“Sounds like your old mentor, Dr. Barkley, Aiden.” Peter spoke up from the far end of the table, dragging me from my thoughts as I stared at my resident.
“It does. He was a hard bastard to like but incredibly easy to respect.” I brushed my hand over my lips and tried to ignore the desire to turn my attention back to Elizabeth. I could almost feel her staring at me. How she left me unraveled so effectively without me knowing a damn thing about her was upsetting. I would have to talk with her a few minutes after everyone left.
“This is true.” Peter patted one of the young male residents to his left on the back. The kid looked like he was ready to go skydiving, not save lives. “Freddy’s father is the associate dean at Harvard. He’s a good man. I’m hoping this guy can live up to those same standards.”
Freddy paled, and I chuckled, unable to help myself. Peter always picked some poor kid to tease in each new class of residents that joined us. I was just glad it wasn’t Elizabeth this round. I had no doubt that I would have been be in front of her, defending her, though the old guy meant no harm.
“Who is your father?” I glanced over at Elizabeth as her warm brown eyes moved back to me. We lingered for a moment too long in a shared stare. I forced myself to turn to Freddy as he spoke.
“Vince Barker.” Freddy picked up the roll on his plate and took a bite.
“I know Vince. He was a scoundrel back in the day.” I laughed. “We didn’t go to school together, of course, but he was a professor there when I attended.”
“You went to Harvard?” A blond resident on my right asked, her voice airy, flirty.
“Sure did. He graduated valedictorian.” Peter’s eyes filled with the same pride he always had when bragging on me. It was embarrassing, though I’d gotten used to it.
“It was easier back then.” I smiled and turned my attention back to Freddy. “Tell your father that Aiden Crawford said hello.”
“I will, sir.” Freddy turned back to his dinner as various conversations rose up around the table. I turned my attention to Elizabeth, who sat on my left.
“So I figured out how I know your advisor. It was driving me crazy the other day when I couldn’t place her.” I sat back in my chair and let my eyes move across Elizabeth’s face as she watched me with open interest.
“Oh yeah? Did you guys date? You’d make a great couple.” She smirked.
“Funny. No, her sister was a patient of mine. They would poke fun at me each time I came into the room. I think she wanted to date, or rather, I knew she did. She’s quite aggressive.” I widened my eyes and picked up my fork to get another bite or two of my dinner before dessert was served.
“That’s interesting.” Elizabeth laughed and brushed her wine glass past her impossibly kissable lips.
“Yeah? More than it should be?” I lifted an eyebrow at her and realized how comfortable it was to have her there beside me, talking quietly together as if we could create our own little world. Something told me we could. Too bad she was dating someone, from what Parks had told me, and that she was my resident.
And that she’s ten years younger than me.
“She just warned me that you could be a little difficult when we met for my final assessment before coming to the hospital.” Elizabeth’s eyes filled with something like excitement. “Now I realize why. She said that the dean wanted you and me paired together, but she didn’t.”
I smiled, enjoying her honesty. It was refreshing. “Yes, your dean was good friends with my father when I was younger.”
“Is your father a doctor too?” She leaned in as the conversation around us quieted.
“No.” I glanced down the table at Peter as he stood, clapping his hands and smiling brightly. He was saving me from the story of my parents’ death. I was grateful.
“All right. Let’s go into the living room for dessert. That all right, Aiden?” He moved away from the table and toward me.
“It’s perfect. If you spill anything on my carpets, you’ll be over here cleaning them for a week. Got it?” I stood as the room dropped into an awkward silence. “I’m kidding. I don’t want any of you back until Peter forces me to.”
They all laughed, and I reached out, pressing my fingers absently to Elizabeth’s back. I hadn’t meant to. It was natural to want to guide her around. Her stiffening caused me to jerk my hand back.
“Forgive me,” I whispered. “Old habits.”
“It’s okay.” She glanced over her shoulder, and from the angle I got of her pretty face, I could have sworn I saw a hint of the lust that I’d been experiencing for the last week. Surely not, but I coveted the idea of it all the same.
We had dessert in the kitchen, followed by Elizabeth, Peter, and me cleaning things up. We talked about the good old days as Elizabeth laughed and asked questions, egging us on. Peter left just after we finished cleaning up, and I walked Elizabeth to the door and opened it.
“Tonight was fun.” I explored her expression, wanting to see a hint of the desire that I could have sworn brushed by her earlier. I couldn’t make the first move, but damn if I didn’t want to. I’d have to hold myself back if nothing else.
“It was. Aside from Sarah trying to rattle me.”
“Ignore her. She’s all talk. No bite.”
Elizabeth smiled knowingly.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing. I loved all the stories of your first few years at the hospital.” Her expression changed a little, and it left me wanting to push her.
“What? You have something you want to know?” I pressed my shoulder against the doorframe and shoved my hand in my pocket. The need to reach out and touch her was almost consuming. It was something I’d yet to experience in my nearly forty years.
“Are you lonely?” Her brows pulled in tight, making her impossibly beautiful. “I mean, I’m not asking so I can fill that hole, spot, er...” Her cheeks flushed a bright shade of pink, and her eyes widened as she realized the infinite amount of jokes that could have been made at her choice of phrasing. “That came out wrong.”
