“Sorry about that,” he paused. “So, it looks as though we’ll be participating in a new study investigating therapies on stage four neuroblastomas. It should be a very interesting study and I feel it’ll be very beneficial to our patients. There’s a training seminar next week in Boston. Our coordinators usually attend these and seem to find it very helpful.” He glanced at me, pausing to give me a moment to ask any questions if I had them. “The training goes over enrollment criteria, specifics about the study and the different forms and tests you’ll be completing with the patients and their families.”
“That sounds exciting,” I said, giving what I felt was the appropriate professional response. “I’ve never been to Boston before. How many days will I be gone?”
“We’ll leave this Sunday and return-on Wednesday. It’s not usually such short notice, but we were up in the air on whether or not we’d be participating. Dan will take care of booking the travel.”
As he was talking I kept thinking, “He said we,” which meant he’d be going as well. I was drifting off into a daydream and I guess it was apparent to Gavin that I’d momentarily checked out because he said my name pretty loudly.
“Brooke?”
I redirected my gaze and he continued to speak. “I just wanted to check and make certain you’d be able to go? You don’t have any plans that would conflict with the travel dates, do you?”
The sun was shining in from the window behind him, the bright rays making it seem like he was glowing. I cleared my throat. “Nope, those dates will be perfectly fine with me.”
“Great! I’ll send Dan an email and let him know to book two flights and hotel rooms.”
My deviant mind somersaulted, and although I absolutely loved to fly I said, “I’m embarrassed to admit, but I do have some anxiety when it comes to flying. It just makes me nervous being in a closed space with that many people I don’t know.”Gavin gave an understanding look and said, “Okay. I’ll see if he can get two seats together, that way you won’t be sitting alone. Maybe that’ll make it a little less anxiety provoking for you.”
After the meeting ended I went to my office. I sat at my desk, completely ecstatic that I was going to be away from this place for a few days. I could only pray that Gavin would turn out to be a complete ass so this inner conflict I was having over wanting him could just vanish.
Chapter Twelve
Brooke
July 13, 2014
I’d packed and unpacked my polka dot suitcase at least ten times. I’d gone through a cycle of emotions and had finally convinced myself that I was being ridiculous. Gavin wasn’t interested in me, and even if he was, he’d never act on it.
In a matter of weeks I’d gone from despising doctors to being completely infatuated with one who wanted nothing to do with me. I’d managed to accept the fact that I was attracted to him and had decided that just kissing him couldn’t be that terrible— I just wondered what his lips felt like. Even if I did one day kiss him it didn’t mean I’d have to get involved with him. It’d be kind of like sampling some cheesecake at a bakery. You could get a little taste, but not have the guilt of eating the entire thing.
Constance drove me to the airport that morning, and she of course tried to convince me that I could, and should, try to seduce him.
“You can totally get him, Brooke. Just think, not only would you have this magnificent piece of arm candy, but then Dan would have to leave you alone or else face the wrath of the amazing Dr. Hunter,” she giggled and glanced over her shoulder to check that it was safe to change lanes.
“I’m not gonna try to seduce him. I’m keeping myself strictly professional.”
“Yeah. Okay,” she laughed and shook her head. “Well, what if he tries to seduce you? What if this is all a grand scheme of his to take you away on this trip so he can put the moves on you?” Constance pulled her shades down so that I could see her dramatically batting her eyelashes.
She pulled into the unloading zone, stopping at the curb to let me out.
A mischievous grin tugged at my lips as I said, “Hmmm… if that were the case I guess I’d just have to give in to his efforts. I mean, I most certainly wouldn’t want to make him feel awkward by not responding to his advances. Would it really be that bad to have a one-night stand with him? Seems like everyone else has had one, why can’t I?”
Okay, Brooke, so now you’ve gone from a kiss to a one-night stand, for the love!
I hopped out, grabbing my suitcase and carry-on from her trunk. I put one foot on the curb and lowered my face back down to the window. “See you Wednesday, dahhhling.”
