by Megan Slayer
“Whatever you want.” Aiden hurried out of the car and rounded the hood. He offered his hand. “Come with me. We’ll get you inside.”
Matt allowed Aiden to usher him through the main gate, then up onto the porch. He unlocked the front door, then turned to Aiden. “I had a good time. I needed the lesson in humility and patience. Here’s to another date when we’re both ready.”
“I don’t know what to say, but absolutely.” Aiden kissed him, this time leading the way. He didn’t linger the way Matt had wanted, but Matt wasn’t going to argue. He’d been given a taste of Aiden and was now addicted. He needed more. If he bided his time, he had a gut feeling he’d get what he’d always wanted and more.
Matt braced his good shoulder on the door and watched Aiden stroll down the steps. “Good night, Doc Cedarwood.”
Aiden paused. He tipped his head and chuckled. “That’s a new one. Doc Cedarwood? I’m not sure I’m helping everyone or befitting of that name, but…okay. Good night, Matt. I’ll come up with a catchy nickname for you later.” He waved, then closed the gate behind him and opened the door to his car.
Matt waited until Aiden had zipped away from the house before he closed himself into his home. He couldn’t be sure when he’d see Aiden again, but he held on to the hope that they’d get together sooner rather than later.
Chapter Five
Aiden stretched and cracked his neck. In the last two weeks, he’d called and texted Matt almost every day. Despite his best efforts to get together with Matt, his schedule and Matt’s didn’t gel. If he wasn’t at the hospital, Matt was at the shop. He should’ve been annoyed but wasn’t. Things weren’t working out—for now.
“What are you doing?” Madison asked. The nurse stood beside Aiden. “Your patients have been transitioned to the next shift and you’re allowed to go home.”
“I know.” He completed the rest of his paperwork and groaned. “I know I’m done for now, but sometimes I wonder why I go home. As soon as the requisite time between shifts is up, I’m called right back.”
“You’re not invincible.” She patted his shoulder. “I get it. We need more staff.”
“We do.”
“You’ve got one of the best sets of bedside manners I’ve ever seen and everyone needs your brand of kindness. That said, right now we don’t, and you need to go home to get some rest.” She nudged him away from the computer. “I hear you’ve got a boyfriend.”
“What?” He stared at her. Going to the dinner with Matt had been rather bold. But he’d kept the texts and phone calls private. “We went out once to a public event. It wasn’t that big.” He’d minimized whatever was going on with Matt. Not good. “But yeah, I guess we’re seeing each other.”
Madison snorted. “How nice.” She didn’t look at him and typed away on the computer. The longer she remained quiet, the more his heart sank.
That was one of the reasons he shied away from relationships. He always screwed up.
“Aiden?” She turned to him. “Do you like Matt?”
He didn’t think. Instead, he just answered. “Yes.”
“Do you want anyone else?”
“Why? Are you offering?” He wasn’t attracted to her, but Madison had a tendency to beat around the bush.
“No.” She frowned. “Yes, you’re cute and most of the nursing staff wants to play with your thermometer, but I’ll pass. What I meant was, you’re not being casual with him, right?”
“I’m not sure.” He sat on the closest stool. “I’ll level with you. The whole thing with Matt has been interesting. It’s not usual. We met because I had an accident and needed the car fixed. He did and I kind of blew him off because I haven’t had a whole lot of time for anyone and I have issues with relationships. When we got together for a chat…he moved too fast. I felt like I knew him, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take that leap. I freaked out and ran.”
She narrowed her eyes, then sighed. “Aiden, hon, you can’t let the problems with Lucky or whatever issues you’ve got cooked up in your head taint what you’re doing now. Matt moved everything so fast, yes. He might be eager, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t respect you. I’m sure he does.”
Or he just wants a quick fuck before he walks away from me. “What do you think I should do?”
“Give him a shot.” She smiled, then flipped her blonde ponytail over her shoulder. “If you date a few times and it falls apart, you’re not out anything but some time. If you fit together and it’s good, then…even better.”
He raked his fingers through his hair, then sagged on his stool. “Okay. I’d already sort of planned to give it a shot. You just made me feel better about my decision.”
