by Aliyah Burke
“I thought your last class was three hours ago.” Tara ate a shrimp.
Shai sat and placed her order for food and drink. She put her purse on the back of her chair. “Mine was, but I stepped in for Professor Harptin and one of his calculus classes.” She rubbed her hands together. “What’d I miss? Have we found out about the funeral yet?”
Eva smiled and caught Shai up while they waited for her food.
“And what about the days after the funeral?” Shai questioned. “Did you learn to love Phoenix or have you still not seen much of the city because you didn’t leave your hotel room?”
“Seriously? What is it with both of you and the need to know about my sex life?”
“We’re nosy and we’re your sisters. Why are you shocked?” Tara looked to Shai. “Why is she shocked?”
“Must be something that happens in med school. I mean, it only happened to her, not either one of us.” Shai drank her martini and sighed happily. “Some days that’s all that’s needed.”
“Nasty drink,” Tara snipped. “You should have some class and drink a chard.”
“Thank you. I’d rather drink shards of glass than that crap.”
Eva let it go because if they were arguing with each other, they weren’t on her about her sex life and how many times she and Grant fucked in her hotel room before she left Arizona and returned to Iowa.
As one, both women stopped and stared at her.
Damn it, it’s like they read my mind. Eva kept her expression as blank as possible, but around her sisters, it meant nothing at all.
“I believe you were about to tell us how Arizona was.”
“Nope, pretty damn sure I wasn’t.”
“Cute…how she thinks after so many years that it’s actually going to work,” Tara said to Shai.
“You know us, we can just get louder if you don’t tell us what we want to know.”
No idle threat coming from those two.
Eva took a deep breath and filled them in, leaving out some of the more descriptive acts.
“So I have to ask, Eva. How serious is it with you and Grant?”
She bit back her instinctive flippant response. This was Shai who asked and her other sister who also wanted to know. “I like him. A lot. I mean, a lot, a lot.”
“And I’m guessing he feels the same way?” Shai ate a hushpuppy.
“I believe so. Christ, you would think after all this time… Hell, I’m a respected and sought-after surgeon. I’m damn good at what I do, but this man—he makes me feel like I’m back in high school, all giggly and stupid.”
They didn’t laugh at her, in fact, they didn’t say a thing, and she flicked her glance between the two of them. “Nothing to say?”
“Nope, not other than what are you going to do about it?”
“I have a question.” Tara pointed her fork. “What happens if you get together? Will you be staying here or moving halfway across the country?”
“Good question.” Shai nodded.
“What are we doing, talking about that potential possibility if I don’t even know where this is going? Hell, I’m not sure it is going anywhere.”
“Struck a nerve, she’s starting to cuss, Tara.”
Eva wanted to punch Shai for pointing that out. Not like Tara wouldn’t have known anyway but still, it was the principle. “Let it alone,” she snapped.
Both her sisters arched eyebrows at her. However, they dropped it.
An act that raised her own suspicion tenfold. She reached for her margarita when her phone buzzed. “Monroe.”
“Hey, Doc, sorry to bother you, but we need you here. Tony Mensalli took a turn for the worse and they want to operate now.”
Her own troubles vanished with a puff and she pushed back her chair. “He’s not ready for surgery. Who wants to operate and what do you mean by ‘he took a turn for the worse’?” Meeting her sisters’ gazes, she knew they understood and would cover her bill. They waved as she grabbed her items and left, grateful she’d had her water first.
Jogging to her car, she slid behind the wheel and went hands-free as she headed for the hospital while her nurse filled her in on everything that had happened since she’d made her final rounds a couple of hours ago.
At the hospital, she hurried inside and to her locker. Changing shoes, she shoved into her slip-ons then shrugged into her white coat. As she left the staff room, the head nurse caught up with her.