As I headed toward the entrance, Constance yelled from her car, “Godspeed, Brooke. May your vagina find the penis that unlocks pleasure surpassing any of your expectations, and may that penis be attached to a British doctor!”
People shot ugly looks in her direction. I scurried away trying to contain my laughter and hoping no one would realize I knew her. Screaming out the words “vagina” and “penis” evidently aren’t appreciated by the general public.
Checking my luggage, I saw the back of Gavin’s head as I was walking to the gate. I could feel a nervous anxiety pulse through my veins as I maneuvered through the rows of seats. He was reading a magazine and had on a plain red t-shirt, jeans, and expensive-looking leather boots. It was so odd to see him in normal clothes, and it made him even more attractive.
I glanced over at him, trying to be inconspicuous as I stared at his biceps. The arms of his t-shirt clung tightly to his muscles and I noticed the thick point of a tattoo peeping out from the bottom of his sleeve. The image I had created of Gavin instantly changed from that of a pompous doctor to a very naughty boy and I knew I was doomed.
Gavin peered over the top of his magazine as I put my carry-on bag down on the floor. “Well, hello,” he said, placing the magazine face down in his lap.
My mouth twitched up halfway and I took a seat next to him. “Good morning.”
“You ready?”
“Yep. Not awake, but I’m ready. Just glad to have a change of scenery,” I replied.
“Sorry, our seats aren’t together. I’m surprised Dan couldn’t find any together — odd.” He shrugged.
My lips felt like they had been plastered into a perma-smile and the corners started flinching. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine. It’s not too long of a flight anyway,” I rambled, trying to calm the nervous energy sitting so close to him created.
I diverted my eyes from his and noticed a round silver pendant hanging from his necklace. It had a crown engraved on it, but I couldn’t make out the words printed around the edges.
Gavin noticed me studying it and picked it up, pulling it away from his chest as he glanced down at it. “It’s a family heirloom. A war badge from quite a while ago.” He dropped the pendant and it made a soft thud as it hit his chest.
“It’s pretty,” I said.
My pulse jumped at how ridiculous I’d just sounded. I was really making myself look great with the nervous undertone and inability to fluidly carry on a conversation with him. I’d just told a man that a war badge was “pretty.”
“Thanks, just what I was going for,” Gavin replied, a soft smile forming on his lips.
My knee shook uncontrollably as we sat there in silence. Gavin opened his magazine and began reading again. Bending over, I dug through my bag for my Kindle.
After a few minutes Gavin leaned over and asked, “What’re you reading?”
“Learning to Live,” I responded timidly. It was a romance novel, but I was hoping he wouldn’t pick up on that. I would die of embarrassment. I knew a lot of guys who loved to refer to romance novels as “soft porn,” and if those words came out of Gavin’s mouth I knew I’d most certainly keel over onto the floor of the airport.
I tried to distract his attention from the title. “It’s by R.D. Cole. It’s pretty amazing, really addresses a lot of issues, you know, really eye opening and all.”
&
nbsp; “Hmmm…” He closed his magazine, cocking his head as he studied me. His eyes narrowed and they seemed to gleam. Lowering his head, he whispered, “Romance novel, aye?” arching his brow as he asked me.
My eyes darted back down to my Kindle. I stared at the page, completely mortified. I collected myself and slowly moved my eyes from the screen, raising them to his face. His irises were such an exotic green, everything about that man’s face was perfectly flawless; it was sickening.
“Um-hmm, romance,” I swallowed immediately after I responded to his question.
“Interesting. Didn’t see you as the type to read that genre. Maybe I was wrong with my initial impression of you, Ms. Davis.”
Oh God, now he thinks I’m a pervert or something. Great!
He rolled the magazine up and shifted in his seat. “It’s healthy to read for entertainment. I honestly can’t remember the last time I read a book for fun,” he said and tried once more to peek down at the words on my screen.
