by Unknown
Chapter Two
Drake
She’d ducked her head as she made her way toward me. Her steps hesitant, before she’d lifted that chin of hers in a sexy little show of determination. I should have taken that as a sign; that there was more to her than her gorgeous sweat slicked curves, but no, I decided to make an ass of myself and get in her way.
She’d caught me with those green eyes of hers. Unusual eyes, the green a color splash that hinted at blue, and umber, with a thick rim of hazel. I could see myself reflected in her gaze as the light shone on her face, and I was lost. The heat of her scorched me. The smell of her sweat and the faint odor of a perfume that made no sense to me, but had me thinking about taking her right there in the doorway, floored me. I’d reached up to stroke her arm; to let her know I understood. I’d never seen a person so clearly before.
Synapses in my brain fired as I leaned in closer to her, drowning in her. They screamed at me to pull away, but her gravity pulled me in. Did she feel it too?
Then the guy had called out, and she’d disappeared before I’d been able to find out who she was. I massaged my neck as the man who saved me from her strode toward me.
He stuck his hand out, and I took it. "I’m Tom, the owner here. You signing up?"
"Drake. I used to box out at Lanston. It’s been a while."
"Well, why don’t you get ready, and I’ll meet you in the ring."
I grinned. "Excellent."
He pointed out the change rooms, and I went to get into my gear. Had her hair been brown, or the color of sand? Scratching my jaw, I pondered the question. I hadn’t expected to be sucker punched by the gravity of her. She was magnetic.
I changed my jeans for gym shorts and tossed my T-shirt in my bag. What had gone down could be blocked out by a good fistfight and a cold shower. Grabbing my gloves from my bag, I swung them over my shoulder by their laces and sauntered out of the change rooms. The set up here wasn’t much different from the gym I’d gone to in Lanston, but it was smaller. The guys acknowledged me as I walked past them on the way to the center ring. With any luck, I’d be part of their family before long. I just had to prove myself.
Tom was dancing around throwing air jabs when I slipped between the ropes and started putting on my gloves. The man was fit; his six pack more of an eight-pack, and his shoulders broad and well defined. I was still in good shape, but I’d lost some of the definition over the past year. Rolling out my shoulders, I stretched the muscles in my neck. That definition would come back over the next couple of weeks.
Gloves on, I tested the mat and put my hands up to guard my face.
Tom threw light punches at me, until he realized I hadn’t been talking out my ass when I’d told him I’d boxed before. He grinned as he changed his approach and made me work to keep his hits from landing.
Why had she looked so scared of me? Tom landed a clear shot to my shoulder in my moment of distraction.
"Who was that girl in here before?" I asked him as I tried to pay more attention to guarding.
He frowned at me as he swung, and I blocked him. "Birdie’s a regular here, and she’s not on the market."
I cocked an eyebrow. "So, you and her?"
He pursed his lips, and I got the distinct impression he wanted the answer to be yes. "No. She has an issue with men, though she tolerates most of us. Give her space and we won’t have a problem."
"Are you telling me that bombshell is a lesbian?" I couldn’t wrap my head around that.
Tom guffawed and put up his hands to block as I danced around him and started warm up jabs.
"Not that it’s any of your business, but I don’t think so. Still, you leave her alone, or we’re going to have a problem."
I took the opportunity to sneak a jab to his ribs. That she had issues was clear. It had been written in the open book of her eyes, and the pain that I was all too familiar with had been there too. There wasn’t enough time in the world to deal with my own issues, let alone hers. I’d just wanted someone to warm my bed. It didn’t need to be that girl. The one at the front desk would do just as well. "We're not going to have a problem."
I marked her down as another girl I didn’t have time for. Except she wasn’t, was she? She’d been smart enough to run from me, and that made her infinitely more interesting.
The rest of training went smoothly, but by the end of it I was sweaty, breathing hard, and wondering how the hell I'd let myself slip so badly. I tossed my gloves back in my bag, showered, changed, and decided to hit on the girl at the front desk.
