The Maxwell Series Boxed Set - Books 4-6

by Alexander, S. B.

  I guided her to stand before I wrapped my arms around her. “Then you should marry him.”

  She squeezed me hard. “Will you come to the wedding?”

  I eased back. “I wouldn’t miss it.” I was serious. I believed with all my heart that Ms. Sharp was the person who’d kept me from going insane during the last year. I considered her one of my best friends. “You’re special to me, Audrey. I want to see you happy.” I meant every word, although I was kind of sad that I wouldn’t see her quite as much anymore.

  She giggled. “You finally called me by my first name.”

  I sighed. “It’s time for me to get over one of my hang-ups. I always saw you as my teacher, but you’ve turned out to be one of my great friends. I would like to continue our friendship.”

  She pressed a soft palm to my cheek, tears pooling in her eyes. “I wouldn’t want anything less. Only now, no more sex.”

  We both laughed as I caught a tear of hers. I wouldn’t have minded one more time with Audrey, but she was engaged, and my mind was distracted, thanks to the beautiful chocolate-eyed woman who’d peeled out of my driveway.

  “It’s your turn, Kody. Find someone that makes your heart race, your palms sweat, and your stomach giddy.”

  I kissed her on the lips one last time. “I’m not sure I’m ready.”

  She put her hand over my heart. “You’re ready here.” Then she touched my temple. “It’s your brain that’s getting in the way. Quiet your brain for one moment and dare to live.”

  Maybe it was time to not think that God would take away anyone I fell in love with. Maybe it was time to free my inhibitions, and maybe, just maybe, I could start with Jessie.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jessie

  I was monitoring a young woman in the recovery room who’d just had an appendectomy. It seemed as though Dr. Gibbs had performed several appendectomies in the last month. After I checked the woman’s vitals, I moved on to the next patient, who’d had her gallbladder removed earlier that day. I’d just entered the older woman’s room, when my phone dinged. I stuck my hand in the pocket of my scrubs and fumbled with the phone as I slipped out into the main area of the recovery wing. I held the phone to my ear as I walked closer to the nurses’ station, which sat in the middle of the room.

  “Jessica Ryan?” the pleasant female voice on the line asked. “This is Ms. Franklin. I wanted to let you know that I’ve sent you an email with the name and number of the person who has agreed to meet with you. She actually lives in Lancaster, which I think is not far from you.”

  My heart skipped a beat. When I’d met with the genetic counselor, I’d asked her if she knew of anyone I could speak with who’d been in my position. She’d said she would check with her clients but cautioned me that some women might not be up to talking to a stranger about what they’d gone through.

  “That’s fantastic,” I said in a low voice. “Thank you.”

  Other nurses milled around, and I wasn’t ready to share my news about my abnormal DNA test. My coworkers could be empathetic, but I didn’t want the whole hospital knowing yet.

  “Ms. Harold is in her early thirties and was in the same situation as you,” Ms. Franklin said. “I think you two will get along. Also, Jessica, have you set up an appointment to get a mammogram like we discussed?”

  Ira, a nurse in her fifties, headed in my direction with a chart in her hand.

  “I haven’t yet. But I will.” The last couple of days had been hectic at work, and by the time I’d even thought about scheduling a mammogram, it had been too late in the day.

  “Good. Please keep me posted on things.”

  “I will. Again, thank you.” I tapped the off button.

  Ira dropped a patient’s chart in a doctor’s inbox behind me. “Everything okay?”

  I pocketed my phone. “Yeah. I’m going to check Mrs. Corbett’s vitals, then I’m off to lunch.”

  After I finished up with Mrs. Corbett, I slipped into the ladies’ room and washed my hands. Then I pinged Roxanne as I headed for the elevator to let her know I was on my way down to the cafeteria. As soon as I stepped off the elevator, that husky voice that made me tingle all over called my name. Immediately, a frisson of heat coursed through my body.

  I hadn’t seen or spoken to Kody since I’d torn out of his driveway two days ago, jealous and pissed. I’d never thought of him having a girlfriend, particularly not when he’d kissed me back in the restroom at The Cave, and not when we’d shared some intense sexual need for each other at his place.

