“You took quite a spill,” she continued. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
“I’m fine,” I insisted. The male paramedic finished taking my blood pressure and got to his feet, frowning down at something he’d written on a clipboard.
“You’re bleeding,” he pointed out, then squatted down and opened what looked like a tool box. Inside, the box was loaded with medical supplies and I frowned. I put my hand to my forehead and touched something sticky.
When I looked down at my hand, my fingers were coated with blood.
“I’m really fine,” I said again. But even as I said it, I didn’t feel fine. My heart was still racing and I was in the throes of panic as I looked around, desperately searching for Curt. The crowd of people who had clustered around me was beginning to diminish, but I didn’t see his hulking figure anywhere.
“Where is he?” I bleated. “Where did he go?”
“Hon?” The female paramedic gave me a strange look. “Who are you talking about? Everything’s fine,” she continued. “No need to worry.”
I uttered a shaky sigh and bit my lip as the two paramedics dabbed antiseptic on my head and then applied a band-aid.
What the hell was going on?
Had I really seen Curt, my terrifying ex, in the lobby of the building where I had to come every day?
Or had I imagined the whole thing? I knew with all of the stress and the secrets, my life hadn’t been as smooth as I’d hoped it would be. But on the other hand, I’d never straight-up imagined anything before. I’d never hallucinated, not even after Curt had once smashed my head into a wall and given me a headache that had lasted for two weeks.
My stomach did a flip and I dug my fingernails into my arm as the paramedics were finishing up.
“I’d like you to visit your primary care doctor, as soon as possible,” one of them said to me. “You should really have that head wound checked out – you don’t need stitches, but you’ll want to make sure that you didn’t hurt yourself beyond a mild concussion.”
I nodded mechanically. My mind was still on Curt. If it had really been him – and he’d said my name, hadn’t he? – how had he managed to find me? After the divorce, I’d done everything I could to keep out of his way.
But in this day and age, he probably just Googled you and found your LinkedIn, I thought as a wave of nausea hit me.
“She looks pale again,” the female paramedic said. “Hon, are you feeling sick? If you’re nauseous, you shouldn’t lie down or close your eyes.”
The woman kept talking, but I tuned her gnat-like voice out of my head.
How could I possibly explain how I was feeling, explain that seeing my ex again had triggered something inside of me?
“I’m fine,” I said for the third time, loudly enough to make everyone look at me. “I just forgot to eat breakfast,” I lied. “My blood sugar must have crashed.”
The paramedic started to say something else, but I knew that if I didn’t get out of the building right then, I would scream. I had to be outside, had to breathe fresh air.
Had to be away from the possibility of running into Curt again.
As soon as I pushed past the paramedics and throngs of people who had stood there, watching me, I began to feel a little better. Inside, my heart was still racing. Outside, the weather was cloudy and grey.
I didn’t want to go home and face my empty apartment, though.
No.
I needed to go somewhere else, somewhere safe.
I needed Dan.
Immediately, I turned and ran down the block.
18
Dan – Monday
While I never regretted telling Lyssa that I’d help her, I was starting to wonder if I shouldn’t have done something else – something to maintain a professional boundary, especially now that our relationship was evolving faster than I had imagined it would.
I loved it, of course. I’d never been so happy in my entire life. But my practice was suffering, and I knew that keeping all of my patients happy – not just Lyssa – should have been the first thing on my mind.
I was so conflicted that morning that I did something I’d almost never done before: called into my office and said that I’d be coming in a few hours late. I called Steven and asked if he wanted to grab breakfast. Half an hour later, he met me at a midtown diner.
With Meredith in tow.
“What a dump,” she said casually as she plopped down across from me in the booth. A waitress overheard and rolled her eyes, and Steven actually flushed.
“Mere, hon, you’re being pretty loud right now,” he said quietly.
Meredith groaned. “Well, when you said breakfast, I thought we were going someplace nice,” she complained. “Like that place with the white-peach mimosas. What was that called?”
