by Megan Noelle
“Well, most insurance offices aren’t open on the weekends, but I’ll work on it right away tomorrow morning. I’d be happy to take a look and get this figured out for you. I’m aware most insurance companies do not cover ambulance rides, but we’ll take a look to make sure.”
“Wonderful, here’s my number,” I said, scribbling down my cell on a piece of paper and handing it to her. “Oh, and I actually have a favor to ask of you as well…” I paused, waiting for her to fill in her name.
She smiled and replied, “Amber.”
“Amber. Well, I’m wondering if you could not tell Richard about this.”
Her head cocked slightly to the side. “Richard?” she asked, the confusion obvious in her tone.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Dr. Richard Michaels. He is my fiancé, but I’d really rather he didn’t know anything about this.”
With relief she nodded knowingly. “Of course, I’ll only speak about this matter with you.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling a hint of relief that at least Richard wouldn’t feel the sudden financial burden of being tied to me.
I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Kacie, letting her know if Richard asks that she brought me home. I hopped in a cab and rode home to my loving fiancé to spend the day snuggled up in his arms.
“Baby, you don’t really have to go to work, do you?” I whined while Richard tied the navy blue tie around his neck. His lips pulled into a smile as he looked back to where I sat on the bed.
“I do, darling, but I must say you are very tempting right now.” I looked down at my knee-length socks, oversized t-shirt that stopped right below my bum, strategically showing just a little bit of my lace panties.
My fingers took hold of the very bottom of my shirt and, tantalizingly slow, began to raise it up over my stomach. Richard’s fingers stopped moving around his tie, his eyebrow cocked as he turned to stare at my bare skin.
“You’re not playing fair, Greyson.”
I shook my long hair for effect and my gaze intensified. “I know,” my voice came out in a seductive whisper.
His eyes continued to caress my curves, but he didn’t come any closer. “I really have to go, darling. There’s a meeting right away this morning that I just cannot miss.”
Immediately, I felt my entire disposition pout. Of course I knew work was extremely important, but I couldn’t help hoping that every now and again a toe-curling love-making session could take priority.
Richard closed the space between us and cupped my face in his hands.
“Don’t be sad, my beautiful girl.” Very softly his lips touched my forehead, nose and mouth. “We have all night to be together,” he purred into my ear. Chills ran up and down my spine, making me officially hate Richard’s job.
Instead of acting like the pouty six-year old I was feeling like, I sucked it up and gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ll be here, baby.”
I followed him to the front door, wished him a good day and kissed him goodbye. This was a life I knew I could see myself getting used to. There was just something that made my heart flutter when I thought of Richard coming home to me that made everything seem perfect. This was my life. I was blessed with great friends, a growing business and the best man a girl could ever want. It wasn’t often that all the dark thoughts were completely blacked out, but for now I felt the true beauty in the life I had made.
Technically I was supposed to be at work this morning, but because of Richard and Kacie, I was “not allowed,” according to them. The injuries I had sustained weren’t as bad as they were making it out to be. Sure my ankle still hurt, but it was more sore than anything. Quite honestly it was my hip that hurt the most. But I didn’t argue with them about staying home, because truthfully, I could use a serious mental health day. With my emotions and memories all over the place it was time to rein them in and really get myself back on track. So this day would be one of pure relaxation and I couldn’t be happier.
I didn’t even bother putting on more than just my oversized t-shirt to eat breakfast. Most days were go, go, go…not today though! I poured my bowl of cereal, curled up into my favorite chair and powered on the TV. There seemed to be a marathon on of various bridal shows and while I usually avoided them, today I was excited to watch. Our wedding was creeping up much sooner than I anticipated; this October we would be tying the knot, and that was just a mere five months away.
My mother and the lovely women I selected as my bridesmaids were breathing down my neck with questions about dresses, venues, caterers, flowers. Their endless inquiries were driving me mental. Mostly, though, it bugged me because I didn’t know any of the answers. Maybe that’s what I would spend the day doing—nailing down wedding plans.
