BOUND TO PROTECT
Sizzling Nights, 1
Alyssa Fox
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
Katie Thomas stood in line waiting to get a grande mocha latte. She glanced at her watch: less than fifteen minutes to get to the hospital on time. In four years of working there, she’.
“Are you getting impatient waiting in line?” A deep voice rang out behind her, sending shivers racing down her spine.
Looking over her shoulder, Katie met the deep, sea-green gaze of none other than Chad Davis. Her breath caught in her throat when his lips curled into a smile. The way the scrubs hugged his body had her wishing for a fan to cool her off. A hint of muscles peeked out from the form-fitting shirt he wore. She’d never noticed that he had a tattoo inked on one bicep as well. What she wouldn’t give to see it. A picture of it formed in her mind, and Katie wondered if it ran up his arm and down his muscular back, or if it were smaller and easier to hide.
“Excuse me?”
“It’s not like you can’t send your interns running in terror to get your coffee for you.”
“I never do that to my interns. I’m not mean like you. Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m running a little late this morning.”
Sure, he was good-looking, but that was about it in her book. His playboy ways were known all over the hospital. He’d dated half the nursing staff, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. It seemed like he’d never date one girl too long before moving on to someone else. That had been her plan too, but she just hadn’t worked up the courage.
With a roll of her eyes, Katie turned back around, just in time to move two more places in line.
“What, had a full night of rolling around in the sheets with your lover?”
Glancing over her shoulder, she levelled him with a glare. “That’s none of––”
“Ma’am, what can I get you?” the blond-haired barista behind the counter asked.
“I’ll take a grande mocha frappe.”
Who did Chad think he was? If she weren’t such a lady, she’d punch him. Thankfully, they worked in separate parts of the hospital, for the most part, unless a bad trauma case came in and he was called down to help. Maybe today she’d get lucky and he wouldn’t be in her area at all. Katie paid for her drink and hurried out the door. “Since you didn’t answer my question, I’ll take it you haven’t gotten lucky in the past month. You still have a stick up your ass.”
“Why don’t you go talk to someone who actually wants to talk to you?” How had he gotten his coffee so fast? Katie had hoped to be able to get on the elevator before he made his way out.
“Believe me, if I’d been in your bed last night...” Chad brushed his knuckles against her arm as his lips came closer to her ear. His voice dropped to a sexy growl, “…you’d be so satisfied from the sensation of my cock inside you, you wouldn’t be able to walk or stop smiling.”
Tingles swirled around where his knuckles brushed against her arm. Katie drew in a breath as images of them rolling around in the sheets danced across her mind.
“I bet you liked the thought of that.”
“Oh, please, I’d never be with you in that way. You’re not my type.”
“You could have fooled me.”
Chad winked as he walked away, and Katie’s heartbeat raced faster than before. Who was she trying to kid? She was attracted to him, and just her luck, he could tell that he had some kind of an effect on her. Lifting the cup to her lips, she smelled the sweet aroma and took a sip. Her arm still tingled from his touch as she stepped onto the elevator. Next time, she’d have to be careful to not let him affect her.
The grey box jerked to life as it made its descent to the first floor. For the first time since working in the ER, she prayed it would be busy today to keep her mind off Chad, the sexy doctor who showed up in more than one of her midnight fantasies.
Thanks to her ex-boyfriend, it had been more than four years since she’d been in a serious relationship. A cold chill washed over her body at the memory of the jerk that had almost killed her. Shaking her head, Katie forced the thought away. Nothing good would come from dwelling on the past. If the incident taught her anything, it was to stay in the present and live for today. And also, that men were jerks, and she didn’t need one in her life to complicate things.
Katie stepped out of the elevator and turned the corner before stopping to input her entry code. After keying in the numbers, she took a breath to clear her mind before walking into the ER. The last thing she needed was to be unfocused. Dealing with trauma cases required clarity.
****
Chad turned the corner, still smiling at the way Katie had taken in a sharp breath after they’d spoken. He’d focused on her for the past four fucking years, and she wouldn’t say more than a few words to him except in trauma situations. She’d talk, but it was all work. If only Katie knew how much he ached to touch her, how the hairs on his skin stood at attention when she walked into a room, and how hard he had to concentrate when she was around. Her curly blonde hair framed around her heart-shaped face. God help him, he couldn’t breathe when Katie’s blue gaze turned in his direction.
If he’d been thinking, he’d have told her brother that he couldn’t keep an eye on her. It had been four years and the asshole who’d been after her hadn’t resurfaced, so maybe it would be best to give the job of watching Katie over to someone else.
Chad walked into the locker room.
“Hey, man,” said Kyle.
“Hi. I thought you were off today.” Chad crossed the room to his locker, grabbed the pager and clipped it to his scrubs. They had sat across from one another, and he’d caught her looking his way more than once. One of those times her breathing hitched when she'd noticed his attention.