“Then go and find your studly mechanic and let him play with your…thermometer.” She laughed and nudged him. “Go.”
“Deal.” He left his seat and patted her arm before leaving the nurses’ station. Aiden made his way through the bowels of the hospital to the locker room. Madison’s encouragement had helped but wasn’t the last push. He’d struggled with his feelings since the first night. Matt made him happy and gave him reasons to enjoy his time away from the hospital, instead of looking forward to going back. His heart ached after he got off the phone with Matt. Why aren’t I giving Matt more of a shot?
Aiden changed his clothes and considered what to do. He should leave the hospital and go to the shop. If Matt wasn’t there, then he should be at home. Part of him wanted to call the visit a check-up and claim he was there to make sure Matt wasn’t going without the sling all the time. The rest of him knew better. The longer he’d been away from Matt, the more he’d grown attached to him. He hated himself for how he felt—when things finally blew sky high, he’d be even angrier for trying again.
Aiden tossed his dirty scrubs into the hamper and grabbed his bag. He headed out of the locker room and ducked through the back entrance. His back ached, his muscles hurt and he wanted quiet. He snorted. Matt kept telling him he thrived in the public eye. Madison said he had a great bedside manner. Even Aiden, the man who seemed to live at the hospital, wanted to be alone—unless Matt was involved.
He trudged across the lot to his car. Once he got closer to his vehicle, Aiden noticed a figure next to his front fender. The light shone down on the man and his hat obscured Aiden’s view of his face.
“What’s going on?” Aiden asked. “Who are you?” He strode up to the car. Within seconds, he recognized the man—Matt. His heart leapt, and the tiredness melted away. The spring returned to his step. He hurried to Matt. “Matt?”
“Yeah.” Matt adjusted his fedora. He wasn’t wearing his sling. The shirt and jeans clung to his body like a second skin. He offered up a bouquet of flowers. “I heard you had a rough day.” He offered up the daisies. “For you. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I got these.”
“Wow. I love them. Thank you.” He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been given flowers. “What are you doing here?” He wanted to appear excited but sounded silly. The giddiness within him had gotten the better of him. Matt made him happy. He lurched forward and kissed him hard on the lips. Electricity zapped in his veins. The kiss lasted longer than it probably should’ve, but he loved being this close to Matt.
Matt rested his forehead on Aiden’s and wound his arms around him. He caressed Aiden’s lower back. “Are you happy to see me?”
He nodded. “Yeah, and that’s not a gun in my pants.” He breathed in the scent of Matt—clean but with a little musk. Once the intoxication of being together with Matt dissipated a bit, Aiden met his gaze. “What about your arm? You’re straining yourself.” Fuck it. For now, he’d keep his worries in check. They weren’t gone, just in check.
“I’m fine. I’ve been taking it easy. I read everything the doctor sent home and I’ve been following your directions. I know my limits and have been staying within them.” Matt slid his palms into Aiden’s back pockets.
Aiden’s ass tingled and his cock throbbed. He bit back a groan.
“I
feel the same way. The phone calls are good, but I wanted to catch you in person.” Matt paused. “Plus, I heard it’s been a rough week.”
“You could say that.” Rough… Try awful. He’d helped the patients from three car accidents, a man with a wooden handle stuck in his ass, another who’d voluntarily swallowed five dollars in quarters, and a football player who’d passed out on the field. The poor kid had died on his way to the emergency room. Aiden hated when bad things happened to kids and hated to spend his week this way. When he’d gone home after each shift, he’d called Matt, then collapsed.
“Then let me cheer you up,” Matt said. “I want to.”
“Already done.” He’d have one hell of a time getting out of his own head later, but for now he’d be all right. “You being here has done wonders for me.” Until you leave and I’m fucked.
“I mean, yeah, being together, but not only here.” Matt squeezed Aiden’s ass. “Come home with me.”
“Unless you drove, I’ll have to take you home.” He laughed. He should be irritated with Matt’s lack of wheels, but he wasn’t. Matt shouldn’t be driving anyway. He preferred to help his friend out.
