Not that I was about to complain. I mean, there was something about these two men that triggered something within me. A heat and a yearning that I’d only read about in the romance books I read to de-stress. When I told my mother that I didn’t get those feelings from my ex-boyfriend when she demanded to know why I refused his marriage proposition, she laughed at me, telling me they were made up. If only she were here now so I could tell her how wrong she was.
On second thought, I was glad she wasn’t here. If she were, she’d be attempting to drag me back home and probably back into Bradford’s—who names their kid Bradford anyway—arms. I’d walked away once already, but until my store was up and running successfully, I’d be susceptible to their guilt trips. The fact that I didn’t owe my parents my undying devotion for raising me was still a concept that I wrestled with. Nana spent years trying to teach me that lesson, but until her death and Bradford’s untimely proposal in front of the large gathering of my parents’ friends to celebrate my graduation with my master’s degree—who did that?—I’d never been brave enough to put her teachings into effect.
Instead of grabbing a stool, Caleb crouched in front of me. His fingers slid down my right leg from my upper thigh to right above my ankle. A trail of sparks followed wherever he touched. Never in my wildest and steamiest dreams did I ever think that I’d have a man like him on his knees before me, touching me, even if it was only during an examination.
From his closely cropped sandy blond hair, to the light scruff along his chin, to the way his button-down shirt rolled up at the sleeves to showcase his toned forearms—a concession to the late evening heat—smoothed over his strong shoulders and chest, I was in lust. You don’t even have to get me started on the way his jeans tightened around his thighs, highlighting the package he sported between his legs. The outline alone revealed he had more to him than Bradford did, despite Bradford’s bragging.
His fingers slipped lower, cradling and flexing my ankle as he assessed it. The moment he rotated it to the right and his thumb pressed ever so lightly between my Achilles and the ankle bone, I grimaced. Tears stung my eyes. And before I could stop them, a few became traitors, running down my cheeks.
Lips pressed against the top of my head as Ben whispered soft words of comfort. Caleb continued to move his fingers, pressing harder against my skin over my ankle bone, setting off another round of tears.
I hated this.
I hated getting injured at any time, but now, with the store scheduled to open in just over a week and with so much to do… I was sunk before I could even start.
Caleb placed my injured foot on his lap as he reached up to brush my tears away. “I’m so sorry for hurting you, but I had to double check my earlier findings. And I know that you are going to hate me for this, but I need to see if you can walk on your foot.”
“No!” Ben wrapped his second arm around me, pulling me away from Caleb’s fingers that were on my face. “She’s already in tears. She doesn’t need to put herself through that. I won’t let you. Just send her for an x-ray.”
At Ben’s loud exclamation, I’d tensed as my heart took off like a speeding bullet. Air became difficult to suck into my lungs, but I didn’t know it that came from the adrenaline rushing through my body or from the tightness of Ben’s squeeze around me. No one ever raised their voices in anger in my family. To do so meant that you cared, that you had passion… two things missing from my family life. Instead, we killed each other with biting remarks surrounded by a frosty sweetness.
Caleb dropped his hands and began to massage my leg, dragging his fingertips up and down my calf in soothing patterns, helping me to relax. “You know I can’t just order an x-ray. We have a policy to follow about ankle injuries.” He raised his fingers to trace little circles in the hollow of my knee. Who knew that area could be such a huge turn on? It felt like there was a direct line from my knee to my clit as it throbbed and pulsed in time with his movements.
I needed to get away from the two of them before I self combusted. Neither of them could know the dirty, steamy thoughts that rolled through my mind with every touch or look. The way I wanted to run my fingers through the thick, dark brown curls on the top of Ben’s head as his mouth played with my nipples. Or the way that Caleb’s body would cage me in as he thrust deep into…
I pushed against Ben’s arms, trying to free myself. His arms loosened although he didn’t let me go, but it was enough to give me a little air. Some room to cool down my thoughts. “It’s okay,” I soothed him. “I want to try. I need to know how badly I’ve hurt my ankle since I have so much work left to do.”
