"Hey," Courtney said as she entered the room.
"Hi, Court. What's up?"
"I brought you something."
"Yeah?"
"Um. Well. So."
"Come here, Courtney." Courtney walked closer, and Stephanie pointed to the bed. "Have a seat, and relax."
"Okay, okay."
"Can I talk to you about something?"
"Yes. Anything."
Stephanie bit her lip. "There's this guy."
Courtney leaned forward. "There is?"
"Yeah. I've been in love with him since I was a freshman in high school. I think I told you about him, but here's the deal. Recently, he's shown interest too, but he's like a closed book when it comes to his emotions."
"And that drives you nuts because you like to help people, but he won't let you."
"Exactly. And he accuses me of psychoanalyzing him, and he won't talk until I push too hard, then he lashes out or clams up even more."
"Is he around now?"
"He's the chief of staff here."
"Dr. Jake Stone? Landon's friend? He's super hot."
"I know," Stephanie groaned.
"His grandfather tried to set me up with him once."
"I'd heard that."
"Yep, totes did."
"So, I'm adopted," Stephanie blurted out. The change of subject hung heavily in the air. "I just found out, and I don't know what to do," she rushed to fill the silence.
"Your parents didn't tell you?" Courtney asked, wide-eyed.
"No. I feel like they lied to me my entire life, and Jake took me to meet my birth mother. I have a little brother with blue hair." Stephanie grinned. "It looked really cool, though."
"Why did she give you up?"
"She was fourteen and pregnant. She didn't know what else to do."
"So you forgive her?"
"Yeah."
"But you are having trouble forgiving your parents? Even though they have loved you your entire life, just like that other woman?"
"Are you sure you don't have a psychology degree?"
"No, I have this really great psychologist who’s helped me so much, and she doesn't even know it."
"Courtney."
Courtney smiled at her. "What else is on your mind? Because I know you help everyone else and don't take time to deal with issues that you push to the back burner."
Stephanie closed her laptop and stared at her hands.
"You can ask me anything."
"Jake is mad at me because he said I could prevent some of my pain if I take something, but I'm afraid I'll get hooked on the pills."
"And you don't want to end up like me."
Silence descended on the room.
"I'm sorry," Stephanie apologized.
"What for? It's a legit concern. I wouldn't want to be like me either, but please take the pills. You are stronger than me, Steph. It's stupid to be in pain when you have never had a substance abuse problem before."
"I think you are fantastic, and I know Landon thinks you're amazing."
"You think he'll ask me to marry him?"
"I'd be shocked if he didn't. Speaking of Landon, is he in the cafeteria or something?"
"No, he's at his mom's. I came by myself today. Baby steps, I guess."
"For him, or you?"
"Both. He doesn't like me to go places or be alone. He likes to watch over me."
"I'm sorry I didn't protect you."
"What are you talking about?"
"I opened the door, and I should have done something else."
"Oh my God, Steph. Have you felt like you failed me this entire time? I have never blamed anyone but myself. I went out with him."
"I froze when I saw the gun."
"You're not bulletproof! What could you have done differently?"
"I don't know. Something. Anything." She threw her hands up in the air.
"Stephanie. I don't blame you."
"I don't blame you either."
Courtney bit her quivering lip.
Stephanie took a deep breath and swiped at a tear. "And we need to stop blaming ourselves for that psycho's decisions."
"Amen," Courtney whispered.
Stephanie cleared her throat before speaking again. "How do I get Jake to talk to me?"
"Get naked?" Courtney blushed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
Stephanie laughed but blushed too.
"I don't even know if..." Courtney waved her hands in the air.
"That works, but I haven't been cleared for it."
"You're blushing again."
"I am not!"
"You and your Jake have done things."
"He took me to a hotel to get away from here. There was a hot tub there. He kissed me, and all my dreams came true."
"So just kissing?"
"We stayed at Dylan's dad's hotel. And things happened, but I want all the things."
"Who says you can't have all the things?"
"He's mad at me right now. We got back like an hour ago. He left me in the care of a nurse and went to his office."
"Guys aren't the best at talking about their feelings."
"I know that."
"Give him time."
"I accidentally told him you have used drugs. I know that breaks doctor/patient confidentiality."
"Don't stress. I don't care that people know that. It's not like it's a secret."
"What did you have for me?"
Courtney reached into her pocket and handed Stephanie an AA chip. "This is so stupid now that I'm thinking about it, but I wanted you to have that. I went back to AA a few weeks back, and I'm still sober, and I feel like you had a huge part in that, so thank you. It's lame. I'm sorry."
"Thank you, Courtney. I will cherish it forever," she tearfully said and gave her a watery smile.
"What's the matter?" Jake asked as he came through the door.
Stephanie laughed. "Girl stuff. We are fine."
"Hi again, Jake."
"Hi, Courtney."
"I'm going to go. Diana was making lunch."
"Yum."
"You bet." Courtney stood and leaned down to hug Stephanie. "I'll see you guys later."
As soon as Courtney cleared the door, Jake asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes." She wanted to ask him the same but bit the side of her mouth instead.
