No Ordinary Sin [Sin Hospital 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
Page 1
Sin Hospital 3
No Ordinary Sin
Radiology tech Miranda Creighton is on call when Bo Sawyer is brought into Sin Hospital with a leg injury he sustained while installing an AC unit. After he and long-time friend Davis Thompson, an ER physician, reveal to Miranda they made a wager that she wouldn’t go out with Bo on a date, Miranda surprises the two by entering into a passionate relationship with both men.
Bo and Miranda were betrayed by their ex-spouses, but each is finally ready to take a chance on love again. Davis has always had a thing for Miranda, and is happy to share her with Bo.
But the trio’s happily-ever-after is threatened when Miranda’s ex-husband and Bo’s ex-wife come to town for the murder trial of an influential preacher. Not only are Miranda’s and Bo’s exes determined to lie to save the preacher from a conviction, they are also hell bent on tearing the three apart.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length: 40,024 words
NO ORDINARY SIN
Sin Hospital 3
Tara Rose
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at
legal@sirenbookstrand.com
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
NO ORDINARY SIN
Copyright © 2015 by Tara Rose
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63259-472-3
First E-book Publication: June 2015
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of No Ordinary Sin by Tara Rose from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Tara Rose’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Tara Rose’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
DEDICATION
To Rebecca Joyce. Thank you for brainstorming with me until this series was born. I never would have written it otherwise. And thank you for being such an amazing and supportive friend.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
About the Author
NO ORDINARY SIN
Sin Hospital 3
TARA ROSE
Copyright © 2015
Chapter One
Miranda Creighton’s cell phone chirped with an incoming text, but since she was already at Sin Hospital, all she had to do was sprint from the cafeteria, where she’d been sitting having a rare moment alone with a cup of coffee in the middle of a Monday afternoon. It was June first, and with summer approaching, things were likely to get very busy at work.
She entered the radiology department to find Dr. Davis Thompson, ER physician and one of her long-time crushes, pacing in front of the radiology desk. “Hey, Miranda. I’m glad it’s you on call today.”
“What’s going on?” She took in his tousled hair and troubled dark eyes, reflecting as always how drop-dead gorgeous the man looked at thirty-five. No doubt he would still be hot as hell even when his hair was gray and he had wrinkles.
“It’s Bo. Bo Sawyer. He was hurt at work.”
No! “What happened?” Bo was her other long-time crush, and he worked for his family business, Sawyer Plumbing and Electrical. They were primarily a wholesale business serving commercial customers, but occasionally did residential work for the people of Sin, Tennessee.
“They were installing a new AC unit at the Lost Bridge Road Church of Christ and Bo lost his grip. It slipped down his left leg.”
“Shit. Okay. How bad it is?”
“We did a film in the ER but I can’t see squat on it. There’s too much swelling. I just want to make sure nothing is broken, and try to figure out how the deep the injury is.”
She nodded, going to work quickly, not thinking about the man being brought in for a CT scan. Emotions would run too high otherwise, and right now she had a job to do. She’d been a nuclear medicine technologist for fourteen years and was only one of two currently employed at Sin Hospital.
That meant she worked odd, long hours at times and had nothing to do the rest of the time, and it meant she filled in for other techs when things were busy or someone was out. But she loved her work and this facility. She’d grown up in this town, and had known both Bo and Davis her entire life.
She went out to the hallway when they brought Bo into the area on a cart from the ER. His thick brown hair was matted down against his head with sweat, and his startling blue eyes were filled with the drugged-up look she’d seen countless times in patients. He grabbed her hand as she helped move him from the cart to the scanner bed. “Miranda, I’ve always wanted to get scanned by you.”
“He’s had a boat load of pain meds,” whispered Davis, close to her side. She could smell Davis’s cologne and wished it didn’t conjure
up images of lying in bed naked with him. Miranda had dated both him and Bo in high school, each for a short period of time, and had never gone past heavy petting with either man. But in her fantasies, they both were her lovers and the triad lived happily ever after.
