by Ali Parker
“I’ll be waiting.”
Chapter 5
Nora
Jeremy Daniels must have thought I’d been born yesterday and graduated medical school an hour ago. His poor attempt at faking dizzy spells was amusing but he was crazy if he thought I was going to spend the night.
As I walked downstairs and passed through his kitchen to the side door that would be closer to my house, I noticed how high that lightbulb was in the kitchen and just how far he fell. A little voice inside kept telling me all the way to the pharmacy that maybe I should stay the night.
As if the little voice wasn’t enough encouragement my phone rang and it was Harper to further persuade me. “How’s your patient? Has he showed you his penis yet?”
“Don’t be crass. It is bad enough I’ve got him faking dizzy spells to get close to me. Not to mention he’s asked me to spend the night.”
“You should. He’s not all that terrible and let’s face it, those Daniels’ men are super-hot.” I had a feeling she was looking at her man as she spoke.
“Don’t let Luke hear you telling me to spend the night with Jeremy. It’s weird enough I’m his friend. I don’t want him thinking about me screwing his brother.”
“Please. You need to loosen up. I know you’ve never been with anyone, but don’t you think it’s time you stop that losing streak and find out what you’re missing?”
“I’ve been in situations with men before like him and all they care about is getting their rocks off. I want someone who cares about me, who will leave me with more than a sore jaw.”
“That’s because you’re starting off at the wrong end. Make them earn that.” I’d only done it a few times and that was just to show I wasn’t completely square. In the end, I’d given him the release he was after and he never called me again. Jeremy Daniels was the same type of animal.
“Whatever.” I pulled into the pharmacy parking lot and pulled into the nearest spot.
“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you? That’s why you’re copping such an attitude.” She gave a little giggle.
“So, what if I am? God, I don’t need you encouraging me one minute and then teasing me the next. Did you need something? I’m about to go into the pharmacy.”
“I just wanted to check on you and give you a little push.”
“Thanks. I’ll let you know later if it worked.” I shut off my phone and stuffed it in my purse, then I grabbed my keys from the ignition and carried went inside.
“Hello, Dr. Adams,” said the girl behind the counter. She was a beautiful girl and to her gain, she looked more like her mother than her father, the pharmacist. “What can I do for you?”
I reached in my bag for my prescription pad and a pen. “I’m going to order a prescription for Jeremy Daniels.” I jotted down the medication and then tore the paper off and passed it to her.
“Yeah, the poor guy was in here earlier. He seemed a bit confused.” The pharmacist shook her head but she was blushing making me think he’d no doubt flirted with the young girl. Or perhaps she just had a crush on him. Probably both. Who could blame her?
“Do you know Mr. Daniels?” I asked, suspecting she did. Jeremy made himself known to everyone.
“Who doesn’t?” She giggled. “He helped me go to cheer camp a few years back by making a huge donation to the squad. He found out the football players had gotten a free trip to a ski lodge after their season was over and didn’t think it was fair that they get everything handed to them while we had to do all the fundraising, so he paid our way.”
“Are you sure that wasn’t Luke Daniels? You know the bigger one who rides the motorcycle.” They were easily confused in some aspects.
“No, it was Jeremy. He didn’t want anyone to know but our cheer captain told us. Besides, I’ve always thought he was the hottest of the two.” She giggled and headed to the back with a blush in her cheeks. The comment gave me a tinge of jealousy. There was no short supply of women who thought he was hot, but I wondered how many others appreciated his generosity. Could it be possible that there was a whole other side to him?
The best perk of being a doctor was that no one ever made me wait in line at the pharmacy and in no time, I was headed back to Jeremy’s house with his new meds in hand. I parked at home and grabbed a few things for overnight and then decided to walk over to his house. It would make things easier for me later and the extra steps would be good for me. I hoped that on the way I’d come to my senses.
He was asleep when I went up to his room and stuck my head in the door. He lay beneath the blankets which were pulled up just far enough to give me a peek at his toned abs. Everything about him was fit and as I tiptoed in to put his medicine on the nightstand he opened his eyes.
“I didn’t mean to wake you. I just wanted to leave this.”
He sat up in bed with a lazy grin. “Thanks.” Somehow, I was seeing him in a different way as if the glimpse at him from another’s opinion had cleared away the sins of his past.
“I was thinking, maybe I should stay after all.” I held up my bag.
His brow lifted. “Yeah? I’d like that. Better to be safe than sorry.” He shifted and put his feet on the floor and slowly stood. “I’ll show you to your room. You can get settled in. I know it’s getting late.”
“My room?” I’d somehow assumed he’d suggest I stay with him and I was more than prepared to turn him down. But now that he was suggesting I stay elsewhere I was a little surprised and taken aback.
“Yeah, I just assumed you wouldn’t want to stay in my bed, what with your distaste for me and all.” He gave a shrug and his tone wasn’t as accusing as it could have been.
“Oh, of course.”
He hesitated a minute then shook his head and led me down the hall to the room next door to his. “You should be comfortable here.” He swung the door open and switched on the light to reveal a gorgeous room that was adorned with so many butterflies, I felt like I was in a magical world. The last thing I’d expected to find in the bachelor’s mansion was a shabby chic room fully decked out in rich antique furnishings so lovely it was like I was looking at a page from a magazine.