He stuck his hands in his lab coat and rocked back on his heels. "Oh." He pulled a bag of Tootsie Rolls out of one pocket and laid it on her nightstand. "You needed more."
"Thanks."
"I have to do rounds for a few hours, but I have another round of interviews starting tomorrow, so I don't have to do this but once in a blue moon." He sighed. "Okay then. I'll bring you dinner later?"
"Okay."
"Okay." He turned, took a few steps, and stopped at the door before turning around and marching up to her chair and kneeling beside it. He cupped her face and touched his lips to hers. Her hand threaded through his hair as he deepened the kiss.
"Here's your lunch and oookay, I'm sorry." Elizabeth's voice had Jake stopping his kiss and laying his forehead against Stephanie's. Her hand left his hair and settled on his bicep.
"I have to go. I'll see you later," he whispered.
He quickly walked through the door, not looking in Elizabeth's direction. She turned to Stephanie as soon as he was gone. "Get it, girl!"
Stephanie blushed bright red, and Elizabeth laughed.
"As I was saying before I so rudely interrupted; here is your lunch. And It looks like you guys had a nice weekend."
"Yeah. Some of it was."
"Good."
Matt chose that time to enter with his phone in his hand. "Welcome back, hot stuff! Are you ready for tomorrow morning?" He turned his head and grinned at Elizabeth, and Stephanie saw two matching pink spots appear on her cheeks.
Matt smirked. "Hi there, Elizabeth. It's always nice to see you," he added smoothly.
"Hello, Matt. Same," she mumbled.
"
Do you think so?"
"Yes. I have to go...more lunches to deliver. Later Stephanie." She pushed the cart out the door with her head down while Matt watched her walk away, the smile falling off his face.
He seemed to shake his thoughts away before he turned back to Stephanie and forced a smile back on his face. "We are going to try something new tomorrow. I'm ready for you to walk out of here."
"Do you really think that's possible?"
"Absolutely. Hot tub first and hot tub afterward. And I was hoping you could take some anti-inflammatory stuff before and after."
"All right."
"I'll email you some info. Do you need anything before I go?"
"Elizabeth forgot my drink, so if you'd bring me one out of my fridge, that would be great."
"No problem." He handed her a drink and left, first telling her he'd see her at nine in the morning.
Stephanie blew out a breath, popped open her soda, and looked down at the food. It wasn't Jack or Diana's, that's for sure, but it would have to do. She couldn't wait until Jake brought her something decent to eat. Maybe he would actually talk to her tonight, but she decided not to hold her breath.
Chapter 18
Stephanie was asleep when Jake returned to the room later that evening. A blanket was over her lap, and a pill bottle sat on the tray beside her that held her laptop, a Coke, and several candy wrappers.
He set her burger and fries on the bed and sat on the edge, just watching her. He had wasted too many years when he could have had her. And now, he couldn't seem to get his thoughts together around her. Deep down, he was afraid she would think he was crazy, and he couldn't stand it if she looked at him any differently.
He stood and brushed the hair gently off her face, but she still stirred and looked at him dreamily. "Hi, Jacob. I've missed you today," she murmured sleepily.
"I saw you earlier."
"It wasn't long enough. I missed your lips."
Jake looked at the pill bottle. "Did you take something?"
"Nope. I do miss your lips."
"I got you something to eat."
"What about you?"
"I had a meeting earlier, and they fed us."
"I don't want to eat alone."
"I'm not leaving."
She smiled at him, and his heart flipped in his chest.
"Let me use the restroom, and then I'll eat." She removed the blanket from her legs before he scooped her up and carried her to the bathroom. "I got it from here. I'll call you when I'm done."
She finished, and he carried her back to the chair and sat down with her across his lap. "I moved the food. You can sit here and eat while I hold you."
She ate in silence while he rubbed her back.
"You have ketchup right here." He swiped his thumb across the corner of her mouth before his tongue licked at it before kissing her. "I got it," he said, his voice low.
"I definitely missed your lips."
He kissed down the side of her neck. "You're stiffening up again," he uttered near her ear.
"So are you." Her eyes drifted to his crotch.
Jake laughed. "Are you sure you aren't on something right now?"
"Just some anti-inflammatory, which I have to take again tomorrow before therapy and again afterward."
"I think Matt is working you too hard."
"He wants me to walk."
"You don't think I want that too?"
"I know you do. That's not what I meant."
Jake bit the inside of his mouth, grabbed her nearby blanket, and pulled it over both of their laps. Stephanie laid her head on his chest just under his chin and sighed.
"What do you mean?"
"I just mean he told me today he wants me to walk out of here. And I want to do that. I want to go home to my own bed. I want to sit in front of my fireplace with you, watch a movie, and feed each other popcorn. I want to sit in my sunroom, listen to the rain, and make love under the skylight."
"Stephanie."
She sat up and looked him in the eyes. "I want all the things, Jake. And I want them with you."
"I want those things too."
"Then talk to me, please."
Jake squeezed her hand. "I don't want you to look at me differently," he whispered. His voice was shaky, and she touched his face.
"I'm not going to. I love you."