He released me from one of his arms, but before I could move, he gripped my chin, tipping my head up. “Are you sure? There’s no need to do this. Caleb is just being stubborn. He’ll order the x-ray.”
Caleb opened his mouth to speak, but I put up my hand stopping him. Instead of leaving my hand hanging in the breeze, he entwined our fingers, sending another shiver through me. How was I ever going to survive with these two men around me? They probably had women throwing themselves at them all the time if the way the nurse had been looking at them earlier was any indication. Chances are they were already in relationships. How could they not be. Any woman with half a brain would be wrapping them up and working to get a ring on her finger. Besides, they were older than me by more than a decade. There was no way that they’d want anything to do with me… like that. I was child’s play while they were looking for women.
That last thought had my shoulders slumping. I definitely needed some space even if it meant trying to walk on my throbbing ankle.
Chapter 3
Isabella
“I need to.” I gave Ben a soft smile. Or at least I tried. Although I think it came out more of a grimace than anything since my ankle chose that moment to give me another loud protest.
He didn’t like it, but he loosened his second arm, sliding his hand down my back until it rested just above my butt and around my hip—chai tea, his hands were large. And considering I was only wearing a hospital gown, it meant that the heat of his hand burned my skin, branding his print there as if I belonged to him. But that was only in my dreams. Dreams that I needed to push away if I had any hope of getting out of this hospital unscathed.
Caleb gently lowered my foot before standing. He held out his hands to me which I took. There was no way I’d be able to get off the stretcher without help. My feet didn’t even touch the ground.
Ben’s hand helped me to slide forward. He held on to my waist, steadying me as I placed my left foot onto the floor.
“That’s good, dove. Now take your time placing your right foot down. I won’t let you go even as you take a step.”
I nodded at Caleb’s words, reassured that I wasn’t doing this on my own. Not that I hadn’t in the past. The last time I’d injured my ankle had been on a ski vacation that my parents took the family on. I’d fallen and my boot hadn’t unsnapped from the ski binding. My mother had gone with me to the emergency room because I was underage and the ski patrol supervisor had insisted. When the doctor required that I attempt to walk on it, following the same protocol that Caleb mentioned, he’d held out his hand, but my mother faked a swoon, drawing all the attention from the nice doctor to her. While he examined her, she’d insisted that I take my steps. It had hurt like a bitch taking those four steps, but I’d done it. Anything to get out of the ER and away from my mother. It, too, had only been a sprain, but it meant that I was able to stay in my hotel room away from my parents for a few days. As much as I love skiing, those days and nights without them had been the best of the whole two-week trip.
With great care, I placed my right foot on the ground. Pain shot up my leg, making my knee lock and tears to make a re-appearance.
“Now try to put your weight on it,” Caleb encouraged.
I ground my teeth together. I could do this. I needed to do this. Better to get the full assessment done now than to have the injury linger and possibly get worse over ti
me. Even if I were stuck on crutches for a few weeks now, it was better than being in a cast or having surgery down the line after I’d opened my business.
The weight from my left side shifted to my right, but before I could properly stand, my knee buckled. If I hadn’t been holding on to Caleb’s hands and if Ben hadn’t still been holding on to my waist, I would have kissed the floor.
Ben snatched me up into his arms. “Fuck, Caleb. I told you she couldn’t stand and that she needed that x-ray.”
Holding his hands up before him, Caleb nodded. “I know, but I had to try. It’s policy.”
“I don’t care what the policy is, she’s in pain. I trusted you.”
While Ben’s attitude was sweet and uncalled for since he didn’t know me, I didn’t like the look his words put on Caleb’s face. Instead of the caring and compassion his eyes swam with earlier, now they were hard and hurt, almost like a wounded puppy who couldn’t decide whether to attack the hand that hurt him or to run away to lick his wounds including a broken heart. It wasn’t a good look for my caring doctor.
