Chapter Four
Katie’s eyes slit open and she tried to take in her surroundings. A warm body pressed against hers, one beefy arm thrown across her stomach. She tried to remember where she was. Turning, she pried her eyes open wider and her breath caught. Muscles all over protested with each movement she made. Everything that had happened rushed back. Chad and the words he’d whispered, making her beg for each of her orgasms. She couldn’t be here when he woke up. Fear crept in that he’d already gotten past the concrete wall she had placed to protect herself. But to give herself fully to him again? Well, it just couldn’t happen.
She lifted his arm and slipped out of the bed. For now she had to forget about the soreness. Oh, but what a good feeling it was! She bent, grabbed her shorts, and slipped them on before pulling on the shirt. Turning once again to see the rise and fall of Chad’s chest as he lay sprawled across the bed. His golden, tanned skin called out to her to be touched. She followed the outline of his legs, up to a narrow waist, to the broad shoulders that rippled with muscles. A tattoo wrapped around his right bicep. Katie wasn’t sure what it was of, but damned if she didn’t want to know, just like she wanted to trace the lines with her tongue.
Stop that right now.
Katie stuffed her bra and thong into her pocket. Picking up her shoes, she quietly walked out of his bedroom. She’d never had a one-night stand. Complication wasn’t something she needed right now. For once, it would be nice if things weren’t so crazy. Chad had looked so relaxed sleeping. She’d give anything to feel relaxed just once, for more than two seconds.
She slowly turned the locks, pausing only for a second between each click. One last check down the hallway: nothing but the sounds of a sexy man, sleeping. For the first time in many years, she felt refreshed, as if she had gotten more than a couple hours of sleep. The last thing she could recall was Chad pulling her close, and then nothing but the bliss of sleep. For how many hours, Katie wasn’t sure. No nightmares last night. On a certain level it scared her, even as she tried to tell herself that it meant nothing. But the fact remained she’d been so comfortable with Chad she’d finally fallen asleep for more than a couple of hours without the nightmares starting once again.
Coldness from the concrete walkway sent a shiver across her body, forcing Katie to pick up her pace. Her phone rang from the other side of the door. Quickly, she unlocked the door, shutting it before picking up the cell. By the time she answered, whoever had called had hung up. She glanced at the caller ID display: ‘Unknown Number’. She tossed the phone on the couch and headed into the shower, turning on the hot water to let it warm up.
Katie moved into her bedroom, discarded her clothing and grabbed her scrubs. The clock read five a.m. Crap. She had less than forty-five minutes to get ready for work. She headed back into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. Warm water washed over her body, helping to ease the soreness. At least there was work to think about, except what she wanted to do was to head back over to Chad’s apartment, climb into bed, and feel his arms around her again.
Something about him made her feel safe. That shouldn’t be happening, considering her past relationships. And to top it off, a man who was into bondage, a dominant. That alone should have her running away as fast as her feet would carry her. But quite the opposite was happening, and she wanted to experience more.
Yeah, no doubt about it now, she was screwed.
As her mind thought back to everything they’d done last night, need pooled deep in her stomach and loins. The words Chad whispered while driving deep inside her lit her up again. “You look beautiful when you moan while coming. You like being cuffed to my bed, don’t you?”
Katie fumbled with the knob for the cold water and twisted it all the way to the left. Ice cold water rushed across her body. She left it on for a moment, hoping it would drown out the heat that had crept in at the thought of having Chad inside her again. Her body started to tremble. She turned off the shower and reached for her towel. The best thing would be to forget about last night and remain focused on work.
At least for a night she’d been able to forget about the real threat that lurked outside. For a night someone had cared for her. Katie had been given something—the enjoyment of sex that had been taken from her so long ago––and now knew that with the right guy, she could be happy again. All she had to do was be patient.
But that man couldn’t be Chad. He represented everything she was running from. It wasn't that she and Kaden had tried bondage; they hadn’t. He was just a controlling asshole. But Chad was into having control in the bedroom, and out of bed as well.
Stepping into her shoes, Katie gathered her hair into a messy ponytail and headed to the living room, only to stop for a moment to pick up her purse and text her brother Alex.