"But maybe you won't anymore."
"It's not going to happen, Jake."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
"Okay. Here, so I can look at you." He helped her straddle his hips. "You good? Does that hurt."
"Yeah. I'm good."
He took a moment to gather himself. "After Dad's wreck, I knew it was the brakes before the police report even came back. I got to where I couldn't sleep. Guilt and medical school just beat down on me. I know my parents know, but they have yet to mention it to me, and they still treat me the same, which makes me feel one million times worse."
She played with the button on his shirt while he talked to her.
"Eventually, I got some pills to help with sleeping, and I was getting better, but then." He stopped, grabbed her hand, and kissed the inside of her wrist. "Then I heard you were shot, and they didn't know if you were going to live, and then they didn't know if you were paralyzed, and it has brought back so many memories of my dad. I was helpless then, and I'm helpless now. I can't help. I can't help you, and it's my job to help people, and the one person I want to fix, not fix, that's not the right word. Heal. I became a doctor to help heal people, and I can't heal you." His eyes closed as his lip quivered slightly.
She grabbed his face. "You're not God, Jake."
"I'd heal you first thing," he whispered.
Her lips touched his, and when her tongue licked his lips, he opened his mouth, and her tongue plunged in, causing him to groan. Her hands went to his hair, and his hand spanned her back as he held her to him as he took over the kiss.
"The door's locked," he said when he broke away before latching on to her neck.
"You locked the door?" she asked, her breath hitching when his hand found her breast.
"Yes."
"W-why?"
He raised her hands above her head with one hand and held them there before grabbing the hem of her T-shirt and pulling it off. "That's why." His eyes raked down her naked torso. "You're beautiful," he said reverently.
"Jacob." She whimpered when his mouth found one pert breast and sucked it into his mouth. "Oh," she moaned, and her head fell back slightly.
"If something doesn't feel right, tell me to stop."
"Okay, okay." Her hands tightened on his shoulders.
His mouth found her breast again, and his tongue circled her nipple as his fingers did the same to her other one. His thumb swished back and forth as he sucked.
The noises coming from her sexy mouth had him hard as nails behind his zipper, and he shifted, trying to get relief. She gasped at the shift, his hardness hitting her center. "Are you okay?"
"Undo your pants."
"We can't."
"You're uncomfortable. Get comfortable."
He slid her back slightly and unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. He groaned when his cock tented his boxers.
Stephanie licked her lips as she stared. Jake pulled her over his hard-on, and they both moaned. She had taken to wearing yoga pants lately, and he could feel her heat through the thin material.
"I want to ride you."
He grabbed her hips and shifted her forward. "Did that hurt?"
"No. It felt so good." Her eyes were heavy-lidded with desire, and he shifted her again. "You're doing all the work."
"I don't care. In three weeks, I will be buried inside you, and you can do the work."
Her eyes snapped open, and she locked gazes with him. They looked so dark and feral looking. His hips jerked up, and her breath hitched.
"I'm going to make love to you under the skylight in the rain," he said softly to her. "But first, I'm making you come while you g
rind on my dick and I suck your tits." He latched on to her breast, and she managed to shift forward and rub her center over his hardness. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. He groaned on her nipple. Hot air from his breath caused her to moan. Her hips bucked again, and he moaned her name before sucking hard as he thrust up, and she came apart. He swallowed his name on her lips with his mouth. He shifted up a few more times and groaned into her mouth as he came.
She slumped forward, and he rubbed her back. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"No. But now I'm sweaty and cold, and that causes my back to hurt."
"Let's get you cleaned up and in bed."
"I hope you brought some clean clothes, because well..."
Jake watched her blush and rubbed a thumb across her cheeks. "Why are you embarrassed? Although, that blush is adorable."
"There are bodily fluids all over the both of us. I have a change of clothes, but what about you?"
"Are you afraid I will have to do the walk of shame out of your room?"
"Yes, kind of."
"I'll have Elizabeth bring me some clothes."
"Are you kidding me right now?"
"What? I have clothes in my office. She knows where they are."
"Did you ever sleep with her?" she had to ask. Had to know.
"No."
Stephanie looked away, and he grabbed her chin, forcing her eyes back on him.
"I have NEVER slept with Elizabeth. We are very good friends. That's it. Ask her if you don't believe me."
"I believe you. I'm just-I'm sitting here half naked, and I'm feeling exposed and vulnerable."
He hugged her to his chest. "Let's get you cleaned up and dressed. Can you hold on to the bed rail and stand until I can get to you?"
"Yeah. I think so."
He helped her off his lap, and she held on to the bed rail while he zipped up. He quickly carried her to the shower and turned on the water. "Do you need anything?"
"No, I just-I got this."
"I'll call Elizabeth for clothes. If that's okay with you."
"It's okay. I'll stay here until she's gone, though."
"Okay, baby." He placed a soft kiss on her lips before leaving her alone in the bathroom.
Jake paced, waiting on the knock from Elizabeth. When she arrived, she stuck her hand through the door opening, holding a shopping bag with a change of clothes.
Broken Ties (The Healing Series Book 5) Page 13