Tempted by Love

by Jennifer Ryan

  Something she thought she had, but never felt quite like that any other time.

  Contentment. Like she and everything in her life was exactly right in that moment.

  And she let it go.

  She let him go.

  Without a word. Without a fight.

  And now she was without.

  Alone again.

  It sucked.

  She didn’t like this empty feeling gnawing at her gut and turning her chest into a heavy hollowness that made it difficult to breathe in moments like this when she let her mind wander into daydreams about what could be when she knew that door had closed.

  She’d closed it.

  He’d done the same after one more bad idea that felt so right.

  As goodbyes went, it was pretty spectacular.

  None of her other relationships had ended quite so well.

  The metal back door to the pharmacy swung open and bounced off the door stopper inches from the metal railing. She expected to see Mandi, the pharmacy tech, coming out to dispose of the cardboard boxes in the recycling bin. Instead, two twenty-something men walked out but turned back to speak to whoever remained concealed by the open door.

  One of the guys, in jeans and a too big black zip-up hoody hiding his face, hung back. The other, dressed nearly identically, though he had chains hanging in a wide loop from the front of his hip to his back pocket, pointed a finger at whoever stood behind the door. A tattoo she couldn’t identify darkened his forearm and disappeared beneath the pushed-up sleeve of his black sweatshirt. The jabbing of his finger toward the unseen person punctuated the anger in the guy’s stance and whatever he said that had the other guy bouncing on his toes with his hands fisted at his sides like he wanted to fight but held back. For now at least. The energy surrounding those men seemed charged and ready to spark.

  Tattoo guy finished whatever he had to say, dropped his menacing pointy finger, balled his fists at his sides, and leaned forward in a challenge to the person he tried to intimidate. If Alina stood behind that door, she’d be frightened and want desperately to get rid of the menacing man. He turned to leave and in that split second, he caught her staring from inside her car. His dark eyes held her gaze for a moment. The second he turned to leave, she let out the breath she’d been holding.

  He rushed with his friend to a truck parked down by the neighboring building. The back door slammed shut, making her jump. Once the men were on their way, she slipped from her car, checking to be sure they didn’t change their minds and come back, then headed into work.

  The back door was locked, as it should be, so she found the key on her ring and inserted it into the first of three locks. Because they received deliveries through this door, she glanced up at the overhead camera knowing her partner, Dr. Noel Evans, watched on the monitors behind the counter. She waved, wondering if he’d been the one talking to those men and why.

  Two more locks and she walked into the back room that was mostly just an open space with shelves of cleaning supplies, boxes of over-the-counter medications, and first aid products. There was a private restroom for staff. She unlocked her locker, stowed her purse, and traded her lightweight summer cardigan for her white coat with her name embroidered in blue. Dr. Alina Cooke. She’d worked hard to get here. She’d secured her future with a job she liked and would provide a good living for her and the family she hoped to have soon.

  She passed the office and used her key card to enter the main pharmacy where they dispensed prescriptions. Noel helped Mrs. Cafferty at the counter with her monthly rheumatoid arthritis prescriptions. Alina went over and stood next to Noel.

  “How are you today, Mrs. Cafferty?” Alina took one of her hands, careful not to move her swollen knuckles, and held it between her own. “Did the pharmaceutical company come through with your drug discount?”

  “Noel took care of it. Without his help, I don’t know what I would have done.”

  Noel placed his hand over their joined ones. “Now that you’re taking the medication regularly, your symptoms should decrease and you’ll be more comfortable.”

  Yes. And thank God, because Mrs. Cafferty endured endless pain having to forego her overpriced medication on her limited income just so she could eat and keep the heat on. While pain medication masked aching soreness, her arthritis grew worse. The new medication could take months to start working but would make a real impact into easing her disease.

  Noel finished ringing up the purchase.

  “Don’t skip doses to spread out the medication.”

  Mrs. Cafferty had done that for weeks until the last of her meds ran out, which also made them less effective.

  “Take it as prescribed. If anything changes with your discount or you’re not getting the relief you need, you come back and we’ll see what else we can do. We’ll work with your doctor to find the right cocktail to make you better.”

  “You got yourself a sweet one here.” Mrs. Cafferty patted Alina’s hand, then took her bag from Noel.

  He swung his arm around Alina’s shoulder and pulled her close to his side. “I sure did. Together, we’ll keep all our customers in good health.”

  Alina tried to hide her discomfort. Noel seemed to be one of those touchy-feely people. He shook hands with customers, offered a comforting touch to the shoulder or squeeze of the hand when someone seemed upset or agitated, and hugged those he’d known for years.

  She’d been Noel’s partner a few months. In that time Noel had treated her as a respected colleague. He’d shown her the ropes and expressed how happy he was to have a new friend and someone to share the burden of the operation. As time went on, the simple gestures increased in frequency and intimacy. Still, he seemed to know there was a line and went right up to it, but never crossed it.

  Or maybe she allowed him to move that line a little at a time. And now she found herself embraced in a possessive kind of hug that seemed friendly but also a bit too much because he held it instead of letting her go right away.