I was still within the first hour of my bridal show marathon with my legs draped over the side of the chair when my cell phone began ringing. My eyes shot to the kitchen counter that suddenly seemed very far away. I whipped my legs over the cushion and booked it for the kitchen. I almost barreled into the counter as I slipped on the smooth floor.
Quickly I answered the call before it went to voicemail, “Hello!”
“Hello, may I please speak to Greyson Desmond?” The friendly, familiar voice on the other line asked.
“This is,” I said, my cheery disposition suddenly fading as I realized this was the woman in the billing department at the hospital.
“I thought so, but I wanted to make sure! This is Amber, we met yesterday?” she said with a hint of a question in her voice, waiting for me to confirm.
“Yes, I remember. Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly.”
Amber let out a little laugh. “Honestly, I would have called you earlier, but Dr. Michaels has been over here for a bit this morning working on something for a patient. I figured if I called it may spark his interest if I ask for his fiancée over the phone.”
I couldn’t help my relieved sigh that Amber was as determined as I had been to keep our secret.
“Trust me, I appreciate it!”
“Good! Well, I do have some bad news and some good news for you today.”
“Wonderful,” I muttered, leaving the kitchen to return to my seat.
“Which would you like first?”
“Always the bad,” I replied. “It makes the good news seem better.”
Amber chuckled. “Isn’t that the truth! Alright, well, I called your insurance company and they do not cover the ambulance ride or an overnight stay in the hospital.”
I sighed and let my forehead fall forward and rest against the knees. Well, there goes my day of wedding plans. This was guaranteed to run me close to ten thousand dollars, which I was hoping to put towards the big day.
“Ugh!” I groaned into the phone, letting her know I was still there.
“I know, it’s not very happy news to share right now, but…are you ready for the good news?!” There was an unexpected air of excitement bubbling up in her voice that made me cock my head in confusion.
“Is there good news that follows?” I asked with extreme doubt.
“There is fantastic news! While I was waiting for Dr. Michaels to leave I noticed a recent note that had come in that morning. What caught my interest was it had your name on it. So I looked a little closer and found that it contained information stating someone wished to pay your hospital bills, as they were the cause of the incident that sent you here. There was a credit card number attached to it, but I couldn’t just take it for face value. I called the card holder and he confirmed everything was accurate. So I ran the card and it went through!”
My mind was swimming with the information and my chest was tightening as I realized what exactly Amber was saying.
“Did you hear me, Grey? All of your bills were covered today, so nothing was charged to your insurance, and you won’t be swamped in medical debt!” Amber was clearly ecstatic and even more concerned as to why I wasn’t.
“And, um, who exactly paid for everything?” My voice was cold and frighteni
ngly even.
Amber certainly noticed as she cleared her throat before answering. “Um, well…Stefan Harrison.” A fire sparked in the pit of my stomach and soon I felt nothing but rage burning through the blood in my veins.
“I see. Well, I’m going to need to call you back later.”
“Oh…okay?”
“Thank you for getting back to me so quickly, Amber. I’ll be in touch,” I said before ending the call.
Immediately I was out of my chair and stalking towards my closet. I wasn’t even sure what all I selected to wear, but it didn’t matter because all I could see was red. This man signed the papers; he signed away his rights to care about me or my well-being. And what a cocky son of a bitch! Thinking he caused the accident, like he was just so stunning that I couldn’t see anything but him. Ha! There was obviously a glare that day and someone shouted the word “walk” so, how was I not supposed to take that literally?
Okay, so maybe I was looking his way, but I was most certainly not staring! And if it was anyone’s fault, it would be my own for not looking both ways!
Stupid pompous ass!