  Sliding out of the way of traffic, I debated on whether to ignore him and meet Roxanne. But he’d already seen me, and he would only follow me. So I leaned against the wall, watching his tall, muscled body stalk down the hall with a sense of purpose and determination. He gave me a predatory grin as though he was thinking about undressing me. I shivered at the thought. I wouldn’t have minded seeing him without his low-slung jeans or the Van Halen band T-shirt he was wearing. I would also have bet the two nurses who passed him, drooling his way, wanted to see the same thing.

  Thank God for the wall. Otherwise, I might have been laid out on the floor.

  Kody settled next to me, smelling like pine, fresh and clean. He hadn’t lost that hunger in his expression. “I’m glad I caught you. I tried to have you paged, but the lady at the info desk said you were in surgery. Anyway, I wanted to see if you had a minute where we could talk.”

  Talk or get naked. Oh shut up! That voice in my head was out of control. Straightening, I checked the time on my phone. “I’m supposed to meet Roxanne for a quick bite, then I need to get back upstairs.” My tone wasn’t as rude as it had been when I’d left his house, but it wasn’t exactly swimming with glee, either.

  A muscle fluttered along his jaw.

  I had to erase Kody Maxwell from my mind, body, and soul. But I was failing miserably, as his presence seemed to cloud any notion I had of staying away from him. I also couldn’t forget something he’d said to me at his place. “If you kiss me again, I won’t walk away this time. So make sure you know what you’re doing.” Those words were one of the reasons goose bumps had a permanent home on my body, especially with the way his blue eyes were piercing through me as though he wanted to take me right then in the hall, amid the people walking by. That certainly couldn’t happen with his girlfriend in the picture.

  “Can we go somewhere quiet? I promise I won’t take too much of your time.” His tone was slightly rougher than before, and not in a sexy way, either.

  The lust coursing through my body vanished. It was best if we did talk. That way, I could let him know I wasn’t interested in him or in singing, if that was the reason he was there. Sure, I enjoyed singing, but I loved being a nurse. More importantly, I had so much other stuff going on in my life.

  I fixated on the thick tangle of hair that fell over his forehead, itching to run my fingers through the strands. But when I raked my gaze down a mere inch, I swallowed hard.

  He had those puppy-dog eyes that I was a sucker for. I would bet he used that expression on his mom when he wanted to get his way.

  I wanted to say, “not fair,” but instead I said, “Let me text Roxanne. We can sit outside on the benches.” Easy much? I was screwed if I ever had kids. One look from them like Kody’s, and they would play me like a fiddle.

  Silence crawled between us as we walked and I texted Roxanne. Kody wants to talk. I’ll meet you after shift.

  She quickly responded. Oh my. I definitely want to hear the details.

  I’d explained to Roxanne what had happened when I’d been at Kody’s that past Monday. Of course my friend was one to play the devil’s advocate. Are you sure that woman was his girlfriend? And why didn’t you just kiss him again? That way he would know without a doubt that you want him.

  My body definitely wanted Kody. My brain, however, was on a different journey. I didn’t need to build a relationship with a guy who seemed to be a walking contradiction of passion and despair. I hadn’t seen a
ll sides of him, but the parts I had seen scared me and pushed me closer to him. His puppy-dog eyes, badass quality, tenderness, and a body that exuded power and control were like magnets pulling me to him. Yet I got the impression that the power and control he seemed to wield were ready to burst, maybe because he’d held restraint when we had kissed. Or maybe his anger at Mack scared me. Good or bad, I wasn’t sure I was ready for all of Kody.

  Daylight jarred me back to reality, or maybe it was Kody’s heated touch on my lower back that seemed to burn a hole through my scrubs. We ambled over to the small lounging area in between the emergency wing and the main wing of the hospital. I hadn’t been outside since I’d started my shift that morning at six when the weather had been cool and breezy. Now with the sun high in the sky at noon, the air was thick and humid.

  We sat on the only available bench, which faced the parking lot. Darn. I’d wanted a table to create a barrier between us. But they were full of staff and visitors, who were absorbed in conversations and reading on their phones.