  She stepped aside, waved goodbye to Mrs. Cafferty, and went to the counter where they filled prescriptions and looked through the stack of orders.

  “Anything wrong?” Noel stood beside her and finished counting out pills for a prescription he’d started working on before waiting on Mrs. Cafferty.

  She deflected. “Who were those guys out back?”

  Noel stilled for a moment, the stick in his hand held between two pills and the rest spread out on the board. He didn’t look at her, but slid the two pills to the right into the trough to be dumped into the prescription bottle once he had the allotted amount. “What guys?”

  “Black boots and hoodies, jeans. Early twenties. Took off in a beat-up red-and-white truck.”

  Noel nodded, then smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes, and his hand shook. “Must be Mandi’s boyfriend. I thought I heard them fighting before she left out the front for a coffee run.”

  Alina didn’t know Mandi had a new boyfriend, let alone one she was fighting with. Though Mandi-with-an-i, purple hair, multiple piercings, and a blue butterfly tattoo on her neck liked tough guys with attitude, Alina didn’t think she’d stand for a guy pointing at her like that and yelling in her face.

  Not Alina’s business. People fell for each other for all kinds of reasons and managed to stay together despite arguments and obstacles.

  Noel lost count of the pills and started over, darting looks at her as he went.

  She wondered why. “Are you okay? You seem distracted.”

  Noel leaned against his palms on the counter and hung his head.

  “Is it Lee?”

  Noel’s wife had been battling a second occurrence of ovarian cancer for the last three months.

  “The doctor told us yesterday the tumor hasn’t shrunk. She’s going back for more tests to see if the cancer has spread to her other organs. She starts a new round of chemotherapy day after next.”

  Sympathy swelled in Alina’s heart. Alina placed her hand on Noel’s shoulder. “I’m so
sorry. The last round was really difficult for her.”

  “I don’t know if she can keep this up.”

  Lee suffered from the side effects from the treatment. They left her fatigued, sick, and without an appetite, but she’d endured and gotten through it.

  “She’s a fighter. She won’t give up. She’s got you and the girls.”

  Noel’s grown daughters were away at college. One in grad school, the other studying nursing. Noel and Lee’s pride and joy. And part of the reason Noel took on a business partner. He needed someone to be here when he took time away to be with his ailing wife. Mounting medical and college bills made it a necessity.

  Noel turned and wrapped her in a hug, holding her close. Too close. Too intimate with his cheek pressed to her hair. She wanted to offer comfort, but found herself pushing him back with her hands on his chest. He captured one hand and held it against his heart.

  “It’s so good to have a friend like you.” His gaze held hers. His filled with sincerity mixed with what she hoped wasn’t desire, but felt very much like a longing for something more than friendship.

  The bell over the front door dinged.

  “I brought you a caramel macchiato.” Mandi stopped in her tracks and stared at Alina and Noel standing close and looking like they were more than friends.

  Alina’s first instinct was to pull her hand free and step back like two people caught doing something they shouldn’t. But she held her ground. She didn’t want to give Mandi or Noel the wrong idea.

  “I’m very sorry to hear about Lee. If there is anything she needs, just let me know.” A gentle reminder to stay focused on his wife never hurt.

  Noel released her and tried for a smile. “Thank you, Alina. I can always count on you.” He nodded to Mandi. “I think I’ll take my lunch break.”

  “We’ve got you covered,” Mandi assured him, her gaze bouncing between them.

  Noel left the pills he’d been counting for Alina to finish and walked out the front door, looking even more troubled.

  “Everything all right?” Mandi handed her the coffee.

  “Thanks. He’s worried about Lee and this new round of chemo.”

  “Probably about the bills, too.”

  Alina took a sip of the much-needed caffeine. “No doubt.” Alina had her own bills to pay. Lucky for her, nothing so far had interfered in her three-year plan to get out from under her school and the partnership debt. Once she was free and clear, she’d make enough to live a very comfortable life. So long as she lived within her means and tucked away a little bit each month for emergencies.

  That’s you, Alina, ever cautious and careful.

  The tedium her life had become made her want to break out and do something wild. Or maybe that side trip to Crazy Town with Jay over the weekend made her want to return.

  Not going to happen. That kind of wild held too much risk. The last thing she wanted to do was get involved with a guy like him. Someone just like her brothers, who spent all their time on the job or thinking about the job.

  Let’s face it, they never really left it.

  Well, she had to admit, her brothers had found a better balance with Ashley and Mia in their lives. That didn’t mean Jay wanted a committed relationship. At his age, he’d never been married and had no kids. Seemed obvious he didn’t want either.

  Mandi touched her shoulder. “Hey, I lost you.”

  Alina shook herself out of more thoughts about Jay. “Sorry. It’s been a long few days with the wedding and taking care of Adam.”

  “How is he doing with his mom and dad gone?”

  “They call in the morning and at night before he goes to bed. He loves staying with me. And I’ve tried to keep him to his routine as much as possible. He’s at day camp now. His babysitter will pick him up and take him to my place.”

  “Don’t you have that community center drug program tonight?”

  “Yeah.” All she really wanted to do was go home, color dinosaurs with Adam, read him bedtime stories, and snuggle her nephew as much as possible before his parents came home from their honeymoon.

