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What had Tazeem done to her? So, so much.
Chess would’ve loved to rant about all the ways Tazeem had wronged her, but telling Donna anything was akin to taking out an ad in the company newsletter. By lunchtime, the whole office would know Chess’s business. And sharing her past with Evie was the definition of displaying your weakness to your enemy.
“He didn’t do anything to me,” Chess lied. “It was just an accident.”
Donna’s raised eyebrow made it clear that she didn’t believe that story for a second. But before any further interrogation could take place, Chess turned on her heels and headed to her office to get her purse. Five minutes later, Chess was on her way to the hospital.
“WE’D LIKE YOU TO STAY the night,” the doctor said as he shone a light into Tazeem’s eye, “so we can observe you and make sure that you don’t have a concussion.”
“That’s okay!” Tazeem blinked as the brilliant glare hit his pupils. “As long as I don’t have to wear those ugly blue pajamas that everyone’s walking around in.”
“Sorry, but I can’t do anything about that!” The doctor winced. “Hospital policy.”
Hospital policy!Tazeem snorted beneath his breadth. Who would’ve thought that his first official meeting with Chess would end up with him hearing about hospital policies? Even now, he still couldn’t believe that she’d put him in the hospital.
Did she hate him that much?
The sharp headache he was still experiencing confirmed that yes, she really hated him.
“The painkiller will kick in in fifteen to twenty minutes,” the doctor rambled on as he checked on the IV bag that was sending pain meds into Tazeem’s system. “But if you’re still in pain, just press on that-” He pointed to a switch next to the bed. “Someone will come and check on you.”
“Thank you.” Tazeem smiled. “But I think it’s already kicking in. My headache isn’t as bad as-”
A sudden knock on the door interrupted his speech. Both he and the doctor turned towards the door as it opened, and Chess walked into the room. Instinctively, Tazeem’s lips kicked up in a smile even as his heart began to patter like an errant drum.
“Excuse me.” The doctor frowned at Chess. “Who are you?”
“She’s my wife,” Tazeem answered smoothly before she could.
And she reacted just as he expected. Rage lit up her expressive eyes like fireworks in the night sky. “Uh… no, I’m not.”
Tazeem grinned. “Yes, she is.”
She scowled. “Don’t make me knock you out again.”
“You’re welcome to try.”
“I hate to interrupt the bantering-” The doctor’s confused gaze switched between Tazeem and Chess. “-But who are you?”
Once again, Tazeem was the one who answered, “She’s a friend.”
The doctor took in the still glaring Chess. “She doesn’t seem like a friend.”
“I’m not a friend,” Chess confirmed.
Then what were they? Enemies? Exes? Lovers?
Tazeem liked the sound of that last one a lot. Still smiling, he reassured the doctor, “It’s okay for her to be in here.”
Still doubtful, the doctor kept an eye on Chess as he finished his examination of Tazeem. Chess, on the other hand, strode to the chair beside the bed. As she sat down and crossed one leg over the other, her beige skirt rose to reveal a fair bit of her delicious honey-toned thighs. And as always, Tazeem’s body awakened in appreciation.
He’d always marveled at how easy it was for her to arouse him. When they were younger, he’d prided himself on being a cool guy. No woman could rattle him, rather he was the one who rattled them and had them wrapped around his pinky. But when Chess had come along, he’d met his match.
Theirs was supposed to be just another one-night stand. But the moment they touched each other, he realized that one night wasn’t enough. But he wasn’t ready for a full-blown relationship, so he tried to keep it as a friends-with-benefits situation. That blew up in his face when she got pregnant.
She wanted to end the pregnancy. He wanted to keep it. She said that the only way she was keeping a baby is if they were married. He didn’t want to get married… especially not just because they were having a baby. His parents’ toxic relationship had taught him that marrying just for the baby was bound to end in disaster.
The only thing he could offer Chess was a serious relationship and healthy co-parenting until they were both ready to take the next step.