“This room is gorgeous!” I walked in with my mouth hung open and felt of the soft cotton duvet that dressed the foot of the bed which was layered with so many pillows and blankets that it had to feel like sleeping on a cloud. “It’s a bit feminine, but I love it.”
“Luke and I did it to honor our mother. She loved antiques and used to drag us all over to shop. We never really appreciated it. She loved butterflies too and many of these things are what we’d bough her for her birthdays or Mother’s Day. It was always a huge contest to see who could find her the prettiest butterfly gift and she kept them and treasured them all. After her death, we couldn’t bear to part with them. No one else would appreciate them the way she did.”
His eyes brightened when he spoke of his mother and it made me miss my own. We were both orphans in life, and if I could relate to him about anything it was that particular loss.
“That’s so sweet that you did that.” I glanced beside the bed and spotted a picture of a beautiful young woman in a spring dress with two adorable little boys standing beside her. “You look like her. I look like my mother too.”
“Yeah, I was always the baby—the mama’s boy. But that was okay by me.” He stared at the picture with a longing gaze and then he blinked. “So anyway, feel free to settle in. I’m right down the hall if you need me or you know if you want to check on me.”
“I’ll be in when it’s time for your medicine. You shouldn’t take it just yet, but you should probably get back to bed. I’ll walk you.”
“No, I’m good, get comfortable.” He stepped toward the door and hesitated like he had more to say but then he left me alone with my thoughts.
I couldn’t believe he’d been so good about it, and surprised he didn’t try to get me into bed, but then again, the night was still young. I stepped behind a beautiful screen in the corner and changed into my yoga pants an
d a tank top that I liked to sleep in. It wasn’t the sexiest thing, but I wasn’t considering he’d see me in them when I grabbed them from home.
I wondered if I should have brought something a little sexier, especially considering the things I’d found in that drawer. Looking around at the room it was hard to believe he was so kinky. I sat on the bed and glanced around. The room was such a tribute, and as I felt the soft fabric beneath me, I wondered if there was a softer side of Jeremy that I hadn’t seen. Maybe I’d been wrong about him all along.
But then I remember Meagan’s tears the day I confirmed she was pregnant. It was the same day she’d broken down and told me all about Jeremy Daniels and how he broke her heart.
On the wall beside the bed were two small handprints; I assume one is Luke and the other, the smaller of the two, for Jeremy. I was so torn and wondered what I would have done if he’d invited me to stay with him in his room. I’d totally expected it and breathed a sigh of relief knowing I would have given in. Perhaps there was a gentleman inside him after all?
Chapter 6
Jeremy
Playing the gentleman all night was no easy task. Every time she came into the room to check on me and give me my meds, I had to fight my urge to pull her down across me and kiss her pretty mouth and strip her out of those tacky yoga pants which she made look sexy and the tank top that showed off her perky tits and hard nipples. It was all I could do to keep my eyes off them.
I’d been thinking about her all morning since I’d woken up before her and decided to slip downstairs and cook us some breakfast.
Her footsteps sounded on the stairs and I turned to see her approaching, still dressed in her night clothes, braless and all.
“You’re supposed to be in bed,” she scolded.
“I’m much better today. I think your diagnosis was a bit off. I might need a second opinion if I want to make practice later.”
“You’ll be wise to listen to me. I was top of my class.” She came to stand beside me and eyed the skillet. “Is that gravy?”
“Yeah, it’s and the biscuits are in the oven; homemade not from a can.” I held up my spatula to make my point.
“It smells good, but doesn’t look healthy.”
“Live a little, Doc. It’s comfort food; the only kind my mama taught me how to cook.” Her eyes lit with surprise.
“She taught you how to cook?” She lifted a brow and then leaned down to peek in the oven. “Those biscuits are in an iron skillet. I’ve never done mine that way.”
“I’ll tell you a little secret, that’s the only way to do it. Those are cathead biscuits.”
Her nose crinkled as she curled her lip. “Cathead?”
I couldn’t help but laugh and thought about fooling her a bit but decided against it. “They’re called that because of the shape, not the ingredients.”
She let out a sigh. “Hey, one can’t be too careful. May I have a cup of coffee?” She waited for my nod and then helped herself. She brought the cup to the island bar and climbed up on a barstool.
I waited until she was settled and sipping her coffee and then I turned off the fire and stepped toward her across the bar. “You should come out to see me at practice tonight.”
She lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know. Things have been crazy at the office and I’ll be lucky to get done in time.”
“I could use the support. I haven’t coached in ages.” I really just wanted an excuse to see her again. I couldn’t fake the extent of my headaches forever.
“I’ll try but no promises. If I show I show, deal?” She stuck out her hand and I took it. She was so warm and just the feel of her hand had me thinking of all the ways I wanted her to touch me with it.
The buzzer went off on the oven and I turned to check it out. “Do you want me to fix you a plate?” I looked up and she was beside me.