She looked up at me from behind the desk and pinched her lip between her teeth, letting me know she was up for whatever I asked of her. But her eyes didn’t grab me like they had before, and I decided I didn’t need that second workout after all. "See you next time," I said over my shoulder as I stalked out the door.
Birdie
I dumped my bag on the edge of the mat and waved at the usual guys. Some waved back, but mostly they focused on their bags as I planned to. Strapping on my gloves, I furrowed my brow when I didn’t see the stranger among them, but I hadn’t expected to. I shook my head and started warming up. It had been two long weeks since I'd set foot in the gym. I’d gone so far as to ask Tom about the man, hoping I would be able to avoid him. He’d signed up that day I bolted from him and hadn’t established a routine yet, so I’d had no idea if I would be able to avoid him, but I wasn’t going to put off my schedule any longer. Boxing and the release of tension it brought was important to me, and I wasn't going to stop because of some man. If I saw him, I’d simply keep my distance.
I jabbed the bag. It was bad enough he’d crawled into my mind, that moment replaying over and over again. When I closed my eyes, I still saw his piercing blue eyes drilling into me. No matter how much I tried to block him out, his voice still echoed in my ears. He was dangerous, and not someone I wanted to cross paths with, because I had the feeling, he’d want more from me than I was willing to give. Shaking it off, I focused on the bag. After I got finished here, I would go to the hospital and see my brand new niece.
***
I stared through the glass window at the rows of cribs. In the back row, in a humidicrib, was my niece. Hannah had come into the world late last night via cesarean. I’d stayed at the house with Seb, snuggling up to my nephew on his twin bed. From what Orion had told me when he called to tell me Hannah had arrived, it'd been touch and go, but not as bad as Seb’s birth. I’d let out a breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding for those hours I’d waited and watched my nephew sleep. To think I’d spent so much time hating Clo for stringing my brother along. My heart had been in my throat all night as I prayed it would all go well. Orion couldn’t survive without her, but neither could I. She was one of my best friends.
I scanned the cribs until I found the tiny bundle capped with red fuzz. She was beautiful, and I stared at her while she wriggled and shoved her tiny fist in her mouth. My fingers caressed the glass between us.
"Hey."
I whipped around, stumbled, and fell against the window. What was he doing here? He stopped beside me, and I darted glances at the floor, the ceiling, allowing myself to catch glimpses of him but not looking at him directly. Lines around his eyes and lips emphasized the exhaustion in his eyes, and his movements were drawn out as though his limbs were too heavy for him. He yawned, and I stared at his hand when he covered his mouth. They were cleaner than the rest of him, his fingernails short and square on long fingers. Was he an artist? His hands looked like they belonged on someone used to working with intricate detail, not the rough looking man standing beside me.
He was quiet as he stared at the babies through the viewing window, and I followed his gaze. Was one of them his? There was a heaviness in my belly that I hadn’t expected at his being taken. I should have been relieved he wasn’t interested in me, and that he was only being friendly. It made him safe, or at least, safer. "Is one of them yours?"
He inclined his head as if trying to catch the words
I’d spoken. "Yes. The back row."
"Which one?" I peered at the line of humidicribs.
"All of them."
I turned so fast, my neck twinged. He stalked me with the gaze of a predator. I’d thought he was only dangerous to me. The attraction between us caught me off guard each time I came face to face with him. There was no twitch to his lip at his announcement, no twinkle in his gaze that would give away the joke. He stared at me openly, making me think he believed what he said. I’d thought he was trouble before, but now I was convinced.
"Ah, no. I know for a fact they aren’t all yours." I backed up as he advanced on me. "Leave me alone or I’ll call security."