“Sorry. I had to be at the shop. I hired a kid from the vocational school to help Aaron out, at least until I’m back up to working order. According to Aaron, I’m now the office bitch.” Matt shrugged. “When we closed, I walked over.”
“I’m glad you were willing to get help—I’m betting the kid is too—and that you’re here.” He needed the break. “Hop in.” Aiden looked forward to time alone with Matt. “I’m ready to get out of here.”
“When I saw you leave the hospital, I called Colucci’s. Our order should be ready about the time we get to the house.” Matt settled on the passenger seat and rested his hand on Aiden’s thigh. “I know it was pushy, but I wanted to make the night special.”
Aiden sat beside him and sighed. “What’s on the menu?” He stuffed the key into the ignition. “How’d you know what I’d like?”
“Besides me?”
“Nice.” He pulled out of the lot and onto the street. Aiden drove down the road past the dangerous curb and away from the hospital.
“Spaghetti. That’s what I ordered. I wasn’t home and couldn’t cook something myself. Next time I owe you a home-cooked meal.” Matt squeezed Aiden’s thigh. “Promise.”
“I love it, but you don’t have to.” Aiden sped across town to Matt’s house. “No, I appreciate it. Most of the time I eat those boxed dinners. Not the best or the most flavorful, but they’re healthy-ish.”
“Ish doesn’t sound tasty. Sounds awful and like it doesn’t make anything better. So you’re healthy… If you’re not happy, then who cares?” Matt caressed Aiden’s leg.
“When you’re stressed and don’t have much time, you’ll eat cardboard.” Aiden cringed. Most of the stuff he made himself for lunches and dinners wasn’t all that exciting.
“How do you deal with the stress at work? The kid is doing a great job, but Aaron’s driving me crazy. I’m open to suggestions to de-stress.”
Aiden turned onto Matt’s street. “In your case, you should lay off the strenuous stuff until you’re healed. No marathons, racquetball tournaments or wrestling matches.”
“Well, shit. I’ll have to reschedule my whole weekend.” Matt laughed and palmed Aiden’s leg, higher up on his thigh.
Aiden hadn’t expected that answer from Matt. They’d been so serious before. He gave in to the full-blown belly laugh. He hadn’t been so happy in forever—not like this.
Matt sobered. “But seriously. How do you do it? You’ve got to be stressed. It’s life as a doctor, I assume. How do you keep level? A secret addiction? Yoga? Anything? I’m trying to balance out my life—between the crap at the shop with Aaron, my shoulder and whatever this is happening between us…I’m overwhelmed.”
Aiden didn’t understand how Matt made the connections, but sometimes things he thought would make sense didn’t. “Unless you count my need to run down on the track in the therapy wing. Three miles every day I’m on at the hospital. Pushing myself in the ER, at the track or wherever frees my head. I know that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but that’s me. Plus, I have a minor obsession with jazz music from the 1930s.”
“Interesting.” Matt laughed. He pressed a button on his keys, opening the gate. “I’m not familiar with that genre of music.”
“You should check it out.” He pulled into Matt’s driveway. “You can see a lot of what’s going on now in those songs.” A car parked behind his. Aiden pointed to the rearview mirror. “Is that the food?” He noticed a lit-up sign on the vehicle. “I think it is.”
“Looks like.” Matt left the car and stood behind Aiden’s. After a few moments, Matt strode up to Aiden’s door with a bag.
Aiden sighed and watched the other car leave. He didn’t care where he was. He’d keep an eye out. He wasn’t big on trust, even if he was in the town of Cedarwood. Matt being shot had scared the shit out of him.
Matt leaned on Aiden’s door. “Take these and pull forward to the garage.” He stuffed the bag through the window then strolled away from Aiden.
“Will do.” He continued up the drive to the garage and parked. He left the vehicle and picked up the bag.
“Thanks.” Matt rested his hand on the small of Aiden’s back. “Do you need help?”
“I should be asking you that. I’m fine.” He locked the car, then followed Matt into the house. “You’ve strained yourself.”
