“I moved around a lot as a child.”
It made her wonder why. Before she could ask he elaborated.
“My dad was in the military.”
“Interesting. My grandfather on my mom’s side served in the Navy.”
“What about your dad?”
Paige looked down at her food. “I don’t know much about him. He wasn’t in the military as far as I know.” She looked up at Brandon and took a quick drink of her soda. “He obviously had better things to do than hang around with me and my mom.”
“I’m sorry.”
She laughed it off. “Why? It isn’t your fault, and long ago I came to terms with him being a no-good bum. But let’s move on.”
He nodded. “Do you have any siblings?”
“Nope. Do you?” She took a bite of her sandwich.
“Yeah. Wes, my older brother who loved to get me in trouble when we were younger.”
Paige smiled. “Sounds like there are some good stories there. Are you going to share any with me?”
“If you ask nicely.”
“Really? Well then, will you please share one of your stories with me?”
“I like how you say please.”
The heat in the room seemed to climb a notch. A cocky smile lifted the corner of his lips. The devil knew he was affecting her. Good thing turn about was fair play. “Maybe if you stick around long enough, you will get to hear me say it more.”
His gaze widened for a brief second. “Is that so?”
“Yeah. You know I have to ask you for things at work all the time, so I could add a please to it.”
His cocky grin turned into a full smile. “True.”
She liked the verbal play going on between them. She was also getting to see a side of him she didn’t normally. And she was pretty sure he was flirting with her. More than in a nonchalant way, too.
“Here is a story. When my dad was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, there wasn’t enough on-base housing available, so my parents rented a house in town. The military gave him an allotment for living off base.
“We lived next door to an older couple, and the old man was one of those ‘get off my lawn’ types. Any time we knocked a ball into their yard on accident, he’d keep it and lock it in his shed. The first few times we told our parents my dad went over there to try and get it back from the man. The old man acted like he didn’t know what my father was talking about. So Mom and Dad told us to not play on the side of the yard that could result in the ball going into the neighbor’s yard.
“Of course we didn’t listen and lost more balls until, one day, we lost our last ball.”
Paige swallowed her bite. “Uh-oh. I’m betting you didn’t go to your parents with the news.”
“Nope. We would have been in trouble for disobeying them. So, Wes gets this grand idea to get our balls back.”
“All of them?” She smiled.
He laughed. “Yeah. All of them. So this shed that they are locked in is built on to the side of the man’s house. It slants toward the alley and has a shingled roof. Wes tells me to play look out while he climbs up the brick wall and gets on the roof.”
“I already don’t see this going well,” Paige said as she leaned closer, a giddy feeling swirling inside her.
“His plan was to cross over the roof and jump down into the yard. Mind you, he is also carrying a pair of bolt cutters to cut the lock on the door. I’m watching to make sure no one comes out of the house when I hear this crack.”
She covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh no.”
“Wes and I both look at each other like, ‘Oh shit.’ Before he can move, an even bigger crack sounded, and the next thing I knew Wes was sitting on the roof. But one of his legs was dangling inside the shed.”
Paige couldn’t help but laugh. Brandon was laughing too. “Did you help him?”
“I couldn’t. I was laughing so hard I couldn’t even breathe.”
“Oh my gosh! You left him stuck there?”
“Oh trust me. He moved pretty damn quickly on his own. Too bad he didn’t get off the roof in time before the old man came outside.”
Paige’s gaze widened. “What happened?”
“The old man called the cops, and we had to do community service for three weeks.”
“So you have a juvie record?” She grinned.
“Guilty.”
“So where is your brother now?”
Brandon took a drink of his soda. “He’s in Dallas. He’s working in the DA’s office.”
She laughed. “So he went from breaking and entering to catching the bad guys?”
“Yeah. I guess you could say he saw the errors of his ways.” He wadded up the paper from his sandwich. “Now it’s your turn.”
“I don’t really have any crazy stories to tell. For most of my life it’s been just me and mom. My grandparents helped out a bunch when I was younger, but my Pappy died of lung cancer when I was ten, and my Granny died from complications with a bleeding ulcer when I was thirteen. But Mom just took up the slack. She always made sure I didn’t want for anything.”
“So no tales of Paige, the rebellious teenager?”
“Is it so hard to believe I was a good kid?”
“I don’t know. Deep down I think you have a wild side in there somewhere.”
“Well, I’ve always been a little bit of a smartass if that counts.”
“Makes things more entertaining at the least.”
Looking down at the crumbs on her sandwich wrapper, she knew stalling for more time would be hard. She was having fun, and the time seemed to pass so quickly. But she also didn’t want to come across as desperate. “I guess it’s time for me to head to the house.”
“I’ll walk you to your car.”
“You don’t have to.” She picked up her trash, and he followed suit.
“I know that. But it’s dark outside, and I should escort you.”
She knew nothing was going to happen to her in Podunk aka Lovington, but she liked the fact that he acted like a gentlemen. Even though this wasn’t really a date. “If you insist, Dr. Kline.”