I’m headed to work. Don’t worry about me. I’ll text you when I get off later.
xoxo
No thank you, she sure as hell didn’t need a controlling man. Something tugged deep within her as she shut the door to her apartment. Deep down she knew what happened between her and Chad wouldn’t be easy to forget. Last night he’d gotten past her barriers, and as a result, she feared she’d never be the same.
****
Chad couldn’t believe he had awakened to an empty bed. He should have heard her get up and leave. He wasn’t sure when she'd left, but vowed to find out later on. He tossed his empty coffee cup into the trash. The pager that was always permanently clipped to his side sounded over the chatter of nurses talking in the lounge. Unfastening it, Chad looked at the display. It was the Emergency Department, and it must be bad news, as it went off two more times in quick succession.
Chad rushed down three flights of stairs, jerking open the heavy door and stopping for a moment to catch his breath. The sight of platinum-colored hair caught his attention as he ambled to the desk. At least he knew Katie was working today, and he made a mental note to try to talk to her once this trauma was taken care of.
“Someone call for a trauma consult?”
“Yes, Dr. Davis, room two called for you.” The perky brown-haired nurse leaned forward, trying her best to thrust her fake boobs in his direction, but they did nothing for him. Shit, he must need to get his eyes checked. Twenty-four hours ago that would have had him thinking of ways to get her on a date. He would have flirted with her a few times and then once he’d seen his patient, come back to ask her to dinner.
Today, there was no desire to do that. She placed her fake manicured hand on his shoulder and ran her hand down his arm as she stepped closer, batting her eyelashes at him. He took a step back and her hand dropped away.
“Thank you.”
Chad went to the room that had paged him. Running a hand through his hair, he tried to shake away what had just happened, knowing that if it had been Katie he wouldn’t have minded the caress at all. He’d awakened this morning aching to take her again before work, but had reached out for her only to discover an empty space. Chad hoped that she’d been affected as deeply as he had, because the way things had gone between them, he knew one night wouldn’t be enough.
“What do we have here?”
“A ten-year-old male named Adam came in presenting pain in his hip area. His mother witnessed his fall off a skateboard. The x-ray shows a dislocation. I need help with popping it back into place. I’ve tried a few times, and can’t get enough pressure to get it in place.”
Chad cringed on the inside. For a moment he watched the little boy who lay in the bed, trying with all his might to not show that he was in pain. Chad had seen this before, and knew that wasn’t the case. The boy was hurting more than he wanted to let on.
Awareness slammed into him as Katie cleared her way through the small room. Two nurses stood in her way, and she narrowed her gaze at him. ? Everything within him throbbed at the sight of her. He watched as Katie flipped through the chart, breaking their contact.
“Let’s take him up to the OR and get the hip back into place.”
“I suggested that, but he’d rather do it down here, with his mother close by.”
As he stepped closer, Chad noted the fear in the mother’s eyes. It had to be hard for her to sit there and watch her son go through this kind of pain.
“Mrs. Donald, it would be best if we take him upstairs and do this. I know he wants to be brave and have you here. I don’t recommend that. When I pop it back it place, it will be a very painful experience. I’ve seen grown men pass out. I can make this easier on him if I put him to sleep before we do this. When he wakes up it will be over, and I’ll give him something for the pain.”
The woman looked at her son and then back at Chad before sighing, which caused relief to wash over her features. “If you think that would be best, then let’s do that.” Turning to her son, she patted his arm with a gentle hand. “I know you want me there, but it will be best to do as the doctors have suggested. I promise I’ll be right here when you come back.” She kissed his cheek before moving out of the way.
“I’ll let you know as soon as we are finished. It shouldn’t take long.” Chad pressed down on the lock to the bed as Katie walked to the other side and pulled up the bed rail.
They walked without talking in the hallway. He noticed Katie glance his way a few times. Once this patient was in recovery, they would talk. He’d make damn sure of that. A lot of things needed to be said between them. No way would he let her out of his grasp. She was special to him, and yet he couldn’t explain why. It was a gut feeling, and never before had following his instincts led him wrong.
The boy raised his hand, placing it onto one of Katie’s. Chad watched as she turned her attention to the young patient. With her other hand she covered his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Sweetheart, everything is going to be fine. Dr. Davis is a good doctor. He’s going to have you fixed before you know it.” Katie looked up and smiled at him.
The small gesture caused Chad’s heart to slam against his chest. Her cheeks rose high, and her eyes danced in the light when she smiled. For a moment, he was mesmerized.