Jeans, top, shoes, that was about all I remembered from my outfit before I was stomping out the door to my car. I threw my purse onto the passenger side and plopped down into my seat to start the car. Just my luck. The thing was completely dead; it wouldn’t turn over, and there looked to be no lights that I had forgotten to turn off. I let out a scream of frustration before I picked up my phone and called a cab. Sure I could have popped the hood and figured out what was wrong on my own, but I would have no clue what I was looking at and I far beyond the point of being patient with anything as my pissed-off-meter was off the charts.
And if I was going to do what I intended, I needed to do it now, before I lost my steam to say what I intended. Within fifteen minutes a yellow cab pulled up in front of the house, and after I climbed into the backseat there were just two words I could get out.
Through clenched teeth the words, “Harrison Towers,” was all I needed to say to send me directly into the world I wanted to avoid.
The yellow cab stopped in front of the twenty-story high building I knew to be Stefan’s. As much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t help but keep tabs on him. In my mind, I had convinced myself that I needed to know where he was, so I could avoid him at all costs. Until yesterday that plan had worked wonderfully.
I paid the driver, took a deep breath and marched into the building. There was a flurry of people coming and going, but I paid no attention to any of them.
In the center of the room was an expansive desk with two beautiful women, go figure, sitting behind it. One caught my eye and smiled with a vacant expression.
“Good morning, how can I help you today?”
My head shook and I narrowed my eyes. “Where is Stefan?”
The woman opened her mouth to say something, but stared at me as if I was some kind of monster.
“Oh, erm… Mr. Harrison?” she clarified, trying desperately to regain composure.
I thrust my hands onto my hips. “Yes, where the hell is he?”
Her mouth gaped open as she fiddled with the phone in front of her with her eyes never leaving me. Just for effect I tapped my foot against the expensive marble floors.
The older of the two women put a hand on her shoulder and stood to look toward me. “Do you have an appointment, ma’am?”
I let out a sardonic laugh and rolled my eyes. “Trust me, he knows I’m coming.” She opened her mouth to argue with me when a phone rang at the desk. Both women stopped staring at me and immediately looked to it. I’d be willing to bet my yearly salary that phone was Stefan’s private line.
“Hello, Mr. Harrison,” I heard her faint cheery voice answer. I knew it.
“Oh.” The woman’s cheeks suddenly grew bright red. I couldn’t hold back my smirk. She glanced my way and nodded once. “Very well, sir.”
When the phone was back on the base I spoke up. “Now, again, where is he?”
“Take the elevator to the top floor; Mr. Harrison is expecting you.”
“As I said.”
It wasn’t until I was ascending in the elevator that I realized what I was actually doing. Seeing Stefan for a brief moment was infuriating and addicting. No matter how much I should have, I hadn’t been able to look away. Yet now everything was about to smack me right in the face and I didn’t know if I was ready for it. There was a loud ‘ding’ before the doors opened; another receptionist’s desk was the first thing I saw. The equally gorgeous red haired woman behind the desk looked almost terrified as she looked at me. She stood and quickly pointed a finger down the hall.
“Mr. Harrison is waiting for you.”
“I’ll bet he is,” I replied as I stomped all the way to the end of the hallway where the only door stood cracked open.
Without a second thought I pushed it open and slammed it shut behind me, partially to keep me from turning to run the other way. That was when I looked to the obnoxiously large wooden desk and saw the face I’ve had memorized since the first moment we met. I felt the air rush from my lungs as if the mere sight of him had the power to take my breath away—instead it pissed me off even more that this man was having this effect on me. Despite my bubbling rage I couldn’t help deny the tension engulfing the room and that stunning face staring back at me.
Blue eyes alit with amusement, a smirk on his tantalizing lips and his feet kicked up on his desk. His long fingers tapped the face on his ostentatious watch as he slowly scanned me from head to toe.
