Chapter Six
The next week, all interactions between Isabella and James were strictly businesslike. There was no teasing, no coy smiles, and definitely no touching. She was a little miffed when he chose other interns to observe surgeries, but that was to be expected from an attending that didn’t pick favorites.
“I’m quite frankly surprised,” Jordan said to Isabella one night in the doctor’s lounge. “He’s given you just as many shitty assignments as everyone else.”
“I told you that he could be cool about it. He’s just as career focused as I am.”
What she didn’t tell Jordan was that they kept running into each other, and it was getting hard to stay focused. She caught him walking out of the shower again and in various stages of undress in the changing area when she arrived at the hospital in the morning.
She rode empty elevators with him in complete silence. She always stared straight ahead at the doors so she never saw the smirk on his face. When they passed each other in the hall, she averted her eyes so she never noticed the way he checked her out. Isabella was oblivious to his wandering eyes because she was afraid of catching him looking. Avoiding him and staying ignorant were easier.
As the days went on, he was becoming more obvious with his advances. He would never treat her differently while others were around, but once they were alone, it was hard for Isabella to ignore him. The final straw for Isabella was when he pulled off his scrub top right next to her, practically shoving his toned abs in her face.
“What are you doing?” she asked, scrambling up from her seat on the bench.
“Just changing clothes,” he said, almost too casually. “Why? Is something wrong?”
“Why do you always do that? Nearly every morning, you come in here while I’m by myself and practically do a strip tease right in front of me.”
“Do you want me to wear the same clothes day after day? The better question is why you insist on showing up thirty minutes earlier than everyone else. If I change my clothes at the same time every day and you don’t like it, why don’t you arrive just fifteen minutes later and avoid me altogether?”
“I—I like to be prepared for the day. You’re right, though. I’ll do that somewhere else.”
Isabella was getting frustrated. She was normally good at holding back emotions, but she was too tired to stay calm. She blinked furiously as her eyes began to moisten. The truth was, she was mad at herself for putting herself in positions where she might be alone with James. She couldn’t help but want to be near him. She was strangely drawn to him.
James’s eyes widened. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. You’re right. Maybe I could torment you a little less, but you drive me insane.”
“What?” she spat. “I drive you insane?”
“You’re an attractive woman. I knew that you probably wouldn’t be interested in hooking up with a coworker, but I thought I’d wait and see if you showed any interest in me. Then, when we were on call and you kissed me, it awoke something in me. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I wanted you so badly.”
“Be rational for a second,” she interrupted. “You know that this is a bad idea.”
“I’m always rational. I’ve thought of just about every scenario where we are together. Admittedly, half of the possibilities end in disaster, but it could work.”
“How?”
“I’ve been at this hospital for a while. I’ve heard all about the staff hooking up with one another. These things just happen when you spend all day and all night together. Sometimes, it leads to a real relationship, but usually, it’s just a way to fill the time and relieve a little stress.”
“I don’t think I’m interested,” Isabella said quietly.
James sat down and looked her in the eye. His eyes were so gentle and comforting.
“Can you tell me, with complete honesty, that you are not attracted to me?”
“What? I’m not—” she sputtered.
“So when you were amped up after that surgery, you would have kissed anyone?”
“Well—”
“Like if it were Craig, or Justin, or Dr. Jensen, you would have stuck your tongue in their mouth?”
She crinkled her nose at the thought. “No, of course not.”
“So?” he asked, egging her on.
“Yes, I find you extremely attractive. Is that what you want to hear?” she nearly shouted at him.
He looked satisfied with himself.
“Then what are you so afraid of?” he asked gently.
Isabella could fill a book with the reasons she didn’t want a relationship, especially one with James. For starters, hooking up with coworkers was messy business, especially when he had some say in the future of her career.
Also, she didn’t need to be with a man at all right now, especially one with money and a high-powered career. In the long run, it wouldn’t work out.
Mostly, she was afraid of turning into her mother. She couldn’t give herself the option of a life where she didn’t have to work. She had worked too hard to get herself to this point, just to throw it away for a hot surgeon.
She didn’t want to argue with James. She wanted to let go of her fears and just touch him. He was wearing her down.
“How long until anyone else shows up?” she asked.
He checked the clock on the wall. “About fifteen minutes. Why?”
She lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her mouth against his. She felt his mouth move into a wide smile beneath hers.
“Come with me,” he said, hoisting her up. She wrapped her legs around his torso, her mouth exploring his freshly shaven face.
He took her to a small room with tiny metal-framed bunk beds and dropped her down on the mattress, shutting the door behind him with his foot.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked her as he pushed a strand of hair out of her face.
“Take off your pants,” she ordered.
He obliged, stripping completely nude. He was even hotter than she had imagined. She grabbed one firm buttock and squeezed.
James pulled Isabella’s shirt off over her head, and she threw her pants on the ground. She frantically pulled his body onto hers. She didn’t want to wait and definitely didn’t want to get caught.
