by Jill Sanders
The moment he hit send, he felt better. He knew better than to keep anything from the woman he was trying to get into bed. Especially if it was about another woman who obviously wanted him there as well.
He made his way through the rain to the massage rooms. Lea hadn’t messaged him back. He knew that when she was on shift at the hospital, sometimes she couldn’t read or reply to messages for hours, so he didn’t worry about it too much.
When he stepped into the massage room, however, that all changed. Seeing Kara’s obvious attraction towards him had him on edge.
“Oh good, you showed.” Kara smiled brightly at him. “I was afraid I was going to have to entertain myself for the hour until my next session.”
He decided to keep things light and responded. “Wow, I get a whole hour?”
Kara giggled and he was reminded of all the young girls he’d flirted with in school. Normally, he would have flirted right back, but the truth was, he just wasn’t into Kara. His mind was consumed with a raven-haired beauty with eyes that could somehow see past his defenses.
He initially thought that he would feel strange being mostly naked in front of Kara like he had with Lea. Instead, he felt himself relaxing completely. So much so that, shortly after she started the massage, he drifted off to sleep.
He woke when her hands disappeared, and she said his name.
“Sorry.” He woke with a start. “I must have been more tired than I thought.”
“Believe it or not, that’s a compliment.” She smiled at him as he sat up. “You were very tense when I started working. How do you feel now?”
He rolled his shoulders and stretched his good leg. He was more relaxed than he’d been since being shot.
“Great,” he admitted, standing up. He noticed pain in his left leg, but none in his right, which had been tense since he’d been shot. Lea had claimed it was because his right leg had been carrying the weight of his body since he couldn’t use his left. Now, however, the muscles in his right leg were loose. “Thanks,” he added.
“I’m here to please.” Kara smiled back at him. “So…” She leaned on the counter and ran her eyes over him. “You and Dr. Val?”
He knew better than to lead a woman on while he was trying to be with another, so he answered quickly with a simple, “Yeah.”
“That’s cool,” Kara added with a sigh. “How long has that been going on?”
He chuckled. “We’ve been friends since we were ten.”
“Oh?” Kara’s eyebrows shot up. “That long?”
“No, we were friends up until… well. The rest happened more recently.”
“You two are dancing around it right now, aren’t you?” she asked, crossing her arms.
“Lea’s dancing,” he motioned to his left leg. “I’m only working with one leg, so I’m hobbling.”
Kara chuckled. “I’ll let you get dressed.” She turned to go. “For what it’s worth, I could see the spark between the two of you the moment we met,” she added before leaving.
What did that mean? She’d hit on him even knowing that he was interested in Lea. Why? Women just straight-up confused him sometimes.
That evening, he didn’t want to venture out on a muggy night, so he ate dinner in his cabin. Only in Florida could rain cause a heat wave that brought on a tsunami of humidity.
Since he was running on the last of his energy for the day, he ordered a steak dinner with the works—garlic mashed potatoes, grilled veggies, and, of course, a massive piece of chocolate cake to complete the meal. He wanted to wash it all down with a beer, but he’d taken one of the pain pills at lunch. He knew better than to piss Lea off that way.
After eating, he fell fast asleep and woke to the sound of thunder and pounding on his door.
Stumbling out of bed, he opened the door to a very angry Lea.
“Why haven’t you answered your phone?” she said, moving past him.
“I was asleep.” He shut the door behind her. He quickly noticed that it was still raining outside. “How can it still be raining?” he thought.
“It’s Florida,” Lea answered dryly as she removed her jacket, and he realized he’d asked the question out loud. “What are you doing still asleep?” she asked him as she moved around the cabin. He wiped the sleep from his eyes, and he realized she had brought two large plastic containers in with her and was setting them up in the small kitchen area.
“Still?” He glanced towards the clock and frowned. “Is that nine o’clock at night or morning?” he asked, moving slowly over to sit at the table. With the dark clouds overhead, it was hard to tell if it was still night at this point.
Lea frowned at him. “Morning.” She set the container down and walked over to lay her hand on his forehead. “You’re burning up.” She almost jumped away from him. “How long have you been feeling feverish?” She walked over to her bag and looking through it.
One thing he’d noticed about Lea long ago was that she was organized in every aspect of her life, except for her purse. The thing was bigger than a diaper bag and had more stuff in it than he carried with him when he went hiking or camping.
It took her a few moments to finally find what she was looking for and when she walked back over to him, he realized that she had a thermometer in her hands.
“You carry that in your purse?” he asked.
Instead of answering, she swiped it across his forehead and frowned down at the display.
“One-oh-one,” she said as she ran her eyes over him and touched his forehead again.
He closed his eyes and enjoyed how cool her hand felt against his skin.
“Why didn’t you call me and tell me you were feeling sick?” she asked.
“I didn’t know.” He swayed slightly when she removed her hand from his heated skin. “I was asleep.”
“Did you take your medicine last night with your dinner?”
“Yes.” He groaned and leaned back. When he’d woken, he’d been hot. Now, however, he was starting to feel chilled and couldn’t stop his body from shaking.
