by Melody Anne
Austin’s eyes shifted back to where Kinsey was in the middle of a heated debate about something. His curiosity was peaked.
“Why don’t you go on over and play the knight in shining armor.”
“Have you ever heard of minding your own business?” Austin finally said.
“Hard to ignore a sexy brunette,” Trenton quickly replied.
“Maybe I’ll go ahead and tell Jennifer you’re ogling other women,” Austin threatened.
Trenton held his hands up in surrender. He knew when he was beaten.
“I can appreciate an attractive woman because no one comes even close to comparing to Jennifer. She’s beautiful, incredibly sexy and makes my head spin. I can’t imagine not having her in my life.”
“You’ve gone soft,” Austin mocked, but there was no heat behind his words. He loved his sister-in-law and was glad his brother had been lucky enough to find someone so special. She was a true gem. Surprisingly, all his family members had been lucky in marriage. He was the only holdout at this point. It was starting to feel a bit lonely at family gatherings as he watched his brothers and cousins finding corners to neck in. They all seemed so much happier than when they were single…
“When was your last serious relationship? You seem more of a bear than usual. Maybe if you got a girlfriend, you wouldn’t wake up all hot and bothered, taking your bad mood out on the rest of us.”
“Considering that’s none of your business, I’ll just choose to ignore your asinine comments,” Austin replied. He felt like taking Trenton’s head off, but that would only prove the man right.
He didn’t think he’d been grumpy. Maybe he did need to find a woman for a night of no-holds-bar-pleasure. The thought turned his stomach, though. His eyes automatically went back to Kinsey. It seemed she was the only one who was causing a stir in his incredibly tense body.
“Wow, that long, huh?” Trenton said with a whistle. Austin glared at him while Trenton continued. “Truth hurts, brother.”
Kinsey shifted and Austin’s stomach clenched. She ran her slender fingers across her cheek, capturing a few tendrils of escaped hair, before tucking them behind her ear. He could see her dark brown eyes glittering with agitation as she gestured to the doctor. He could just make out the sprinkling of freckles across her pale nose, the combination all adding to her unique beauty. She was stunning, which helped his desire, but certainly didn’t define it.
His eyes ran down the column of her neck, to the slight ‘V’ of her scrubs. His fingers itched as he imagined holding the weight of her perfect breasts in his hands. He knew her nipples hardened at the slightest touch.
She was so incredibly responsive.
“I need a drink,” Austin said too loudly.
Trenton looked at him, then at Kinsey, then back to him again with a knowing expression on his face.
“I don’t think they serve what you need, here. I’ll take you to the bar as soon as we get information,” Trenton promised.
“I’m fine. This has just been a stressful night,” Austin said, making himself calm down.
“So, are you going to talk to her, or are you going to torture yourself more?” Trenton asked as the two men watched the doctor walk away. Kinsey’s head was bent down, either in frustration or defeat. Austin was surprised by the surge of overprotectiveness coursing through him.
“I’m just going to find out what’s going on, not that it’s any of your business.”
“Sure…”
“Why don’t you go harass some of our other family members?” Austin snapped. He knew Trenton was trying to push his buttons. Well, congrats, he’d done it.
“Okay, okay, I get it. I’ll mind my own business. Just remember the saying about honey, vinegar and insects. Whatever mom used to say, though I still haven’t figured out why anyone would want to catch flies.”
Austin ignored him as he moved forward. It was time to talk to Kinsey. His heart rate picked up as he stepped closer. She hadn’t noticed him yet. He liked having the element of surprise on his side. She’d managed to avoid him for months. Well, she was at work now, and couldn’t run away.
How he wanted to play games with her. Very, very adult games, where they both walked away fully satisfied winners.
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Kinsey allowed herself to sag next to the wall for just a moment. The idiot doctor wasn’t going to rest until he had her head on a platter. She’d been right, him wrong, and his huge ego couldn’t deal with the fact.
He was heading to her supervisor with a list of grievances against her. She may not have a job by the end of the day. She didn’t care. It would be worth it if Joseph pulled through.
After a few seconds, she lifted her head, squared her shoulders and decided she wasn’t going to be a victim. The new doctor could try and get her fired, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. If he wanted to throw out accusations, then she’d be there to defend herself.
With fire burning in her eyes, she took a step toward the corridor. Before she could get far, a man’s voice stopped her in her tracks.
“Looks like you’re having problems.”
Kinsey stopped with her foot still in the air. She slowly turned her head and came face to face with Austin. She knew he’d be at the hospital. After all, his father and uncle were both here, but she’d really hoped to avoid him. She desperately worked to compose her features, not wanting him to know how his presence affected her.
She never had one night stands.
Never!
For some reason, though, she hadn’t been able to resist him at her best friend's wedding. He’d been suave, romantic, and funny - the perfect guy. Knowing she’d made a mistake the second she awoke the next morning, she’d slipped from his bed and ran as fast as she could. Regret nipping at her toes the entire way.
