Page 66 of Her Wicked Plan

Veronica might have written a script in her head to deal with these situations. In case someone approaches her on the street, maybe someone from school, and asks her about what she did or didn’t do. Her parents must have drilled some response in her brain.

“You never told me you came from a wealthy family.” I slip backward into my chair, not wanting to take notes. Whatever she says will pick up on the recorder, and I can take notes later.

“Because it wasn’t a big deal.” As I relax in my chair, Veronica is almost on the edge of her seat. “Do you come from a wealthy family, Leo? I mean, you went to school and became a doctor.”

“I paid my way through college.” It’s not the answer she wanted, but it’s the truth.

I always told them no, no matter how often my parents offered to pay for my education. We weren’t struggling, but we also weren’t swimming in money.

What my parents made went to bills, putting food on the table, and ensuring my sister and I had decent clothes every year. There was no way I was taking a penny from them. They already did so much for me.

She sits there and watches me for a moment. “How did you earn that much money to make it through college?”

With how she approaches the question, I can sense some true curiosity in her tone. “I had multiple jobs. Some semesters, I took morning classes, worked right after those at one job, and once that job finished, I went to another.”

“When did you have time for homework?”

“After my second job. I stayed up late to study and get all my work done. Once my clinicals came into play, keeping a job on the side was harder, but I managed.” College was the hardest and most exhausting time of my life. Looking back, though, I wouldn’t change a thing because of where I am today. I’m doing what I love and getting a hefty paycheck for it.

“That sounds awful.” Her lip curls in disgust. “When did you have any free time?”

“The weekends mostly,” I respond. “If I didn’t have a shift and my classwork was all caught up, my buddy and I would go out for the night. Let off some steam.”

Veronica’s lip twitches into a ghost of a smile. “You mean you went out, got drunk, and had sex with a random girl?” Her hand flies to her mouth as a gasp passes her lips. “Dr. Madden! How promiscuous of you.”

A breathy laugh escapes me. “That’s pretty much why most people even go to college.”

“What I would give to have experienced that firsthand.” Her head tips back in a groan but then snaps back to look at me. “What type of girls did you go for when you were out getting drunk?”

I overshared. Bringing up my past was a huge mistake. “That seems irrelevant.”

“Does it?” She smirks, getting up from her chair and wandering around the desk. At first, I think she will sit on it, the same way she did the other day, but she walks to the window. “We were just talking about you getting laid.”

“And now we are done talking about it.” Her eyes furrow in confusion, making me stand up to look out the window.

It’s another cloudy day. The view of the lake seems eerie, with the fog hovering over the water.

A few raindrops have hit the windowpane, and the leaves on the trees are moving wildly due to the incoming wind. It’s going to storm, which is my favorite type of weather. There is something about thunderstorms that are calming.

As I stare at the landscape out the window, I find nothing too appealing. At least I don’t see what Veronica is paying full attention to. With her eyes trained on the landscape below, I take this time to gaze at her.

Her lips separate as she breathes lightly. Her brown eyes relax as she continues to watch whatever she sees outside. The slope of her nose is the perfect little swoop.

How have I not noticed before? The freckles that line her nose and cheek appear more prominent even though she hasn’t been in the sun.

Not that there is any sun to grace us with its presence. I’ve also never noticed how full her lashes are until this moment. All the past times I have looked at her, I wasn’t truly looking at her. I haven’t appreciated just how stunning she is.

“If you were out at a bar and saw me, would you approach me?” My eyes move from her curls to her profile again. “Would you have taken me home for the night?”

Her deep brown eyes pull away from the lake to gaze at me. This is not a good position to be in. Veronica asking me this question, and with the way she is staring up at me. It’s making me have thoughts that I shouldn’t be having.

If I were at a bar and she wasn’t locked up in this place, and if she had led a normal life, then yes. I would take her home with me, which is the problem here, that I’m attracted to my patient not only physically but sexually.

“Be honest with me, Leo.” She lightly begs. “Play along.”

My eyes dance between hers before dropping to her plump lips. Licking my own, “Yes.”

I focus on her mouth for a moment longer before they are darting to her hands, trailing along the buttons of my dress shirt. “Kiss me.”