“Go get back in bed,” Lea told him. “I’ll bring you something to drink and your pills.” She waved him off.
As he slowly made his way back to the bed, he remembered all the times that he’d been sick as a child. His mother had never really pampered him, mainly because his father wouldn’t have allowed it. Still, she’d done as much as she could under the very watchful eye of his father.
She’d sneak him some soup and crackers if he had a fever or club soda if he had stomach issues. When he’d been eight and had his tonsils out, she’d stopped off and gotten him some ice cream on the ride home from the hospital.
“Here.” Lea’s soothing voice interrupted his half-dream state. “Sit up and drink some of this.”
He did as she asked and took a sip of the hot tea that she’d made him. There was a hint of honey and lemon, and he realized that his throat was tender.
“Thanks,” he said and closed his eyes.
“I shouldn’t have worked you so hard yesterday. Your body is fighting off everything that’s happened to you in the past week.” Her voice sounded strained. “Let me check your wound and make sure it’s not infected.”
He set the mug down and let her unwrap his thigh. When he saw that it looked fine, he took her hands. “Hey, I’m not as fragile as you think.”
“No, you are. At least right now you are,” she added. “Trust me, I know. Your body is fighting off infections that we can’t even see. The fever is just a symptom of you overdoing it.”
“All I did yesterday was work out with you and get a couple of massages,” he said before remembering that he hadn’t talked to her about Kara. He watched her face closely for any signs of jealousy or anger but didn’t see any. Instead, her eyes were filled with concern.
“I pushed you because… I thought…” She looked down at their joined hands, then moved back up to lock on his.
“Because I kissed you?” he asked.
“No,” she said
quickly.
“Then why are you beating yourself up? You didn’t do anything but help me. I need to be able to trust my body again. For it to recover. You’re pretty much the only one who is here, willing to help me in that area,” he said, meaning every word.
“Kara is willing,” she said in a soft voice.
He lifted her chin with his fingers until their eyes locked. “Let me make myself perfectly clear. I want you. Not her.” He pulled her closer for a soft kiss.
He felt her relax against him as the kiss continued. Just feeling her body plastered against his had him wishing he was fully recovered. As it was, he was still shaking and feeling even more chilled than before.
Lea pulled back slightly. “Finish drinking your tea.” She smiled. “I brought some breakfast, but instead, I think you’ll need some soup and rest.”
“Thanks,” he said, taking the cup from her again. “For everything.”
Her smile was more genuine than it had been in a while, making him totally relax.
“When you’re happy. I’m happy.” He sipped his tea.
She stayed with him, working on her laptop while he drank the tea and nibbled on the fruit and toast that she’d brought for him.
She talked about her work, her sister, and her family while he zoned in and out.
He must have fallen asleep at one point and woke when a cold washcloth fell over his forehead.
“Brett, you’ve got to help me out here,” Lea said.
“I’m here, babe,” he said. “Whatever you need,” he promised her. Then he drifted back into the darkness.
Chapter 9
Hell. What was she supposed to do? Lea knew it wasn’t a full emergency. His vitals were good. His fever was sticking at one-oh-one, and it was a good sign that he was sweating and had stopped shaking with the chills.
But he was in and out of consciousness. All her medical knowledge kept her calm, but her personal and emotional feelings for the man almost had her in a panic.
She wanted to call an ambulance but knew the only thing she could do if he was at the hospital is push fluids into him. She felt pretty confident that he’d had enough fluids since he’d drank all of the tea, some of the soup, and a glass of water that she’d given him before he’d drifted off.
What his body needed was rest so he could fight off whatever infection he had.
She’d checked his injury for any signs of discoloration or puss. His skin had closed up nicely and was already healed and scarring in some areas.
He still had a nasty bruise running up and down his thigh, but there hadn’t been external signs of infection this whole time.
What his body was fighting off was at least not a wound infection. That made her guilt grow. She knew that his body was weak and that she’d pushed him too hard yesterday. He’d just started feeling better and now this.
She would never forgive herself if this set him back or affected him permanently. She’d watched him sleep and checked on him every ten minutes. He’d been in and out of consciousness, but she’d started really worrying around lunchtime, when she tried to wake him to get him to drink some soup and he wouldn’t wake up.
At times his eyes would open and roll around, but she could tell that he wasn’t coherent. She kept a close eye on his fever and his vitals and when she worried too much about his temperature, she laid a cool washcloth over his forehead and his neck and wiped down his arms and chest. That helped to bring his fever back under one hundred.
It wasn’t until shortly after dark that his eyes opened, and he rolled over to look at her.
“You still here?” he asked, his voice sounding weak.
“Yes.” She practically burst into laughter. “I’m still here. How are you feeling?” she asked, trying to swallow the last threads of fear that remained.
“Hungry.” He groaned a little as he sat up. “Sweaty,” he added. “Hungry and sweaty.” He wiped his hands over his face.
“I’ll have something delivered while you shower.” She stood up, but he grabbed her hand.