“I have no pain,” said Bo, his voice uncharacteristically lyrical. “Not when I look into Miranda’s beautiful green eyes.”
Miranda tried not to laugh. He sounded totally spaced-out. But then as his sheet was removed and the leg revealed, she frowned. The edge of the unit must have done more than simply scrape down the middle of his right thigh.
Davis pointed toward the temporary dressing over the wound. “It’s a large lac with jagged edges, and we don’t need the scan to tell us there’s muscle damage.”
She nodded. “Just try to lie still, Bo. This won’t take too long.”
He gave her hand a squeeze. “Anything for you, beautiful.”
“Oh, man…” Davis shook his head and followed Miranda into the anteroom. “Maybe we gave him too many drugs?”
She didn’t say anything as she went into auto pilot mode and prepared the machine. Pain meds or not, she’d enjoyed being called “beautiful” by Bo. Once she had the machine going and was satisfied that Bo wasn’t going to try to jump off the scanner bed, she turned her attentions to Davis. “Have you called the OR yet?”
“Yeah. But they wanted a CT first.”
“You’re the best ER doc here. Bo is in good hands.”
He gave her a long, searching look. “Thanks.” Every time she looked into his dark eyes she couldn’t help wondering what if. But high school had been a long time ago, and Davis was married to his job. While she admired that, it also meant picking up where they’d once left off was out of the question.
The machine did its work, and she watched Bo through the window. When the scanning was done, she spoke into the microphone, “You’re all set, Bo. Just stay still a few minutes more while we check the pictures, okay?”
Bo gave her a thumbs-up, and then she and Davis sat close to watch the images appear on her large monitor. “He’s got some serious muscle damage but I don’t see a fracture,” she said. “How about you?”
He moved even closer, which wasn’t necessary at all for him to see the images, but Miranda wasn’t about to tell him to back off. “No, I don’t. And I don’t see any sign of arterial damage. I was worried about that because of all the bleeding.”
“It’s not like Bo to drop something at work. What happened?”
Davis frowned. “They have a new person helping them with smaller installs, and he lost his grip first, from what Bo said.”
“I suppose that can happen to anyone.”
He gave her a pointed stare. “Yes, it can. We all let things go without meaning to.”
Is he talking about something other than Bo’s injury?
She went into the exam room to help Bo back onto the cart, and again he grabbed her hand. “That was so easy. Thank you.”
“They hardly take any time at all.”
“Where am I going now?” he asked, glancing around as if he wasn’t quite sure where he was.
“We’re taking you back to the ER for now,” said Davis. “Then we wait to hear from the surgical team.”
“Bo, do you want me to call your family?” asked Miranda.
He gave her a silly, lopsided grin. “You can call anyone you want as long as I get to hear your voice.”
Miranda chuckled. “All right, Bo.”
“His family has already been notified,” said Davis, his voice clipped and annoyed.
“Well, aren’t you just on top of everything today?” She’d meant it as a joke, but he didn’t look amused. “What’s going on, Davis? You seem upset.”
He shrugged and averted his gaze, which also wasn’t like him. What the heck had she missed?
“Davis is upset with me,” said Bo.
“Why?”
“Because I asked you out.”
She glanced from Bo to Davis and then back again, thoroughly confused now. “You mean in high school?” Bo had asked her out almost immediately after she and Davis had broken up, but as far as she knew, the two had never gotten sideways with each other over that.
“No.” Bo laughed. “I mean just now.”
“Bo, you didn’t ask me out.”
His eyes clouded over with confusion. “Oh. Maybe I just thought I did?”
“Maybe.” She cut her gaze toward Davis whose jaw twitched. What the hell was going on with him today?
“So, want to go out, Miranda?”
“Knock it off,” muttered Davis.
She rolled her eyes. “How much medication did they give you?”
“I don’t know, but I feel good right now.” He launched into a fairly decent rendition of “I Feel Good” by James Brown, and Miranda couldn’t help laughing.
Since there was no one else waiting for an exam, she helped Davis push Bo’s cart back to the ER.
