by Jacki James
Work Rules
A Breaking the Rules Novel
Jacki James
Copyright © 2018 by Jacki James
Edited by: S. Carrano
Cover Art: Vicki Brostenianc dba Vic's Pics https://vicspics.myportfolio.com
Interior Formatting and Proofreading: Murasaki Lily Author Services
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is intended for adult readers (18+) due to adult situations.
Acknowledgments
If I tried to acknowledge all the people who helped me on this journey it would be impossible because I am so blessed to be part of a great writing community. That said, sometimes things go sideways and when that happens you find out there are some people you can count on to help you get things back on track.
Stephanie, Nora, Ashe, Abigail and Jill, without you there wouldn’t have been a Work Rules. Thank you.
Also Brittany, thank you for loving Nathan. You helped keep me moving forward when I wasn’t even sure where I was headed.
Contents
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
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by Jacki James
Chapter One
Nathan
The club was crazy tonight. The music was fantastic, and the boys were plentiful. Not that the boys were the reason for our club outing. Lincoln and I were with our best friend Mark and his husband who had just returned from their honeymoon. We were celebrating since the wedding happened so fast there was no time for a bachelor party or anything. Those two practically glowed, they were so happy.
“I still can’t believe y’all went on a gay cruise for your honeymoon. I mean what do you think guys go on those cruises for? It sure isn’t because they’re already getting laid every night. Now me and Linc, we need to schedule ourselves on one of those. I bet there’re drinks with umbrellas and pretty boys in speedos everywhere.”
“I’ll have you know we met three other couples on their honeymoons. We wanted to go somewhere we could be us with no judgment and a gay cruise is perfect for that. The last thing we wanted was some asshole killing our high. Right, babe?” Justin asked as he leaned over and kissed Mark.
“It was perfect,” Mark said, smiling at Justin. “Since I handled the wedding, Justin planned the honeymoon, and he couldn’t have picked anything better. The only problem is now I miss having someone waiting on us hand and foot. I could get used that. You and Lincoln should go on one. The two of you would have a blast, because you’re right, there were drinks with umbrellas and plenty of speedos.”
“Nah,” Linc shook his head. “I’m not a fan of being out in the middle of the ocean. I like dry land, thank you very much. Besides, take a look around. Sammy put an umbrella in your drink for you, and there are plenty of short shorts, which are almost as good as a speedo.”
“Whether it’s a cruise or a beach house, I’m going to need a vacation before long. This new job is awesome, but it’s stressful.” About a month before, I transferred from a skilled nursing floor to the trauma center. “The ER is a different kind of nursing than what I’m used to. I get less time with the patients and I miss that, but I love the pace down there. It’s crazy.”
“I knew you’d love trauma,” Linc boasted. “We see nurses in action every day when we bring patients in on the ambulance, and I always thought you’d be a great trauma nurse. I know I sure feel good about turning the care of the people we bring in over to you.”
“Hey,” Mark said grinning “If you’re in the ER, I bet you’ll get to see your bear of a security guard more often.”
“First, he wasn’t my bear, just a bear. A big yummy muscle bear to be exact. But he worked at the hospital, so it wasn’t meant to be because if you work at the hospital that makes you one hundred percent off limits. Justin may have turned his back on the code and broke the rules, but not me.” I winked at him.
Justin and a few of our other friends had each laid-out rules for dating. Justin had broken his main rule—no dating men with children—to date and then marry Mark. But that didn’t count because it was a dumb rule. I mean, who wouldn’t love Mark and his daughter Emma? But my rule wasn’t dumb. My rule was smart. Rule number one was in full force. No dating anyone where you work.
“Hey, you just said ‘worked’ at the hospital, so he isn’t off limits now, is he? You know, now that you mention it, he hasn’t been around lately. Did he quit?” Justin asked.
“I have no idea. It isn’t like I know him; I just saw him around sometimes, looking all hot and commanding in his uniform. Then one day there was a new kid instead, and he said he was hot muscle bear’s replacement. But I don’t even know muscle bear’s last name. Besides, sadly enough, I’m pretty sure he’s straight as an arrow.”
“Alright, alright, enough talk about work and rules,” Mark insisted. “Let’s dance.”
Mark, Lincoln and I used to dance together all the time. The three of us always drew attention, and that made finding a hook up easy, but we hadn’t danced together much since Mark and Justin got together. Justin stayed at the table and Mark led the two of us to the floor.
“Isn’t Justin coming?” I asked.
“No, turns out he loves to watch me dance with the two of you. Says it’s hot.”
“Well sugar, that’s because it is hot,” I laughed. “Let’s give him a show.” And boy, we did. As always, I was the center of the sandwich. Lincoln and Mark were both tall and much more masculine than me. By the time we returned to the table, we were hot and sweaty and Justin was ready to go home. Mark and Justin said their goodbyes and headed out.