“He’s been prepped and is in the room now. Everything is ready for you to go in. Dr. Lopez is there, as well. He’ll be performing the surgery unless some more cancer pops into view that hasn’t shown up on the scans. We’re still trying to ascertain where the bleeding came from. But he wanted you in there with him, since Tony is your cancer patient.”
She lengthened her short stride, determined to get there. Dread filled her. They’d been hoping he would turn a corner and beat this but as of this moment, he hadn’t accomplished that. Eva scrubbed in and was gowned and gloved within seconds. “Doctor,” she said, entering the room.
“Thanks for coming, Dr. Monroe. I know you had left for the day.”
“Thank you for requesting they call me in.”
A lot of doctors had huge egos, and she understood that—hell, hers was healthy, nothing to scoff at—but in these types of situations, she had no problem thanking a doctor for doing something he didn’t have to do.
It may not have been easy for her to take a back seat to this operation, but she held her tongue and did just that. Dr. Lopez was damn good at his job and found the bleeder, addressed it and sewed up Tony, all with the boy hanging in here.
Damn, this is nerve-racking when I’m not the one in control of the knife.
They departed and tossed their gowns in the bin.
“You’ve got a terrific hand, Dr. Lopez,” she said. “Thank you for doing such a great job on him.”
“He means a lot to you.” The man looked at her with a smile.
“All my patients do. I see them at their most vulnerable and they are so young with so much life that should be ahead of them. I get attached, what can I say?”
“No, no. I think it should be that way. Too many doctors want to keep a distance and are more worried about their live versus die stats. They keep more than an arm’s length, so nothing affects them. However, I think it does, anyway. They’re so focused on remaining distant they leave off the most important part of being a doctor. The healing isn’t just with medicine from a bottle or surgery. It comes from those around them, the love, the emotion.”
“You are right about one thing, not many docs share that view. They’re about getting people in and out of their office. Numbers mean money.” She shrugged. “I may be exhausted, but I make it a point to always speak with the family and the children. I’m part of their lives and I should be near family. They are trusting me with their child’s life.”
“I would like to talk to you more about this but right now I have to go. My wife is on another floor in labor and I would like to be there for her.”
“Oh, my God! Go, go. I’m sorry for running my mouth.”
He smiled at her. “I’ll see you later, Dr. Monroe.” He hurried away, ripping the cap from his head.
Eva rubbed the small of her back and fought a yawn. She dug into her pocket and removed her cell, checking the time. Too late to call her sisters, so looked like it was time to head to an all-night diner and grab something to eat. Exchanging shoes once more, she then walked to her car and slipped behind the wheel.
Things would be so much different if I had a man waiting for me at home. Hell, if Grant was there, I may not have gone out with my sisters. Probably would have found something else to do there.
The roads were with minimum traffic, so she didn’t have to waste a lot of time traveling to her familiar food spot. Once inside, she was met with smiles and waves from the staff who were used to seeing her. Snagging her typical booth, she accepted the coffee with a smile and placed her order as her stomach rumbled
. She’d left her seafood on the table earlier and her belly was rebelling.
* * * *
Grant tapped his pencil on the desktop as he waited for his call to be answered. By the third ring, he was antsy. Fifth, about to give up but then he heard her voice.
“Dr. Monroe.”
“Hello, beautiful,” he said, smiling and reclining in his chair.
“Grant.”
Was he mistaken, or was that surprise he had called? Angling his head to the side, he blinked then shook off those thoughts. “I’m sorry for bothering you, but I wanted to hear your voice.”
“It’s not a bother. How are you doing? How’s your family?”
“We’re okay. It’s an adjustment not having him around. Mom still hasn’t gotten back out there fully and she’s canceled all her traveling for the rest of the year.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s part of life. She would like you to come out. She wants to spend some time with you and get to know you.”
“She does?”
“Yes, I think part of her isn’t sure she didn’t imagine you there.”
“Because of the blue in my hair?”
He laughed. “No, I think because I was holding your hand.”
