by Claire Adams
“It’s nothing, just the stress of the lawsuit. I told you how my parents are suing the Walker estate. It’s getting ugly, and you know I’m against it. As a matter of fact, I’ve been seeing him.”
She narrowed her eyes and gave me a sideward glance. “You’ve been seeing him how?” The guilt in my expression had her clutching her chest, her mouth gaping. “Oh.”
“Yeah, and worse than that, I think I’m falling for him.”
“Doesn’t get any worse than that.” She covered her mouth and gawked at me as if expecting me to agree.
“Well, you would think so, right?” I shifted on my feet and looked to the floor.
“Oh no, I bet your parents were pissed. Are they still going through with it?”
“They don’t know about us and technically, neither does he.”
“Wait, I’m really confused.” We waited as a couple of people passed, giving them polite smiles, and then she pulled me closer. “Explain.”
“I haven’t exactly told him who I am.” Her eyes widened, but I didn’t want another lecture. Kathy was usually a great listener, but I could always count on her opinion. “No, I’m ending it.” I watched the relief ease her pained expression, but then shook her head.
“He’s going to find out, anyway, not to mention you’re already hooked. You’re so screwed.”
I nodded in agreement. “Now you know why I’ve been so rattled. I swear, I don’t know what else to do.”
“I heard he threw a fit in here, has a real temper when he doesn’t get his way. You better be careful with his type. Sometimes those rich men think they own the world or at least can control it. I don’t want to see you getting hurt. Ending it is for the best before you get too attached to the point of no return.”
I wondered if I was in that deep already. “I know. I know you’re right.” I raked my hands across my tight bun, wishing I could run my fingers through my hair. “He keeps texting and wanting to see me.”
“He’s hooked. You know most men don’t do that. Getting one to call back is like pulling teeth. Usually, I’d say if you had one so interested that you should hold onto him, but I have a bad feeling, Lexa. This is going to end badly. You’d do better to be honest, tell him who you are, and then leave him be.”
“But you can see why it makes it hard. I want to see him, too. He’s all I think about. Him and this damned lie.”
“Honey, you’re going to have to stop it cold turkey. It will be hard at first, but you’ll be glad you did.” She pulled me in for a hug and patted my back. “You hang in there, kid.” Then she walked away to get back to work. I knew I should, too, but I couldn’t seem to focus.
Would I give in and talk to Aiden? Maybe if I were honest, he’d be okay with things. And maybe I was having a hard time letting go.
When I saw Dr. Rob later in the break room, the temptation for a man’s point of view got the best of me. I sat at a table alone, looking at Aiden’s last text when he approached.
“There’s the prettiest nurse in the whole hospital.” He always waited until I was the only woman around to say such things, and he earned a look from one of the male orderlies who was having lunch next to me. I gave him a shy smile and shifted in my seat to face the chair the good doctor had chosen.
“Dr. Rob. How’s it going?”
He slid his chair forward and popped a small tomato from his salad into his mouth. “You know you don’t have to call me Dr. Rob. Rob is perfectly fine.”
“But what would the others think about that?” If anyone knew we were talking about more than medicine, we’d be in a whole world of problems.
“I have nothing to hide.” His warm smile lifted the corners of his mouth in a mischievous way.
“No, but you’ll make me the most hated person in the ER. If you only knew how many would give their right eye for a little of your attention, you’d have an ego the size of a blimp.
“So, you’re saying we should sacrifice our happiness in order to protect the feelings of people I have no relationship with? People who are nothing more than strangers to me? That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I can’t help but wonder if that’s what’s been bothering you. I know you’ve seemed a bit unlike yourself since I stepped up my game.”
“That was you stepping up your game?” I gave him a nudge, and we shared a laugh.
“I mean, when I finally had the courage to flirt. I don’t want it to be weird or something you’re worried about.” He was so genuine that I couldn’t help but like him, but I didn’t think he was my type at all and knew with every breath in me that I couldn’t love him.
