by Teresa Roman
Someone Special
Teresa Roman
Someone Special © 2017 Teresa Roman
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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 prison and a fine of $250,000.
Someone Special
After Dawn Masters hooks up with her longtime crush at their department's holiday party, the last thing she expects is for him to dump her just days before Christmas. Devastated, Dawn swears off dating for good until hunky police officer Jude Morales convinces her to give him a chance.
He slowly coaxes her into trusting him, tearing down the wall she's built around her heart. But just as Dawn dares to hope she's found her someone special, Jude’s own issues, coupled with a serious injury in the line of duty, threaten her newfound happiness and leave her facing the possibility of yet another broken heart.
This book is dedicated to my children, who fill my life
with light even on the cloudiest of days.
Table of Contents
Part 1 Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Part 2 Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Also by Teresa Roman
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Part 1
Chapter 1
Once I found Tracey, I planned on strangling her. How she’d talked me into coming to our department’s annual Christmas party, I had no idea. And now that I was ready to call it a night, she was nowhere to be found. I scanned the crowd of co-workers and their dates gathered in the private party room at Nightingale, a trendy bar in Los Angeles, looking for her.
No luck.
Knowing Tracey, she’d probably decided to ditch our group and mingle with the rest of the club-goers. She still hadn’t outgrown the party girl phase of her life, unlike me, who pretty much had left it behind after graduating from college. Not that I’d ever been crazy about nightclubs. I preferred staying home with a good book.
Only a curtain separated the private party room from the rest of the club. I pulled it back and stared at the thick throng of people gathered around the bar. Undaunted, I weaved my way through the dance floor, turning my head from side to side, hoping I’d spot Tracey sooner rather than later.
I headed toward the bar, thinking that if I didn’t find Tracey, I could at least console myself with another drink, even though I’d already had one too many. I was almost there when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see who it was.
Dr. Eric Kennedy, one of the emergency room doctors I worked with, leaned in, and because it was so loud in the club, shouted into my ear. “Hey, Dawn. What are you doing over here?”
“Looking for Tracey,” I shouted back. “Have you seen her?”
“Yeah. I think I saw her leaving with some guy a few minutes ago.”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
He shook his head. “What’s the big deal?” he asked. “You know how Tracey is, she likes to have fun.”
“The big deal is she was my ride home.”
“Ouch,” Eric said, pinching his face into a pained expression for effect. “Maybe she’ll be back.”
I fished my phone out of my purse to see if I’d missed a text from her. Sure enough, I had.
Leaving early - can you get a ride from someone else?
Ugh. She’d left without even waiting for my reply.
“What’s wrong?” Eric asked.
“You were right.” I showed him my phone. “I have no idea how I’m going to get home now.”
He smiled that perfect smile of his and took my hand. “I can give you a ride. But not until you have a drink with me first . . . and then a dance.”
I shook my head. “I don’t dance.”
At least not in front of my co-workers, I didn’t. Which was the reason I didn’t want to go to the Christmas party in the first place. I liked keeping my personal life and my professional life separate. If I was going to get drunk and make a fool out of myself, it wouldn’t be around people I had to see at work every week. But Tracey went every year and begged me to go with her this time. Against my better judgement, I’d agreed.
We were both emergency room nurses, and the members of the medical group that staffed our ER had gotten together this year and decided they wanted to do something different. Instead of a sit-down dinner and drinks, they’d booked the private room at Nightingale for appetizers, drinks, and dancing. Tracey wasn’t about to turn down free alcohol at such a trendy place, or take no for an answer from me when she’d asked me to come, too.
Eric tugged on my hand, and I followed him reluctantly. Halfway across the dance floor, he turned around and shouted into my ear. “We can dance here. No one has to know.”
It was like he’d read my mind. He knew I didn’t really like my co-workers in my business. Although, even if he’d pulled me back into the party room I wouldn’t have refused if he truly insisted on a dance. Eric had that kind of power over me. Ever since I finished nursing school a few years back, I swore I wouldn’t get involved with any of the doctors I worked with—until Eric got hired last year. He was fresh out of his residency, sure of himself, full of energy, and handsome as hell. I’d always had a thing for tall men, and he towered over me by at least a foot. I loved the way his wavy dark hair contrasted with his cornflower blue eyes. But his looks weren’t the only reason I had a thing for him. I worked with plenty of doctors and a lot of them could be total jerks, but Eric never treated us nurses badly.
He rested his hands on my hips and the two of swayed to the beat of the music.
“Did I tell you that you look amazing tonight?” he said.
“No.” I gave way to a goofy smile, but looked away quickly, hoping to hide it from him.
“Well, you do.”
