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“Well, I’ve told you before, dear, I’m Norwegian. We’re a strong bunch.”
Ryan grins at her comment. “You know,” he says, working the Doppler up and down her lower leg. “I’ve heard that Norwegians are some of the happiest people in the world.”
He continues making small talk, surprising me with his facts about Norway as he attempts to find a pulse with the Doppler but doesn’t have any better luck than I did. He explains to Elda the reason behind his concern, what the effects of little to no blood flow can do to someone’s foot, and that she’ll most likely be added for surgery later today.
“That’s fine. I’ve been putting off dealing with these stubborn veins for as long as I could, but I can’t walk like I used to, and I need to dance with my husband on our anniversary. Seventy years next month.”
“Seventy years? Elda, that’s amazing!” I beam. “What’s the secret to such a long marriage?”
“It’s easy, my dear.” She waves me off. “Don’t you dare waste time with someone who doesn’t believe in you. I’m almost ninety, and if I told my Arvid that I wanted to become a go-go dancer, he’d take me shopping for a sparkly skirt himself. Marry someone who makes you laugh, and who is faithful. The rest will work itself out.”
“Elda,” I say, pulling the sheets up to cover her legs. “I think you would be an adorable go-go dancer.”
When Dr. Ryan and I leave Elda’s room, I scribble a few notes to myself on my pad.
“Besides waiting for the surgical consult and keeping her intake limited, are there any other recommendations you have for Elda?”
“That covers it.” He stops walking and faces me, hands on his hips. “You truly love working with older people, don’t you?”
“I love Elda, that’s for sure. I admire the older population. Plus, they generally come with more than one issue, or a combination of issues, and the treatment is more challenging.” I grab cleaning wipes from the counter and wipe down the Doppler.
“When you’re a nurse practitioner, you should go into geriatrics.”
“WhenI’m an NP?” I scoff. If I only had half the faith this man has in me…
He hits me with a serious look. “Yes,when. You have the brains; now you need the confidence. You love working with that age group. You have such a knack for conversation and developing relationships.”
“Maybe,” I murmur, somehow uncomfortable with the level of encouragement he gives me.“We’ll see.”
“Maybe. We’ll see,” he parrots, mimicking my shrug.
“We’ll see.” I smile, turning away from him to return the Doppler to the storage room.
No sooner do I swing the door open and cross the threshold when a strong force opens it again. Within seconds, my hips are against the counter, a thick chest pressed up tightly against my back, and hands wrapped around my waist. I suck in a breath, but Ryan doesn’t falter, continuing to press himself firmly against me.
“Um, excuse me, Doctor,” I tease, turning my head over my shoulder to look up at him. “You are being a little inappropriate.”
“Oh, sorry,” he murmurs, rolling his hips against my backside. “I can’t help myself.”
“That’s becoming a trend between us.”
He runs his nose along the back of my neck, goosebumps erupting all over my skin. “I don’t plan on ignoring what’s between us.”
I wiggle around to face him, our faces mere inches apart. “And what is that, exactly?”
He stares down at me. “It’s where I can’t think about anything but kissing you.”
My hands slide up his strong chest, working their way to grasp the tendrils of hair at the nape of his neck. He leans his head to the side, basking in my touch.
“Do you know how embarrassed you’d be if someone walked in on us right now?” My lips hover over his, wanting to pull him into me so badly that my vision blurs. “Barely a month of being on day shift and you’re already macking on one of the nurses.”
He takes charge and leans forward, grasping my neck to tilt my face up to his, and plants a slow, lingering kiss on my lips. I can’t help the whimper that escapes me.
“That’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart. I don’t get embarrassed. I don’t give a shit what people have to say about me. They can think what they want, and I’d never lose sleep over it. But I won’t let anyone gossip about you.” He plants another lingering kiss on my mouth, teasing me with his nips on my bottom lip, soothing them with his tongue before regretfully pulling back. “I’ve been thinking about your lips nonstop since Friday, and your ass in these scrub pants isn’t helping the situation.”
“Sounds like my plan is working then.”
His hands playfully knead and squeeze my ass, slapping my hip once before turning to leave. His hand grasps the handle, but he turns back to me before exiting. “If your plan is to drive me crazy, then yeah, I’d say it’s working.”
