Gathering her close, Buff turned them so that he lay on his back and Nadia was sprawled on top of him. He brushed his lips against hers. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to move ever again.”
Nadia chuckled, which caused another full body shiver from the both of them. “I’m not complaining.”
Buff took a deep breath, held it and then let it out. Tightening his hold on her, he closed his eyes. He hadn’t been lying when he said he didn’t think he could move again. Right this second he never wanted to let Nadia go again.
Chapter 14
A loud obnoxious sound of her ringtone jolted Nadia from her sleep. On automatic pilot she leaped out of bed and grabbed her purse which was resting on the nightstand. They’d needed it close by so Buff could grab the condoms she’d shoved in there. Her body ached in a delicious, I’ve had numerous orgasms way.
The number flashing on the screen had a Boston area code. She plopped down on the bed, her finger hovering over the accept button. The number wasn’t one she recognized. Her instincts screamed the call was related to the email she’d received.
“You going to answer that?” Buff’s sleep roughened voice washed over her and reminded her of his whispered words of encouragement for her to give herself over to him.
The ringing stopped and she let out a breath. Her phone buzzed signaling a voicemail. Before she listened to the message she should probably read the email. Everything was being weaved together like a tapestry, and after last night, the way she and Buff had connected, the thought of listening to the message and reading the email was the last thing she wanted to do.
A warm hand landed on her neck, massaging the tension away in her neck. “Talk to me, Boston. What’s going on?”
Nadia didn’t know what to say. Her mind was going a million miles an hour. Was she making too much of the email and the phone call? Maybe they weren’t connected at all. Even though the area code was from Boston it didn’t mean it had anything to do with what was sitting in her inbox. “Nothing’s going on.” The tasted like a bitter lemon on her tongue. Buff had been nothing but honest with her and when he was giving her the support she’d given him, she was turning her back on it.
“Not sure I believe that.” Buff’s voice was calm but he’d removed his hand and she shivered at the loss of the contact and warmth. The bed shifted beneath. She didn’t need to look to know Buff was getting out. “I’m going to the bathroom. We’ll need to leave shortly.”
The caring, sweet, sexy man from the night before had disappeared and she was to blame. Nadia flopped back on the bed, seeking the place were Buff had been lying. She pulled the sheet up over her naked body, snuggling into it and burying her face into the pillow that had cradled Buff’s head the night before.
The sound of the shower being turned filtered into the room. Maybe she could make it all better by going to join him. Run her hands over that strong body. Take his hard length into her mouth and suck them both into oblivion where they could forget the last few minutes had happened.
Yes, that was a good idea. Nadia tossed the sheet aside and swung her legs over the bed. The second her feet hit the carpeted floor her phone rang again. Looking down it was the same number as before. Damn, whoever it was really wanted to speak to her. They’d left a message, yet they were trying to call her again.
What the hell was going on?
Answering the call was the only way she was going to find out. She had to pull that bandaid off and deal with the sting of pain.
“Nadia Fletcher speaking.”
“Good Morning Dr. Fletcher, this is Dr. Bryan Wilkins from Boston Memorial Hospital. I’m sorry to keep bothering you but it was imperative that I speak with you today.”
Nadia grabbed the sheet and wrapped it around her, her body chilling not only from the air conditioning but who was on the phone. Dr. Wilkins was the ER Registrar at Boston Memorial. Everyone wanted to work with him because his reputation in the medical field was legendary. Her parents had pushed her to apply at the hospital just to work with him. And now he was calling her, personally. Things like this didn’t happen in her world.
Taking a deep breath she composed herself, even though her insides resembled a not quite set jelly mold. “I’m sorry to have missed your call, Dr. Wilkins. How can I help you?”
Good, her voice sounded sure and strong. Thank goodness this wasn’t a video call, she imagined her hair was sticking up everywhere and she probably still had glitter streaking her face.
“I’m going to get straight to the point, we’d like to offer you a position in our ER Department. One of the doctors we took on at the beginning of the year hasn’t worked out. Your application has always stayed in my mind and upon doing a little checking up to see what you’ve been doing in the interim, I’ve found that you’ve become a real asset to Hill Country Medical Center. The Registrar there spoke highly of you and I think, with the experience you gained there, you’ll be a wonderful asset for us. So what do you think? Will you come and work with us?”
Shocked rendered her speechless. Everything she’d ever wanted was within her grasp. To work at one of the best hospitals in the country was a culmination of all she’d worked for. Her parents would be so proud of her. And as much as she competed with her siblings, she knew they’d be happy for her too.
“Umm, thank you Dr. Wilkins, I’m honored to be offered a position. Working in Boston Memorial’s ER department has always been a dream of mine. It’s definitely a surprise.”
“A good surprise, I hope. I really do believe you’ll be an asset to my team.”
That was high praise coming from a man she admired and one she’d never worked with. What if she didn’t live up to his expectations?
“Yes, sir. It’s a good surprise.”