I sensed a storm brewing between them and wondered how long they’d been in the middle of this particular argument.
At least it’ll give me something to think about other than Lyssa, I thought grimly. I gave Meredith a tight smile, determined to be nice to her.
“It was my pick,” I said. “This place doesn’t look like much, but they have the best waffles.”
To my surprise, she raised an eyebrow at me before inspecting the admittedly sticky tabletop.
“Do I look like I eat waffles?” Meredith snipped.
“So,” Steven interjected, warranting another glare from his fiancée. “What’s up? I feel like we haven’t really talked in forever.”
I bit my tongue before I could reply with the truth – that being around Meredith made really talking impossible.
“Not much,” I lied. In fact, my conversation with Lyssa was still floating around in my head. I felt a pang of guilt at how shamelessly we’d picked Meredith apart. Was trying to split her and my best friend up the right thing?
Or should I just suck it up and assume that Steven was happy with her?
“Well, we’ve been doing a lot of wedding planning,” Meredith said. “At least, I have. Steven still refuses to help.”
“I’m sure you’re doing a great job,” I lied. Of spending my best friend’s money, I added silently in my head.
As Meredith chattered on, I tried hard to pay attention. But there was only so much talk of destination bachelorettes and wedding colors that I could handle. I sipped at my coffee and picked at my food, nodding and pretending to look attentive.
“I’ll be right back,” Steven said. He got to his feet and raised an eyebrow at me – Meredith hadn’t stopped talking, and he slipped away from the booth practically unnoticed. But as soon as he was gone, Meredith shut up.
“Okay, now we can talk,” she said, leaning across the table.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “About what?”
She sighed in exasperation, her nostrils flaring and her eyes going wide.
“About you,” she said. “And how you’re going to help me.”
“Help you with what?” I asked.
“Well for one, the bachelor party,” Meredith replied tartly. “I have a list of rules that need to be followed, do you understand?” Before I could answer, she kept talking: “And about the prenup.”
I squinted at her. “What?”
“Are you deaf or something?” Meredith hissed. She leaned closer, almost completely over the table, and I caught a strong whiff of her intense vanilla perfume.
“He asked for a prenup?” I asked. “He hasn’t said anything about that to me.”
“His parents did,” Meredith said. She rolled her eyes and groaned, the exhaled sharply as if she was blowing out cigarette smoke. “They like, cornered me the other night and told me that it’s necessary.”
I shrugged. “His parents are old money. You know that,” I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. “They just want to protect him.”
“Yeah, well, it’s like totally an insult,” Meredith said. “It’s like, planning for a divorce.”
I frowned. To be honest, I didn’t feel great about the id
ea of prenups ... but knowing that Steven’s parents had asked for one made me wonder if I’d completely misread everyone’s feelings about Meredith.
Maybe everyone thought she was bad news – not just Lyssa and myself.
“It’s like insurance,” I said. “You know – you never want to actually use it, but it’s good to have.”
Meredith sniffed defensively. “Well, I’m worth a lot more than half a million dollars,” she said. “It’s like, I’m giving up my life to be with him, aren’t I?”
“What are the exact terms?” I asked.
“How should I know?” Meredith shot back. “You think I actually listened? I was too hurt to understand when they brought it up.”
I frowned. “Meredith, no offense meant here – but what do you think I can actually do about that?”
“You’re like, his best friend,” Meredith said. “And I want you to talk to his parents and get them to change their minds. You can do that, can’t you?”
I shifted uncomfortably on the bench.
“I ...” I cleared my throat and trailed off. “Meredith, if you don’t mind my asking, what would it take to make you happy about this?”
“What?” She gave me a blank look. “What does that even mean?”
“Like ... okay, fine. You said you’re worth more than half a million. These things usually involve a bit of negotiation, right?”
Meredith nodded dumbly. “I don’t want to negotiate,” she countered. “I don’t want a prenup at all. If we ever get divorced, I want half of what Steven made. Like I said, I’m giving up everything for him. Do you know that once, an NFL player asked me out?”