Each time she’d seen him since, her stomach fluttered and her body heated. She’d ended up coming close to a repeat performance of what had happened at Cassie’s wedding. She’d come to the family Christmas party at Cassie’s insistence, then practically made love to him on the Andersons balcony. After that incident, she knew she couldn’t trust herself to be alone with him without somehow losing articles of her clothes. He was no good for her, she knew that, but convincing her body was a whole other matter.
Leaning against the wall, looking as striking as ever, even in the blaring florescent lights of the hospital, he had her speechless. Her eyes traveled down his fitted shirt to the worn jeans covering his impressive build. A shudder traveled down her spine and her mouth filled with moisture.
She stiffened her knees to keep from sinking into a puddle at his feet and braced herself as she looked into his wintry blue eyes, where a sensual storm was brewing behind their gleaming surface.
“Hello, Austin.”
“Been a while.” The way he said the words was an accusation, not a statement.
“Could’ve been longer,” she quickly replied. He raised his brows and the corner of his lip quivered.
Kinsey immediately felt terrible that she was snapping at him, considering his family was admitted in the hospital. What kind of person acts that way?
“I’m sorry about your family, Austin. Our staff is doing a wonderful job with them,” she said, making sure her tone stayed professional.
“Thank you,” he murmured, worry infusing his eyes until she saw him visibly push it back. It seemed he was refusing to focus on what he couldn’t control. She’d seen the same thing with many of her patients’ families.
“How have you been, Kinsey?”
There was no way she was going there with him.
“I have work to do,” she said, turning to leave. His hand snaked out and gripped her arm. He applied just enough pressure to let her know he wasn’t planning on letting go anytime soon, but not so much that it hurt.
Kinsey had to fight her body’s desire to lean into his touch as her memory played full color in her head of that same hand sliding across he
r skin, making her moan in pleasure. She could tell by the way he was gazing at her that he wanted to cart her to the nearest room, giving her a repeat performance of their night together. How she’d love to accept his unspoken offer. Let him take away her stress, causing the awful day to fade away while she lost herself in his embrace.
Why not?
Because you aren’t this girl he thinks you are! You don’t do one night stands, well, you don’t do them twice, she assured herself.
“Surely you have time for an old lover.”
Kinsey gasped at his boldness. She looked around, hoping no one was listening. Luckily, they were semi-alone at the moment.
“A one night stand doesn’t make us old lovers, Austin.”
“It could be so much more than one night. You look stressed. I can help with that,” he offered as his eyes darkened. Her nipples hardened to the point of pain, and her stomach began doing flips. Luckily her knees were still locked.
She knew he wasn’t a commitment kind of guy, though. He’d made that abundantly clear at the wedding. She’d known then that he only wanted a romp in the sheets. She’d been proud of the fact that she’d been able to resist him. Well, she had until about the fourth, or maybe sixth, Manhattan drink.
All her life, men had assumed that because she was well-endowed, she was a tramp. She’d learned the hard way how far they’d go to sleep with her.
Flowers.
Jewelry.
Expensive dinners.
Flattery.
The list went on and on.
That was their idea of foreplay. Austin was a known playboy and his looks and money had gotten him just about any woman he’d ever wanted. She knew he only pursued her because she was most likely the first to tell him, no. Well, he’d just have to learn when no meant exactly that.
The aching in her body contradicted her self-pep-talk. She wanted him – without a doubt.
So what, she thought. She was strong. She wouldn’t cave. She’d done a lot of self-sacrifice in her life. She could certainly handle a few minutes in Austin’s presence without jumping him, or letting him ravish her.
“I like your scrubs. Are those little bears?” he asked as his finger ran down the side of her top, coming increasingly close to the edge of her breasts. Her air lodged in her lungs. She didn’t know whether she should pull away or lean into the touch.
Maybe it was time to accept one of the other dates she’d been offered lately. She shook off the shudder and stiffened her shoulders.
“What do you want, Austin?”
“You seemed upset. I thought I could help.”
“I’m fine.”
“Then what was the argument with the doctor about?”
Kinsey blew out her held breath and started silently counting. She needed to get away from him, from whatever game he was playing, but he wasn’t leaving until she gave him something.
“We had a difference of opinion. It’s no big deal,” she lied. In reality she knew she might very well be jobless in just a few hours.
“You seem pretty upset for it not to be that big of a deal,” he countered.
“I was trying to be polite. Let me put it another way. It’s none of your business,” she finally snapped.
Her words didn’t have the slightest impact on him. Instead of being offended, he gave her his most seductive smile that instantly made her throat close.
Screw it, just five minutes, she offered herself before sanity came back and she resisted reaching for him.
“Okay, be stubborn, but you know I’ll find out anyway,” he said.
Kinsey was happy to feel her temper rising. Anger, at least, pushed down her unwanted lust.
“Have fun with that,” Kinsey snapped as she finally wrenched her arm from his grasp. She turned and quickly walked down the hallway, refusing to allow herself to turn back and look at him.
She gritted her teeth when she heard his chuckle following her.
Arrogant, self-serving, pompous man!
Chapter Three
“Katherine Anderson?”
“Yes, I’m here.” Katherine rose from her seat with grace, though an obvious tremble was evident. A doctor approached, his eyes focused on the large family gathered around Katherine.