  As soon as we sat down, I said, “Okay, talk.” I hadn’t meant to sound snarky, but my nerves were all over the place. I wanted Kody. I wanted to feel him pressed up against me like he’d been that night at The Cave. I wanted to kiss him again. If I were being honest with myself, I wanted one glorious night where I didn’t have to worry about my brother, or my decision to have my breasts removed, or money, or bills, or the shop, or even the future.

  Sadly, for many reasons, including the fact that Kody had a girlfriend, I would never be able to experience any of that.

  “Are you not having a good day?” he asked.

  Words escaped me when his thigh touched mine. I inhaled a fresh pine scent, or maybe I was smelling the cut grass beneath my feet.

  Covering his face with both hands, Kody sneezed. “Sorry. I have bad allergies.”

  So cut grass for the win. “Kody, I’m not interested in singing.”

  The parking lot in the distance was teeming with cars coming and going. A whir of a motor buzzed from the groundskeeper, who had one of those yard blowers on his back, blowing the grass clippings off the sidewalk one building down from us.

  Kody leaned down so his elbows were pressed on his denim-covered thighs. “Jess, we got off on the wrong foot. I’m not here to ask you to sing, although I haven’t given up on that yet. I’m here to apologize for putting you in the middle of Donovan and me. I should’ve walked away, both at the club and when I saw him standing at your shop. I even put your brother in the middle. I owe him an apology too.”

  “Mack told me his side of the story. Is he right that you also sent a friend of his to the hospital?”

  He nodded. “He’s right. Did he also tell you that his friend could be responsible for running my girlfriend off the road on her motorcycle where she ended up dying back in high school?”

  I slapped a hand over my heart. I wondered if Mack knew about that part. Regardless, I wanted to console Kody. Pain was etched on his handsome face, but he leaned away from me as if telling me not to feel sorry for him. I knew the heartache that came from a loved one dying. I wasn’t over my mom’s death by any means.

  “Police said Mandy’s death was an accident. I’ve always believed it wasn’t even though Greg Sullivan said he didn’t chase her that day.”

  I remembered my brother mentioning her name recently. “So you were the brother dating Mandy?”

  His shoulders lowered a tiny bit. “Did you know her?” The grief in his voice was ripping me to shreds.

  “I didn’t. Lowell worked on her motorcycle a time or two.” I placed my hand on his thigh. “My sincere sympathy. I know firsthand what you’re going through.”

  He covered my hand with his rugged yet soft one. “I appreciate the sentiment. My condolences for your mom.” He pushed upright as though he was ready to bolt and find a corner to cry in. “That’s really all I came to say.”

  I hopped up and threw my arms around him. He stiffened for a brief second, then his arms went around to my back, and he tugged me tightly to him. Yeah, I could get into him holding me forever. He was safe. I wanted safe. I wanted someone to care for me, to hold me and tell me “I got you, no matter what.”

  He eased back, his features full of anguish and something else I couldn’t pinpoint. Then he leaned in and kissed me on the forehead. “I should go.”

  I was about to protest, when Mack’s blue SUV screeched to a halt in front of the emergency room doors. My head went one way, and my stomach went the other way as nausea competed with dizziness. The blood froze in my veins. Kody turned as Mack tore out of the driver’s side. As soon as he spotted Mack, he ran the short distance over to him. I couldn’t move.

  Mack pulled Lowell from the backseat. Daylight dimmed to a dark gray when I laid eyes on my unconscious brother. As a medical professional, I should have reacted quickly, like I always did with patients who needed immediate help, but nothing on the planet was pushing me into action.

  Deep lines creased Mack’s forehead. “Get someone to help,” he said to Kody in a slightly high-pitched voice.

  I tried to pick one foot up, but it seemed glued to the ground. I blew out breath after breath, watching the horrible scene unfold as two medical technicians pushed out a stretcher. Mack laid Lowell down.

  My breathing grew shallow.

  Kody jogged back to me. “Jess, I’ll walk you inside.”

  The man was going to have to carry me.

  Mack ran in alongside the stretcher, spewing words and answering questions that the medical techs were throwing his way. I should have been paying attention, but all I heard was static.

