“I can’t wait,” she whispers.
“Enjoy your dinner, Doc. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Sweet dreams,” she says.
“They will be wet dreams.”
She shakes her head as she starts to laugh before ending the call.
I sit down on the bed and take a deep breath. I have to get back at her for the prank she just played on me. How the hell am I going to outsmart a genius?
∞∞∞
LEIGH
Everything is ready for Marcus’ arrival today. Dr. Magliato agreed to assist me with the surgery. It’s just as a precaution.
I’m a little worried that Marcus’s condition has deteriorated. Both Willow and Jaxson told me that he’s become weaker over the past week. I’ll only be able to assess whether his body will be able to withstand the trauma of surgery once I see him.
I knock on Dr. Magliato’s office door.
“Do you have a moment? I’d like to discuss Mr. Reed’s surgery.”
“I have a few minutes before I have to scrub in.”
I sit down, and like always, I get right to the heart of the matter.
“If his condition has deteriorated, I would like to get him on the table as soon as we can.”
She looks at her schedule and I lean forward, trying to get a glimpse of it.
“The theater is booked until one am. If it’s an emergency, then we’ll have to perform the surgery at one.”
That means I’ll be working a twenty-two-hour shift. She sees the worry on my face. I need to be rested for Marcus’ surgery.
“There’s still time before he arrives. Go sleep for a few hours.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Doctor.”
As I walk out of her office, I thank my lucky stars that the hospital is backing me on this. I stop by the nurses’ station on my way to the on-call room.
“If you need me, I’ll be in the on-call room,” I say to Sebastian.
“That’s a good idea. Go rest that pretty head of yours. I’ve got you covered.”
I smile at him and then go get some much-needed sleep.
When I wake up, and my eyes land on the watch against the wall, I realize I slept three hours. I dart up with a shock. Damn it! I only wanted to nap for an hour. I look for my phone to see why my alarm didn’t go off. When I can’t find it, I get off the bed to look under it.
“Sebastian has your phone.”
I swing around at the sound of Jaxson’s voice.
“What are you doing here?” I ask surprised.
Then a wave of happiness washes over me, and before I can compose myself, I run to him. My body slams into his, and I throw my arms around his neck. The second his wraps around me I feel a sense of calm wash over me.
“What did I do to deserve this welcome?” he asks as he presses his face into my neck and takes a deep breath.
I pull a little back, feeling embarrassed that I just threw myself at him.
“I was surprised,” I mumble, not ready to admit out loud that I’ve missed him.
He smiles at me and presses a kiss to my forehead.
“Yeah, I missed you too, Doc.”
I shake my head and smile, wondering when I’ll learn that I can’t hide anything from him. He sees right through me.
“I brought you a sandwich and coffee. I thought you could use it before you get back to work.”
He has our late lunch set up at a small table in the corner. As I take a seat, I can’t help but glance at him. He’s dressed in a dark grey suit. Every time I see him, he looks more gorgeous.
I moan into my cup as I take a deep breath of the aroma.
Jaxson clears his throat, pulling me out of my caffeine-induced coma.
When our eyes meet, I still. There’s so much heat sizzling in the look he’s giving me that I feel an intense fluttering of desire. I try to hide it by taking a bite of my sandwich.
“Thank you for this. When you live on cafeteria food, this tastes like a five-star meal.”
“You’re welcome, Doc.” We eat in a comfortable silence, stealing smiles and secret looks.
I constantly warn myself not to let things move too fast, but whenever I’m with Jaxson, time doesn’t seem to matter.
When we’re done eating, I quickly clear the table. Before we leave the lounge, Jaxson slips an arm around my waist. When he leans into me, my heart shoots off into a wild beat. He stops less than an inch from my mouth, and I feel a slither of frustration.
“Do you have plans for New Year’s Eve?”
“Just work. My shift starts at seven pm.”
“Will you spend the day with me?”
I nod and for the slightest moment, our lips touch. Jaxson grins as he pulls away. It’s the first time I’ve seen him grin in so long, and I’m not prepared for the impact of it. Then he bites his bottom lip, and I’m lost in a fog of lust.