I reached out and snagged Caleb’s hand, pulling him closer as I turned to Ben. “That wasn’t nice, Ben. Say you’re sorry. Caleb is only doing his job. Whenever I’ve injured my ankle in the past, I’ve had to go through the same testing. Checking to see if I can weight bear is mandatory before they decide on x-rays.”
The soft upturn of Caleb’s lips at my words filled my chest with a warmth that had me wanting to taste their softness. Ugh. I’d worked so hard to get out of their arms only to find myself back in between the two of them. How did I keep doing this to myself?
A small chuckle rumbled through Ben’s chest, shaking me. “I’m being a bit of an ass, aren’t I?”
I didn’t answer, but Caleb had no such qualms. “Yes, you are. A giant one.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. You’re the best doctor I know after your father.”
“Ass.”
“What?” Ben turned to me, giving me a large smirk before turning back to face Caleb. “I have to say that. Your father has gotten me out of trouble with my dad while you only get me into it.”
Caleb rolled his eyes as he took a step closer. I swore that if I took in a deep breath, my nipple would rub against his chest. Something I was tempted to do.
The curtain whipped open, drawing all our gazes. The nurse stood there, holding a freezing wrap in her hand as the smile bled off her face. “Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Bishop. I have the ice pack you requested.”
He stepped back from me as Ben hoisted me back onto the stretcher. “Thank you, Debbie.” He took the ice pack from her. As he turned away, he missed her longing glance, but I saw it. When her gaze drifted to mine, it hardened in hatred which I didn’t fully understand. Yes, I got that she was jealous from the way we stood when she entered, but there was nothing between us. In fact, her anger just made me happy. If she thought I could attract a man like Caleb, then maybe my prospects in this small town weren’t going to be so bad. Maybe soon I’d be able to get rid of the bad taste Bradford left behind.
This time, Caleb snatched the stool, wheeling it over in front of me. He took a seat, lifted my foot to his lap, and wrapped the ice pack around my ankle. “Could you please arrange for an ankle x-ray and bring in a wheelchair for Isabella? Thanks.”
As she walked out of the bay, I lifted both my eyebrows. This hadn’t been the first time he used my name. A name I hadn’t introduced to him. “How do you know my name?”
His cheeks flushed as his gaze darted toward Ben.
“Um. I might have told him.” Ben shrugged.
Ben
The look she gave me when I shrugged made me want to lean in and kiss the slight, knowing smirk right off her face. She may not have lived in a small town before, but she’d learn. We were always up in each other’s business. A secret didn’t stay a secret for long in our town, even if it only became a wink-wink rumour.
But since I couldn’t kiss her—not yet anyway—I settled for returning her smirk. “Julie is my mother’s cousin. She told my mother all about you.”
“Uh huh.” She nodded, her honey-coloured eyes clouded with confusion. “So if she told your mother, how did you…” Her voice trailed off as her cheeks blushed. I nodded, making the pink colour deepen to a nice red. Yes, my mother told me all about her, and I didn’t care if she knew. I’d waited a week before hunting her down, wanting to bring Caleb with me to make sure that he felt the same thing I did. I hadn’t even had to see her to know that she’d be something special. Just hearing about her from my mom had done that, something that never happened before when my mother tried to tell me about different women.
So when I’d seen her, held her in my arms, I’d known that she was the one. And I knew that Caleb felt it too, even if he was trying to deny it.
While she’d been getting changed into the hospital gown, I’d pulled Caleb away from Debbie who’d been trying to get into his pants for the past year. She didn’t live in Voyageur Bay, but a few small communities over, for which I was extremely grateful. It meant that he only had to put up with her whenever they worked the same ER shift.
Once we were away from the other staff, but still in sight of the bay Isabella was in, I’d asked him point blank how he felt about her. The ass said that he liked her, but that she was too young for us. He wanted us to stay away, to give her time to grow up. Sure she looked young, but she couldn’t be as young as he suggested. She had a master’s degree for cripe’s sake.