“We’re not at work. Call me Brandon.”
Inwardly, she smiled at the loss of formality. “If you’re sure.”
“Come on. You know about my juvie record. Little crazy to keep up with the formality now.”
She laughed.
They walked beside each other across the parking lot in silence. When she reached her car, she pulled her keys from her pocket. He slipped them from her fingers and pushed the button to unlock her door.
“It looks more gallant when you can actually unlock the door with the key, but what the hell.”
Smiling, she took the key ring from his hand. “I had fun tonight.”
“Me too. I’m glad you followed me.”
A laugh tore from her mouth. “I did not.”
“Okay. Maybe I just wished you’d follow me.” His statement sobered her. “I’ll let you get home. See you tomorrow? Enjoy the rest of your birthday.”
“Yep. Thanks again for the sandwich.”
He opened her door, and she got inside. “By the way, you’re rocking the last year of your twenties.”
He didn’t give her a chance to respond before closing the door. She couldn’t help but watch as he crossed the asphalt to his own sedan. It had a Texas plate, so it must be a rental. Honestly, she didn’t see him as the sedan type. She had a feeling he probably had a Hummer.
Paige fired up the engine and drove home with a big smile on her face.
What was it about Paige Sutton? Brandon started his car and backed out of the parking space. Since his first day at the clinic, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Other women he’d dated had been pretty, but none of them had held the exotic beauty Paige did. Her dark hair gleamed and had a slight curl. She often wore it in a ponytail. Other days, a braid flowed down her sleek back.
She didn’t
wear a lot of makeup, but every ounce she put on was there to enhance her natural attributes. Rich brown eyes had stared at him several times throughout their short meal, tempting him to lean forward and kiss her full, lush mouth. Her rocking body also tempted him into sin. Scrubs weren’t usually the most flattering clothes, but she looked gorgeous every day wearing them. Of course, this led to wondering what she’d look like tumbled in the sheets, her hair flowing over a pillow.
Damn. He shouldn’t be lusting after his nurse. But it was so hard not to. Hard. He laughed. Thoughts of her in his bed made him just that.
He was glad she’d accepted his invitation to visit Carlsbad. It was something he wanted to do while he was down here, but even more, he wanted the time alone with Paige.
Guilt slammed him. What was he doing? She was such a nice woman, and he was here for a matter of only a couple months. Developing a relationship wasn’t probably the smartest move. In fact, it was a little selfish. But if he wasn’t mistaken, she was interested too. And she was an adult. She knew what his circumstances were. Besides, they hadn’t put the date label on it. They were friends. If something happened under mutual consent then…yeah. So why did he still feel guilty?
He pushed the thoughts aside and focused on their shared time. It was cool to learn things about her. He’d have never guessed she’d been raised by a single mom. He figured, with her being in the small town with what seemed like the perfect little town life, she would have had multiple siblings and two doting parents. But turned out, big cities weren’t the only place you saw women raising their kids on their own.
In some ways, it wasn’t too different from when he’d grown up. His father had been gone a lot, so it left his mother to take care of most things on her own. But they made it work, and neither Brandon nor Wes ever felt as if they weren’t loved or provided for by both of them.
Which reminded him, he needed to call his mom. It had been a few weeks.
Darkness had settled in, and the streetlights glowed onto the small town roads. The scenery differed vastly from his home outside of New York City. On the highways, he could see for miles because the land was so flat. Hardly any trees were to be seen.
The small porch of his apartment was illuminated in a yellow glow. One thing about being in a small town, it took a total of ten minutes to cross from one side to the other. And that was with catching all the stop lights.
He made his way inside and placed his keys on the bar that separated the living area and small kitchen. Tomorrow would be an interesting day. He wasn’t sure how to act around Paige. Part of him thought it would probably be best to carry on as usual—as if nothing had happened this evening between them. But then he thought about the way she looked at him.
He’d never before given into the urge to have a fling when he got these assignments that led him halfway across the country, but this time he was very tempted.
Chapter Two
Paige couldn’t stop smiling. People were going to know something was up if she didn’t contain her giddiness. But was something up? It had been dinner—at a sub shop no less. So why was she so happy then?
Because he’d made it clear he was flirting before he closed her car door. Her grin widened. She tried harder to tamp down her excitement. Thoughts of the trip to Carlsbad stirred her tummy. Would it be more like a date?
Better to not think about it. She didn’t want to complicate whatever this was. She had a problem with overthinking things.
“Your last patient cancelled, so Dr. Kline is free to go to lunch,” Heather said as she walked toward the break room.
“Thanks. I’ll let him know.” Paige turned and headed for his office. Her steps slowed. His smooth, baritone voice drifted to her before she got to the door. She could tell by his words that he was dictating a progress note on his last patient.
When she arrived in the doorway, he continued to talk into the small handheld recorder but smiled at her as he finished. Today he wore black slacks and a white button-down shirt. His teal tie brought out the green in his eyes. Instead of a suit coat, he wore a white lab coat with his name embroidered on it. She knew why he was dressed up. The doctors all had some fancy luncheon to attend today, so they’d been given a two-and-a-half-hour lunch block.