We’d both only ever seen each other in hospital scrubs, and they weren’t exactly the most flattering attire. I wanted to make an impression tonight, which was why I’d made sure to wear something I knew would look good on me. I had on a cranberry-colored wrap dress with a deep V-neck that showed off my hourglass figure.
“You look nice, too,” I said, admiring how handsome he looked in something as simple as dark wash jeans and a black button-up shirt. Although with his perfectly chiseled body, he always looked good, even in hospital scrubs.
The song ended and I figured that meant our dancing had, too, but instead Eric pulled me closer to him. “Where do you think you’re going?”
; My fluttering heart told me I was in a heap of trouble. With a few drinks in me, and Eric pressed up against me, I felt like my insides were melting. I reminded myself that he had no idea about my silly crush on him. To him I was a co-worker and friend, nothing more, and I was sure it was going to stay that way. I’d sworn off dating after my last disastrous relationship blew up in my face, and was content admiring Eric from afar. Besides, I was relatively certain he had a girlfriend—a doctor, like him, who was finishing her neurosurgery fellowship somewhere close by.
“Don’t you owe me a drink?” I finally said when I couldn’t take it anymore. My heart was beating out of my chest, and I needed more alcohol to deal with the way being so close to him was making me feel.
There was a bar back in the party room with no lines, so that was where the two of us headed. “What’s it going to be?” Eric asked me as we walked up to the bartender.
“A mojito.”
“Make that two,” Eric said to the bartender.
With our drinks in hand, we took a seat at a table beside my nurse manager, Shirley, and her husband. She gave me a knowing look as Eric put his arm over my shoulder. Even though she was happily married, she wasn’t blind, and knew that more than one nurse in our department fantasized about Eric. I’d been careful about keeping that secret to myself, though, and hadn’t told anyone but Tracey that I also had a crush on him.
“Where did you two just come from? I thought you’d left.”
“I went to look for Tracey and ran into Dr. Kennedy,” I said, uncomfortable calling him Eric in front of my manager no matter how many times he insisted that the ER staff just use his first name.
“Did you find her?” Shirley asked.
“No,” I replied without elaborating. I was not happy with Tracey for ditching me, but I wasn’t about to tell Shirley that, knowing that she’d probably make some snide remark about Tracey since the two of them didn’t get along very well. No matter how pissed I was at Tracey, I still felt protective of her.
Shirley’s husband glanced at his watch. “We should go,” he said to his wife. “It’s getting late and I’ve got to be up early for work tomorrow.”
A few minutes after they said their good-byes, Eric stood.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“To get you another drink.” He walked off before I could protest, returning a few minutes later with another mojito in his hands. Just one, since he was driving. I knew I shouldn’t drink it, but I did anyway. One of my all-time favorite Christmas songs started playing—Last Christmas by Wham. I loved George Michael’s silky voice and swayed along to the beat of the music as I sipped on my drink.
“That’s it,” Eric said, standing up and then pulling me to my feet. “We’re dancing again.”
Either George Michael’s voice had gotten me in the mood, or I was too tipsy to make myself say no. I followed Eric to the dance floor. It was getting late, so the crowd had already begun to thin, which meant there weren’t as many people around to put the rumor mill in motion. Although where we worked, all it really took was one person. I could practically hear the whispers about the dirty dance Eric and I were doing. Oh well, what did everyone expect? This was a party at a bar, after all.
When the song ended, Eric whispered into my ear, “You ready to go yet?”
His hands on my hips felt nice, but I nodded anyway; it was time to leave before I made a fool out of myself.
“Let me get my jacket.” I turned and headed toward the coat check area.
On my way back to Eric, I said bye to the handful of co-workers and their dates still left in the party room. After I caught up with him, the two of us weaved our way through the crowded club toward the exit door.
Outside, the air felt frigid. Los Angeles was known for its warm climate, but winter nights could drop into the forties. I followed Eric to the parking lot, taking extra care not to stumble. Between shivering from the cold air, my sexy, but-not-very-practical high heels, and being tipsy from one too many drinks, I worried about falling on my face and embarrassing myself.
Thankfully, Eric was the perfect gentleman. As we got to his car, he unlocked it and pulled the passenger door open for me, waiting for me to sit and reach for the seatbelt before closing it and running around to the driver’s side.
“So where to?” he asked as he turned the engine on.
I gave him my address and he punched it into his GPS before pulling out of the parking lot. At this time of the night, it was only about a fifteen-minute drive to my apartment in Pasadena, a suburb just outside of Los Angeles. Most of the LA area was crazy expensive when it came to real estate, and Pasadena was no exception, but I worked a lot of overtime so I could afford something decent.
After arriving at my apartment complex, I pointed Eric in the direction of the designated visitor parking spots.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said as he put his car in park. I fumbled for the door, more nervous than drunk.
