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Danger.
Antonio was dangerous to my heart.
I pulled back and sighed, my fingers touched my lips, swollen from the ferocity of his kiss. I couldn’t do this with him. No matter how good it felt, I couldn’t. “Good night, Antonio.” I walked away because I had to, but that didn’t mean it was easy. It wasn’t, and I spent the short walk home in a haze.
Antonio
“Daddy, do you think Nurse Gus will like my dress?” Rosie looked down at her sparkly purple dress with her purple sneakers that Hannah had bedazzled and then back up at me with worry in her eyes.
I lifted her from my truck and set her on the ground in the medical center parking lot. Rosie put her hand in mine and waited for my answer. “I think she’ll not only like it, she might be jealous that she doesn’t have a dress just like it.”
Rosie giggled. “Nurses can’t wear princess dresses, Daddy.” She shook her head as we entered the medical center, smiling and chatting with everyone she encountered like she was mayor of Jackson’s Ridge.
“How do you know they can’t wear dresses?”
She shrugged and stepped inside the elevator. “If they could, all the nurses would wear ’em.”
Who was I to argue with that logic? “I stand corrected.”
Rosie chatted with a little girl in the waiting room while I checked in, my gaze scanned the floor in search of familiar red hair, usually in a topknot or a ponytail. Augusta. She would be here today, I knew that. What I didn’t know, was how she would react to me.
“Have a seat,” the unfamiliar nurse smiled. “You know the drill.”
“Too well,” I shot back and took a seat that allowed me to keep an eye on Rosie. And on the lookout for Augusta.
Eventually, the door opened and Augusta appeared. “Rosie.”
“That’s me. I’m here!” Rosie darted out of her seat and ran towards Augusta, barreling into her for a warm hug. “Hi, Nurse Gus.”
“Hello Princess Rosie, how are you feeling today?”
“I’m good. Do you like my dress?” She spun excitedly until the skirt of her dress flared out.
“I love it. Purple is definitely your color. Are we ready to go back?” Her gaze slid to mine quickly before she turned her attention back to Rosie.
“Yep.” Rosie grabbed her hand and the two females disappeared down the hall, and I had to catch up or get left behind.
Augusta chatted with Rosie, took her vitals, and ignored me unless she needed to ask a question. “Any attacks? Breathing problems outside the norm?”
“None that she’s reported to me.”
“All right. The doctor will be with you shortly. It was good to see you today, Your Royal Highness.”
Rosie giggled. “You too, Nurse Gus. I missed you.”
Augusta’s smile faltered at my daughter’s words. “I missed you too, but I’m happy that you don’t need to come so often anymore. It means you’re getting better.” It was an impressive dodge.
I followed her from the exam room, determined to get her to talk to me. Hell, to even just look at me. “You said no hard feelings, but you won’t even talk to me.”
In response, she kept her gaze on Rosie’s chart. “This is how things were between us before we got naked together, Antonio. You’re just upset that I’m no longer a nervous, swooning mess in your presence.”
Her words put a smile on my face. “I did like seeing you flustered, and it turned me on knowing I was the reason why.”
She almost looked up from the chart when she pointed behind her. “There are plenty of women in the nurse’s lounge who will give your ego the boost it so dearly needs.”
A rumbling laugh exploded out of me. No woman but Teddy called me on my bullshit the way Augusta did. “Maybe so, Augusta, but none of those women are you.”
She rolled her eyes at my words. “Exactly.”
“Augusta, come on. We can be friends, can’t we?”
She shook her head and finally settled those green eyes on me. “No, we can’t. We weren’t friends before and I see no reason to change that.”
“We know each other now.”
She shook her head. “We know things about each other now, that’s all.”
I folded my arms and stared at her. “So there are hard feelings?”
“No,” she sighed. “I just don’t see a reason to add more complications when we could just go back to how things were before.”
“But I didn’t know you then and I do now. I want to know more of you, Augusta.”
“No, you don’t.” Her laugh wasn’t mean-spirited or bitter, it was more condescending that anything. “I’m nothing special, Antonio.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Augusta. You are more special than you know.”
“And I don’t need your pretty, complimentary words. Save them for your next woman, okay?”
I blinked innocently. “That’s what I’m doing.”
Finally, her face split into a reluctant smile. “I’ll see you around, Antonio.” The sway of her hips tempted, the swing of her ass covered in deep red scrubs teased as she marched away from me, determined to put as much space between us as possible.