“Does it hurt to be put to sleep? I mean, is it like when they do that to a dog or cat?” Adam whispered.
“No, it’s not the same thing at all. The medicine will make you sleepy like you get before going to bed at night. Then Dr. Davis will pop your hip back into place and put a cast on before you wake up. You won’t feel a thing at all. When you wake up, everything will be over. Your mom will be in recovery to see you.”
“Okay.”
“What color cast would you like?” Chad asked.
“You mean I get to pick?” A small smile formed.
“Yes, you get to pick.”
“Green.”
“Then green it is, sport.” Chad smiled down at him. He saw how Adam looked at him, and smiled at the way he’d gotten Adam’s mind off what they had to do and made him relax.
Katie brushed the hair from Adam’s face as the doors to the elevator opened, and they wheeled him through the double doors into the operation room. As if on cue they both lowered the handrails. “Adam, this might hurt a little bit, but we have to move you. On the count of three, we'll lift you onto the table. One…two…three.”
They moved on to the routine of washing hands while the anesthesiologist put Adam to sleep. Now that Chad stood in the small space with Katie, he smelled her vanilla scent, and thought about what he wouldn’t give to kiss those lush lips. If he had any say in the matter, there would be a lot of that happening again, and soon.
Chad reached up to grab some gloves, and Katie’s hand brushed against his. Energy zinged between them and the force of the sensation caused him to pull back. Lifting his head, Chad caught the heat in her expression and knew she had felt the connection as well. He watched as her chest rose and fell and her breath caught. Taking a step closer and reaching out, Chad pulled Katie flush against his body. “Do you even know what your touch does to me?” he said.
Katie gasped, her mouth opening slightly, and rested her hands against his chest. “No.” The whisper fell from her mouth as she zeroed in on his lips, before pulling back to his face.
“It makes me burn so damn bad. I’ve got images of bending you over this sink and taking you right here, right now, running through my mind.” She trembled in his arms. He pressed his foot between her legs, spreading them with his knee. With a curse he leaned in and took possession of her mouth, while pressing a hand under her ass to push her closer.
Katie moaned into his mouth.
Chad didn’t know why he couldn't get Katie out of his system. He got hard whenever she walked into a room. She didn’t need to say a word to him, just her presence did that. It had been this way for four years, and he’d hoped it would eventually go away. Now, that seemed unlikely. Sure, he’d had hard-ons before, plenty of times when a good-looking woman had walked into a room. But this had never happened before, and now he was so hard he could pound concrete. He knew something was different about Katie.
He continued to devour her mouth, taking in the moan that slipped from her lips. Her arms slid around his neck as her body relaxed into him. Just the way he liked her, relaxed and so responsive, unlike she was at other times. Chad could feel her arousal down into his toes, and need tightened in his stomach. Pulling back, he rested his forehead against hers as their breathing labored. Katie’s emerald eyes turned darker.
“What was that?”
“A kiss, babe.” Chad threaded his hands through her hair. He wanted to kiss her again, but he had to put Adam’s hip back into place. He silently vowed to kiss her again the next time they were alone.
“Chad.” She slipped out of his grasp and braced her hands on the sink, her head turned down and her hair cascading over her face. “We can’t do that again. I can’t be who you want.” Quickly, she washed her hands and moved back into the operating room.
Air left his lungs, making him feel like he’d taken a blow to the chest. Katie hadn’t given him a chance to say anything before darting out of the room. He knew she was what he needed in the bedroom. The scared part of her was talking. That was to be expected after what she’d been through. He couldn’t let her think otherwise. Chad vowed that sometime soon he’d find her and talk this through.
Drying his hands, he headed into the OR where Katie stood at Adam’s head with her face wrinkled into a worried expression. He’d think of a way to change that as soon as they finished here, provided no other emergencies came in. Chad rounded his way to the end of the table and stood at the little boy’s feet.
“I need you to hold his shoulders down and keep him as rigid as you can.”
Katie nodded and moved into position. After three tries, he slipped the hip into place and placed the cast. An hour later, they left the operating suite to take Adam back to recovery. He woke as they got him there, and Chad slipped out of the room after speaking with his mother.
He walked down the hallway and saw Katie at the nurse’s station, leaning a hip against the counter. She laughed, her head thrown back. The huskiness of her voice wrapped around him, causing his gut to tighten. He loved the way her voice turned deep when she laughed.