“Greyson Rose…you, my dear, are right on time,” his low voice hummed out, and I felt the nervous feeling in my stomach awaken. I didn’t realize how long it had been since I heard the deep melodic rumble of his voice until I felt my heart clench. This was a horrible idea, and judging from the look on Stefan’s face, this was exactly what he wanted.
Well, it didn’t matter anymore, I was here and now I needed to give this fight everything I had. “How dare you!”
His smirk softened, but only slightly. “You look incredible, might I say. Listen, can I grab you anything to drink? My staff is supposed to offer it to visitors, but frankly—” he paused as his smile grew wickedly. “You have already managed to terrify them.”
My fingers curled around the waist of my shirt. I told myself it was a move I did out of fury, but honestly it was to keep myself in control. Stefan had always been a good looking guy, but now he was filled out in all the right places, and it was especially noticeable in his suit sleeves. And apparently my fingers had a mind of their own, yearning to touch what was severely off limits.
“Don’t start with me, Stefan! You have absolutely no right to pay my bills or check up on me!”
Stefan cocked his head to the side and looked towards the ceiling in question. For a minute he said nothing, just moved his legs on his desk to rock his chair back and forth.
“As I recall, Greyson, you walked into traffic, almost got hit, and fell down hard because of me.”
My head was shaking so hard back and forth I was getting dizzy.
“You arrogant son of a bitch! None of that happened because of you,” I said with air quotes so he didn’t think I was agreeing with him. “I was walking, became blinded by the sun and fell backwards! That is it! You have absolutely no right to do anything for me!”
Stefan let out a low chuckle and removed his feet from the desk. Anxiety settled in as he stood, and suddenly I was terrified that he would come over to me. He smoothed the front of his shirt, looked at a piece of paper on his desk and spoke up.
“If you want to stand by that excuse you go right ahead, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know the truth, Greyson Rose.” He looked up from his shirt and held my gaze captive. As much as I knew I should, I just couldn’t turn away from him. “You were as affected by me as I was by you.”
My cheeks reddened and my brows furrowed in hopeful confusion. “You were affected by me?” My timid voice completely gave my rapidly beating
heart away.
This man was not supposed to say these things to me and screw around with my emotions even more.
Stefan’s head bobbed with a nod as he slowly began walking towards me. His movements reminded me of a jungle cat seeking its prey. He had me in his sights, and I knew I had to run, but my legs were locked in place.
“Of course I was, Greyson Rose. My driver was taking me and the head of a company I have been trying to get on board with my security system from our business lunch. This man is stubborn and set in his ways, and I was changing his mind. We stopped at that red light and I looked out the window, feeling rather smug I might add, when I saw you.” His movements stopped directly in front of me.
I had spent the last six years without a single word of contact from Stefan Harrison, and now we were standing inches apart. The smell of cologne and mint surrounded me, but it was that very distinct smell that belonged to just him; that was what was making me weaken under his gaze. It was this scent that covered his pillow and clothes that I used to love so much. When he was gone, I hugged his pillow close and breathed him in. It was more than just a smell—it was my comfort and my safety.
Stefan had been my protector, and for all these years I tried convincing myself that what I remembered was an inaccurate memory. That our love was never as strong as I imagined, but right now I knew it was only a way to protect my heart because Stefan was my soul.
I watched his hand rise from his side; slowly, as if testing the waters, he lifted the tips of his fingers to my forehead. Our eyes locked while he carefully took hold of the piece of my hair that lay across my face. My eyes struggled to stay open by the sheer sensation of his touch. Part of me wanted to commit this moment to my memories. The other part longed to make it go away.
He brushed the hair behind my ear, caressing my skin as he went, sending chills straight to my core.
“There you were walking, and at first I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I stared while you slowly passed me by, and I had to get a closer look. I ignored everything the man was saying and got out of the car. That’s when you saw me. It took everything in me not to go to you. I saw you fall and I lurched to go after you, but the man pulled me back into the car. I knew I had to do something. I would never be able to move forward if I constantly wondered what came of that fall.”