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His pace slows as he reaches me, stopping a few feet away. But the heat from his body lingers, coiling around me to still the goosebumps that have peppered my flesh under the thick cotton of his sweater. Mortification licks over my face, knowing that this sexy stranger was one of the many to see my ass, but also the only one to step up and try to help.
“You alright?” he rasps and thank fuck I’m not looking at him because the sound of his voice makes my eyes roll back in my head. I bite my bottom lip, continuing to lock my gaze at our feet as I nod.
“Fine. The only thing bruised is my pride,” I muster. “I think I owe you a thank-you.” I trace my hands down the seam of his sweatshirt. “I, um … my dress tore. I’d hand this back but I kind of need it.”
He doesn’t answer, and I swallow my nerves, forcing myself to look up at him. His hands are tucked into the front pockets of his dark jeans, and without his sweatshirt, he rocks a tight, black tee that does nothing to hide his muscular body. The outline of his pecs and the way his muscles wave across his chest and shoulders taunt me. I study the scruff of his jaw, the tendrils of hair that touch the back of his tee, finally letting my gaze reach his face.
“Keep it. It’s yours,” he murmurs, and my head whips up.
Dark eyes, so dark they’re nearly black, bore down at me as I drink in the sight of the most beautiful man I have ever seen. He smiles, barely, but it’s enough to draw me in. We stare at each other for a moment in silence, my heartbeat thrashing inside my chest. I’m about to open my mouth to ask for his number, so I can properly wash and return his clothes when the creak of a swinging bathroom door and the sound of my name being called breaks the haze surrounding us.
I look past him to see Meg looking paler than ever, an arm draped around Jenna’s shoulder to hold herself up. Jenna points her head in the direction of the exit. “We gotta go. Emmett’s waiting out front.”
I look up at my dark knight and he moves to the side, gesturing for me to pass around him. We push through the crowd, heading for the door and the nearest cab to get Meg home. As we go to leave, curiosity taps on my shoulder and begs me to look for him, knowing it’ll likely be the last time.
Through the crowd of booze-soaked line dancers, and past the bar seats filled with onlookers, he’s still there. He stands in the back hallway by the bathroom, leaning his shoulder against the wall. Long legs crossed at the ankles, hands stuffed in front pockets, staring right at me but talking to the guy standing next to him.
His gaze paralyzes me. I faintly hear Jenna call my name, but I can’t move. I don’t know why I’m drawn to him, but every fiber in my being wants to race back across the bar, climb up his massive tree trunk of a body, and let him take off more than just his hoodie. I press a sleeve to my nose, breathing in his scent of fresh air and verbena. As if reading my exact thoughts, he stops mid-sentence, watching me smell his clothes, and flashes one last panty-dropping smile. I let the biggest grin spread across my face, mouthing one final thank-you as Jenna comes back and drags me out of the bar.
Chapter Five
Lainey
“Is the doctor here yet?”
After the effects of my drunken Friday night wore off, and the embarrassment had subsided, I spent the better part of the weekend nursing a hangover and studying for my first set of exams. I woke up this morning having fallen asleep on the couch, with my face squished to a textbook and a crick in my neck.
I stifle a yawn. “He’s in the building, but not on this floor yet. Their shift begins at six, but they see critical patients first, then work on morning discharges before coming to the units to do rounds with the rest of us.” I grab a marker to update the whiteboard. “Your doctor these next few days will be Dr. Ryan. We will do our best to round together, so we should be back in the next few hours.” I hand him a menu to browse. “Let’s order you some breakfast while we wait.”
After finishing my med pass and morning assessments, I head back to the nurses’ station to get a drink of water. The doctors have arrived for rounds and are huddled together, murmuring amongst themselves.
“How’s your Monday?” Jenna asks, joining me in the alcove for a water break.
I shrug as I grab my water bottle and guzzle. The shuffle of steps and squeak of shoes gets louder as my supervisor comes around the corner and says, “Girls, perfect.” She ushers to the person standing next to her. “Here are two of our core day shift nurses, Jenna and Lainey. Girls, this is Dr. Ryan.”
Turning as she approaches, I follow her gesture to the stranger and my stomach plummets as I find myself face-to-face with my tall, dark, and handsome stranger from Friday night. Except this time, he’s in black scrubs and a white coat that reads…
Dr. Ryan Devereauxjeski.
Our gaze meets, and his smile widens for a second before glancing to the side to temper his smile.
I suck in a breath at the sight of him, coughing on the water I didn’t swallow as the rest dribbles aimlessly down my chin. I turn away from them to wipe my face and Jenna delivers a few firm taps to my back.
“Dr. Ryan, great to meet you!” Jenna chirps. “How come we call you Dr. Ryan, and not Dr. Dev … Dover … Devo shama lamma. Never mind, I see why.”
I turn back around, ready to face my supervisor and my embarrassment as Jenna continues to ramble. “How come you go by the first name? Why can’t I call you Doctor D? Oh … never mind. Doctor D kind of sounds like a B-rate porn name.”
I don’t know what I’d do without Jenna.
My supervisor and I laugh at her mention of his porn name, but Dr. Ryan doesn’t flinch.
“Hi, I’m Lainey,” I offer. “Welcome to the unit. We have a few mutual patients whenever you are ready to do rounds.”
He turns his attention back to me, his grimace softening. “Of course.” His voice was cool and smooth and much deeper than I remember. “Are you ready for me now?”
My pussy clenches at the sound of his deep voice and his choice of words.Down girl. “Yes, of course.”
We visit our first patient and I update him on recent lab results before heading to see another who is here for an irregular cardiac rhythm. To my surprise, he’s quiet and polite, great with patients, and answers my questions with minimal small talk. The awkwardness subsides and a small hope ignites in my chest that he might not recognize me.
