Chapter Eight
The three numbers danced in front of her face as though mocking her. Seven, zero, zero. Seven in the evening and she was still sitting in front of her work computer staring at her last patient note, getting zilch accomplished. Every other one of her coworkers was long gone, having left almost two hours ago, as she should have.
Instead, she spent hours longer than usual on her daily documentation and she still wasn’t finished. Her mind wasn’t in the game. It was back in Snake’s room trying to decide why on earth she’d gone off on the obnoxious detective.
Sure, she had no intention of giving away patient information without a proper court mandate. And, sure, that Waters guy rubbed her the wrong way the moment he tried to appeal to her feminine side to get his way. But she easily could have shut them down without getting all riled up. Instead, she’d acted in an unprofessional manner and lost her cool in defense of her patient. And not just any patient. Nick, the hot, brooding man who was making her vibrator get more of a workout than it had in months.
Not like her at all.
Something about the man just got under her skin. She wanted to crack open his hard shell and learn what was buried inside. Which was totally stupid because she was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to handle what she’d find. There was something about a standoffish man that appealed to her on a primal level. Something about being the one to get through to his tough exterior was very tempting. But of course, in the fantasy there was a soft, almost romantic gooey center. She’d do well to remember it was just that, a fantasy. In all reality, what lay inside Nick’s shell was something that had gotten him beaten nearly to death. Something dark and dangerous.
After ten more minutes of clicking away on the keyboard, she exited the program and rubbed at a small ache between her eyes. Done. Finally.
She stretched her knotted back then grabbed her belongings, locked the office and headed down the hall. Home beckoned and she wished she could click her heels three times to avoid the drive.
At the end of the hallway, past the elevators, a light shone from an open door. Someone must have forgotten to close up the gym for the night. Unless, maybe the cleaning crew was in there? It wasn’t as though she was typically there late in the evening to know what time the room was cleaned.
No bother. She’d just take a quick peek and lock it up if it was empty. What was another five-minute delay at that point?
As she drew closer to the gym, she heard a low grunting following by a metal clanking. Was someone using the equipment? The last thing she wanted to find was some nurse working out when they should have been attending to their patients. It would put her in an awkward position she did not want to deal with. For a second, she considered turning around and leaving, but if someone ended up hurt, she’d never forgive herself. So, she pressed on.
Across the gym she spotted Nick. He had one hand on the walker he’d been issued and the other hand was replacing a dumbbell on the rack. He wore scrubs the hospital had provided since he didn’t have any clothing. Her heart sped at the sight of him and the knowledge that they were alone together in the gym. “Nick? What are you doing? How did you get in here?”
Hands on the walker, he shuffled toward her. “Hey, Amanda.”
Figured he’d ignore her questions. His relaxed posture and casual grin showed he wasn’t the least bit concerned about being busted in the gym after hours. But then, had she really ever believed him to be a rule follower?
She shook her head. “Do you come in here a lot?”
“Every night,” he said with a shrug.
“Hmm.” She chuckled. Sneaky man. “And here I thought you were making fast progress because I’m such a good therapist. Turns out, you’re cheating.”
He let out a hearty laugh and she was helpless to do anything but stare at him. It was the first time she’d heard the sound and she didn’t want it to be the last. It transformed his guarded and menacing features to a softer, more approachable man. “Um, how did you get in here. Wasn’t it locked?”
He sat on a raised mat, rubbing his left thigh, and cast her a wicked look. “Locks only keep out people who weren’t planning to come in in the first place.”
She held up her hands. “Say no more. I don’t want to know.”
He laughed again and she lit up like a Christmas tree. That sound combined with his sexy smile was murder on a woman’s hormones.
“You know I can’t leave you in here alone, right?”
With a shrug, he rose and hobbled toward the stationary bicycle. “So stay with me for a while.”
Stay. With him. After hours. With no one else in the therapy area. Not smart. And why the hell had he asked her to stay? Come to think of it, he may have spoken more words to her in the past three minutes than he had in the entire ten days they’d been working together.
“Okay, who are you and what have you done with the surly Nick Gould I’ve come to know and tolerate?” She put her hands on her hips and failed miserably at giving him a stern glare.
As he wrestled his injured leg into position on the bike, he cast her another of those wicked stares. Only this time there was heat in his gaze. Her pussy clenched and her breath caught in her lungs. If he really put his mind to it, the man would be impossible to resist.
“Well, it’ll be too late to do what I had planned anyway.” She had to be out of her mind. Was she really agreeing to this? “Half hour tops. There is such a thing as overdoing it, you know.” A little extra time on the bike wouldn’t put him over the edge. She sat on a rolling stool and pushed herself next to the bike. She’d gotten in the habit of giving him space when he worked, but tonight he seemed to be in the mood to talk and she was beyond curious about him. Maybe this was a chance to find out a few things.
“What was it?” he asked as he started a slow circular motion with his legs.
“Keep your knee pointing straight up toward the ceiling.” She gestured toward his position on the bike. “What was what?”