His eyes widened, and he reached out to grab me. "Hang on, I meant—"
Flinching, I went to scream, but he was quicker. He clamped a hand over my mouth, stifling any noise I could make. My heart slamming, my mind went into overdrive. What was he going to do to me? Nausea hit me when he picked me up and carried me down the hall to an unmarked door. The faint smell of antiseptic covering his palm penetrated my mind, and I pushed my teeth into his skin. The bitter alcoholic taste made me want to gag. I struggled against him, but he held me with ease and kept my arms pinned to my side with his arm. If I could get one hand free, I’d show him how much Tom had taught me.
Kicking the door shut behind us, he put me down but kept his palm over my mouth. "Promise not to scream."
I nodded, and he removed it. What an idiot, of course I was going to. Drawing a lungful of air, I sucked in a breath and screamed. His hand hurtled back over my mouth, blocking the sound. Behind me, he moved his fingers near my ass, and I trembled. No, this wasn’t happening. My arms free, I angled my elbow and aimed at his chest. He exhaled as I jabbed him, bending from the impact, but he kept me pinned in place between his body and the hand over my mouth. "Easy, darlin’. I’m not going to hurt you."
I refused to believe him. Bringing his arm from behind my back, he dangled a lanyard in front of me. It swayed in front of my eyes as I scanned his picture and name. Dr. Drake Barclay. So, he was an obstetrician, and he’d probably delivered all those babies, but he was still holding me against my will.
"I’m going to let you go, okay? I’m not going to hurt you."
I nodded. My head swam as he let me go, and I swayed. Gripping my arm gently, he leaned me against his chest while I regained my composure. Tears stung my eyes and my body sagged into him. Hard muscle and the heat of him against my back eased the frantic beating of my heart. No, he wasn't going to hurt me.
Whirling on him, I jabbed his chest. "How dare you."
He arched back as I continued to poke him, his hands up but not defending himself. I advanced on him. "You scared the life out of me. You’re meant to look after people, not give them a heart attack. I should call the police."
"You’re right. There’s a phone over there." He pointed at the small table beside the bed in the corner, and I marched over to pick it up. My finger hovered over the buttons. I should call the police. That was the least he deserved. I glanced at him still leaning against the wall, his lips pressed into a thin line as he stared at me, and I put the phone down. "You don’t normally kidnap women, do you?"
My gaze narrowed as I waited for his answer. He rubbed the back of his neck and straightened. "Do I look like I do?"
"You look… dangerous."
"I’m a doctor. I deliver babies. And I didn’t hurt you, did I?" He stalked toward me.
"I guess not." No, he hadn’t hurt me, but there was a real possibility he could. "Then why did you do it?"
"A couple of reasons." He counted them off on his fingers. "One, you were about to scream outside the nursery, which would have woken all the babies. Two, I’m coming off a thirty hour shift, and I am fucking tired, and three…"
He was right in front of me, and my breath hitched as he stared into my eyes, recreating our first meeting. Unable to tear my gaze from his, I locked my knees and inhaled. Too late, I realized I could smell him beneath the antiseptic. The smell of sweat and his pheromones intermingled in an addictive combination. I leaned closer. "And three?"
"Huh?" He scrunched his brow for a second. "Oh, right. Three, I wanted to see what you would feel like in my arms."
"Oh." I licked my lips and butterflies flitted in my belly.
"And, I’m going to do it again." He hauled me against him.
"No." No, no, no. Warning bells were going off inside me. My hands fluttered on his chest torn between exploring him and punching him. "Let me go."
He stepped back but kept hold of my arms. "You’ve got a boyfriend."
"No." I trembled as gravity pulled us closer together. I should have lied. I would have been safe. Why didn’t I tell him I had a boyfriend?
He palmed my chin and tilted my head back. "There’s something else I need to know."
"What?"
My breath hitched in my throat as he lowered his face an inch from mine. "What it would feel like to kiss you."
His mouth caught mine, and I squeezed my eyes shut. Supple yet firm, his lips brushed against mine in a whisper of a caress. On the outside, I froze, waiting for him to stop, but on the inside, I was an explosion of nerve endings on fire, and molten heat stole through my muscles. So, this was what kissing was like? I couldn’t really remember my first kiss, but I was certain it had been nothing like this. He ran his tongue over my lips, and I knew he wanted me to open to him, but I couldn’t, even though I wanted to. If I let him take more, he would take everything I had, and I would be the one who would regret it.