“Lea, thanks for staying with me. You didn’t have to.” He squeezed her hand lightly.
“Yes, I did,” she said with a smile.
“Because it’s your job?”
She chuckled. “No, idiot. Because you’re my friend.”
He smiled. “And?”
She rolled her eyes. “And I like the way you kiss.” She tugged her hand free from his. “But only when you smell better than you do now.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough.” He slowly moved to stand up. “I feel like I was hit by a semi.” He rolled his shoulders and then stopped and looked at her with a mischievous grin. “I might need another massage.”
She held in her chuckle. “Maybe Kara’s available.”
He stopped her by taking her hand again. “I don’t want Kara,” he said in a deep tone. “Remember that.”
She nodded, not trusting her voice.
“Good.” He nodded. “How about you order us the largest steaks Isaac has?”
“Soup,” she corrected. “You don’t need anything as heavy as…” She stopped when he arched his eyebrows at her. “Fine, steak.” She rolled her eyes. “Anything else?”
“Pie, apple if they have it.” He used one crutch to get into the bathroom.
She walked over to the computer and punched in their order on the touch screen. Since she had taken the day off, she added a bottle of wine so she could have a glass. She’d earned it.
She knew that Brett was out of the woods as far as the fever went, but she wanted to keep a close eye on him for a while. Was it for selfish reasons? Whatever her deeper motive, she figured she’d at least enjoy a nice dinner with him.
When Brett stepped out of the bathroom, still wet and wearing basketball shorts and a fresh T-shirt, she could no longer hide her reasons from herself. She wanted to be with him. More than she’d wanted to be with any other man in her past.
Not that she’d slept with many men. One. She’d slept with one other man, twice.
Having only exactly two sexual experiences in her twenty-seven years wasn’t something she was particularly ashamed of. She could convince herself that she’d had more important things to focus on. Still, she understood that one of the reasons she’d postponed more intimate moments was a lack of interest. The guy she’d been with before just hadn’t… done it for her.
Sure, she knew that sex could be magical with the right partner. She watched enough movies to assure her of that. Even her parents were proof that sex and relationships could be mutually beneficial.
Her parents had never been shy about how they felt about one another or how they enjoyed each other both physically and emotionally.
She guessed being with Brett would be very beneficial to her. Especially when he was looking well-rested and sexy as hell like he was right now. Okay, so maybe she’d been starved of physical attention for too long.
“You’re looking smug,” Brett said, sitting down on the sofa next to her. “What are you watching? Porn?” He glanced at her computer screen. She’d forgotten she was working on her budget to pass the time and shut the screen down with a chuckle.
“No, just happy that I finally have enough saved up to open my practice.” She set her laptop back in her bag.
“I remember you saying something about it. You’re really going to open your very own place?” he asked her, sounding a little excited.
“Yeah.” She leaned back, feeling completely happy. “I’ve saved up enough for the down payment on the building, all the equipment I need, and to hire employees.”
“Wow, that’s…”—he frowned— “a lot.”
“Yes, which is why it’s taken me a few years.” She shifted slightly and her leg brushed up against his right thigh. Instantly, a spark of energy zipped up her leg to her core. Just the smell of him had her insides growing jittery, on edge, like a spring coiled too tight.
So she did what came naturally to her—she started talking too much. She’d just
gotten to her plans to hire employees when the food was delivered. After an employee set the two meals on the kitchen table, she tipped the young girl and then sat across from Brett to eat when they were alone again.
“So?” he said after taking a bite of his steak. “When are you opening your location?”
“Hopefully soon. I’ll be closing on one of the units in the new building going up in town.” She took a bite of her salad.
“In Pelican Point?” he asked, his voice going slightly higher.
“Yes.” She stopped and looked at him. “Why?”
“It’s just… I thought you’d open a place in Destin or Panama City. Someplace filled with…” He shrugged.
“Tourists?” she suggested.
He smiled. “Money.”
It was her turn to shrug. “I’m a doctor. We tend to make a lot of that anywhere we set up shop.” She smiled when he chuckled.
“True. Okay, then in town it is. That’s not a bad location. The new building looks nice. Will it be big enough?”
“I’m getting two units. It should be good enough to start out. If I need, I’ll buy more units later on when they become available.” She’d thought everything through over the past few months. Well, almost everything. “There is something you can do for me.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Shoot.” He chuckled again. “Just not in my other leg.”
She smiled. “I’ve got everything planned out, except for a name for my practice.”
“Really? You want me to help you name it?” he asked. When she nodded, he set his fork down and tilted his head. “I mean, Pelican Point Medical is too easy.”
“Agreed.” She nodded.
“Primary care, right?”
“Yes,” she answered quickly.
“I always thought you’d go into pediatrics,” he said absently.
“I…” She didn’t know how to respond. For most of her young life, she’d always envisioned the same. That or OBGYN. But she’d never told anyone else about her dreams.
What did it say about him that Brett had the same idea for her? Had they really been so much closer all those years ago that he would have picked up on hidden things about her? Things like dreams and desires that she hadn’t even known herself?