“Does that mean something else out in Arizona that I don’t know about?”
“Yes,” he deadpanned. “It means we’re now married.”
“Ahh, I see.”
Grant imagined her nodding while her lips quirked up at the edges.
“And do they hand out these rules when you land at the airport, pass them out when you cross state lines?”
“No, we pick and choose when we want to implement them.”
“Oh, so that’s how it works.”
He scratched his thigh. “Absolutely.”
“Something specific you called for, Doctor?”
“Yes, I want to see you.”
Her heavy sigh made him uncertain and he had nothing but disdain for the emotion.
“I’m sorry. I can’t get away right now. I have a lot of surgeries lined up and I can’t have anyone take them for me.”
“I can come to you.” He sat forward. “Let me do that. Let me fly to you and be there.”
“I’m not saying you can’t come out. In fact, I’d love to see you and I know my sisters would want to meet you. Although, that in itself should scare the shit out of you.”
“I can’t wait to meet your sisters. We have to talk about us and I want to do that face to face, not over the phone.”
“Come on out. I’ll even provide you with a room to stay in. Make sure to give you a good rate.”
“Does it come with a roommate?” His cock thickened at the thought of being with her.
“It could. Do you have preferences?”
“Most definitely. I’d like a woman with curves in all the right places, sassy, spunky. A spiky blonde with sapphire-blue tips on her hair.”
“Tall order. But I’ll see what I can arrange for you.” Muffled voices came from her end of the call. “I’ll see you soon, Grant. I have to go right now. But, I will see you soon, Doctor.” She was gone before he could say anything else.
Settled back in his chair, he started his Mac and bought himself an airline ticket. He wasn’t about to screw around and not get out to her. He wanted this, whatever they had, to work. Sure, the sex had been explosive but there was more. And she’d proven that when she’d been at his side for his father’s funeral.
His sister walked in his office as he just clicked the purchase button on his ticket. “Hey, Grant. Do you have a minute?”
“For you? Always.” He half-stood until she waved him back to the chair. “What’s going on?” Grant was a bit shocked at seeing her here, as she worked in a different hospital and didn’t get here to this one often.
“I have a date tomorrow night and I wanted to know if you could spend dinner with Mom.” She stretched out her legs and crossed her ankles. She wouldn’t meet his gaze for longer than short sections of time.
“Date? Who is it with?”
Lucy scrunched up her face. “Really? We still have to do this?”
“Of course, we do. Just because you grew up, doesn’t mean I am not going to be nosy and the protective older brother I’ve always been.”
She glared at him.
He stared back, eyebrow arched.
With a huff, she drummed her fingers on the arm of his chair. “I can’t believe that look still works on me. It’s one of my colleagues. We’re going to have a nice dinner. He’s been asking me for a while and I’ve always come up with a reason not to go, but since Dad’s passing, I’m looking at it like life is too damn short for me to not take some chances.”
Grant understood that. He had a lot of the same thoughts. “I’ve been feeling that way, as well. So, yes, I will have dinner with her. I’m leaving the next week.”
“I didn’t think you went back to the Congo for a few more months.”
“I don’t, actually it’s only one month. But right now, I’m heading to Iowa.”
Lucy drew back. “What’s in— Oh, the girlfriend you met in Mexico, right?” A wicked grin crossed her face. “Or have we not hit girlfriend status yet, despite her coming out here to support you at the funeral?”
“You can shut it now, Lucy, thank you.”
“For a big brother, you sure are slow sometimes. Tell her how you feel, Grant. Don’t put it off.”
“I planned on it, thank you for the advice, though, Doc.”
“Good.” She stood and beckoned to him. “Now, come on. Take your favorite sister to lunch, she’s hungry.”
He got to his own feet and rolled his eyes. “Who said anything about you being my favorite? You’re my only sister. I never said favorite.”
“For that, this meal is going to include dessert.” She frowned at him, despite the sparkle in her gaze.