  The tingle in her belly warned she also wanted to see Jay again. A little too much. More than she wanted to want to see him.

  “You okay? You seem off, too. Sad.”

  Sad? Maybe.

  Mandi waved hello to a customer walking in the door. “I get it. Seeing your brothers get married, the happy couples, makes you want to tap into whatever love mojo they found. Seems to me, dating gets harder and harder the older we get.”

  Alina nodded her agreement and used the opening. “Sorry to hear about your fight with your new boyfriend.”

  Mandi’s eyes filled with confusion. “How did you hear about that?”

  “I saw—”

  “Yo, Mandi.” A guy with wild curly brown hair yelled over the door ding and held up a purple sweater that matched Mandi’s hair. “You forgot this.”

  Mandi used her badge to rush through the side door into the main store. She launched herself into the guy wearing baggy jeans and a red work polo. She kissed him hard and fast, then stepped back. “Thank you, sweet.”

  The guy’s baby face cheeks flushed. “See you after work?”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  “Korean barbecue and Warcraft?”

  “Old-school. You got it, sweet.” Mandi hugged him.

  The guy’s smile notched up to megawatt. He stepped back, stared at Mandi for one long moment, then turned and left, though it was clear he wanted to stay with her.

  Mandi glanced over at Alina. “Isn’t he adorable?”

  “Yes. And not what I expected.”

  “He’s a total nerd. Works at the electronics store across the street next to the coffee shop. We hit it off playing Warcraft online. It’s a game,” she added for Alina’s benefit because Alina was totally clueless. “I had no idea we’d crossed paths like a hundred times. He’d waited on me at the store a couple of times and I never really noticed him. Then we started this private chat and it went on and on for hours and days. He’s the best. Won tournaments and cash prizes. He’s this total badass in the gaming world.” The smile and pride in her eyes said how much she adored him. “It’s weird, huh, you meet someone a couple of times but don’t really see them, then you do and there’s this connection like a blast that opens up your heart and your life.”

  Alina understood all too well. She’d crossed paths with Jay on several occasions but never really took notice or gave him any mind. Until she did and found something there she hadn’t seen but unexpectedly latched on to her and made her take notice.

  “You two look really happy together.”

  “I’ve never met anyone like him. He’s smart and kind and sweet as can be. I used to think guys like him were weak, but he’s not. He’s got this dedication and drive. But you know what I love most about him? He pays attention to the little things. What I like to eat. Things I like to do. What I say and how I feel. He cares.”

  And right before her eyes Mandi took on that same look she’d seen in Beck and Caden when they fell hard and fast in love.

  “Anyway, the tiff we had last night was nothing. I got a little jealous that this gamer skank tried to move in on him. We sorted it out.” In bed, based on the sultry gleam in Mandi’s eyes.

  Wait. The fight happened last night. And Mandi’s boyfriend wasn’t the man at the back door.

  So who were the two guys arguing with Noel?

  Why did he lie about it?

  Chapter Six

  “You never said your new partner was a sweet little honey. You tap that, Doc?” Brian sucked on his cigarette, then blew out a stream of smoke all while giving Noel that snide smile.

  “She’s not a part of this.” Noel didn’t want to be a part of it either, but he’d set the ball in motion when these two dipshits tried to rob him a second time. Noel had come up with a foolproof plan to make some decent side money with the drugs at his disposal, but he lacked a street connection. So instead of handing over the dr
ugs during the robbery and calling the cops, he’d made them an offer. Instead of a one-time score, he’d supply them with a steady stream for a hefty cut.

  The plan worked better than expected. The drug money and partnership with Alina helped keep his head above water with the endless college tuition and medical bills. But Alina posed a problem he thought he could mitigate with careful management of the pharmacy accounts. He hadn’t anticipated she’d ever see Brian and Davy. He certainly didn’t want them to focus on her.

  With the money she brought into the business and his ability to spend more time with his wife when she needed him, he didn’t need the headache or risk of continuing this dangerous endeavor. But there seemed no way of getting out of it now, not without considerable leverage or money. He had neither. They had him by the balls. When he tried to slow things down, keep their partnership on the down-low, Brian showed up like he did today and squeezed to remind him what happened if Noel didn’t go along with the plan.

  Brian’s eyes narrowed with menace. “She saw us. She can tie us to you.”

  “She doesn’t know anything. She thinks you’re the new guy in Mandi’s life.”

  “I’d tap that.” Davy, Brian’s number two, raised an eyebrow and nodded, a leering grin on his pimpled face.

  “Both of you are going to stay away from Mandi and Alina and the store. We can’t take the chance of being seen together. The last thing we want is people asking questions about our association.”

  Brian stepped close. “Then get your shit together, Doc, and give me that list.”

  “It’s too soon after the last time. We need to wait, or the cops will find the link.”

  “Supply and demand, Doc. We’ve got a demand you need to supply.” Brian flicked his cigarette to the pavement. “If you won’t do it, maybe I don’t need you. Your pretty little partner should be easier to convince and control.” Brian made a rude gesture, holding his fisted hands out at waist level and pumping his hips like he was fucking her.