“Hold on,” he panted, reaching underneath the bed. He dragged out a box of condoms.
“What—” she started.
He laughed. “I told you that hospital hookups weren’t uncommon.”
When he entered her, she was immediately overcome with pleasure. She’d been so busy with school and work that she’d sworn off men altogether.
James was eager to please, so she let him do the work, showing her delight with soft moans. He pumped faster, hoping to keep things quick. There was no point in trying, though, because their built-up arousal caused them to come in just minutes.
He hovered over her for a minute, watching the rapid rise and fall of her chest. He kissed her neck, sending shivers down her spine.
She wanted to lie there forever, but someone could walk in the lounge at any time, and then all hope of discretion would be ruined.
“See you for rounds,” he said, slapping her gently on the ass.
Isabella felt conflicted, but she felt too good to be upset at herself for letting her guard down. Besides, it was hardly a serious relationship. They were just two adults with a mutual attraction to one another. If they wanted to have casual sex on occasion, where was the harm in that?
She took a quick inventory of her feelings. When she thought about it, she didn’t have the urge to date him or bring him home to her mother. She didn’t like him in that way. All she had was a raw sexual attraction to him. Nothing more.
If she knew anything about men, it was that they were usually less attached than the women they chased. Perhaps James was right after all—they could make this work.
She hastily finished changing and met up with Jordan by the nurse’s station.
&nb
sp; “Good morning,” Isabella chirped.
“You seem especially chipper this morning.” She eyed her suspiciously.
“I suppose I just got a good night of sleep,” she lied.
Isabella caught James’s eye. He flashed her a quick smile and she looked away quickly. Luckily, Jordan wasn’t paying attention.
“Gather ‘round,” James called. “I have an extra special pop quiz for you all today. Whoever answers the most questions correctly gets an exclusive opportunity.”
Isabella felt sharp and focused. She was always up for a competition.
James asked them a series of ten difficult questions. Isabella’s hand shot up into the air, often before he was finished talking. In the end, she had managed to answer eight of the questions correctly while her fellow interns sulked.
“Congratulations, Isabella,” James said. “Here’s your prize: Dr. Jensen needs extra help in his study, so you’ll be working closely with him next week. You’ll learn a lot, and as a bonus, you’ll get your name in a medical journal.”
The others groaned. Isabella beamed. This was a huge opportunity for her. She was a little disappointed that she would be seeing much less of James, but it would be worth it.
“When do I start?” she asked.
“Actually, you can go to his lab right now,” James said. “The other research assistants will fill you in on their work, and then you start research on Monday. He said he needs someone for at least a week, but depending on how things go, maybe longer.”
She didn’t know what to say. She really wanted to plant a sloppy kiss of appreciation on James’s face, but she knew that would be wildly inappropriate.
“Okay, I guess I’ll see you later,” she said to the group, but mostly directed at James. She walked to the lab with an extra spring in her step.
Once she got into the study, the rest of the day flew by. She was so busy learning about the brilliant research being done that she hardly even thought about her morning in the on-call room. At the end of the day, she left the hospital with a big stack of research to digest during the weekend.
She was psyched for the upcoming week. While her peers were slaving away in the ER, she would be in surgery, learning new techniques.
On Monday, she woke up early, and out of habit, went to the locker room, even though she could go straight to the lab. Perhaps it was just her subconsciousness guiding her to what she really craved.
Sure enough, James’s bag was sitting on the wooden bench. Steam was pouring out from the shower area.
“It’s like a sauna in here,” Isabella called out.
The water stopped. James peeked his head out from behind the curtain.
“Care to join me?”
“I’d rather not. I don’t have time to dry my hair, and if someone comes in here, I don’t want to explain why we were in the same shower stall.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Anyway, you’d be surprised how many shower sex-related injuries I’ve seen in my short career in medicine.”
Isabella bit her lip. She was still tempted to strip down and join him.
“Are you excited to work with Dr. Jensen? I hope you know how good of an opportunity it is.”
“Yes, I know,” she replied. “Although, I have a feeling that the other interns hate me now.”
“Probably.” He laughed. “Who cares? They should hate themselves for not studying and actually earning their opportunities.”
She smiled.
“I’m happy for you,” he said. “But I can’t help but be disappointed that I can’t check you out all day.”
Isabella giggled. She shared the same sentiment.
“Do you think we have enough time to revisit the bunk beds?” she purred.
Just then, a doctor entered the room to use the vending machine. That answered that question.
To avoid any suspicion, Isabella took off and went to the lab. Her body was pulsing with arousal, and it took a few moments for the feeling to wear off. Fortunately, work was always a stronger distraction for her.
Just as she was about to leave for the day, she saw James talking to Dr. Jensen. She was too far away to hear what they were discussing, but it looked serious.
“Dr. Carter,” Dr. Jensen addressed her. “Dr. Johnson needs your assistance. You are dismissed for the day. Have a nice evening.”