“I'm beat. I’m fixin’ to head on home. You ready to go or are you staying for a while?” I asked Lincoln.
“I’ll go too. It was a long week and I just want to sleep. Sometimes I think I’m getting too old for this shit,” he said, tipping his beer toward the dance floor. “Seems like the boys are just getting younger and younger.”
“You aren’t old, Linc. You’re the same age I am and trust me, twenty-six isn’t old.”
“I know. I’m just tired tonight. Let’s grab a Lyft and head home.”
Alex
Shit, I just wanted to go home. I didn't feel like hanging out and watching the game, but my brother had insisted on having me and my best friend Blake over for the game since I was finally back in town. I pulled into his driveway and killed the engine. Hopefully, I could head home at halftime so I could get some rest. My brain was fried, and that made me physically tired. I hadn’t seen them for almost a month though, so I didn’t want to cancel.
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“Hey, guys!” I said with forced enthusiasm.
“Hey, man.” Blake held out his hand for a fist bump. “Good to have you back.”
“Good to be back. Maryland was nice and everything, but it sure ain’t home. What did I miss while I was gone? Anything interesting?”
“Nah, man. Same shit different day,” Tony answered. I was just about to respond when a small blur launched at me.
"Uncle Alex, your home!" my niece, Maddie, squealed. "I missed you so much," she added as she smothered my face in kisses.
"I missed you too, Maddie Mae," I told her with a squeeze. And I did, too. I loved this little girl more than anyone else on Earth. She was pretty much my favorite person. "What’re you still doing up? It's past your bedtime."
"Yeah, mommy says you coming over is a special 'cassion and I can stay up long enough to get hugs, but hugs only, and then I have to go to bed."
"Ah, well give me lots of hugs then," I told her while squeezing her tight again. I whispered in her ear, "Love you, Maddie Mae. You go to bed and get some sleep, and we’ll go do something fun this weekend, okay?"
"Okay, love you bunches," she said and then headed off to bed.
"How about you, Blake?" I asked as a grabbed a beer and sat down.
“We got the contract to build that new subdivision on the south side, so we’re gonna be crazy busy. Other than that, and your crazy ex, nothing much is going on.” Blake scowled.
“Jessica? What did she do?” I asked dreading the answer. She didn’t take the break up well. I was clear from the beginning that I wasn’t interested in anything serious, but she wanted more. As soon as I realized she was planning a future, I put an end to it, but she had it stuck in her head I’d change my mind. I won’t.
“Nothing,” he said with a shake of his head. “She just showed up places we were at, talking about how exciting your new job was and how she couldn’t wait until you got back. She kept acting like she’s still your girlfriend. It was weird. The girl ain’t right.”
“She just can’t imagine there’s a guy who doesn’t want her. Guys fawn all over her most of the time, so this is something new. She’ll get over it and move on to some new guy.” At least, I hoped that would be the case.
“Hey, Tony, what’s going on this weekend? I could use a home-cooked meal,” I asked hoping to change the subject.
“You’re a better cook than Cindy, so don’t give me that bull about a home-cooked meal. You want to see Maddie. I’m on to you. You just use me for my kid. You know if you got married you could have some of your own, and you wouldn’t have to use mine to get your kid fix.”
It was true, I had a surprise I’d brought back for her and she was the main reason I wanted to hang out at his house this weekend. I had always loved kids and hoped to have a houseful someday, but until then, Maddie Mae was my girl.
“Besides, you saw her, Maddie wants an Uncle Alex fix just as bad. Plus, I haven’t been to the store yet, so I don’t have anything to cook.”
“Well, I’ll be working on the car, but if you want to come help, we can feed you. Why don't you just stay here?”
"Nah, I'm beat and looking forward to crashing in my bed. Plus, I have things I need to do there first. I'll come back over in the afternoon though, and we can work on the car.
We caught up and watched some of the game but at halftime, I told them I needed sleep and headed to my house. I loved my family, but I really just wanted to get home.
Chapter Two
Nathan
I looked at the clock over the check-in desk. Crap, it’s only four o’clock. I’d been on shift for ten hours, but it felt like ten years. Only two more to go, thank goodness. I always thought the whole superstition about the full moon making people crazy was… well crazy. But working in the ER had taught me differently.
This weekend would be my third full moon weekend and each time, it was like the people had lost their minds. We’d been running around like crazy all day. From car accidents to gunshot wounds, it’d been nonstop. I couldn’t imagine what tonight would be like on the night shift. Leena, the Nurse Clerk for the ER looked as harried as we did, and looking at the full waiting room, it didn’t surprise me. Part of her job included keeping order out there, and I didn’t understand how she did it. I sure couldn’t do it.