Though, she couldn’t make the decision while she was sitting naked in a hotel room. There was so much to consider. For the first time in her life she had friends who counted on her and who she counted on as well. Colleagues who joked with her and had done nothing but made her feel welcome the second she walked in. What sort of reception would she get from the people at Boston Memorial? It was a big city hospital, there were no personal touches there like there were in the regional center she currently worked at.
And then there was Buff. The man who’d turned her world upside down. The man who made her body come alive with just a smile. The man who’d captured her heart when she hadn’t been looking.
Nadia had no idea how he felt about her, but she could say that, after the night they’d spent together, she’d tumbled over the precipice into the well called love.
She had a lot to think about. One thing she’d learned in life was that making hasty decisions could backfire and she didn’t want her world exploding on her. “When do you need my decision by Dr. Wilkins?”
A soft shuffle of sound alerted her to the fact she wasn’t alone anymore. Looking up she found that Buff was standing in the bathroom doorway, a towel wrapped around his waist. Droplets of water still glistened on his chest and she had the overwhelming urge to drop her phone and lick those shimmering drops.
But it was the look on his face that had her heart dropping to the bottom of her belly. Gone was the hint of sparkle in his blue eyes. Now they were dark and stormy, like the rough seas during a wild winter squall. How long had he been standing there? How much had he heard? Enough to know that a big change in her career was looming.
“Dr. Fletcher did you hear me?” Dr. Wilkin’s voice penetrated the fog she’d been in upon seeing Buff.
“I’m sorry, the call dropped and I missed what you said.” Wow, another lie tripped off her tongue easily.
“I said, I’d need a decision by the end of the week. Today is Thursday, but I can give you until Saturday. But earlier would be better.”
“Okay, I’ll be in touch with my decision as soon as possible.”
“Excellent. Talk to you soon.” The call disconnected before she had a chance to respond to the man.
Two days.
>
She had two days to make one of the biggest decisions of her life. Bigger than taking the plunge and moving from Boston to Kerrville, Texas. Bigger because of the man standing in front of her.
Whatever decision she made, it would impact the rest of her life. Adulting sucked but she’d never backed down and crumpled before. She wouldn’t start now. But, damn, she wanted someone to make the decision for her.
The blood in Buff’s veins was colder than a winter’s day in Tarpley. Nadia was leaving? She was going back to Boston? Well, she hadn’t out right said that was what she was going to do, but it definitely sounded like it.
Working in Boston Memorial’s ER department has always been a dream of mine
The words echoed around his mind like a round of bullets from a machine gun. And each word was like a metaphoric bullet piercing his skin. Holding Nadia all night. Feasting on her body was his dream come true.
Feelings he’d never experienced before had engulfed him and settled with the places where he’d be empty. One night was all it had taken for him to recognize his soulmate. He should’ve seen it earlier. Should’ve seen it when she’d been the one he turned to when he had an attack.
Buff had wanted to tell her about his sessions. Wanted to share with her the steps he was making. He would never be cured, but during his talks with the therapist, he’d talked about walking through life with a special woman beside him. Before Nadia, he hadn’t given any thought to marrying. He’d always thought he was too broken for a woman. Too broken to be the kind of support a husband should be to his wife. Too broken to be loved.
The future he’d imagined was different to Nadia’s. Why had he thought they were aligned was a mystery to him. His heart yearned for the unreachable and now he wasn’t sure he’d recover.
“You’re leaving Kerrville?” The words tumbled out and he sound angry, an emotion he hadn’t expected to feel, considering Nadia had no idea what his future dreams had been.
Her shoulders slumped and he wished he could snatch the words back. “I don’t know.”
Buff ripped off the towel and strode over to where his clothes lay discarded on the floor. Grabbing his boxers and pants he pulled them on. “Well you said it yourself, this is your dream job. It’s everything you wanted. You should take it.”
God, more imaginary bullets pummeled his skin, he was surprised he didn’t double over with the pain of saying those words. What he really wanted to say was stay with me Nadia, let me be your dream. He wanted a future with her.
What sort of future would it be, though, if she stayed when she didn’t want to? If the reason she stayed was because he begged her to. Over time she would begin to resent him for not allowing her this chance. The future he envisioned would crumble and turn to ashes. Love would turn to hate. He didn’t want to go through that and he, for sure, didn’t want to put Nadia through it as well.
“What did you say?”
Buff held his shirt loosely between his fingers. “I think you heard. I said you should take it. If anyone should know how fickle life can be it’s me. You’ve got to take every opportunity to follow your dreams when you can. You don’t want to live with regrets.”
Unable to face her anymore because he was about to tell her to forget everything he said and stay, he turned away and put his shirt on, taking his time to do the buttons up.
“Right, well if that’s how you feel, I’ll take the job. I’m going to have a shower, then we can leave.” Her tone bitter and she slammed door. The walls vibrated as if telling him he’d made the biggest mistake of his life.
It’s for the better. You’re not ready to commit long term. You’re still trying to get your life on track. You don’t know what you’re going to do tomorrow. Better to break the connection now before it got too strong.
