the room, nothing is going to stop him from pursuing you. You should prepare yourself. Plus, it’s not really a lie, you and Yoel definitely have something brewing.”
“We aren’t a thing anymore,” Anita denied, surprised that Sabrina saw them like that.
“Oh, girl, yes you are. Yoel is waiting for you to let him back in. Men and women don’t stay friends after a divorce. Deep down you know he wants more from you. I didn’t say anything about his feelings because I’m team Yoel and I didn’t want to give you my very biased advice.”
“He has seemed different lately,” Anita confessed. He’d started to ask her more personal questions, and she’d started to sense that their relationship was taking a different turn. It was a change she wasn’t sure she wanted. She liked the way they were now.
She’d always wished for a relationship like her parents’. The retired teachers had been happily married for over thirty years. She’d tried to build something like that with the two men she’d fallen in love with. It hurt her heart every time she thought about those failures. She didn’t think she had the courage to start that process again.
“I know we have work to do, but you need to use this time to figure out exactly what you want. I think your time for being alone is finally up. If tall, dark, and handsome doesn’t get you, then your soldier will.” Sabrina picked up a handful of files and sat down at an empty desk.
Anita pulled out her laptop and got to work as well. She didn’t have time to worry about the two men who had affected her life. She had a job to do, and she would do it well. Mina’s life depended on it.
Two
I still love you...
It took Aidan a few days, but he finally caught up with Mina. She’d been hiding in a small villa with her ex, Luca Rossi. By the time he’d found her, she’d already decided to come back. Watching her sit Luca down and tell him what was going on was heartbreaking. To give him his credit, he was completely supportive. He’d already sent the money for anything that was needed for the procedure.
Mina had good insurance, but the extra money would take care of anything that wasn’t covered. Luca told Aidan not to say anything to her about it. He knew she would put up a fight about it. Right now, they were on his plane flying back to the states.
He tried to call Anita, but she wouldn’t answer. She only responded to him when it was via text. At least she knew they were heading back. Anita wanted to meet with him in the morning to go over their plan of attack.
He looked at the massive file she’d sent him containing her research and whistled. The woman was good. She’d taken everything into consideration. He prayed to God that he was doing the right thing. As a doctor, he’d learned to trust his gut, and he was right ninety percent of the time. His instincts told him Anita was Mina’s best shot.
He selected the folder with his name on it. She had an extensive document explaining what she needed him to do in the surgery. It was going to be a difficult one. When they arrived in Chicago, he went straight home. He needed time to think before he went into the hospital. As soon as he walked through the door, he hopped in the shower.
He went over her steps in his head and made his brain evaluate and find any potential holes. In the morning, he would use his run to center himself. After he’d thought through the plan for Mina, his mind turned back to Anita. How was he going to get her alone with him? He had a bad feeling that Sabrina was going to be an issue, and then there was Yoel.
He looked Anita up and read through a few articles about her personal life. He cursed when he saw her in a picture standing next to a handsome Cuban man. He was her ex-husband, but the article highlighted the friendship that had formed between them. She’d done a lot of military surge
ries for him. He was a high-ranking officer who’d saved a lot of lives himself and now, according to Sabrina, he was waiting for her.
He wasn’t stupid. Personally, he knew what it felt like to leave Anita. You realized quickly how unique she was. He had no problem believing that her ex wanted back into her life. But he couldn’t let that happen; he had to see if he could make this work.
He was no longer a twenty-something boy, he’d grown the fuck up. He’d made his fortune and fed his family. Now he wanted his lady back. He’d missed her so much over the years. Anita Walker had better watch out—now that she was in front of him, he would hold nothing back.
* * *
Anita drummed her fingers on her desk with a frown. Sabrina was gone. Her husband had been involved in a car accident. Luckily, he was okay, but she needed to go back home and be with her family.
They’d set up a way for her to work remotely a long time ago, so she wasn’t worried about that. The only thing she was worried about was being alone with Aidan. Ever since she’d seen him again, he’d started to feature in her dreams. It had been years, but the memories felt as real as if they’d just happened.
She made herself relax. She’d already met with the team from the hospital; they were all competent and professional. Normally when she went into new hospitals, she was met by doctors who were determined to be her rival, and that tension made the surgery even more stressful.
Everyone here listened and accepted her role as lead surgeon. The only person left to brief was Aidan. He’d tried to call her a few times, but she knew that hearing his voice would bring on more memories, and she didn’t have time for that.
When a knock sounded on her door, she took a breath and called out. “Come in.”
“Hi, Aidan,” she said. He was a beautiful man with his rock hard physique and caramel skin. He had changed a lot since university. Everything about him now screamed man, from his firm broad shoulders to his perfectly trimmed beard. Even the loose fitting scrubs couldn’t hide his appeal.