“I got called in. I didn’t want to leave my nice warm bed and Erin.”
Chad chuckled. “I don’t need details. Not after the way you two couldn’t keep your hands off one another last night.”
“What’s up with you and Katie?” Kyle asked as he slipped his shirt on.
“Nothing. Why?” The question caught him off guard. Kyle wasn’t one to talk about relationships. Leaning a shoulder against his locker, Chad crossed his arms. He had to hear this one, because he’d bet anything it was Erin who wanted to know. Good grief, that woman would play matchmaker the first chance she got.
“Erin asked me if I knew anything. She saw you two staring at one another quite a bit last night. And no doubt she’ll be calling Katie to ask her later today.”
“Tell your wife it’s nothing. I’ve got to go and make some rounds. I’ll catch you later.”
If he didn’t want others catching on that he had a thing for Katie, he had to be more careful. Right now wasn’t the time to start a relationship—that was a complication he didn’t need ever again. He’d gone down that route once already, and what had it gotten him? Nothing but a fucking broken heart. Chad’s stomach rolled at the thought of his ex-fiancée, April. She’d called off their wedding two months before they were supposed to get married. No way did he need to relive that.
Four years later, things were going well in his life. He’d moved on and decided all he needed was to have a good time. That included dating women for no more than six months. If he stayed with them any longer, they’d get to talking about taking the next step, wedding bells, and kids. Chad sure as hell didn’t need that in his life. Not again. At least he let the women know up front he wasn’t looking for a relationship, just a good time. That way no one got hurt.
He really shouldn’t hope some ER cases came in just so he’d be able to see Katie again today, but he wanted to ask her out for supper. Maybe by taking her out and sleeping her out of his system, his life would go back to normal. At least, that’s what Chad hoped would happen, though his gut told him that probably wouldn’t work. There was something special about Katie, and although Chad wasn’t sure what it was, he felt it deep inside.
His cell phone rang. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. This couldn’t be good. It was Katie’s brother, Alex, and he only called once a month for an update. Uneasiness crept into Chad's stomach. Alex knew better than to call during Chad’s shift. Her brother knew his work schedule, so this had to be an emergency.
Chad stepped into an on-call room and locked the door, knowing he’d need privacy for this conversation. “What’s up, man?”
“About fucking time you answered your damn phone. He’s left, and from what I can gather it was two days ago. I’ve got a guy following him, but they got into a gun battle. He’s there in your city. The guy I had keeping tabs on him said he’s in your area.”
“Shit, thanks for the update. I’ll make sure she’s safe.” Chad raked a hand through his hair as his muscles tightened. Tension settled into his neck. He couldn’t tell Alex he no longer wanted to keep an eye on Katie.
“You better become glued to her side, and I don’t give a fuck how you do it. Don’t let her out of your sight. I’ll call you later once I know more.”
“You got it,” Chad shut the phone.
Chad opened the door. The need to check on Katie, to make sure her asshole ex wasn’t anywhere near her, overwhelmed him. She’d be safe in the hospital, and knowing her brother, he’d call in some more security to keep her safe.
****
Katie placed the chart into the holder as the sliding doors to the ER opened. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end like little needles pricking her skin. She didn’t need to turn around to know something wasn’t right. When she turned, John Moore faced her. No, it couldn’t be him. How did Alex’s fellow officer end up here? Last she heard from her brother they were working an hour away, so if he was here this couldn’t be good. . Blood stained his shirt and ran down his hands. From the looks of it, he’d been shot.
“John, what happened?” she asked.
Before he could answer, he fell to the ground. His hand clasped her foot and cold shivers rushed across her body. A flurry of activity went on, and for a moment she wasn’t sure what was happening. Would John notice it was her, even though she’d dyed her hair blonde and grown it out? Her heart raced at what might have happened to get him shot. Were they trailing after Kaden again?
“Someone page Dr. Davis. Our patient is going to need surgery. Now!”
She cleaned the wound and placed a dressing to add pressure until Chad arrived.
So much for not seeing him anymore today.
For some reason, a peaceful feeling overcame her as her thoughts drifted to Chad. For the life of her, she wasn’t sure why, but it only lasted a moment. The uneasiness settled back into her stomach and stayed there like an anchor. Katie had to call her brother and let him know what had happened.
They’d done all they could to keep her safe: changed her name and the color and style of her hair, and done everything to destroy the link to her old self. John had stayed with her for three weeks while her brothers had gone after her ex-boyfriend. John and she became close friends during that time. He was someone she could go to, besides her brothers, and Katie knew he’d be there for her and would keep her safe. She closed her eyes in a futile attempt to ward off the memories.
