Eat You Up (A Shifter's Claim Book 2)

by Lucy Leroux

  Nina could feel her successful-surgery high rapidly disappearing as Dr. Meredith Carlson picked apart her presentation to the American Cardiology keynote after the fact.

  “I’m aware the talk on the Brigg’s technique was well-received,” she said in her nasal voice at the tail end of the staff meeting, interrupting the otherwise-universal congratulations. “But that doesn’t mean it was ready to present on a national stage. I believe it needs further refinement. We have to think of the hospital’s reputation.”

  She always does this. Nina wanted to throw her tablet at the woman’s head. The others were on their feet, shuffling to the door. That was typically when Dr. Carlson chose to criticize Nina’s work. She always timed it so that everyone heard it on their way out after discussion had been tabled and nobody wanted to keep talking.

  Nina opened her mouth to argue, but her mentor forestalled her, coming to her defense.

  “I disagree. Ultimately, the decision was mine, not yours,” Dr. Phelps said dismissively. “Nina’s work and her presentation were excellent, as always. We were doing other hospitals a disservice by not sharing her findings, but I can go over the many requests for her to teach a seminar on the topic at our next meeting.”

  Dr. Carlson’s pinched her lips and nodded shortly, sweeping out of the room, her pristine white lab coat flying out behind her like a cape.

  Nina waited for the others to exit before rolling her eyes at her mentor. “Why is it that the biggest chauvinist in this hospital is a woman?”

  Carlson was in some ways worse than Doctors Kelso and Ryan, the sexist and mildly racist co-chairs of surgery.

  Dr. Phelps clapped her on the back with his big paw. “She’s part of that old school, back when there was only room for one female doctor in any given department. Try not to take it personally,” he said.

  “Sure thing, boss,” she muttered. It was an easy thing to say, but he wasn’t the one having to constantly put up with that kind of crap.

  I really hope winning the Downey shuts that woman up. “Is Dr. Strickland still out of town?” she asked.

  Nina had stopped to see the head of the fellowship committee first thing that morning. She’d been hoping to give him a report on the success of her talk before pressing him for a date on the committee’s decision.

  “I didn’t know he was out,” Phelps said, checking his phone for the time. “Must have been a last-minute thing. Don’t worry. I’ll follow up with Kelso on that.”

  “Thanks,” she said, waving half-heartedly as he headed back to his office.

  Totally drained, she dragged herself to the nurses’ station.

  “Carlson being a shit again?” her friend Jesse asked, leaning against the counter.

  “Is the sky blue?”

  With a grin, he held up a tin of cookies. “My mom made your favorite.”

  “Ooh.” Nina grabbed a macadamia nut and chocolate chip cookie, taking a bite. She moaned almost as loud as she did in bed. Not too long ago, these cookies were the closest she got to sexual fulfillment.

  “Want another?”

  She laughed, reaching to take another one—she could afford the calories. “Always, but then I have to get back to work. Tell your mother I love her, and she needs to come out with us one of these nights.”

  He nodded. “Speaking of, Jodi said she’d meet us at Red’s a little late. She’s dying to interrogate you about the big guy you took to the wedding.”

  Of course they would have heard about Dmitri. Everyone at the hospital was talking about him.

  “Consider me forewarned,” she said, saluting before going to do her rounds.

  Nina wanted to sink into the booth and drink the entire pitcher of fruity goodness, but she couldn’t. After so many days away, she was on call. Restricted to sipping a single glass of Red’s special sangria, she sighed, closing her eyes to savor the taste.

  A sharp poke to the ribs broke her reverie.

  “Don’t even think about going comatose,” Jodi admonished. “I know it was a long shift, but you gotta spill, girl. Tell us everything about your new man.”

  Nina blinked, reluctantly lowering her glass. Jodi and Jesse were watching her with wide eyes.

  Jesse leaned forward. “Are you sure he’s really not an escort? Cause if he is, we won’t say a word.” He put his hand over his heart. “We swear.”

  She laughed. “He’s not a prostitute.”

  Jodi leaned over. “Of course he’s not.” She gave Jesse a sneaky side-eyed glance.