Shit, that’s hot.
When I notice the teasing look in his eyes, I slap his shoulder.
“You did that on purpose.”
“Just a little payback for the heart attack you gave me the other night.”
“Oh, so we’re playing that game?” I smile mischievously.
He shrugs. “Give it your best shot, Doc.”
I lean into him and raise myself on my toes until I get to his ear. Sending a breath of hot air over his skin, I drop my hand to his hip. As I brush my lips down the length of his jaw, I move my hand down the front of his thigh, dangerously close to his cock.
I’ve never done something like this, but with Jaxson, it feels natural. I can’t explain what it is exactly, although I’ve spent many hours thinking about it.
When I feel his jaw clenching under my mouth, I pull back with a huge grin on my face.
“Thanks for lunch. I’ll see you later.” I slip out of the room and laugh as I hear him growl something about me being a cock tease.
Chapter 11
JAXSON
I follow Leigh out of the on-call room. When she leans over the counter at the nurses’ station, I can’t resist slapping her ass.
She gasps and looks at me with wide eyes, as a blush creeps up her face. I wink at her which only makes the blush deepen.
I’m on my way to check on Marcus. When I got here, they got him settled. I went in search of Leigh, and if it weren’t for Sebastian, I never would’ve found her. I never knew how satisfying it could be to watch someone sleep.
I press the button to call for an elevator and glance over my shoulder. I smile as I watch Leigh shrug on her white coat, while talking to another doctor.
The elevator pings and the doors start to open. I step out of the way so the medical staff can exit.
A commotion behind me has me glancing back at the nurses’ station. Sebastian’s face turns red, and he’s grabbing at his throat.
I run back to them as Leigh moves in behind Sebastian, wrapping her arms around him. She’s so much smaller and not strong enough to give him the Heimlich. Suddenly a chewed-up pen cap shoots from his mouth and lands close to my feet.
Leigh rubs his back, checking to see if he’s okay, while I stand with my mouth hanging open.
Guess I was wrong. My girl knows how to handle herself.
Tears spill from Sebastian’s eyes, and it’s clear that he’s upset from choking.
“You don’t have to be so dramatic,” a man snaps at Sebastian. “Get back to work.”
“Dr. Langley,” Leigh gasps, “That’s unprofessional behavior.”
The doctor glares at Leigh and takes a step towards her. He gives her a condescending look, which has my heart pumping with anger.
I step forward, positioning myself behind Leigh and next to Sebastian. I glare at the man, daring him to try anything.
“If Mr. Ward can’t do his work, he shouldn’t be here,” the man sneers, clearly not recognizing danger when it’s right in front of him.
I take hold of Leigh’s shoulders and move her to the side, so I can step right up to the doctor.
It’s clear this guy has a personal issue with Sebastian because he’s gay.
“My friend just choked and you’re being rude. You owe him an apology.” The doctor frowns darkly at me and I love the fact that he has to look up at me. “Your methods of intimidation don’t quite have the same effect when the person you’re facing is twice your size. How about that apology?” I growl, giving him a final look of warning that he’s about to meet my fist.
He directs the glare at Sebastian. “I apologize,” he bites the words out.
“Mr. Ward,” I whisper darkly. “I apologize, Mr. Ward.”
The doctor rambles the apology off and rushes away from us. I hate bullies. If that had happened on my turf, they would’ve carried him away on a stretcher.
“My hero,” Sebastian shrieks behind me and grabs me in a hug.
I’m stunned for a moment, but when he starts to cry, I hug him back. He’s a head shorter than me, and I can clearly see the weird looks from the other people standing around the nurses’ station.
“You’re okay, it’s just shock,” I say to comfort him.
My words make him cry harder, and I seriously don’t give a flying fuck what the other people might think. My friend is upset, and there’s no way in hell that I won’t comfort him.
Keeping my arm around him, I guide him down the hallway and into the nearest waiting room. I spot tissues and grab a few.
“Here you go,” I whisper, surprised by how protective I feel of him.
He removes one arm from around me and takes it with a trembling hand. We stand with our arms wrapped around each other, as he wipes the tears from his face.