I resisted the urge to groan and roll my eyes. Her greed was coming off of her in waves, and it was so obvious that I couldn’t believe Steven couldn’t see it.
“I don’t think that’s an option,” I said as neutrally as possible. “I think you’re going to have to discuss this with Steven – it’s not a conversation for me.”
Thankfully, right at that moment, Steven got back to the table and sat down.
“Don’t say anything,” Meredith hissed under her breath as Steven lowered himself down at the booth.
“About what?” Steven asked.
“Nothing,” Meredith sang. It was almost creepy how in a span of just a few short seconds, her attitude had turned from snarky and entitled to sweet and cheerful again. I saw no trace of her earlier unhappiness, and wondered how many times she’d managed to completely switch her personality like that.
At any rate, I didn’t like it. It couldn’t be good for Steven – someone who was trusting and almost naïve. Meredith was the only real girlfriend he’d had, aside from a few casual relationships in college, and now I had concrete proof that she was gunning for his money. Even though I knew some women would be insulted by the idea of a prenup, the idea of asking her fiancé’s best friend to go behind said fiance’s back in an attempt to cancel it was ludicrous. I couldn’t imagine asking anyone for a similar favor.
Especially not when millions of dollars were involved.
We ended breakfast, still talking about weddings, and Steven paid.
“Sorry about her,” he muttered under his breath while Meredith went to use the bathroom. “She’s really in a bad mood.”
I cleared my throat. “Uh, yeah,” I replied. “She certainly is.”
It was blustery and grey outside, but I decided to walk back to my office anyway. With my hands shoved in the pockets of my coat, I made my way down the crowded New York streets and thought about what to do. The only good thing about breakfast was that it had taken my mind off Lyssa, and what to do about her.
Or rather, about us.
I wanted to make her comfortable, to go at her own pace. I wanted her to feel like she and I were a team.
Most of all, I wanted to give her the baby that she’d always desperately wanted.
By the time I got to my office, my head was killing me.
“Good morning, doctor,” Alice said as I walked past her desk. “Carrie was looking for you – she said that she wanted to talk to you about something.”
Great, I thought. Now, what?
“She’s in your office,” Alice said. She raised an eyebrow. “And I’d be careful if I were you. She’s in a wicked bad mood this morning.”
I nodded. “A lot of that going around,” I muttered as I walked down the hall and into my office.
Carrie was waiting inside, sitting in front of my desk with a pained look on her face.
“I heard you wanted to talk,” I said as I walked inside and deliberately left the door cracked open. “What’s up?”
Carrie gave me a pinched expression. “Well, I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this,” she said. “But it’s about you, Dr. Andrews.”
I narrowed my eyes and my heart sank. Oh, fuck – was this about Lyssa?
Had Carrie – or someone else – seen us together and spilled the beans? My stomach twisted nervously: if this got out, I could be ruined. My career would be over, my practice gone in a flash.
It would have been worth it, of course, just to be with Lyssa. But still, the idea of losing everything that I’d worked so hard for over the years was sickening.
“What is it?” I asked. “You can tell me.”
Carrie pressed her lips together. “Well, I don’t know how to say this nicely,” she replied. “But it’s you, Dr. Andrews.”
I blinked at her.
“You’re just not professional,” she said. “It’s like you barely care about your practice anymore. And I don’t feel great about working for someone who clearly only cares about money.”
I could have laughed out loud. Money? That was seriously what she thought was driving me?
“I’m sorry,” I said. “But I think you have the wrong impression of me. I care about my practice – and my patients – very much.”
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you look at some of the women who come in here,” Carrie continued. She was getting heated now, and her cheeks were getting pinker by the second. “It’s so gross,” she said loudly. “And I can’t work for someone who does that. I’m putting in my notice.”
I couldn’t have been more shocked if a brick had suddenly come crashing through my office window.