“What’s next?” I asked her.
“Got an easy one for you, Nathan. Alex Doyle is in room three. He hurt his shoulder playing with his niece in the backyard,” she chuckled.
“Alex Doyle?” I asked. “Am I supposed to know who that is?”
“Oh, yeah,” she replied. “I keep forgetting you haven’t been down here in the ER long. He works here, but you probably wouldn’t have seen him much up on the floor. His brother and niece are in with him. And yes, she’s too young to be in the room, but she was worried, and he wasn’t having any of that. Besides, he’s one of ours, so I let them stay with him.”
“Okay, I’ll go be the bad guy and kick them out, then you can be the hero and let them back in the room when I’m done.”
I headed down the hall to the exam room. Man, I hoped Leena was right. I could use an easy one because I was exhausted. I liked my schedule most of the time, but today, this shift couldn’t be over soon enough.
Stopping for a minute outside the door, I put on my I’m not tired and I’m here to help you face because no matter how worn-out I was, patients felt better if I didn’t act dead on my feet. No one wanted an exhausted, grouchy nurse taking care of them. So I pasted on a smile, opened the door, and… I stopped dead in my tracks and just stared
Holy cow, it’s my hot muscle bear security guard.
He sat on the hospital bed with an adorable little girl in his lap. She had snuggled in like his lap was the most comfortable, safest place in the world, and I wished it was me curled up like that, all wrapped up in his arms. I bet he radiated heat and that his beard felt soft. It looked soft anyway. He would be behind me with his arms wrapped around me, and when he leaned down to kiss my neck, it would tickle and…
“Um, hello?” He said pulling me out of my fantasy.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him before I had time to filter my thoughts. Sometimes, I swear, I would give ten IQ points for a fucking filter.
“What do you mean what am I doing here? I hurt my shoulder.”
“I mean, Leena said you worked here, but I thought you’d left.”
“Hmm… didn’t realize you kept tabs on my employment status,” he chuckled with a smile. “But yeah, still working here. For right now though, can we table the chit chat and check out my shoulder? ‘Cause it hurts like a motherfucker.”
At that, the head of blonde curls that had been tucked under his chin jerked up. “Uncle Alex, you said a really bad word. Mommy says being upset or mad or hurt is not an excuse to say bad words.”
“Sorry, Maddie Mae, you’re right, I said a bad word. Why don’t you and daddy go get something to drink while they check out my shoulder?” He gave her a squeeze and handed her off to a man who looked enough like him that I could tell they were related.
“Sorry about that. I know they don’t like little kids back here, but she was worried and blamed herself for my fall. I wanted her to see I was okay.”
“No, it’s cool. She’s cute. So, tell me about your shoulder.”
“We were playing chase in the backyard, and I tripped and went down. I didn’t want to face plant, so I turned and landed wrong on my shoulder. At first, I assumed I had dislocated it, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Man, it hurts.”
“Okay, let’s get your shirt off, and we’ll get Doc Stevens in here to check you out. Can you lift your arm to take the shirt off, or should I get the scissors?”
“No! I mean, don’t get the scissors,” he insisted. “This is my favorite shirt. But no, I can’t take it off myself. When Tony gets back, he can help.”
“We need to have it off before Doc gets here. Do you want me to help?” I really didn’t want
to cut his favorite shirt, and I also wouldn’t pass up a chance to touch him. Even if it was in my capacity as a nurse.
“I guess that would be okay, if you don’t mind. What’s your name?” He asked as he moved to the end of the bed where I could reach him. “I usually like to know someone’s name before they undress me.”
“Haha. Aren’t you funny?”
He raised his uninjured arm, and I pushed his shirt up and let him pull his arm back through the armhole. Then I lifted it over his head.
“My name is Nathan, and I’m gonna pull it down over your injured arm and slip it off. I’ll try not to hurt you.” I managed to get it off and only made him wince once. Then I stepped back and got my first look at Alex Doyle with no shirt on. Oh my god. I had never seen anything so beautiful.
“So, you’re still working here?” I inquired offhandedly as I made myself look up from his amazing, hairy chest to his face.
He chuckled before saying, “So back to my employment status, are we?”
I raised one eyebrow in question.
“Yes, Nathan, I still work here,” he answered. “Not in security though. That was just a temporary position while I finished up my certifications. Now I’m the Regional Emergency Management Officer. That’s the job I was originally hired for.”
“But you do work for the hospital, right?” I needed an answer because I really wanted to lick him. I mean not here. That would be unprofessional, but yeah, at some point I wanted to lick him. I still thought he was probably straight, but maybe he was curious. Straight but curious, I could work with. I could not, however, work with him being a hospital employee.