I laughed and took pity on her. I could have taken a jab or two, but her cheeks were deepening from pink to red. “Yes. It’s lonely at times, but I married my career a long time ago. I love it with every part of me. Saving lives is who I am.”
“Thank you.” The burn in her cheeks subsided a little. “I think I’m headed down that same path.”
“I hope not, for your sake. Besides, Parks was lamenting earlier over your boyfriend. You’re already headed in the right direction. People need relationships.” I was digging, and I hated myself for doing it.
“Parks is ridiculous, but I’m going to enjoy becoming friends with him.” She shook her head. “Only friends.”
“Yes. You have to be careful of him.” I shifted, and she stepped outside as if sensing that the conversation was drawing to a close. I didn’t have a confirmation on her dating anyone, but she’d done that on purpose. I wasn’t giving her nearly enough credit.
“Thanks again for tonight. I enjoyed it.” She turned to go, and I called out to her.
“Elizabeth.”
She glanced back, her face captivating me. “Yes?”
“I think we’re going to be great friends as we continue down this path, so remember that I’m a resource to you. If you need something…”
“Thanks, Dr. Crawford.” She smiled and turned, leaving me to stare after her.
Not only had she saved me from where the conversation was headed but had set us back to being mentor and student. I appreciated it, and yet despised the shutdown. It was deserved, though. I’d made it quite clear in my office a few days back that I wasn’t interested in anything with anyone, not even her.
“Not even an extended conversation.” I rolled my eyes at myself and closed the door after she got in her cab and rode out of my driveway. “Such an asshole at times.”
No wonder I was alone.
With a sigh, I closed my front door and spent the next half hour not so subtly trying t
o kick everyone else out. I was not surprised at a quarter after eleven to wander into my kitchen and find Sarah pouring the last half a glass of wine into her glass. She didn’t look up at me when I stopped at the island and slid my hands into my jean pockets.
“I had a good evening,” she said before licking her lips and sipping her wine.
“Much to my surprise, I did as well.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes. We have promising new residents on our hands.”
“Is their company the only company you were glad to have tonight, Aiden?” She pouted. Her lipstick had long since worn away to leave a red outline and a softer pink shade in the middle.
Sarah didn’t and hadn’t ever respected the boundary of being coworkers. She desired me, and it wasn’t a secret. Every employee at St. Mark’s knew it, and she didn’t give a damn. Sarah treated me like a prize to be collected and placed on her fireplace mantle, like the planting of the flag on the moon. A claim of ownership. Of victory.
It would never happen.
“I’ve had a long day.” I rocked back on my heels as she finished her wine. “Do you have a ride home?”
“I can call for a ride if I must leave.”
I wanted to say, “you must”, but I refrained. Instead, I offered a more polite farewell. “Feel free to use my phone.”
With a sigh, she pulled her cell out of her small purse and called a taxi herself. Her tone was sour as she ordered the service, and while she gave them my address, I busied myself with dishes.
“They’re about five minutes away. I’m just going to wait outside and get some fresh air. See you at the hospital, Aiden.”
“See you.” I didn’t turn from the sink as I listened to her heels clip across my floors. A few moments later, she slammed my front door closed behind her like a teenager with an attitude problem.
I thanked my lucky stars the night was over and that I finally had some time to myself. I’d been on edge all night. It was hard to keep my cool around Elizabeth in a casual setting like this. I’d blown it once already by putting my hand on her back. And I was fairly certain she’d caught me almost going for it earlier when she first arrived, too.
I was going to have to make more of an effort to control myself around her.
Or not.
“Don’t do this to yourself, man.” I shook my head at myself. This was a dangerous line of thinking. If I made a move, I could never take it back. Elizabeth was serious about her career. She wasn’t going to jeopardize it for an older doctor with a hard on for her.
She wasn’t that kind of girl.
And that was what made her all the more attractive.
I put up the dishes, locked my front door, and headed up to my bedroom where I stripped and collapsed into bed on my back to gaze up at the ceiling. Elizabeth’s face wandered across the back of my eyelids when I closed my eyes, and then I was picturing other parts about her.
Her ass. How good her legs looked tonight in that damn skirt. Her cleavage, just the perfect handful and peeking out from the collar of her shirt, daring me to do something about it.
I swallowed as blood rushed to my cock.
I jerked off thinking about her, but it didn’t ease any of my desires. Not even a little bit.
11
Elizabeth
Stephanie woke me the next morning before my alarm by pouncing on my bed. “Get up! You promised to stay up last night so we could talk, and your ass was out cold on the couch.”
I pushed at her, groaned, and pulled my covers over my head. I was having a dream where Aiden wasn’t a friend, but a lover. He had just taken a handful of my hair and was feeding me his cock when Stephanie interrupted.
“Get out. I was at the good part of the dream. Shit.” I rolled over and playfully humped the bed, accentuating my words with my thrusts. “He. Was. Almost. There.”
“Gross.” She hit me in the head with a pillow and got off the bed. “Get up. I made muffins.”