  Nina’s mouth dropped open. “You don’t believe me!”

  These were her best friends. They’d proven their loyalty during the post-breakup drama with Matt time and time again, and here they were doubting her word.

  “Sweetie, we are here for you. We know how hard it must have been facing that crowd alone, and we don’t blame you for paying someone to pretend to be your boyfriend.”

  “I didn’t, and Dmitri is not an escort,” she insisted, deciding to laugh instead of cry.

  The two shared a pitying glance. Nina shook her head, deciding she could afford a second sangria if she ate something. She took a much bigger sip of her glass, then reached for the pitcher.

  Jodi threw an arm over her shoulders and squeezed. “If you want it to be convincing, you need to find a regular-looking guy next time. Don’t go for the top-of-the-line body builder.”

  “Jodi,” Jesse admonished, nudging her with his elbow.

  “I’m sorry, but someone with those arms and shoulders just isn’t believable.” Jodi waved dismissively before downing her own glass. “But it doesn’t matter. What we need to do now is get our stories straight—your couple backstory and why he isn’t around anymore. I vote we say he was called back to Russia because one of his parents died. Did he mention a mother or a father to anyone at the wedding?”

  Jess nodded, his mouth full of sangria. He swallowed with a gulp. “Good idea! If he didn’t mention either, let’s go with mother. That’s more touching, and fewer people would question it.”

  Tears sprang to Nina’s eyes. It meant a lot that her friends were willing to go to bat and lie to the rest of their coworkers like this, but it was also unnecessary.

  She hugged Jodi impulsively, catching and grabbing Jesse’s sleeve to include him in the embrace. “I love you, guys.”

  Jesse scooted over, making it an effusive group hug. “We love you, too. And we’ve totally got your back on this.”

  “I know. But Dmitri is real—well, not all the relationship stuff he was telling people at the wedding. I just met him on the plane. We almost crash landed, I had to hitch a ride with him, and we….”

  She trailed off, her face heating.

  Jodi froze, but Jesse was almost jumping up and down in his seat. “You slept with him!” He whipped out his phone, pointing to a picture of Dmitri in his suit.

  Nina snatched it from him. “This is from the wedding. I thought you didn’t go!”

  Jesse took his phone back, mooning over Dmitri in all his custom-suited glory before handing it to Jodi. “I didn’t. At least five different people sent me pics of him that night.”

  Jodi held her phone up. “I got seven.”

  “Oh.” Nina waved that away, partially refilling her glass. “Well, um, we did get close very fast. My head is still spinning. But he embellished at the wedding too much, telling everyone we’re engaged, which is a huge problem. He’s in Boston for work, but I don’t know what happens after that.”

  “Oh, Momma. I didn’t get one from this angle.” Jodi sighed dramatically, almost licking the screen of Jesse’s phone. “I can’t believe you hit that.”

  Again and again and again. Nina blushed. “It’s crazy. I don’t do stuff like this.”

  “Well, it’s about time you did. You needed to show Matt that you’re a vibrant beautiful woman who can do way better than him.”

  Something like a pfft escaped her. “Oh, who cares about him?”

  “Sweets, he married your sister. You have to
care a little…or a lot.”

  Nina shrugged. “I know this sounds weird, but I’m kind of done with that whole mess. I’ll put up with him when I have to, of course, but I have to deal with Dmitri now.”

  That wasn’t how she’d intended to put it, but her relationship with the crazy Russian was too new and overwhelming for her limited communication skills. And she didn’t know what to say about it anyway. Other than he was possessive and planning on being a permanent fixture in her life.

  Nina gave them a quick rundown of meeting Dmitri, mentioning in abbreviated detail the accident, as well as being forced to hole up in a cabin on their way back to Boston.

  After she was done, she straightened in her seat. “I think that’s enough about the new man in my life. Let’s talk more about that later, once I have an idea of what the hell I’m going to do with him. I want to hear about that tricky bypass you pulled off earlier today, Jodi. The charge nurse said it was awesome work.”

  Jodi, another surgeon, beamed and launched into the story. Jesse, a surgical nurse, ordered them a big plate of nachos.