“Nah.” Matt tossed his keys on the bar. “Make yourself at home.” He kicked out of his boots. “I got some new furniture so the house isn’t quite so…empty.”
“You didn’t have to.” Aiden placed the bag on the counter. “Unless you were planning on doing it to begin with.”
“A couch and television aren’t that much.” Matt winked. “Sit at the bar with me and we’ll watch something on that new TV. Want some water?”
“Please? And yes, I’d like that.” Aiden had washed his hands before leaving the hospital, but extra washing was part of his nature. He pumped plenty of soap onto his hands and kept them under the faucet until the hot water scalded away the germs. If nothing else, he was cautious. He unboxed the food and arranged it for two settings. He pulled out the stools and waited for Matt. “This is a gothic house. A bar, while nice, doesn’t seem to fit,” Aiden blurted. He should’ve kept his thoughts to himself.
“I agree. The previous owner did that. The house was part of her family for over a hundred years and by the time it came down to Jasmine, she didn’t know what to do with it. She tried renovating, but the costs were larger than she thought because she wanted modern everything. I’m switching it back a little at a time. I like the bar, but it’s not historical and it’s falling apart.” Matt arranged his napkin on his lap. “It’ll take time and money I don’t have, but I’ll do it.”
“I’m sure you will.” He toyed with his fork. “Thanks for dinner. This looks fantastic.” He wasn’t sure what else to say. The conversation wasn’t going the way he’d planned. Embarrassment washed over him. When they’d talked before, everything had flowed. Now? He wanted to impress Matt and be cool. Instead, he sounded like a fool, blurting things out.
“Bet it tastes good too.” Matt twirled spaghetti onto his fork, then stopped and stared at Aiden. “You’re tense again. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He picked at the slice of garlic bread. “Matt…what are we doing here?” He needed to know what was happening, to see how everything fit together and where the variables were so he could prepare himself.
“Eating, I believe.” Matt turned in his seat. “Talk to me.”
“Your arm. You’ve got to be straining yourself. You should have that sling on.” God, he couldn’t turn his inner doctor off. “I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re being a good doc. According to my physical therapist, I need to sleep in the sling, but he’s been weaning me off it for the last week. If I rely on it too much, I’ll d
o more damage.” Matt held up his fork. “It’s very sexy how you worry about me.”
“Yeah.” He fumbled. Shit. “Matt…” Oh, fuck. Where were the flaws? Where were the warning signs to turn around and get the hell out of there?
“What’s going on between us is two guys having dinner. We’ll kiss some more—if I get my way—and touch. I want to be with you. Are we going too fast? Depends on who you ask. I think we’re fine. This is the speed it’s supposed to be,” Matt said. He polished off the bite of spaghetti. “Is that what you want?”
“I do.” His hands shook. “Matt.”
“Finish your dinner. I’m dying to use that couch.” Matt returned to his dinner.
Aiden ate in silence. He could get used to this closeness. He finished his spaghetti. Being with Matt and acting domestic soothed him.
“Happy?” Matt closed the foam box. “I’m not only happy, but I am full. This is the most I’ve had to eat in days.”
“It’s the tastiest thing.” When Matt tugged him from the stool, Aiden didn’t fight him. He made sure to move on his own free will and not strain Matt’s shoulder.
“I’m not going to break.” Matt snorted. “Check out the new stuff.” He grasped Aiden’s hand and led him into the living room. “It’s amazing the things you can find online.”
“I’ve got friends at the hospital who swear by Internet shopping.” Aiden settled beside Matt on the couch. The cushions gave way, pushing him closer to Matt. “It’s comfortable.”
“Sure is.” Matt grinned. “I like it.”
Aiden bumped into Matt’s shoulder. “Sorry. I should’ve moved onto the other side.” He should’ve been thinking about Matt and not savoring the squishiness of the sofa.
“I’m a little tender, but I’ll live.”
Aiden jumped up from his seat. He wasn’t using his head. Good God.
Matt snatched his hand, tugging him back to the couch. “I never said to go.” He eased Aiden onto his lap until Aiden straddled his thighs. “Better.”