I quickly pulled the device to my chest. “What? Why else would you read?”
“I’m so consumed with work, all I read are medical journals.” He uncurled the magazine, showing me that it was actually a Neurology journal.
“Oh, well, that’s no fun.” I paused. “You need to do things for fun, you know, things that in no way remind you of work.”
Gavin exhaled. “I agree, definitely a problem I need to work on.” He opened his journal again, flipping through the pages. “I just can’t seem to get away from work. Don’t get me wrong, I love my career — I just haven’t found a way to separate myself from it.” His eyes widened as he glanced down at the pages of his journal and said, “At all.”
A spurt of bravery came from nowhere and I blurted out, “Oh, I bet we could fix that. In Boston, you’re going to have at least a two-hour time period where no work is allowed.”
Gavin’s eyes never left the print of his journal as he asked, “Oh, really? And just how are you going to accomplish that feat, Ms. Davis?”
I froze. Where the hell had that comment come from?
Gavin tore his eyes away from the journal and stared at me, waiting on me to answer his question. His wicked smile snaked its way across his face.
Almost like I had been possessed by some sex-drunk maniac I purred out, “We’re going to go out and have a few drinks. If you mention anything related to work, I’m going to insist you take a shot. You’ll either avoid the topic for fear of becoming drunk, or you’ll end up so drunk you won’t be able to pronounce all of those fancy medical words you’d have to say to discuss it.” I laughed and felt heat traveling up my neck, my knee shaking again. My fingers furiously tore into my cuticles as I forced myself to continue making eye contact with him.
His face was unreadable and it seemed like an eternity before he responded.
Laughing, he said, “I look forward to it. I always love a challenge.” His eyes narrowed and another of those seducing smiles spread across his sinfully perfect lips.
The flight attendant came over the loudspeaker calling for us to board our flight.
I found my seat, which was located about three aisles up from Gavin. Settling in, I leaned my head back, pulled my Kindle up to my face, and lost myself in the book.
We arrived in Boston around six o’clock and took a cab to the hotel. I was thankful that Gavin was on a phone call the entire way to the hotel; at least that way I didn’t have to try and force conversation with him.
The cab pulled up in front of the hotel, stopping at the curb to let us out. Gavin’s arm stretched across my lap as I reached for the door handle, his fingers curling around my wrist. I turned to look at him and he shook his head from side to side.
“Hang on a second, Tom,” he said, and pulled the phone away from his ear, glancing over at me as he reached for his door. “You’ll let me get that for you.”
I watched him climb out and walk around to my side of the cab. He opened the door, reached down to take my hand, and pulled me up.
“Thanks,” I said, staring at him with a dumbfounded look.
He nodded and put the phone back up to his ear, walking to the side of the building to finish his call.
Entering the hotel room, I threw my suitcase at the foot of the bed. I grabbed the remote from the night stand to flip the television on. After watching about an hour of mindless television I decided I would go walk around the city.
I exited the lobby and stood in the middle of the sidewalk trying to decide which direction looked to be more entertaining. I decided to go right, leisurely walking as I attempted to clear my head.
My instinct told me to stay away from him; I kept getting this feeling that there was something about him I didn’t need any part of, which of course did nothing but drive my attraction to him deeper. The longer I walked, the more I convinced myself this ominous feeling I had about him was just because he was a doctor. I’d obviously made a mistake swearing off the entire profession.
The crosswalk turned red and I stepped to the curb to wait. Loud voices coming from the opposite side of the street caught my attention. Looking up, I noticed a group of guys walking together. At that moment I figured meandering around a city I knew nothing about at night may not be the best idea and turned to find my way back to the hotel.
I strolled through the marble lobby toward the elevators. The doors opened and Gavin stepped off. Grabbing my arm, he said, “Where are you going?”
“I guess back up to my room.” I took several steps in the direction of the elevator, but Gavin didn’t let go of my arm.