  Kody cupped my face between his hands. “Jess, your brother needs you.” His hot breath fired my synapses into gear as I blinked away tears. He hooked my arm in his. “I got you.”

  With the help of Kody’s strength, I moved my legs, albeit at a snail’s pace. When we were inside, the familiar sterile odor and the surroundings kicked the nurse part of me into gear. Mack’s big body vanished through a set of double doors. I ran with all I had, my breathing erratic, leaving Kody behind. As soon as I was in triage, where nurses and doctors hurried to tend to Lowell, Roxanne came out of nowhere, holding up her hands.

  Kody drew up alongside me.

  “We got him. Kody, can you take her in that room over there?” Roxanne flicked her brown head to the staff’s lounge.

  “No,” I protested. “I want to see him.”

  “Baby doll.” Kody’s hypnotic voice kept me from fighting off his strong arms. “Let the medical experts take care of him.”

  I was a medical expert. I wanted to take care of my brother. I did take care of my brother. “I can’t lose him, Roxanne,” I cried as questions about what had happened bombarded me. I had to find Mack.

  Roxanne walked backward, wearing her stoic and brave nurse face. “I can’t, either.” Then she disappeared into a glass-enclosed trauma room.

  I scanned the ER for Mack. All I found were nurses running around and doctors going in and out of trauma rooms. “Where’s Mack?”

  Kody’s hand was tethered to me as though he didn’t want me to leave. I should’ve pressed Lowell when I saw his hand shaking the other day. I should’ve insisted he tell me what was going on.

  I shrugged out of Kody’s hold and sprinted to Lowell’s room, stopping outside. Dr. Navar, a middle-aged emergency room doctor, was checking Lowell’s pupils. Roxanne was hooking up an IV, and a brunette nurse was placing the telemetry leads on Lowell’s chest.

  The vitals machine beeped to life, indicating Lowell’s heart rate was high, but he was still unconscious.

  “I want a blood workup done ASAP,” Dr. Navar ordered.

  The good news was that my brother had a pulse. The powerful sense of relief caused me to sway on my feet until big arms came around me, strong, protective, and soothing. For the moment, I felt safe, and oddly, I felt loved.

  Mack came out of nowhere, chomping on his fingernails. His tight features zeroed in on
Kody as he snarled.

  Kody tightened his hold on me as though he were saying, “take her from me, and I will beat your head in.” I might have protested too. I didn’t want to leave Kody’s arms. I wanted to hear his racing heart, which was beating close to my ear. I wanted to nuzzle into his clean-scented T-shirt and feel every muscle beneath it. But reality sucked, particularly with Mack flaring his nostrils.

  I pinned a hard look on Mack. “Tell me what happened.”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed. “One minute, he was talking to me in the shop, and the next, he was shaking before he passed out. I got him here as fast as I could.”

  Dr. Navar walked out, his dark eyes set on me. “Jessie, Lowell appears to be severely dehydrated. Once the IV fluid started going in, his vitals improved. But I’m having a complete blood workup done. Is he taking any medications I should know about? Has he been eating? Has his diet changed?”

  He’d been off antidepressants for a couple of years. As far as eating, I didn’t make dinner every night, and I wasn’t with him when I was working. So I wasn’t exactly sure about his eating habits. “No on the medication.” At least, I wasn’t aware of any. “As far as eating and diet, I’m not sure.”

  The doctor swung his stethoscope over his neck. “We’ll pump him with lots of fluids. He should wake up soon. We’ll keep him overnight for observation. I’ll be back later to check on him.”

  Mack combed dirty fingers through his dark-blond hair. “Is that why he had a seizure?”

  Dr. Navar slipped his hands in the pockets of his lab coat. “Possibly, but I’ll know more when the blood results come back.”

  “Could his sugar be low?” I was reaching for straws. Yet his shaky hand and a seizure sounded to me as though his sugar could be low. If it were, then Lowell had to be starving himself, although stress could enhance and play a role as well.

  I quietly sighed as Kody held me. The circles he was tracing on the back of my hand were making me groggy. Then, as though someone slapped me in the head, I remembered Kody had a girlfriend.