“Maybe I should walk you to your door.”
No, no, no. My brain screamed at me that it was a bad idea, but before I could heed my own advice, “Okay,” tumbled out of my mouth.
I pulled my keys out of my purse as we walked up to the door to my apartment. “This is me,” I said, turning around to look at Eric.
He stared at me for a second before resting his hand on my cheek. My heart pounded so hard, I thought I was going to be sick. A second later, his hand snaked its way around the nape of my neck, and he pulled me into a kiss.
As he inched closer, pressing his body into mine, I forced myself to loosen the knot in my chest and just enjoy the way his lips felt on mine.
“Are you going to invite me inside?” he asked after pulling away.
I frowned, suddenly remembering important information. “Don’t you have a girlfriend?” As much as I wanted him, I was not about to fool around with someone else’s guy.
He shook his head. “Not anymore. We broke up.”
I wanted to ask more, like why and when, but instead I turned to unlock the door to my apartment. I pushed it open and flicked on the light. “Come in,” I said. I’d already thrown my good sense out of the window by letting him kiss me. Or maybe I hadn’t. Maybe Eric had been carrying the same torch for me that I’d been carrying for him. He followed me inside and closed the door behind us. I gestured toward the couch. “Take a seat.”
As he settled on the couch, I took off my jacket and kicked off my heels. “Do you want anything to drink?” I asked.
“Some water would be nice,” he said, taking a look around my apartment. I filled a glass and brought it over to him. “Nice place you have here, Dawn.”
“Thanks.” Despite being a two-bedroom apartment, it wasn’t very big, but the finishes were on the higher end—tile floors and granite countertops—compared to a lot of other apartments I’d seen when I’d been looking around for a place to rent. Suddenly, I felt tongue-tied and unsure of what to do or say next. “And thanks for the ride home.”
He reached for my hand and tugged on it gently. “Why are you so nervous? Sit. We’re friends. You know I don’t bite.”
I sat beside him. He set his glass of water on the side table and turned to face me, taking both of my hands in his. “I can’t believe how incredible you look tonight.” His lips were back on mine before I had a chance to get a word in. As they inched down my neck, I realized I was in serious trouble.
“Um, I’m not really a one-night stand kind of girl,” I said, not sounding nearly as convincing as I’d hoped to.
“I didn’t think you were,” he said between kisses. “And that’s not what I’m looking for.”
Despite his reassuring words, the voice in my head said to tell him to stop, that I had no intention of things going this far this fast, but I’d fantasized about a moment exactly like this for the past few months, and he felt good, damn good.
By the time he reached for the knot that held my wrap dress in place, I knew there was no turning back.
&nb
sp; Chapter 2
I woke up sometime deep in the night. It had been close to midnight when Eric and I had gotten to my apartment and probably after one by the time we’d fallen asleep. Eric had proven to be the type of lover who enjoyed taking his time.
I smiled to myself as I glanced at him sleeping beside me. I could not believe I’d just had sex with him. But then another thought filled my head. How would he act in the morning? Would he regret that he’d slept with me and tell me it was a mistake? The thought made me mildly nauseous. I reminded myself that I wasn’t just some random girl he’d picked up at a bar and that he’d always been a stand-up guy, at least around me. If I’d been attracted to him for months, who’s to say he hadn’t been feeling the same way? It felt like last night had been building up for months.
As he lay there with his eyes closed and his hand splayed across his chest, I admired his chiseled torso. I stopped myself from running my hands up and down his chest, afraid that I’d wake him up. Instead I got up and pulled out a tank top and pair of sleep shorts from my drawer, threw them on, and lay back down, trying not to worry too much about how awkward things would be in the morning. Eventually, I fell back asleep.
The bright morning sunshine woke me up a few hours later. Eric still had his eyes closed. When I turned to get out of bed so I could sneak off to the bathroom, he grabbed my hand.
“Where are you going?”
“I thought you were still sleeping.”
He propped himself up on one elbow and cradled his head in his hand. “I felt you getting out of bed.”
“I was just headed to the bathroom.”
He smiled. “Well, hurry back.”
With butterflies flapping around in my chest, I quickly emptied my bladder and brushed my teeth. I’d expected Eric to behave awkwardly around me in the morning; instead, he seemed pleased that he’d woken up beside me. Why did that surprise me so much? I was smart, hardworking, one of the best nurses in the ER, he often said. And though there were a lot of beautiful women in the LA area, I still managed to turn plenty of heads. Swimming, one of my favorite things to do when I wasn’t working a twelve-hour shift, kept my physique trim. My long, and just barely wavy, hair fell half way down my back and matched my amber-colored eyes almost perfectly.