“You can’t cook. Why do you torture me by trying?” I sat up in time to take a pillow to the face. “Ow.” I rubbed at my eyes. The impact had bent my eyelashes all over the place.
“Shut up and come in here. I have a plan, but I need your help.” She laughed as she walked down the hall.
“This can’t be good,” I grumbled and got out of bed, working to fix my T-shirt and sleeping pants as I stumbled into the kitchen. “What time is it?”
“Just before six. Sit down, and I’ll get you some coffee.”
I rubbed my eyes and yawned loudly. “Before six? Shit, Steph. I had another hour. What’s so important?”
“Parks. I want him, and you’re going to help me figure out how to get him.” She set a cup of coffee in front of me, and I blinked the sleep from my eyes before finally focusing on her. She was in a cute mini-skirt and tight shirt that tried to accentuate her small breasts but failed.
“Wait. Why are you dressed like that?” I lifted the coffee mug to my lips and took a tentative sip. A groan left me at the deliciousness of it. “You need to make my coffee every morning.”
“I didn’t go to sleep.” She tapped the table in front of me, causing me to jolt back. My coffee spilled onto the table, and I gave her a look.
“Chill. I just woke up, or maybe I’m still trying to.” I leaned back as she worked to wipe up the mess.
“I’ll make your coffee every day for the rest of our lives if you just help me get Parks.” She walked back to the kitchen and returned with a plate of muffins that actually looked edible.
“I’m not sure what you want from me, but, like always, I’m here, so just tell me what to do, and as long as it’s not something that I’m uncomfortable with, I’ll do it.” I shrugged and reached over, grabbing a muffin and taking a small bite. I couldn’t usually stomach her food because she always seemed to forget a necessary ingredient. Sugar was the one she loved to leave out the most. A sugarless cake was nothing more than a disgusting biscuit.
“Good. I need to figure out what to do.” She pressed her face to her hands. “He didn’t shut the fuck up about you for ten minutes last night. I love you. I really do, but you need to push him off unless you’re interested. Then you need to tell me. I think I might be in love with him.”
I laughed loudly and rolled my eyes. “You’re not, but okay. I’ll tell him to take a hike.” The muffin was good, and I was more than surprised. “You didn’t make this, did you?”
“No.” She smirked. “I got them at the store on the way home, though I shouldn’t have. Our electricity bill is overdue by two months. I really think one of us is going to have to get a job or find someone to start sleeping with who’s willing to pay.”
After taking another couple of bites, I dropped the rest of it on my napkin and took another drink of my coffee. “I’ll look for additional jobs after my shift today. I can take on more. You just focus on the hospital. You know you don’t do really well when you have ten things to juggle.”
“You sure? I know you’re wanting to impress Doctor Hottie. That’s not possible if you’re a zombie.” She reached out and tugged at my hair. “Tell me about the dinner and the sexy dream. Don’t leave out any details.”
“Of the dinner?”
“No. The dream.” She snorted, and I couldn’t help but laugh. We were broke as hell, but we would figure things out. We always did.
* * *
Steph padded down the hall from her bedroom wrapped in her plush pink bathrobe. She paused, noting me standing by the front door with my keys in my hand staring at the door handle.
“Erm. Whatchya doing over there?”
I looked over my shoulder at my friend. “I’m going to go see Dex.”
Stephanie crossed her arms over her chest and leaned one shoulder on the hallway door. She crossed her ankles and let out a sigh. “You’re going to put a pin in it today then?”
I nodded.
“The sooner you leave, the sooner it’s over.”
“I know.” It didn’t help. I
was going to break his heart. I knew it. I should have ended things between us a long time ago rather than stringing him along when I knew we weren’t going to be a forever thing. We’d been on totally different pages for a long time. Years.
“Just think. Once you and Dex are through, you’ll be free to flirt your little ass off with Dr. Crawford.”
I drew a sharp breath. “Steph. He’s my mentor. Steamy dreams aside, I have to be professional around him.”
“You’re no fun.”
I opened the door and set my jaw. “I’ll see you later tonight. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck.”
My mind was a swirling storm of apprehension as I rode the subway to Dex’s apartment downtown. I’d texted him to give him the heads-up that I was swinging by, and he’d shot me a text back with an eggplant and water emoji.
Typical.
He had no idea I was about to burst his bubble in more ways than one.
No sex today. Also, by the way, you don’t have a girlfriend anymore, either. Okay bye.
He was going to be furious. Or devastated. Or a pleasant combination of both.
The commute went by way too quickly, and before I knew it, I was standing in front of his apartment door, staring at the same gold-plated unit number, 311, that I’d stared at every time I came over. In the beginning, I’d spent nearly four nights a week here. Back when we laughed mercilessly and had tickle fights and behaved like children. Back when I couldn’t get enough kisses and cuddles and sex.
I didn’t know when things had changed. At some point, I realized I was still growing and he wasn’t.
“You’ve got this. It’s what’s best.” I knocked on the door.
Dex pulled it open seconds later with a cocky grin. He was naked from the waist up, wearing nothing but a pair of loose gray sweats. The drawstring was undone, and he waggled his eyebrows at me. “Hey, baby.”
Between The Sheets Page 7