“I ...” I trailed off and cleared my throat. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Carrie.”
She narrowed her eyes at me.
“And since you do, there’s no need to keep working here,” I told her. “Today can be your last day, if you’d prefer that.”
That seemed to mollify Carrie – her features softened and she pressed her lips together as she got to her feet.
“Well, thanks, I guess,” she told me. For a second, I thought about offering my hand for her to shake but then decided it against me. She clearly had judgments about my character that at this point, couldn’t be changed.
“Of course,” I told her. Inside, I still felt like laughing – what the hell had just happened here?
Carrie left my office and I closed the door behind her, then sank down into my chair and paged Alice.
“Yes, Dr. Andrews?”
“I’m going to need you to put an ad in the papers and online for a new nurse,” I told her. “Actually, on second thought, make it so that we’re hiring two.”
“Yes, Dr. Andrews,” Alice replied. “Oh, and by the way, Ms. Holm is here to see you.”
She had no sooner spoken than my office door swung open and Lyssa barged inside. Her cheeks and nose were flaming red from the cold and she was shaking, clearly stricken. I felt a powerful, protective urge swell in my body and I leapt to my feet and went to her.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her. “What happened?”
Lyssa answered me with a frantic kiss, putting her mouth against mine and crushing her body to my chest. I felt her chest heaving with every breath, felt her warm skin shaking against mine.
When she pulled away, her eyes were wet with tears. It was then that I noticed the la
rge butterfly bandage on her forehead.
“What happened here?” I asked gently as I reached up and brushed her hair out the way. There was dried blood in her red curls, and I frowned as I stroked her hair.
“I ... I just needed to be somewhere safe,” Lyssa whispered. “I needed to be with someone who won’t hurt me.”
The protective urge grew even stronger and suddenly, I pulled her into my arms and held her fiercely tight. Lyssa responded by moaning softly and kissing me again. Her tongue danced along my lips and I groaned with lust as she moved her mouth to my neck and began to suck.
“I need you,” Lyssa whispered. “Dan, I need you so much.”
I knew I should step back. But I couldn’t. I needed to comfort her, needed to love her.
Hell, I just plain needed her.
“I know,” I whispered as she pressed her lips to mine in another passionate kiss, so intense and fiery that I felt my whole body get hot and lusty.
19
Lyssa – Monday
Being in Dan’s arms like that suddenly made all of my hurt and pain and fear vanish. He kissed me and I closed my eyes, saw stars, as his hands roamed over my body and pulled my coat off. It fell to the floor and I moaned softly as Dan kissed me harder. He nibbled and sucked on my lower lip and I cried out and gasped as the passionate flames between us grew hotter and taller.
“I want you,” I purred into his ear. We fumbled and pulled at each other’s clothes, kissing and stumbling until we landed on the couch in his office with me on top. I didn’t even feel my weight or the bulk of my curves when Dan was touching me. In his hands, in his eyes, I knew that I was beautiful and sexy. As he slid his hands up my shirt and warmed my cold skin, I shivered and whimpered with anticipation. Lightning bolts of pleasure and passion bloomed inside of me and I closed my eyes and arched my back, guiding his hands to my breasts and squeezing them.
“Fuck, baby, you feel so good,” Dan groaned in a low voice. I felt his cock stiffen and throb beneath me and I shifted and rolled my hips, spread my legs so that I was straddling him. My skirt was hiked up almost to my thighs and when Dan put his hands on my bare legs, I moaned softly. He teased me gently, stroking the insides of my thighs with his fingertips and making me wriggle and squirm. The sensation was both ticklish and insanely pleasurable at once and I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it to the ground, then reached behind my body and unhooked my bra. Dan leaned up and sucked on my nipples one at a time, rolling his tongue over my sensitive skin. Hot pleasure exploded in my lower belly and I moved my hips on him again, rubbing his cock through his pants and my panties.
Baby for Brother’s Best Friend: Brother’s Best Friend Book 1 Page 12