  Her friend was wrapping up her account when the food arrived. “Even Dr. Strickland complimented me, and you know what a hard-ass he is.”

  Nina frowned. Dr. Strickland was the former head of the department. He was also leading the committee deciding on the Downey fellowship.

  “Wait. I thought Strickland was out. I dropped by his office, and his secretary said he wasn’t in.”

  “That’s weird,” Jodi said. “I saw him twice today.”

  Jesse turned away, averting his eyes. Nina leaned over, gesturing with her glass. “I know that look. What do you know?”

  He winced. “I think Strickland was avoiding you.”

  She put down her glass. “What? Why?”

  His shoulder’s tightened. “Because your talk in San Francisco went well. We’ve been getting calls about it from the press. A few papers want to schedule an interview with you. And some potential patients want to schedule surgeries.”

  Nina had expected that, but why in the world would it be a reason for one of her supervisors to avoid her? “Yes, and…”

  Jesse winced. “Well, I’m not sure about this, but I suspect Strickland was hoping it would go badly so they’d have an excuse to give Matt the fellowship.”

  “You’re not serious,” Jodi scoffed. “Matt’s half the doctor Nina is. Less than half. Nina has more talent in her pinky finger for fuck’s sake.”

  That was a bit of an exaggeration. Matt was an adequate doctor, but he’d always come in second to her. And wouldn’t getting the Downey be the perfect way to show me up?

  Jesse picked up his drink, worrying his teeth with the straw. “You’re still the front runner, of course, but I heard a rumor Edward Lawrence might be offering to make a big donation to the hospital.”

  Nina’s stomach sank. Was that true? Was Matt’s father trying to buy his son her job?

  Chapter Eighteen

  Dmitri swept in the bar across from Nina’s hospital with a clear conscience. Sure, he’d tracked her phone to find her location, but only because she hadn’t mentioned she was meeting friends for drinks after her shift.

  He spoke to Cass after dealing with Lawrence. She was researching the auction Lawrence had lost, including its other participants, as well as the background of the ugly collar thing.

  It was the best he could do for now. Until he heard from her, he was free to spend what time he had with his mate, who appeared to be commiserating with some friends.

  Excellent. Getting to know Nina’s friends was almost as important as winning over her parents.

  The buxom waitress was happy to show him to Nina’s table, but she seemed disappointed when he greeted his mate with a hearty ‘my love’.

  Nina was mid-sip when she spotted him. She choked a little, coughing and checking her friend’s reactions. So did he. He caught admiring glances from the man next to her, but the other female appeared startled.

  “Dmitri! What are you doing here?” Nina asked.

  He slipped into the booth next to her, wrapping an arm around her to demonstrate to all the men in the room who she belonged to.

  “I finished my appointment earlier than expected, so I ran down to the hospital to see if you wanted to join me for dinner. A nurse pointed me in this direction. I wanted to meet your friends,” he lied, turning his megawatt grin on the hapless pair staring at them with open mouths.

  The man was excited to see him. His eyes were shining, and he might have been blushing. But the woman smelled frightened. Dmitri cocked his head, taking a surreptitious sniff.

  Well, I’ll be damned. Nina’s little female friend was a shifter. Something small—a cat species, maybe a lynx. He focused on her, making his smile wide, showing a lot of teeth.

  The woman’s eyes flared in terror. She gulped and started to sweat, glancing at the door as if preparing to bolt. Deciding to stop torturing her, Dmitri extended his hand.

  “Dmitri Ivanov. I am Nina’s mate. Any friend of hers is a friend of mine.”

  “O-oh,” the woman stuttered, understanding straight off. She coughed. “That’s uh, wow. Um…wow.” Hesitating, she stared at him and then hurriedly shook, dropping his paw as soon as politeness allowed.

  Nina nudged him hard in the ribs. “In America, you’re called a boyfriend, not a mate. Dmitri, these are my best friends, Jesse and Jodi.”

  Dmitri smiled, pressing a quick kiss to her hairline. “My mistake, dusha moya.”