I pushed at his chest and stumbled back when he released me. He reached out to steady me.
"Please don’t." Shaken up and spun about, I needed to get away from him. "Where’s my bag?"
He glanced behind him. My bag was near the door. I must have dropped it when he dragged me in here. Hurrying toward the exit, I scooped it up.
"Can I see you again?"
I gazed over my shoulder at him. How I wished I was the kind of girl who wouldn’t get hurt by him, but I wasn’t. I was the girl who made stupid mistakes and had to live with the consequences for the rest of her life. One innocent kiss had led to my world being turned upside down, leaving me to live with the memories of that night and the decisions I’d made because of it.
"No." I pushed through the door and into the hallway. I caught one last glimpse of Dr. Barclay as the door shut between us, leaving him staring at the spot where I’d been.
Chapter Three
Drake
The door closed behind her, and I dragged my hands down my face. What the hell had I been thinking? Clearly, I hadn't been. A thirty-hour shift and several less than perfect births had left me edgy and irritable. I’d been surprised to see her out front of the nursery, and I sure as hell hadn’t been thinking when I’d said the back row were all mine, though I had been there for each and every birth. Each of them had been complicated, and I’d worked my ass off to make sure not one of them went wrong. I couldn’t afford to lose another patient. Little Hannah, with her shock of red hair had been an amazingly simple cesarean considering her mother’s history. I’d only meant to check on her one last time before I took off.
The look in Birdie’s eyes when I said they were mine though, that had been priceless. If only she hadn’t threatened to scream. And why the hell, had my first instinct when she opened that mouth of hers been to bully her into a staff room and ravish her? I scrubbed my hand along my stubble-covered jaw.
I should have let her scream. Security would have cleared it up, and I wouldn’t have kissed her, but God, I’d wanted to. Hadn't been able to help myself. She’d wriggled into my brain, an itch I was desperate to scratch and kissing her had only made it worse. She hadn’t opened up to me. If anything she’d froze, but that hadn’t stopped her body from trembling under my touch, her skin from heating, or her hands from curling on my chest before she pushed me away. She wasn’t as adverse to me as she pretended to be. She held herself as if the world couldn’t
touch her, and her innocence had me second-guessing myself, but I could tell I would be able to get her into bed if I pushed her. Would it be worth it? The fantasy of her sprawled naked across my bed floored me. Those hypnotic eyes of hers and the energy that clung between us pulled me in.
Like a drug, there would be a price to pay if I pursued her. I left the staff room and went to sign off. I’d go home and sleep it off. She was only a girl, nothing more and nothing less. By the time I made it to the locker room, I knew it was a challenge I was more than willing to tackle. Hell, I was going to win.
Birdie
Darting glances around the room, I slunk into the gym. I didn’t plan to stick around if he was there. This crazy attraction between us was dangerous. If the only way I could keep away from him was to avoid him, then that was what I was going to do. I straightened when I didn’t see him and strode to my usual spot. The cacophony of punches landing on bags filled my ears, and the tension in my shoulders began to melt.
Tom waved at me, and I dropped my bag, while he made his way over to me. "How are you doing today?"
"Good." I strapped up my gloves, energy zinging through me in anticipation of my workout.
"You’ve only come to work out once in two weeks. I just wanted to make sure Drake hasn’t scared you away."
I rolled one shoulder and then the other. Yeah, he had, but Tom didn’t know the half of it. Having Dr. Barclay kiss me senseless after he kidnapped me was only the beginning of a week where I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. I’d done the smart thing and walked out, but part of me wanted to know what would have happened if I’d kissed him back. The way he got under my skin scared the shit out of me. I clenched my jaw. "I’m a big girl. I can’t hide from everything that scares me."