“I’ll do it, I don’t mind.” We both reached for the butter knife I’d placed on the counter, and our hands met. She looked up into my eyes and licked her lips, so I took the opportunity to lean in closer. Kiss me, kiss me. I willed her to do so. I was still determined not to do it. The first move was up to her. I had just about given up and had already started to pull away when she rose up on her tiptoes and kissed me.
She pulled away quickly, but I reached and held her neck, pulling her closer, back to my mouth. My lips were firm and moved with deliberate strokes against hers, pulling her bottom lip between them. She melted against me and I took her into my arms and pressed my hips into hers. My cock was hard and pressing against my pants and I ground against her showing her what I wanted. She pulled back and her face was flushed, her lips were swollen from the kiss.
“I want you, Doc.” Her eyes flashed with what I could only comprehend as fear. “Tell me you want it and it’s all yours.” I needed her to know it was all up to her.
“I.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what I want. I’ve never.” Her voice broke and then she went silent.
All of my assumptions about her virginity had mostly been a dig, but I was starting to think I’d been right all along. She was shaking like a leaf. I rubbed her arms, drawing her closer to comfort her and put her at ease. “Nora, have you ever been with a man?”
She looked down to her feet and then back up at me. “No. Never.” She swallowed and then stepped away.
Fuck. It all made sense now and it also made me want her even more. No wonder why she wasn’t like all the others. Most of the women I’d been with were all experienced, some having way more than they should, and though I knew she had to have some encounters with men and seen her fair share of the opposite sex, she seemed terribly nervous about us being close in an intimate way. Every time I touched her hand or waist, she’d tremble and though I’d thought it was an attraction, it might have been fear.
“I’m sorry. God, you must think I’m awful.” I wanted to let go and step away but I couldn’t, not until she pushed me away. But she stood still and the only movement was her breathing.
“No, don’t start treating me differently. God, I’m not a little girl. I’m a woman, I’ve had a little experience, but nothing that qualifies as losing my virginity, but I’m not some weird oddity.”
“I don’t think you’re weird. I think you’re amazing.” I meant it with the utmost sincerity and to show her I brought my lips down against hers.
She was stiff and stepped away. “What makes me amazing? A hymen?” Her tone was defensive and she turned her back on me.
I stepped up behind her. “That’s not what I meant. I just think it’s impressive that you’ve had such control over your life. You haven’t given in to temptations and let your desires rule you. Not many women or men for that matter can say the same thing.”
“It hasn’t always been my choice.” I couldn’t fathom anyone turning her away. She was the sexiest woman I’d ever met. “Try going through school with a lanky boyish figure.”
“I did.” I’d been awkward in my day.
“I just mean I wasn’t shaped like other girls. I was a waif and add in the awkward braces and thick glasses and I was a whole lot of ugly.”
“You couldn’t have ever been ugly and if you still think that then you’re crazy.”
“No, I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a goddess, but even I know I’ve grown into my own, however little there is of me.” She folded her arms across her chest and I tugged them down.
“You know the effect you have on me. You felt it last night and all I wanted was to invite you to my bed, but I knew after that kiss at the party you’d probably turn me down again.”
“I’m not sure I would have. But I’m also not sure where my head’s at. I’m scared what if I give in, will it change everything.” She raked her hand through her blond hair.
“It might make things change for the best.” My words raised her head and our eyes met.
She shook her head and turned to grab her coffee and pull it to her lips. “I’m not so sure about that.”
“Th
en take me up on my offer. Come to practice and we’ll grab a bite to eat after and see where it goes from there.” I turned and grabbed two plates from the cabinet and handed her one.
She took the plate and I stepped aside as she filled her plate. “No promises. I can’t give you promises right now.”
Chapter 7
Nora
After a long morning, I had gone into work late and luckily things weren’t too backed up. There were only two patients in the back and no one had waited more than twenty minutes. Things were going back to normal with many people hearing about the virus and opting to ride it out.
I spent the day thinking about Jeremy’s offer. I wasn’t sure if I could trust him. Sure hanging out would be fun, but if I had to admit my feelings I already had a huge crush. Spending more time with him would only lead to me falling even further and I wasn’t in a place in my life where I could handle a broken heart. It was a small town, and my practice had to come first.
Not only that but he was my neighbor and my sister was in a serious relationship with his brother. Taking all of that into consideration it wasn’t like I’d be able to get away from him to heal when he obliterated my heart.
I couldn’t help but think of Meagan and how devastated she had been that he wasn’t even interested in their child. I’d recommended her to an OB/GYN in the next town over and that was the last I saw of the poor girl. I’d heard through the local gossip in the office that she’d taken him to court. How could someone not even be interested in their own flesh and blood?
What made it worse was his ability to not even seem like he cared, like he was some kind of sociopath whose kindness on the surface made it impossible to see the jerk on the inside. I didn’t want to be duped and taking a chance on him was giving him the ammunition he needed to do just that.
Maybe if I knew more about him? But would that undo what he had done?
I walked to the front of the office where Amy and Beth were chatting. As usual, when I walked into the room they straightened their posture to appear more alert, but they weren’t fooling me, the place was empty and I glanced at the clock and realized if I was going to see Jeremy, I’d have to get a move on.