  He turned back to the others, greeting them properly, and engaging the young man in conversation while doing his best to put the lynx shifter at ease.

  Jodi watched him with wide hazel eyes while Jesse peppered him with question after question. Dmitri answered them all, his arm securely around his mate who, despite her initial reaction, seemed to be enjoying his presence. Nina cuddled against his side unconsciously, instinctively reaching to touch him the same way he did to her.

  Despite the lynx’s caution, Dmitri instantly warmed to Nina’s friends. He ordered a bottle of the bar’s finest vodka, which his mate eschewed, but the others enjoyed very much.

  The liquid lubrication did wonders for Jodi’s mood. Soon, she was delicately shoveling nachos in her mouth and warning him to take care of her friend with the most charming slur.

  The vodka also loosened the man’s tongue. Jesse was the one who told him about his mate’s troubles at work. His ears pricked when Edward Lawrence’s name came up.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were competing against your ex for this job?” he asked in an aside when Jodi stumbled to the bathroom.

  Nina shrugged, but couldn’t hide her disappointment. “He was always a contender, but I was under the impression the fellowship was a lock for me. I underestimated the role politics might play.” She took a deep breath. “But it’s better to know. Now I won’t be surprised.”

  He scowled. If his mate wanted this job and she deserved it, then he would help her secure it.

  “I can have a talk with this Dr. Strickland, to level the playing field,” he suggested.

  “Oh, hell no.” Nina was adamant. “The last thing I need is for you to threaten my boss.”

  He grinned, pleased she was coming to know him so well.

  “I’m serious,” she said, poking him in the abdomen and then wincing.

  “I will earn this job on merit or not at all,” she added, sucking on the injured finger.

  “But merit might not work,” Jesse interrupted with a pout. “I say you let Dmitri ‘walk’ Strickland to his car one of these nights,” he said, adding air quotes.

  There was another and more effective option. “I was thinking of offering a competing donation instead. I can offer to match Lawrence Senior’s offer.” It wasn’t as if he didn’t have the money.

  Nina wagged a finger in his face. “No. I’m serious…and you couldn’t afford it anyway. Matt’s family is old money. The obnoxious snobby kind.”

  How wrong she was
. “Actually, my private commissions pay well. I wouldn’t even notice the funds were gone,” he assured her.

  It was a gross understatement. At this point, he might be able to buy the hospital outright without concerning himself about lining up more jobs.

  “Then sure, whatever,” Nina said, waving airily.

  He brightened. “Really?”

  “No, not really,” she said, smacking him lightly. “Leave it alone, Dmitri. You trying to fix my mess will not only fail, but it will also make me look weak at work.”

  Jesse was disappointed. “Are you sure? I bet dangling Strickland off the building would change his mind about taking Daddy Warbucks’s donation.”

  His mate mock glared at her friend. “Don’t encourage him.”

  Jesse waved his glass at him. “And you don’t listen to her. Be encouraged!”

  Dmitri was starting to like Jesse quite a bit.

  Jodi returned from the bathroom at that moment. “Yes! Do it. What are we encouraging?”

  “Nothing,” Nina told her before pointing at Jesse. “And you better stop that.”

  She waved a hand over Dmitri to encompass his entire body. “This right here is an unknown quantity. Do not egg him on. It’s bad enough he told everyone at the wedding we were engaged.”

  Dmitri grinned, lifting and kissing her palm. As far as she was concerned, he’d do what she asked. Privately, he’d reach out to this Dr. Strickland and take whatever steps he had to nullify Edward Lawrence’s interference.

  He turned to her friends. “She still thinks I’m joking. But we will marry and soon…”

  Nina groaned, letting herself fall forward. Dmitri reached out to check her forehead’s progress before it could strike the wood.

  The drunk lynx cheered, lifting her glass in a toast. Half the contents spilled over her hand as she shouted loud enough for everyone in the bar to hear.

  “To Nina and the wolf-man. May you live happily ever after!”

  Nina wanted to be annoyed at Dmitri for crashing her night out with her friends, but the nibbling little kisses up and down her neck on the elevator ride kept her too breathless to scold him.