Page 75 of One Reckless Night

I didn’t look up, my hands steady as I worked. “Was it a shopping trip or something?”

Shawn didn’t immediately answer. “She flew over to pick up Amelia.”

My hands froze for a fraction of a second before I forced myself to keep going. Amelia. She was back. The thought sent a jolt through me, but I didn’t let it show. I couldn’t. Not here. Not now.

“Good,” I said, my voice flat. “We could use her in the lab.”

“Agreed,” he said.

Hours later, I was walking back to my office. I had checked in with my patient and talked to the family. Things were good. She was going to make a full recovery.

I passed Amelia’s lab, glancing inside. She wasn’t there, but her assistants were hard at work. The lab was busy as usual. She had chosen good assistants. They knew what she wanted from them and were very capable of working without her direct supervision.

I’d had two months to get over her. It hadn’t been easy. I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it if she hadn’t ghosted me. Her complete withdrawal made it a lot easier. I honestly didn’t think she was ever coming back. I didn’t bother trying to find out anything more about her absence. If she wanted me to know, she’d call. Or text.

It took me a couple weeks just to be able to sleep normally. Another couple of weeks to stop replaying every detail of our last conversation.

I had finally gotten to the point of acceptance. But I wasn’t going to trip up again. I’d learned my lesson. I was back to being the bad boy, the alpha, the man who didn’t let anyone get too close.

If and when I saw her again, it wasn’t going to matter. I wasn’t going to think about being inside her or tasting her.

I wanted to say I was a hundred percent over her, but if I was truly over her, I would have moved on. I would have had sex with other women. I had considered it but there was just no way I could take a woman to bed.

She had ruined me in that regard.

When I reached my office, Gemma was waiting for me. She was perched on my desk, her arms crossed, a smirk on her face. It was basically one of those poses you would expect to see in some calendar. The top few buttons of her blouse were undone. Her skirt hit mid-thigh, and her heels were not what a typical doctor would ever wear. She was dressed to seduce.

She’d been hanging around more often lately and I was not into it. Once broken, trust could never be repaired, and she had shattered it when she cheated.

“How’d the surgery go?” she asked, her tone casual as she looked me up and down like I was sitting on a dessert cart. She could look all she wanted. I would never give her another chance.

I shrugged, dropping into my chair. “Fine. Routine.”

She nodded. “Don’t be humble, Jared. It doesn’t suit you.”

“I’m not being humble,” I said, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms. “It was straightforward. Nothing to brag about.”

Gemma tilted her head, her smirk widening. “You love to brag. You walk around like you’re right up there with God.”

I didn’t respond, just reached for the stack of reports on my desk and started flipping through them. Gemma slid off the desk, her heels clicking against the floor as she moved closer. She leaned over my shoulder, her perfume invading my space.

“Busy tonight?” she asked, her voice low and suggestive.

“For you, yes, I’m booked solid,” I replied, not looking up. “Go find another sucker to cozy up to.”

She laughed softly, her breath warm against my ear. “Come on, Jared. You deserve a break. Let me take you out. Dinner, drinks, whatever you want.”

I turned my head slightly, meeting her gaze with a level stare. “I’d rather starve, Gemma. Thanks.”

She pouted, an exaggerated expression that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’re no fun anymore. What happened to the man who used to know how to enjoy himself?”

“I still know how to enjoy myself,” I said, turning back to my reports. “And I find it’s much easier when you’re not around.”

“We can still have some fun.”

“No, I’ve grown up since we were a thing. You should try it sometime. I guess I have you to thank for that.”

“Me?” she asked, blinking.