Why didn’t he take any comfort from his inner thoughts? He wanted to argue with his inner voice. Wanted to rail against fate and ask why put Nadia in his life, give him the one person who understood who he was now, only to snatch her away.
Buff slumped into the small lounge chair, the piece of furniture uncomfortable. How he wished he could’ve stayed in the bathroom for ten minutes longer, then he wouldn’t know anything about Nadia’s potential job. Would that scenario be any better? Sometimes knowing the ugly truth was better than not.
Behind him the bathroom door whispered open and Nadia’s soft foot fall moved around the bed to collect her clothes. How had their wonderful night turned so dark and bitter?
Life had a way of snatching the good from him.
“I’m ready to leave now.”
Buff looked up and he was once again blown away by how gorgeous she was. Even with her face free of the makeup and glitter from the previous evening, she took his breath away. He clenched his fists as he rose from the chair. It would be so easy to reach out and pull her into his arms. To slowly remove the tantalizing wrap around dress she wore and make love to her again. Make them both forget the words they’d spoken to each other, but glossing over issues never solved them. Hadn’t he found that out? Over time his attacks had gotten worse and worse until he accepted them as a part of his normal day to day life. If he’d taken the counselling more seriously when he’d returned perhaps he wouldn’t have been in so deep. Then again, Nadia was a catalyst for making him want to get the help he needed. He wanted to be a better man for her, and if she left, well, he’d thank her for giving him the courage to improve his life.
Perhaps her purpose in his life was to give him the push to get help. Buff immediately disregarded the thought. There had been plenty of people pushing him to get help—Pops being at the top of the list, followed by his parents and Dirty-D.
“Buff, are you okay?” Her hand touched his arm and he closed his eyes, relishing the electricity flowing through him from their connection. But he couldn’t let it overwhelm him. He had to let her go.
Taking a step back he pushed his fingers through his hair. “Yep, I’m fine. Let’s go.”
With sure steps, he strode over to the door opening so Nadia could precede him out. Before letting the door close he glanced one last time at the room, imprinting all that had happened the previous night into his mind.
Last night was a night he didn’t want to ever forget.
Chapter 15
The walk back to where Buff had parked his truck was long and silent. Numbness pervaded every part of Nadia’s body. How had things gone so wrong? She didn’t even know if she wanted the job in Boston. As much as it had been everything she thought she’d wanted, her values had changed. She’d changed during her time in Kerrville. She’d found herself and she wasn’t sure she would fit back in the city now in her new skin.
Being part of a smaller community was fulfilling in a way she’d never expected. Working in an inner city ER wouldn’t give her the opportunity to get to know her patients in the way she did where she currently worked. It was all about clearing out the waiting room in the city. Burnout was a real thing with city doctors and something she hadn’t considered before when she’d been applying.
It wasn’t as cut and dry as Buff made it out to be. If she’d got the call about the job three months ago, then things may have been different. She’d have jumped at the chance to get out of small town Kerrville. It would’ve been a travesty if she had, because she’d learned so much. And she’d found the man walking beside her.
While she’d been in the shower she went over the night they’d spent together. Every conversation they’d ever had over the course of their relationship, and especially in the last couple of weeks. The way she’d wanted to do anything possible to help Buff through his attacks. Every little detail confirmed that this was where her life was meant to be, but if Buff didn’t want her then why should she hang around. Why stay with someone when she wasn’t who they wanted? Maybe Buff had been using her and now that they’d slept together he was looking for any reason to move on.
That didn’t ring true with the man she knew Buff to be. He definitely wasn’t the wham-bam
-thank-you-ma’am type of guy.
Her breath whooshed out of her when into someone. Lost in her thoughts she hadn’t seen the group walking toward them.. “Oh I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going.” She offered the man a smile, but it froze on her lips.
Danger! Danger!
The word screeched in every facet of her mind. The group of men they’d run into weren’t a group out for an early morning stroll, they were a group on a mission and somehow she and Buff had become their targets.
The man she’d run into had a scar running down the left side of his face. His eye was covered with a patch. It was obvious the reason for one was because of the other. There was nothing friendly about his face or his demeanor.
“I’m sorry.” She tried again, but her words fell on deaf ears and her arm was yanked behind her. “Ouch.”
“Hey asshole, leave her alone,” Buff said and tried to grab her back but the others in the group all descended on him, dragging him away.
A scream caught in her throat as they started to kick Buff. “Stop. What are you doing? What do you want? I’ll give you my purse, phone anything. Just let us go.” Nadia was babbling and saying things she shouldn’t but all she wanted was to change everything about the morning. If she’d been honest with Buff about the job offer and talked to him, they could’ve still been in the hotel room. Safe and sound. Away from the danger they’d walked into.
“Hey boys did you hear that? This bitch is willing to do anything.” He ran a hand down her back and squeezed her ass. Her stomach turned and her skin crawled and she struggled to get out of the creep’s hold but he was just too strong.
Fighting For Nadia (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha) (Tarpley VFD Book 6) Page 13