“No, it’s not that. It’s personal stuff.” I turned off my phone and lay it face-down on the table.
“The lawsuit? You know you can talk to me about anything.” He leaned in closer, resting his hand atop mine. “I’m a good listener.”
“I don’t know. There are a few things. I have this friend who’s seeing a guy and hasn’t told him who she really is. Like, that he knows her from somewhere. She’s upset that she lied because now she’s falling for him, but there’s no way out of it. She could end it, of course, but he’s most likely going to find out, anyway. I mean, the possibility is there.” He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. “She’s asked me what she should do, and I don’t know what to tell her. We’ve been friends since we were kids.”
“Well, she has to either keep lying and end it or tell him the truth and hope for the best. But I think you see the answer as plain as I do. It won’t work out. He’s going to resent her if he finds out. I think if it were me, I’d end the relationship and hope he never finds out the truth, especially if there’s a sliver of hope that he won’t.”
“There’s a sliver.”
“Well, it’s like I tell my patients: sometimes a sliver of hope is all we have to cling to, but it beats no hope at all.” His hand left mine. “You’ll figure it out, Lexa.”
“I hope so — for my friend.” He gave me a nod, but somehow I think he knew I meant me. If anything, at least it might slow him down a bit.
As he walked away, my phone vibrated against the table. I peeked to see that Aiden was saying hello again. I decided at that moment to take the sliver of hope and let it go. And though my heart was breaking, I knew it was the right thing to do for the both of us.
Chapter Seventeen
Aiden
It was right after four when I went to the bar to see Glen. I hadn’t heard from Lexa all week and already gone through a few phases of denial, grief, and anger. I’d even trimmed my beard much shorter. I held out hope that she was busy, but deep in my heart, I knew I should face the facts.
I took my usual seat, and Glen was behind the bar getting ready for his five o’clock rush.
“You’ve shown up a different time all week, and now you come in looking so trimmed up and sophisticated, I’m scared I’ll never see you in my little dive again.”
I scrubbed my fingers through my beard and then smoothed it out. It was cropped short with slightly longer goatee around the chin. “Yeah, I thought I’d clean it up a bit, but it’ll take more than that to get rid of me.”
“Now, I didn’t say I wanted to lose you. You’re one of my most loyal customers, with the exception of Smitty, and between the two of us, I’m not sure how much longer his liver’s going to let him hang around.” He spoke loud enough for Smitty to hear, but the old man was nursing his long neck and watching the weather on the TV.
“Well, it seems you’re the only one not trying to lose me. I haven’t heard a damn thing from Lexa for a week. I thought things were heating up, but I guess I was wrong.” Glen passed my beer, and I wasted no time taking a swig.
“Did you try to talk to her after my advice?” He walked to the island behind the bar and began cutting lemons.
“I haven’t had a chance. She’s ignoring me. It sucks, but I’m not going to sit around begging through text.” I hadn’t texted her in days and figured if she wanted to respond, she knew my number.
>
“Looks like you’re going to need stitches if you ever want to see her again.” He pointed the knife at me, and it sparked an idea.
“Can I borrow your knife?” He looked up and gave me a laugh, but while he wasn’t paying attention, his hands were still in motion, cutting the lemon and his finger.
“Son of a bitch!” His blood gushed onto the cutting board as he closed his hand and pulled it close to his chest.
“Damn, is it deep?” I leaned in over the bar, and he rushed to the sink.
“Got some damned lemon juice in it, too.” He stood at the sink, and I went to join him as he let the water wash it.
“Man, that has to hurt.” I sipped my beer and watched, but he glanced up and gave me a nudge.
“Looks like you’re going to get that wish after all, and since my deductible is so fucking high, you’re going to pay for my stitches.” He studied the cut, but there was so much blood he couldn’t see. “I’m going to need them. It’s to the bone and spread wider than a whore’s legs on payday.”