“Dr. Thomas, I need to speak with you.”
“Sure. What do you need?”
You under me, writhing and screaming out my name. “I think it’s best if we talk in the lounge.”
Her eyes narrowed and her chest rose, making him wonder what color bra she wore underneath those scrubs. Maybe a black one with lace, like the night before, or a red one. He wanted to find out. Soon.
He closed the door after she entered and took in the room, making sure no one was around so they could talk in private. “Why did you leave this morning?”
“Chad, let’s not do this. Okay?”
“That’s not going to work.” He stepped forward and closed the space between them even more. “Talk to me, Katie. Why did you leave? And what did you mean back there, that you’re not who I need you to be?”
“Last night shouldn’t have happened. Things are too crazy in my life right now.” She crossed her arms across her chest and took a deep breath, like she was trying to relax her nerves. “I’m not made for what you want in the bedroom.”
Chad took the last step and brought her so close his chest touched her arm. Awareness spread like hot liquid from the contact, coursing through the rest of his body. “Honey, I know what you said about last night is a lie. I saw the way you came unglued every time you would come.” She trembled in his arms. “I also know you’re made for what I want in the bedroom. You're just not ready to believe it for yourself.”
“You don’t understand, Chad. I can never let a man boss me around again.” She lowered her gaze.
With a gentle hand, he lifted her chin to look at him. He understood all too well what she meant. She was putting him in the same category as her asshole of an ex, Kaden, and he’d be damned if he’d let her do that. He’d do anything to show her that he was nothing like that jerk. “I understand what you’re saying. All I’m asking is for you to trust me. Let’s see where this goes for the two of us.” Her lips so were close, all he had to do was move a fraction of an inch and he could claim them. Her eyes searched his, and they seemed to soften for a moment before fear crept into them again.
“I’m sorry. I can’t.” Katie stepped back and headed out of the lounge.
****
Turning him down was harder than Katie ever thought possible. If she had been weak, she would have leaned into his embrace and kissed him, but never again could she give him control like she had last night. Katie knew she’d done the right thing to tell him they couldn’t do that ever again. Still, she felt like shit for making that decision.
Looking at the clock across the room, she saw only ten minutes left in her shift. Then it was home to take a nice long bubble bath with a glass of wine, and watch a movie. That sounded wonderful, except she promised Erin she’d meet her and Kyle for dinner. Erin had said she had something to tell her, and it couldn’t wait. Well, a night out would work as well as anything to make her forget about Chad and her other problems for one night.
“Oh, Katie, this box came for you,” Nancy, one of the nurses said, as she handed her the parcel.
“Thank you.” She set it on the counter, untied the bow, and then lifted the lid. A card sat on top of the tissue paper. Pulling the card out, she had to read it twice before it registered.
How was the pizza last night?
Her skin crawled as if tiny spiders walked across her arms. Her stomach fell to her feet. Carefully, she opened the tissue paper to find a single black rose. Tossing everything into the trash, she headed to the lounge. Memories flooded her mind, including the one of the first time he’d hit her. They had been heading home after a cookout at her brother Kevin’s house. An old friend from school had come and talked to her. Kaden had said they needed to leave, and the guy gave her a hug. She hadn’t known anything was amiss until they were in his truck and halfway home.
Kaden had drilled her on who the guy was and how she could flirt with him. They argued, and for the life of her she couldn’t figure out what she’d done that was so wrong.
“Did you go out with him? Have you fucked him?” Kaden spat at her.
“No. We just went to school together. What’s the matter with you?”
“You and your damn flirting with other men.”
“You know, I’m sick of your damn mood swings. Take me back to Kevin’s. I can’t deal with you and your craziness anymore.”
Katie’s head flung back as it hit the window. The sting would be burned in her mind forever. With tears in her eyes, she looked at Kaden. She couldn’t believe he’d hit her. Sure, she’d seen him lose his temper before, but he’d never been physical with her. Ever.
“Oh, Renee. I’m so sorry.” He pulled the truck off the side of the road and pulled her into his chest. She struggled against him. “I didn’t mean to do that. It will never happen again.”
But it had, many times. Now, he’d found her again, and she wondered if she’d ever be safe. Damn Kaden.