She followed James down different hallways until he led her into an exam room.
“What did you need my assistance for?” she asked.
He gave her a devilish grin and shut the door behind them, taking extra care to lock it.
“I think you know what I need. I think you need it, too,” he said, grasping her waist.
He was correct. She had been craving his touch all day, ever since she saw him in the shower. James picked her up and sat her on the exam table. The paper crinkled underneath her.
He slid her pants down around her ankles and followed with her panties. She leaned back. Her body reclined on the table. He placed his hands on her knees and slowly spread them apart. Kneeling down, he kissed her stomach and then her thighs.
This drove Isabella insane. She grabbed a fistful of his neat hair and pushed his face right where she wanted it. He grinned, achieving the result he was looking for. His moist tongue stimulated her with perfect precision—the man knew exactly what he was doing.
Her hands gripped the sides of the vinyl table as she tried to keep quiet. He inserted his fingers, and it set her over the edge. Though she was quiet, he could feel her muscles spasm with pleasure.
She hastily tore at his clothes, undoing his belt and pulling his pants down past his hips. She turned, braced herself against the table, and backed her ass into him. He grabbed her flesh, using it as leverage to go faster, deeper. She came a second time that evening, much to James’s delight.
Isabella flipped onto her back, and James collapsed on top of her.
“I missed you today,” he said softly as he nuzzled her neck. “I didn’t have you to stare at, so I just had to picture you in bed. The image tortured me all day.”
“I’m afraid I’m going to get addicted to this.” She laughed.
“Oh, God, I hope you do,” he replied.
They were in no hurry to go anywhere, so they just lay together for a moment, looking into each other’s eyes.
“Maybe one day, we can do this in an actual bed,” James said.
“Didn’t we last week?”
He rolled his eyes at her. “Away from the hospital, I mean.”
“Ha.” She chuckled. “I don’t know about that. Why complicate a good thing?”
She pulled on her clothes and threw away the paper cover on the exam table. She went home, leaving James behind her.
Chapter Seven
Things were heating up between Isabella and James. The added distance between them made them long for each other during the day. Their chemistry was unstoppable. Not only did they click in bed—or exam table, or supply closet—but they enjoyed each other’s company.
James could hardly hide the fact that he was falling for Isabella. He tried to join her at the lunch table, but she pushed him away, worried that someone would notice their friendship. To a hospital employee, it would look strange for anyone to sit next to interns, as they were on the bottom of the totem pole.
Isabella enjoyed her time in the research study, but she missed being out on the floor with the other interns. She missed the excitement of never knowing what was going to happen. She missed the rush of having seconds to make a correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment. She missed working side by side with James.
She was making a good name for herself in research, though, and the doctors were taking notice. Generally hard to please, these surgeons praised her work ethic and thinking skills. She was quick to learn new things, so the surgeons were giving her more responsibilities.
Despite this, Isabella felt like something was missing from her life, but she couldn’t decide what it was. She had everything she could hav
e hoped for at this point. She was successful in her internship, and she was blowing off steam with a hot doctor. For her, it was a relief that she found a man who just wanted to have casual sex without wanting her to be in a time-consuming relationship.
She wondered if maybe she needed some companionship in her life. Isabella was never one to have a large posse around, but she was starting to feel lonely in the moments that she wasn’t hard at work. Her friends from college had started their careers ages ago, and in the time Isabella was in medical school, they were off getting married and having kids.
There weren’t a lot of close friends from medical school because her over-competitive nature was off-putting for a lot of people. People were jealous of her knowledge, but she also didn’t try to be any less insufferable. She had a few study pals she could talk to on occasion, but she was mostly alone.
Jordan was one of her medical school acquaintances with whom she wanted to form a closer bond. For most of Isabella’s life, teachers and other adults always told her how brilliant and beautiful she was, and no one ever gave her constructive criticism. She liked Jordan because she wasn’t afraid to set her straight when she was being obnoxious. Jordan didn’t see her as a threat to her own success, so she liked spending time with Isabella, too. It was hard to be a young woman in a man-dominated profession, and it helped to have someone similar by her side.
In an attempt to build friendship, Isabella invited Jordan out for drinks one night after work. They went to a cocktail lounge far from the hospital, where they wouldn’t be at risk of running into anyone they knew. Jordan loved having the chance to gossip about everything that had happened while Isabella was away at the lab.
“Did I tell you about the time I walked in on Martin crying in the supply closet?” Jordan giggled into her martini.
“What? No, tell me everything!”
“Well, he’s such a know-it-all and he got in an argument with a nurse over the correct drug dosage to give his patient. He insists that he’s right, so he tattles on the nurse, and James set him straight. As it turned out, he was wrong, and it was too much for him to handle. I went to grab a fresh catheter from the closet later, and I found him sniveling in there.”
Forbidden Prescription 2: MFM Ménage Stepbrother Romance (Medical Romance) Page 33