I wanted to push him, but I knew better. The more I pushed, the more he’d push back, giving the other guys in Voyageur Bay the chance to discover Miss Isabella Reed and attempt to steal her out from underneath us. I wasn’t about to let that happen, so I’d give him some time while keeping close to her. And as much as I hated that she’d hurt herself, I was grateful for it. It meant that I’d be able to keep him close to her as well.
I brushed my fingertips against her cheek. “Yes. My mom told me all about you, but she wasn’t the only one. You’re the hot topic around the town.” Her eyes widened in surprise. “Yes. You.” I bopped her nose with each word to accentuate the point before cradling her cheek in the palm of my hand. “You’ll have to get used to it. This is how our small town operates.” I winked, watching as her blush deepened again while her whole body deflated, swooning like my students.
The curtain swung open again with a quiet swoosh, but I didn’t move my hand. Nurse Debbie needed to see how it was between Isabella, Caleb, and me. She’d gotten a taste on her first trip in, but I wanted the fact cemented into her brain. Caleb was not hers. He belonged to Isabella just like I did. To aid it along, I turned her face until she stared into Caleb’s eyes.
Caleb smiled as he gazed at her, almost as if he were unaware of the audience who stood behind him. “Ben’s right. You are the topic of the town. So forgive me for not introducing myself properly.”
“Of course.” She leaned toward him, placing her tiny palm against his cheek. Inside I cheered as I watched him desperately swallow as he tried to keep from shivering at her touch. I wanted her to touch me like that, but I couldn’t complain, she’d been in my arms, held against me as I carried her from her shop to my car. If a relationship between the three of us was to work, I couldn’t begrudge the times that they’d spend together. “It wasn’t like our meeting has been a normal one.”
He lifted his hand to cover hers, keeping it pressed against his cheek. “No, it hasn’t, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Eh-hem.” Debbie’s throat clearing contained a bitchy sound that pleased me. Maybe now she’d leave Caleb alone. “They’re ready for her in x-ray, Dr. Bishop.” The frosty tone dropped the temperature in the room to something from mid winter.
“Thanks Debbie.” Caleb removed Isabella’s hand from his cheek, but instead of letting go, he placed it on his shoulder. “Come with me, dove. Your chariot awaits.” He lifted her bridal style and carried her to the wheelchair.
Yes! I
wanted to pump my fist in the air. The old stick-in-the-mud was collapsing under her presence. And I for one couldn’t wait for him to completely fall.
Chapter 4
Caleb
So much for keeping my dick in my pants in the figurative sense—I still had enough brains to keep it there in the literal. Although if I weren’t careful, that too would be tossed to the wayside. I swear Isabella was a force unto herself. It didn’t help that all I wanted to do was to keep her safe and healthy whether that was from her injured ankle to the nastiness rolling off Debbie.
I’d never gone out with Debbie or even made a move, but that didn’t stop her from viewing me as hers. Thankfully, on other shifts, many of the nurses ran interference, knowing that I didn’t mix my private life with my work life… at least until Isabella, but she was a different story. No nurses. No doctors. Nor any other type of medical professional. They were all off limits. I’d seen too many of my colleagues fall into that trap and watched how it made the workplace uncomfortable. It was also one of the lessons my dad taught me. He told me that I needed to keep my dick at least fifty feet from the flagpole—for a doctor my dad didn’t like to talk sex with me, but I understood his point. He’d seen too many of his friends have affairs and destroy their marriages by slipping their dicks into something easy and convenient. And since my parents’ marriage was still going strong nearly forty years later, I’d trust his advice.
The whirl of the x-ray machine stopped. The tech stepped out from behind the booth and walked toward Isabella. I followed, pausing long enough to grab the wheelchair and bring it with me. “That’s it. You’re all done for now. The doctor”—he looked over his shoulder at me and I nodded—“will look over them and tell you the verdict.” He removed the lead apron that he’d placed over her as I leaned in to help her sit up before transferring her to the waiting chair.
Eat Your Heart Out: A Romance Charity Anthology Page 8