“Come on; we’ll go in my truck.” I grabbed a clean towel for under the counter, and he put it to use as he asked Lydia, one of his more faithful employees, to keep an eye on the place
I led him out the truck, and we both climbed in. “Keep pressure on it.”
“Don’t worry, man. I’ll try not to bleed all over your pretty truck.” He held it tight to his chest, and the towel and his shirt were ruined.
“I’m not worried about the truck. It can be cleaned, and I’ll pay for that, too.” I started the engine and headed across town to the hospital.
We went straight to the front desk of the emergency room, and I glanced around as Glen told them what his problem was, as if they couldn’t see. Lexa wasn’t around, and despite his bleeding, they sat us in a waiting area right inside the back where there were a few other patients suffering.
I recognized the woman at the front desk and went back to stand in front of her. “How long is this going to take?”
Her eyes widened as she saw me. “I remember you.” She gave me a look that could have killed a dead horse, and I held my hands up when I realized she was the same woman I’d run out of my room the moment before I met Lexa.
“Is Lexa working?” The question seemed to take her by surprise, but she nodded.
A slow smile spread my lips, and I went to join Glen who was already being called to financing. The woman sat at the desk and took her sweet time typing in his information.
“I’m paying. Let me write you a check or something so we can get him some help. Maybe stop his bleeding.” I had just about lost my temper, but the woman behind the counter told me with one look that she wasn’t going to take any shit from me.
“It’s all good; it’s starting to slow down. I won’t die before I get some help.” Glen released a breath like he’d rather be anywhere else and I knew how he felt. I had hated my short time in the hospital and thanks to Lexa, I got out hours earlier than planned.
I gave the woman my card, and she swiped it, and then I stepped back to give Glen some room.
“You can just have a seat out there, and we’ll be with you shortly.”
“No idea when?” I hated sounding like a broken record, but the woman shook her head and shrugged.
Perfect. I knew Lexa was around and hoped that when we got called back, she’d be there, working on getting Glen stitched up. She’d have nothing to do but talk to me then. I hated seeing Glen in pain, but he started nodding off until a woman in pink cat scrubs called us to the back.
She settled us in a secluded area behind a curtain, and I wondered why we couldn’t have a closed-in room like I’d had before. Then it dawned on me that they might be reserved for the more seriously injured, like idiots who crash their bikes and have to be rolled in unconscious.
I doubted for a moment that I’d see Lexa, but then I caught a glimpse of her through the parted curtains and told Glen I had a mission to take care of. He wished me luck, and I snuck down still behind the curtain to where she stopped.
She was talking to a man who I remembered as my doctor from the accident. He’d come in to see me and swore I’d get the best care. If he only knew. The man walked away, and I parted the curtains and stepped out in front of her.
She jumped, and I knew I shouldn’t have snuck up on her that way. I held up my hands to show her I wasn’t a threat, so she didn’t dart off like some frightened cat.
“What are you doing here?” Her eyes widened and pulled me down the hall and into a private room, with actual walls and a door. “You can’t just show up here at my work. It’s a hospital, not a mall.” She paused and got a good look of my shirt, which had gotten a bit of Glens’ blood on it. “You’re hurt!” She began inspecting me for injuries, but I took her hands and stilled them.
“I’m fine and here with my friend who had a nasty accident while slicing lemons.” I felt her hands tense in my grasp, but I was too lost in the sight of her to care about anything else. She was gorgeous, even while in her scrubs with her hair cinched back in a tight bun that was more like a naughty librarian than a naughty nurse. But I wasn’t complaining.
“Well, I hope she gets patched up, and you two can be on your way.” She turned to open the door, but I put out a hand over her head to stop it.
“It’s not a she, it’s a he; and he’s my best friend.” Her tense glare relaxed, and she stood back against the door and folded her arms.
“You were looking for me, though?” Her eyes held a hint of hope and a whole lot of regret.