He didn’t mind. Seeing her laugh and smile again was worth all the dessert in the world. “Since I’m broke, I’ll take you to the cafeteria.”
She snorted and shook her head. “Hell, no. I want a nice meal, not whatever that crap is that’s served there.”
“So judgmental. You eat at your hospital.”
“It’s mine, this one is yours, not the same thing.”
Grant slung his arm around his baby sister and together, they left his office. They agreed on a place and he led the way there, she followed behind in her Audi coupe.
Once he got home that night, he set up his Mac and used it to call Eva. He waited impatiently for her to answer and smiled the moment he witnessed her face come into view.
“Hello,” he said. Lord, she is beautiful. Her long thick lashes were darker blonde than her hair and continually mesmerized him.
“Hi, Grant.” She sat and crossed her legs on the couch. “You’re looking well, getting some rest?”
“Some, yes. You?”
“You know how it goes. Some days are harder than others.”
He did know that firsthand and nodded. “Want to talk about it?” His intention of calling her wasn’t to talk shop but if she needed to, he would.
She worked her lower lip in her teeth.
Instantly, his groin tightened against his shorts, pushing the material, wanting to be set free. “No. I’m fine. I’ve had my margarita and was reading a book.”
“Some sappy romance?”
“No, actually this was a murder mystery. It’s good, too, kind of has a Stephen King, Dean Koontz feel to it as well. I like it, keeping me on the edge of my seat.” Her tone was excited and it made him wonder what the name of the book was. If she sounded so happy to read it, perhaps it was something he would enjoy reading.
He ran his gaze along the graceful curve of her neck, remembering what it was like to have his face buried there, swipe his tongue over her skin tasting her, smelling the scent of pears that hung around her even after she climbed out of the ocean.
“What?” she asked. “Do I have something on my face?”
>
“No, why?”
“The way you’re staring at me.”
“No, I’m just remembering what it was like when we were in the same room and I could touch you, skim my hands over your curves. Hold your hips as I drive my cock into you over and over again.”
Damn if her eyes didn’t flutter and her chest move as she inhaled with a sharp breath.
Christ, he wanted her within reach.
“That’s not fair,” she moaned, shifting on her seat.
“Why not? It’s the truth.”
“You know, just for that, you’re going to have to make it up to me.”
Her flirtatious smile turned him on even more. “How can I do that?”
“Let me watch you jack off.” She shifted once more before moving her screen a bit. “In fact, strip naked, lie on your bed and let me watch you wrap your hands around your beautiful cock and jerk it until you come. Let me watch you pleasure yourself.”
The rasp in her voice damn near made him shoot his release. Grant ripped off his shirt and threw it to the side. Standing, he shucked his shorts and boxers. His dick stood out, hard and needing a wet pussy around it. Not just any but the woman he saw staring at his package from the computer screen. He lifted his Mac and went to his bedroom. Getting situated, he looked at her and said, “Aren’t you getting undressed?”
“Do you need that in order to masturbate? You need me naked?”
“It’s how I envision you when I do it. Need it? No. Want it, fuck, yeah.” He grasped his cock as her fingers went to the first button on her shirt.
God, she was going to tease him and it was going to be hell.
“You stop jacking, I stop stripping,” she warned, dragging her finger down between her breasts.
His dick jumped in his hand as he tightened his grip, working up and down once more. He wanted to see her shaved pussy, her playing between the lips as she fingered herself, and hear her mewls as she pushed herself over that edge. It would have to do until he got there next week.
Unfair but he was up to the challenge. He hoped. If not, Grant was about to embarrass himself in front Eva.
Chapter Eight
“Oh, fuck!” Eva screamed and bucked against the arm across her belly, holding her in place as he remained buried between her legs, eating her out. She couldn’t move Grant’s arm. He was too strong for her to do that. Her entire body was a mass of trembling nerves and she could only ride the onslaught of orgasms he applied to her body.