“You want to go get a drink at the bar?” He causally pointed in the direction of the hotel bar.
I peered around him into the dark and empty bar. “Sure. I can always go for a drink,” I said with as little inflection as possible.
Gavin released his hold on me and shoved his hand in his pocket as he made his way to the bar. I kept my distance behind him as not to seem too eager. I didn’t want him to think I was the least bit excited about spending time with him.
I drew in a breath as I watched him take a seat and shoot a suggestive smile at me. He turned the leather barstool next to him around and patted it.
“Thanks,” I said without looking at him. Sitting down in the cool seat, I scooted myself up to the bar top. I denied the desire I had to turn to my left and drink in his beauty. I was already fighting an inner battle with myself because I knew I shouldn’t be messing with his type. Undeniable sexiness — I was setting myself up for a broken heart.
The bartender approached me and offered a warm smile. “What can I get you?”
“Your house merlot,” I said, folding my hands in my lap. I glanced at Gavin out of the corner of my eye.
The bartender reached for a wine glass and shot his eyes up at Gavin. “And for you?”
“I’ll have merlot as well.”
“House?” the bartender asked.
“That’s fine.”
We sat at the bar in an awkward silence. I couldn’t help but catch Gavin’s leg moving up and down under the bar.
Turning his chair to face me, he said, “So, you’re from Orange Beach, you have your MPH — ”
I corrected him, “MSPH.”
“Yes, MSPH. Excuse my blatant mistake, madam.” He paused as the bartender handed us both full glasses of merlot. I picked mine up and some of the dark liquid sloshed over the top of the glass. Gavin took his, raising it to his full, blush-colored lips; wincing as he swallowed. He coughed, “I’d have to argue that expensive wine is well worth the investment.” He shook his head fervently and cleared his throat. “As I was saying…MSPH, you read romance novels on your Kindle.” He drew the corners of his lips up. “Anything else I should know about you, Ms. Davis?” he said, raising his hand inquisitively to his chin, his eyes boring into me.
I sat my glass on the bar, forcing myself to laugh flirtatiously. “Well, I have an affinity for indie music, I was in every honor socie
ty known to the American culture, I like my Coke warm, and I’ve been shunned by my father for not pursuing medical school or a Ph.D.” I took a short sip of wine. “My favorite color is magenta, my favorite flower is a sterling rose, and I absolutely hate horror films, although I’ve watched Jaws 300 times…and I asked for Barbie dolls every Christmas even though I had no intentions of playing with them.” I raised my glass back to my mouth, pausing when the rim touched my lips to say, “I just wanted to make my friends jealous because I had more Barbies than them.”
The dark stare he was giving me made it apparent that he was analyzing me. Gavin pulled his bottom lip in and I caught myself dreaming of how soft they’d feel pressed up against my neck, my lips, or any other part of my body with nerve endings. These thoughts were so out of character for me, it was like I was under a damn spell.
He cleared his throat again and stretched his arm across his body to set his glass down. A sarcastic sneer fell across his face. “So, you are one of those girls, aye?” He tugged at the sleeve of his shirt and peered up at me.
“One of those girls? What does that mean?”
“Oh, you know, the kind of girl who revels in jealousy, thrives on knowing that others desire what you have… ”
I narrowed my eyes; my jaw relaxed, my lips barely separated. “Please,” I wrinkled my brow at him. “I was just joking, jesting…whatever you British people say.”
Gavin tossed his head back and laughed.
“What? What’s so funny?” I swatted at his forearm, the warmth of his skin sending sensations up my arm. I swallowed hard.
“British?” he raised his eyebrows, his widened eyes emphasizing the erotic color of his irises. “British,” he shook his head and placed his fingers on the stem of his glass, twisting it between them.
Shrugging, I gave a teasing pout. I could already feel the relaxed effects of the alcohol coursing through my veins.
Bound to the Fallen (Prophecy #2) Page 11