He readjusted the leg and grunted as the correct muscles kicked into gear and forced him to work harder. “What were you going to do tonight?”
“Oh, big plans. I had a date to rip up some carpet. But I guarantee I will not be in the mood for manual labor by the time I get home tonight.”
He grunted a response. “You doing some work on your place?”
“Kinda. My grandmother left me quite a bit of property when she passed. It has three houses on it. The main house, where I live, and two smaller cabins. The property sits right on the lake, and she used to rent the cabins to vacationers. They’re in desperate need of work, but I’m hoping to get them in good enough condition to rent them out again.”
“You doin’ the work yourself?”
She snorted out a laugh. “Some. What my limited time, limited skills, and YouTube acquired knowledge allow. Really, I’m looking to hire someone to do the parts I can’t, new roof, cabinet repair, some other structural changes, things like that, but it’s a bit out of my budget right now. You know anything about home repair?” The easy flow of conversation was almost unsettling after ten days of stilted silence and one word answers.
“I do, actually,” he said. “My old man ran a construction company until he died. Worked with him all through my teen years. Kept at it after he passed until I got into…other things.”
Other things. If that wasn’t code for illegal things, she’d eat her scrubs. Time to change the subject. “So, uh, looks like they’re planning your discharge for a week from today.”
He kept his gaze on her as he pedaled, his technique perfect since she’d made the minor adjustment. Being the subject of his focus was intense and she had to work not to squirm in her seat. He seemed to have a way of looking into her instead of just at her. She was hyperaware of him, just feet away from her, his muscles flexing and relaxing as he rode. He’d put some weight back on and it looked good on him. Too good. Drool-worthy good.
“That’s right. No offense, Amanda, but I can’t wait to get the fuck out of here.”
Amanda. That was the second time he’d said her name that evening and spoken in that rough voice. It made goosebumps pop up all along her skin as though his fingers were trailing along it instead of just the rasp of his words. Clearly, she’d lost her mind. “Where will you go? Being that you’re homeless and all.” She couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice and he laughed a deep, hearty laugh.
“Not sure, yet.” He winked. “Don’t worry about me, babe. I’ll figure it out.”
“Babe? Really?” Had he had a brain transplant in the past few hours?
He shrugged. “You’re off the clock, aren’t you?”
“I suppose I am.” Was that why he seemed so different tonight? Because she wasn’t technically working?
The bicycle beeped and Nick slowed until he was no longer pedaling. “Gimme a hand?”
She stood and held out a hand to assist him off the bike. His palm was rough, his grip strong as he used her for support. After he’d dismounted, he sat on a mat table and rested. “I think I’ll stick around town for a while. Maybe look for some temporary work.”
An idea formed in her head and was out of her mouth before she had even begun to process what a truly horrible idea it was. “You know, you could stay in one of my cabins.”
What. The. Hell.
Alarm bells went off in her head, blaring like a siren. Where the heck were those bells ten seconds ago, before she’d opened her big mouth? There couldn’t be a worse idea. Invite the sexy, mysterious, probably dangerous man whose name she was convinced wasn’t even real to live on her property. What happened to street smarts? Stranger danger?
“Stay in your cabin?”
Despite the screaming in her head, her mouth kept going. “I mean in exchange for work. You know, repairs on the cabin. I realize you won’t be able to do any roofing or such right away, but for as long as you plan to stick around you can have a free place to sleep and maybe I can get some free labor.”
His face grew serious, much like what she’d come to expect from him the past ten days and he stared at her. She’d give her left arm to be inside his head, weighing through whatever he was considering.
Seconds ticked by and she held her breath waiting for an answer. If he said no, it would feel too much like a personal rejection.
He stood up from the mat and closed the five steps between them without the aid of his walker. He towered over her when they were both standing, but as she still sat on the stool, she had to tilt her head way back to see his face. Power radiated from him. This was not a man to be toyed with, and he wasn’t even in top fighting form. A shiver raced up her spine as she imagined what he’d been like before he was assaulted.
“I’ll give you one chance to change your mind before I say yes.”
Change your mind. Change your mind. The rational side of her was fighting a losing battle against the part of her that was inexplicably drawn to this man. Heat radiated from him and she had to clench her muscles to keep from rubbing against him like a cat. His gray eyes bore into her, smoldering with desire. If he moved to her property would she be able to keep her distance?
“I made the offer. I won’t take it back.”
“Then I accept. Thank you.” He stepped away and reached for his walker. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he called over his shoulder as he started the slow trip back to his room.
In about an hour, when she was home, on her couch with a glass of wine and an unappetizing lean cuisine freezer meal, she’d regret the impulsive offer.
Now? Well now her heart beat a rapid, eager rhythm and her traitorous body hummed with unwarranted excitement. She looked down between her legs, where her sex pulsed as though reminding her it was empty and there was an attractive man nearby. “Knock it off,” she whispered to her crotch.
Oh my God. She was talking to her lady parts. She really had lost her sense. With a laugh, she dropped her face into her hands.
What the heck had she just gotten herself into?