“He always could sing. Remember that play in high school?”
“Yeah. Who could forget?” asked Davis, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Bo Sawyer brought down the house.”
She stopped walking abruptly, and the cart wheel slammed against Davis’s ankle. He swore under his breath. “Warn a guy when you’re going to stop.”
“Are you angry with me, with Bo, or with the world in general? This isn’t like you. What’s going on?”
He glanced around, but no one else was in the hallway. “Bo hasn’t stopped talking about wanting to take you out since the pain meds kicked in. Just getting a bit tired of hearing it, that’s all.”
“Why?”
He gave her a droll look. “It’s a bit awkward considering your history with him.”
“Awkward for who? For you? You’re not part of that mess. Why should you care?”
“I thought it would embarrass you, that’s all.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Do I look embarrassed by it?” Miranda had married Mark Taylor right out of high school. And for five years of their seven year marriage, he’d cheated on her with Rhea Wade, who at the time had been married to Bo. Bo and Rhea, too, got hitched as soon as they graduated. Now, Mark and Rhea were married to each other and lived in Louisville, where Mark worked as a pharmaceutical sales rep. Or so she had heard.
But embarrassed by it? No. She had no reason to be. She wasn’t the one who had cheated with a friend’s spouse.
“No, you don’t look embarrassed. You look pissed off.”
“I’m confused by your reaction. Please stop acting like something flew up your nose, and let’s get him back to the ER.” She resumed pushing the cart, nearly running it into Davis’s other ankle. They didn’t speak until they reached the ER, and then Miranda turned to head back to radiology, but Bo’s voice stopped her.
“I’m serious, Miranda. When are you going out with me again?”
She sighed. “Bo, you won’t even remember this conversation tomorrow.”
“Yes I will.”
Something in his voice stopped her. When she looked down into his handsome face again, she marveled as always at how the man seemed not to have aged in all these years. He was still the same, although right now he looked a bit worn out from his injury. “All right, Bo. Let’s talk about it when you’re feeling better.”
He pumped his fist in the air. “Yes!” Then he punched Davis in the forearm. “See? Told ya she’d say yes. You owe me fifty bucks.”
“What?”
Davis had the grace to look guilty, but Bo merely continued to grin like he’d just won the lottery.
“You two made a bet?”
“Sure did. Davis said you won’t go out with either of us, and he bet me fifty bucks you’d turn me down.”
She glared at Davis, but it was more because what he’d said to Bo had hit home rather than any anger she felt at two old friends making a ridiculous bet. Although she would wager Davis had been hoping Bo was high as a kite on the drugs and wouldn’t recall any
of this. She’d known both men long enough to understand Davis had meant no real harm or disrespect to her.
But it hurt just the same because she literally hadn’t gone out on a date in over five years. If these two were making bets about it, it was a sure thing they weren’t the only folks who had noticed. And even that didn’t bother Miranda. She wasn’t of a mind to care what her neighbors in Sin thought of her. That wasn’t what had her body trembling right now, or had tears threatening.
It was the overwhelming loneliness that Bo’s words brought home. Rhea’s and Mark’s betrayals had left a scathing hole in her heart and she wasn’t sure it would ever be filled. Her fantasies might star both these incredible men, but her reality was take-out food or frozen dinners in front of the TV on the nights she wasn’t here, working.
Miranda gave each man one more long glance, and then made her way back to the radiology department to get Bo’s CT scan ready for its read from a radiologist. She couldn’t dwell on her lack of a love life. She had work to do.
But it would be a long time before she’d forget the conversation in the ER she’d just had.
Chapter Two
Davis would have smacked Bo in the head if they weren’t patient and doctor right now. “Nice job.”
Bo frowned. “What? I won, fair and square.”
“Whatever. I’m going to find out when we can take you to surgery.” He stormed off toward the desk, wanting instead to return to radiology and find Miranda so he could spend the next three hours apologizing. That would teach him to tease a friend into whom he’d just injected enough pain meds to put down several small animals. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was hurt Miranda, and that was exactly what he’d done.