“Yes, I hoped you’d be here. I’ve wanted to talk to you for days, Lexa. You’re all I can think about, and it really sucks that you haven’t called me or at least texted me back. If you don’t like me, that’s fine, I’ll move on, but I want you to tell me that you don’t feel our connection just as strong.” I searched her face, hoping to catch a hint of emotion that would tell me otherwise. Surely wasn’t done with me.
“It’s not that, Aiden. It’s-”
I stepped closer and pinned her against the door. “If it’s too much and you want out, say the word, I’ll fuck off. But I don’t think you can tell me that. You want me just as bad as I want you. Deny it, Lexa.”
She stroked my beard as I pulled her in close enough to kiss.
She fell hard against me, sagging with such eagerness I wasn’t sure how she’d get over it enough to go back to work, but then she pulled away. “I should go.”
“I’m not leaving without a kiss.” I positioned my leg between hers, and she showed me she wasn’t bothered by the idea.
I flattened my palm against her mound, thanking the heavens that her scrubs were so thin. I could feel the warmth there as if she’d been dreaming about having me all day. And, maybe she had been because a moment later, her hand went up behind her to the doorknob and I heard a click.
Now that we were locked in, I knew I had her. I’d hated my last hospital visit, and I was sure I owed Glen a whole lot more than paying his bills, but it was good to see her again.
I brought my mouth down against hers, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. “We’ll have to be quiet, but that will give us a bit of privacy.”
Her hands worked at my jeans, and I lifted her shirt up, revealing a simple cotton bra that was sexier than anything else I’d seen her in. I unhooked the strap as she freed my cock, and her breasts spilled from their cups, hanging heavy and taut, perky. I brought my mouth to one and sucked her nipple, and then I worked down her pants and slipped a finger into her panties.
“Are you sure you want to do this here?” I probed her pussy, and she ground against my hand to give me my answer. As I slipped my hand free and tasted her need for me, I knew I owed Glen big time.
Chapter Eighteen
Lexa
I had done so good letting Aiden go and had been strong enough not to text or call so we’d have a clean break. But here I was in the ER, in a private room with him.
Seeing the blood on him and that mome
nt, that split that second that I’d thought it was his, it brought back all of my feelings for him. It had only been a week, but luckily, work had kept me busy. I had even pulled some overtime.
Aiden’s long fingers slid into my body, and I prayed that Dr. Rob didn’t come looking for me. There was enough staff that no one should miss me for a bit, and I could make up something if I had to. Besides, other than Aiden’s friend, it had been kind of slow compared to most days in the ER.
The look on his face was so sincere that I felt a wave of guilt roll through me, overtaking all of my pleasure, and I fought hard to keep it at bay. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.
“We can’t keep doing this, Aiden.” Although I protested, my hand worked him steady, tightly gripping his shaft as he pumped his fingers deep to ready me.
“I can tell you want to.” He took my hand, brought me away from the wall, and then lifted me up on the bed. The pesky rail was in the way, so I took a moment to lower it as he readied his cock at my entrance.
“It’s not going to work out. I think we should end it before things are too far gone.” I struggled with the words as he reinserted his broad fingers.
“I’m not letting you go that easily, Lexa. And, I don’t appreciate being ignored. In fact, I think you should be punished for being so cruel.” He stood me up and turned me around. He cupped my sex, pinching my folds with so much pressure that I squealed. I held my mouth and hoped I wouldn’t make more noises. At least, nothing that could give us away.
His cock pressed against my entrance, and then he nudged himself inside. I winced as I settled around him. He worked his hips, bucking against my ass. I moaned out and then bit my hand, hoping to stifle the sounds of my pleasure.
“You seem to be into it. You do know that’s how I like it, though.” His voice was so convincing, he could have talked me into anything at that moment.
“The other times were a mistake, too. We don’t even know each other.” A hard sting lit up my ass cheek, and then he thrust deeper and faster.