Brandon set the recorder down on his desk. “What’s up?”
“Our final patient cancelled so you can leave early for the luncheon.”
“Okay. Speaking of the luncheon, would you like to go with me?”
Paige’s heart gave a funny beat, and her skin tingled in anticipation. Then she looked down at her scrubs and tennis shoes. “I don’t know. I’ve never been to something like this before, and I’m probably underdressed.”
He shook his head. “You look fine—more than fine actually.”
Heat flooded her neck and started creeping toward her face. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of any other doctors taking their nurses to things like this.”
“That’s because they usually take their wives. I’m not married.”
That was good to know. Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner? She wasn’t a home wrecker and would never tempt a married man. Paige really wanted to say yes, but the gossip mill in a small town would no doubt start chattering. And while she wasn’t overly concerned with what others thought, she wasn’t sure where he sat on the subject. “You know rumors will start if I go with you.”
“I stopped caring about rumors in junior high.”
Somehow she figured he wasn’t the type to be gossiped about or made fun of back then.
Brandon leaned forward and grabbed her hand, pulling her farther into his office. “Come on. Take pity on me. It’s free food. Usually good, free food and a long lecture about what this new medication can do for problems in urinary incontinence.”
She laughed. “Sounds like a wonderful topic to discuss while eating.”
“Oh yeah. One of the best. So don’t make me sit through it alone.”
She pursed her lips. What could it harm? If anyone asked, she could say it was purely business. He started pulling her closer, and she couldn’t help but look around to make sure no one was standing around the doorway. “What are you doing?” she whispered.
“I’m trying to convince you to say yes.”
Her heart hammered a staccato rhythm. What did he plan to do to get her to agree? She licked her lips. His eyes widened, and his gaze fell to her mouth. Part of her really wanted to find out if he would kiss her, but the sane part of her made her speak up. “Okay. I’ll go.”
He stopped pulling her forward but didn’t release her hand. His fingers skimmed her wrist. No doubt he felt the effect he’d had on her. And damn if her pulse didn’t speed up even more as his fingers caressed the sensitive skin. She slid her hand from his and let it drop to her side. His gaze met hers once again.
“How about we take your car since this meeting is in Hobbs and you’re the native here?”
The larger town sat about fifteen miles south of them. She didn’t mind driving, but the luncheon was being held in one of the annex buildings at the casino. Pretty much a straight shot, so what was his end game? Why was she overthinking this? “That’s fine.”
Suddenly, she was thankful she’d remembered to clean her car yesterday. The coffee cup collection on her floorboard would have been a little embarrassing.
“I have a few more charts to dictate, and then we can go.”
She gave a quick nod then turned and exited his office. She needed a minute to compose herself. She rounded the corner and entered a small lab area they used to run blood and urine tests. They sent most major lab draws to the hospital, but they were savvy enough to check blood sugar levels and create slides for microbiology purposes. Lucky for her, the small space was empty. She leaned against the door and released a rushed breath.
Excitement built within her. Things had definitely gone to the next level. There was no longer a question of whether he was interested. This could be dang
erous, but it was thrilling. A full grin spread across her face. Her breaths puffed out of her chest as if he’d already kissed her. The only thing missing was the slight swelling of her lips. Would he try and kiss her?
She wanted him to, and that scared the hell out of her. It wasn’t fear of the physical contact—after all, she wasn’t a blushing virgin by any means. What scared her was the intense need for his physical contact. It hadn’t been this way since she’d broken up with Matthew four years ago. And if memory served correctly, it hadn’t even been this strong with him.
Hell, she’d avoided any type of serious relationship since then. When he cheated on her, it tore her up inside. Outside, she’d managed to reflect a calm façade. Most of her friends were concerned at how the breakup appeared to affect her in such a miniscule way. Little did they know she liked to keep her emotions bottled. Being vulnerable implied that she needed someone. And she didn’t need anyone. She was happy with her independence.
So maybe it was just because she was really horny. It had been six months since her last casual fling. Yeah. She decided to go with that.
Someone slightly pushed against the door. She stepped out of the way as a nurse entered.
“Oh, hey, Paige. Were you about to run anything in here?”
Paige looked at the cup of urine in Kristi’s gloved hand. “No. You go ahead. I’m all finished.” She slipped out the door to avoid small talk. Besides, Brandon was probably ready to go by now.
As she had suspected, he was standing beside the time clock in the break room.
“You ready?” he asked with a smile.
“Yeah.” She slid her badge through the slot on the machine, then walked with him to her car.
He looked up at the sky. “It’s a beautiful day today. It’s so much warmer here than it is in New York in December.”
She smiled at him over the hood of her vehicle, squinting against the bright sunlight reflecting off the silver surface. “Don’t get used to it. Next week we are supposed to get a cold front and maybe a little snow. Of course, the weather service changes our forecast by the hour down here.”
Lovers by Night Page 2