Throughout the night, Kellen worked with experience beyond his years, despite his youthful appearance. "How long have you been a nurse?" I asked later in the day when he handed me another chart. "For a while," he said, and then changed the subject, "Mr. Rollings is waiting in Room Six." He pointed to the door and I nodded.When I turned around, my breath caught at the sight of Lance Steel walking in our direction with Drake Summerfield. Shit! I had successfully pushed him out of my mind for most of the day and now here he was, a Greek god in all his glory, walking toward me. I headed to the examining room and pulled the chart from the tray outside the door, pretending not to notice. Why did he have such an effect on me?"Leila," Drake called out to me, then corrected himself, "Dr. Reynolds, do you have a minute?"I looked up from the chart casually, even though my heart was doing flip flops in my chest. "Dr. Summerfield?" I asked. Drake had a doctorate in administration and, even
Suddenly, a male figure stopped in front of me and I froze. The man was in silhouette and I couldn't see who it was. All of the self-defense classes that I had taken over the years rushed into my brain as I tightened my grip on my car keys. I could ram them into his jugular vein and it would be over in seconds, or shove the heel of my hand into his nose "Dr. Reynolds, it's me, Lance Steel," he said, almost reading my mind. "Oh, you scared me " I said, taking a deep breath. "What are you doing out here alone?" he asked, suddenly angry. "Anything could happen to you ""I'll be fine," I said, trying to walk past him. Actually, at this point I would rather take my chances with a complete stranger. He grabbed my arm, not letting me pass. "I'm walking you to your car." It wasn't a question."I beg your pardon?""I'm not letting you walk out here alone," he said, taking my elbow."I'll be fine," I said, struggling against his firm grip. "Let me go!"Abruptly, he bent down and thr
The rest of the day passed uneventfully until sundown. Rosa, Kellen, and I worked throughout the day, making a good team. Kellen was so young-probably fresh out of nursing school-that I was surprised he was as knowledgeable as he was about nursing. He performed as if he were a seasoned veteran-just as good as Rosa, and she had been a nurse for over twenty years. I pushed the thought aside, deciding to go home early, or on time, actually."I don't believe it. The sun is just setting and you're going home," Rosa teased with a twinkle in her eye. "The days of miracles aren't over.""Love you, too!" I said, knowing it would irritate her. "You know ""I know, your boat don't float that way," I teased as a smile curled my lips. "But if you ever change your mind ""I won't let you know," Rosa returned. She had been a friend and like a mother to me for years. I loved her to death."Have a great night," I waved to Kellen over my shoulder as I left. He returned the wave with a smile then
I stepped in line to buy my ticket inside the theater when I heard a voice that shouldn't be so familiar. "Dr. Reynolds! What a surprise to see you here!"Oh, shit! Why did I have to run into Lance Steel? "Mr. Steel, what are you doing here?" I asked, donning my best poker face."It's nice to see you, too." He looked me up and down, his eyes lingering over my light blue blouse and heels a bit too long. "You look nice today.""Thanks." I chose a movie and stepped up in line, trying to ignore him. "What movie are you seeing?" he asked, stepping up behind me."Why? Are you going to the movies, too?" I asked, suddenly surprised. He was dressed in blue jeans with a sexy button down black shirt, open slightly at the neck and black leather boots. His usually coifed, sexy dark brown hair was falling lazily across his face, accentuating his bright green eyes."Does that surprise you?" he asked, a bit amused. I laughed. "In a way, it does." I stepped up. He stepped up behind me and sh
Although it was a movie that I really wanted to see, I paid no attention to it. As the love story unfolded on the screen, I studied Lance more than the movie, taking note of his chiseled features, piercing green eyes, and testosterone overload. The electricity in the air was so thick between us that you could cut it with a knife. I took a deep breath, forcing my eyes back to the screen without really seeing what was happening, forgetting momentarily that I was married. Then, the lights came up, bringing us both back to reality. "Thank you," I said as we walked out of the theater. "For what?" he asked, amused."That was the most fun I've had in a very long time." "My pleasure," he returned as we left the theater and walked into the darkness of the night, when he stopped abruptly. "Do you want to catch a bite to eat while we're here? There's a restaurant around the corner."There were several restaurants in the mall. I thought about it hesitantly. "It's getting late ""Or we cou
"What did you tell him?" Lance asked, trying to calm down. He took a sip of his water, but made a face and set it back on the table. "After he told you to 'play nice.'""I told him that I would slap any man who deserves it, including him," I replied, taking a sip of my water, as well."Good girl," he said as a smile spread across his face. I lifted an eyebrow, questioning. He shrugged. "I deserved it," he replied, holding my hand a bit tighter, forcing me to look into his eyes. His hands were cold, but I pretended not to notice. "You should feel free to slap any man who deserves it including me."I smiled, suddenly feeling awkward when the waiter approached to take our order. "Good evening," he said, and then proceeded to tell us the dinner specials and his recommendations. Lance nodded to me."I'll have the Shrimp Alfredo and a glass of wine," I ordered."I'll have the same and we'll have a bottle of Dom Perignon," he said, lifting an eyebrow to me, asking me silently if i
I drove home in the dark, trying to steady my heart. What am I doing? I wondered as I pointed my car toward home. I had so much on my mind that it practically drove itself home. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. What the hell am I doing? But there was something about Lance that I just couldn't describe. Besides his incredible good looks, there was something else about him I felt secure, treasured like a princess around him. It was as if he had already placed me on a pedestal, treating me like royalty. I had never been treated like that before, and I knew that I could easily get used to it. When I got home, Steven was gone. Obviously, he had already left for work-if he even came home at all-even though it was Saturday. I should be off from work the next day, but I really had no desire to have a confrontation with Steven, even though I knew that we needed to talk soon.I took a deep breath to steady myself, pulled the car into the garage, and walked into the house. I th
"I'm taking a break," I told Rosa after the family left."Why don't you go home?" Rosa asked, knowing how hard I had worked to try to save him and she had worked just as hard by my side. We made a good team. "No, not yet," I said, dead on my feet. "I just need a break and maybe some coffee.""And some food," Rosa added, picking up a chart. "Eat something.""Yes, Ma'am," I teased, walking away as she scowled. I walked into the waiting room before walking to the cafeteria to see how many more patients that we had and my breath caught. Lance was sitting on a chair, casually reading a magazine. For a moment, I almost walked the other way, but something inside me pulled me to him. My heart beat erratically within my chest as I approached, noticing how handsome he was. The air of confidence about him almost reminded me of a medieval knight, but I quickly brushed the thought aside. As I walked closer, trying to maintain my composure, his gray jacket was open, revealing the tight, bulgi