Austin stood back from the crowd, his emotions too volatile for him to speak with anyone. Fear and anger struggled for a stronghold inside him. The news had to be good. Their family couldn’t handle the tragedy of losing either his father or uncle.
“I’m Dr. Weston. I operated on your husband.” Total silence greeted his words. The family waited, afraid to even breathe.
“First, I want to let you know Joseph is alive,” he said. A single tear slipped down Katherine’s cheek. As if in slow motion, Austin focused on it as it held on for an endless moment, before dripping from her chin, slowly falling to the floor. The rest of the family members released a collective sigh of relief.
“He’s in critical condition and we’re monitoring him in the I.C.U. I don’t want to give you false hope. It doesn’t look good right now. If it weren’t for Nurse Shelton, I wouldn’t be delivering good news at the moment.” The doctor let his words settle in. Austin tensed, finally putting together what was going on with her and the angry doctor. She must’ve defied his orders. “Your husband had an Epidural Hematoma. In short form, there was swelling outside the brain tissue, and hemorrhages occurred within. Usually in these cases the patient has a lucid period, which Joseph had. Symptoms don’t always present themselves, making it hard for an admitting doctor to know there’s an emergency. In your husband’s case, had he went home before collapsing, the injury would have most likely been fatal. We were able to get inside his head before it caused severe damage to the brain. However, once we were in, we found another problem.”
Everyone waited, not wanting to interrupt. Dr. Weston paused before continuing. Austin knew the situation wasn’t good. He also knew he needed to thank Kinsey.
“Once we got inside, we found a small mass. Your husband was in the first stages of brain cancer. We were able to remove it, getting it all out. Luckily, it was small, and there didn’t seem to be any damage from surgery. Because of the severe trauma Joseph has suffered, though, he’s in a coma now. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you anything else at this point. The next seventy-two hours are critical. I do want to warn you that in cases like this, sometimes the patient never does wake.”
“Can I please see my husband?” Katherine asked. Her voice quiet, but Austin noted the strength underlying the pain she was feeling. He was once again impressed with his aunt.
“Yes, but only for a short visit. No more than two people can be in his room at a time.”
“I’ll take you, Mom,” Lucas said, his arm locked around her.
“We’ll be here waiting,” Amy said as she gave her mother-in-law a quick hug.
“Thank you, dear,” Katherine replied before following a nurse through the double doors leading to the intensive care unit.
“Do you have any information on my father, George Anderson?” Austin asked as soon as Katherine was out of the room. He didn’t want to add to her stress, but he hadn’t heard anything yet.
“Your father should be out of surgery soon and his doctor will be out to speak with you. I knew you’d have questions, but I didn’t want to interrupt the procedure. He was still holding on and from what the doctor’s assistant said, his vitals were good. Once again, I don’t want to give false hope or speak out of turn, but he was still alive when I came out,” Dr. Weston answered.
Austin nearly sagged with relief. Bree’s tears flowed as she heard the first news of her father since learning of the accident. Chad lifted her in his arms and carried her back to one of the chairs, sitting down to comfort her. Austin was grateful she wasn’t alone. Chad would be a rock for her to lean on through all of this.
“Thank you,” Trenton spoke up. They stood there silently for a moment, no one seeming to know what to do.
“I’ll go for coffee,” Cas
sie volunteered.
“I’ll help. I can’t keep sitting here, feeling helpless,” Jessica said. The two women walked from the room.
Austin waited for what seemed like hours before the doors opened again and another doctor looked around the room. When he spotted them, he made his way over.
“Trenton Anderson?”
“Yes,” Trenton quickly stepped forward.
“Your father, George, is out of surgery. He hit his head on the side of the door, causing minor swelling in the brain. It doesn’t appear to be threatening at this time, but we always carefully monitor head injuries. He also sustained a broken leg, two broken ribs, and his lung was punctured. We’ve been able to operate successfully, but we’ve had to place him in a medically induced coma because the pain would be excruciating if he were awake. We’ve been extra cautious, too, because of his recent heart attack. I understand that both your father and uncle are in here, and I wish I could give you more information, but the only thing I can tell you at this time is that he’s stable. Of course the next twenty-four hours are critical. We’ll monitor him closely to make sure he doesn’t have any negative reactions from the surgery, or any further symptoms from the collision. As of now, his chances are better than fifty percent at this time.”
“Can we see him?” Bree asked.
“Yes, but he’s in the I.C.U for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours, so only two at a time. Please be quiet in the room, and only stay for fifteen minutes at a time. He needs to rest right now. That’s the best medicine for him.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Austin said as he stepped forward and shook the man’s hand.
“I’ll take Bree back first, then you and Max can go,” Trenton said to Austin.
Austin and Max paced, neither of them saying a word as they waited their turn to see their father. The seconds ticked by, each one dragging. Finally, the door opened and a sniffling Bree ran into the arms of Chad. Trenton looked like he wasn’t holding himself together well, either, but Austin gave him space, knowing his brother needed a few minutes to compose his expression.