John entered and leaned against the doorframe. Katie hadn’t seen him come back inside, but had felt his presence. He held up his hands, showing her the bandages, scissors and tape for changing her dressing.
“Hey kiddo, whatcha thinking so hard about?” He pulled away from the door, moving to kneel before her.
John cupped her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Stop beating yourself up over this –– you did nothing wrong. Someone needed to get you out of that situation. Look at what he did to you.”
“I know, but…” Her voice trailed off. At times, it had felt like guilt would eat a hole right through her. On some level, she knew he was right. She couldn’t remember much after the attack. She had awakened to her brothers and Alex’s team standing guard in her room. Now all of them except John were out there, looking to bring down Kaden. John had been voted as the one to stay back, and keep her safe, until her brothers returned.
“No buts, and stop worrying about them. Now lift your shirt. It’s time for me to change the dressing.”
She hated anyone seeing her scar, but he’d never made a big deal about it. He changed her bandage quickly.
John was a strong man. To look at him lying there, no one would have known that. His face was pale; he drifted in and out of consciousness. She’d been safe for four years, and now her past threatened to take that away. Katie sensed something else was wrong with John besides the gunshot wound.
“Do you know where you are?”
“No, what happened?”
“You’ve been shot and you’re at the hospital. Can you tell me your name?”
Katie hoped her voice was level, and not shaking like her insides were. She prayed he knew his name and that this wasn’t more serious.
“Renee.” His fingers slipped around her wrist and tightened.
“I’m sorry. I’m Dr. Richardson.” She couldn’t answer to her real name around the people with whom she worked. They didn’t know about her changing her name, or anything else for that matter. She nodded, making sure he saw her.
John gave her a faint smile and tightened his grip even more, and as he jerked her toward him, he whispered in her ear. “Call Alex. Tell him Kaden is here looking for you.”
The breath left her lungs. He couldn’t be after her again––not after all she’d sacrificed to start over. Deep down, Katie already knew the answer, yet she had to ask. “Who shot you?”
“K-K-Kaden.” John coughed and scrunched his face. He had to be in pain. He cupped her cheek.
“No. Call Alex. You need to get somewhere safe. Just take this motherfucking bullet out, and I’ll take you out of here.”
“Rest, let us do our work, and you’ll be out of here in no time. I’ll call him.” John was the same stubborn man she’d always known. Where he thought he was going tonight, Katie had no clue. There was no way he would be out of here so quickly.
The door slid open as Chad entered. He looked right at her, and Katie saw his expression turn to stone as his gaze slid down to where John held her wrist in his grasp.
“Take your hands off her,” Chad said as he moved to her side.
“Make sure you call him.” John looked in her eyes as he spoke.
“I won’t say this again: Take your hands off her. Nurse, get me a sedative for the patient.” Chad slipped a hand around Katie’s waist as his other hand slid up her arm, setting off sparks as he moved closer to her wrist. He gripped the patient’s hand and pried the fingers from hers. The force knocked Katie off balance, and she fell back into Chad’s chest. She let out the breath she’d been holding as Chad’s arms tightened around her, and he led her from the room as the nurse inserted a needle into John’s arm.
The sensations that had overtaken her at Chad’s touch had to be from the adrenaline rush that washed over her body. Katie told herself it couldn’t be from anything else.
Chad led her into another examination room, shutting the door behind them before he faced her.
“Katie, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine, and I really need to get back to work.”
“Do you know the guy back there?”
“It’s really none of your business.”
He took a step forward and closed the space between them. Her heart thudded against her chest at his closeness. Chad slipped a hand on her arm, forcing her breath to stall once again. His gaze darkened. His attention lingered on her lips before glancing at her chest, then back to her lips. She knew he’d seen the way her breathing had picked up from the moment he touched her. With one more, quick step, he pulled her close and fused his lips to hers. Warmth raced over her body as parts of her hummed to life that had been quiet for the last four years. Hell, make that ever. She’d never felt this when she’d kissed a man before.
With his mouth in possession of hers, Chad delved his tongue further, forcing Katie to open willingly to him and his touch. His hand slid up, cupping her hip and pulling her tight against his body. She fisted her hands in his scrubs. Need pooled deep within her at the sensations being forced to the surface. The room spun as she moaned into the kiss. When Chad pulled away, she wanted to tug him back to her, to feel him everywhere around her. But that would be so wrong.
.
“Why did you do that?”
“Why not? You seemed to enjoy it.”
“I’ve got to go. The patient needs to have the bullet taken out.”
Katie stepped away from Chad. Although she regretted the loss of contact, she had to call her brother and let him know what had happened. She still had four hours left of her twelve-hour shift, and she wasn’t going to shirk her duties. Once out of the room, Katie headed to the lounge and pulled out her phone to call her brother, Alex.