Chapter 2 #2
He grins, leaning back with a smug look. “Yeah. She texted me last night, came over. I fucked her against the wall, then again in my room. Best part? She was gone when I woke up. She left a note that said, ‘Thanks for last night, call me.’”
Jesus. He can be such a prick in so many ways, but he’d give me the shirt off his back without hesitation. Matt has some flaws, who doesn’t? But he gives everything to the people who matter.
His parents are big real-estate investors, and he followed in their footsteps. He’s insanely successful, and, when it comes to women, a total player. I can’t really blame him, though. He’s always been good-looking, and the ladies have flocked to him since the day he could tie his own shoes.
Growing up, his parents were hardly ever around.
His nanny, Gloria, practically raised him.
He was an only child, an accident at that, and his childhood lacked the kind of love every kid deserves.
He never really had a relationship with his parents.
Things are better now, but back then? He was all kinds of messed up.
Then again, so was I, and I had no excuse.
My parents were the opposite of his. They were hands-on, which was rare at our school.
My dad’s a successful lawyer. Not the kind who makes millions like Matt’s parents, but enough to live comfortably in New York and send us to private school.
Compared to most of the kids I went to school with, our wealth was nothing.
My mom stayed home with us, and her whole life revolved around my sisters and me.
I always felt seen, supported, and cared for.
Everything Matt missed out on growing up.
“So, are you going to call her?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
He glances my way. “Nah, probably not. I like when they come to me.”
I roll my eyes. “Of course you do. So… how was she?”
“In the sack? Fucking great. She’s a freak—wild, adventurous, hot as hell.” He pauses, chuckling. “She slipped a finger in my ass.”
My brows shoot up. “Really? She doesn’t even know you.”
“I know, man, it’s nuts. Girls these days are down for anything. Most of the time, they’re the ones initiating the crazy shit.” He runs a hand through his hair and exhales. “Come to think of it, maybe I will call her.”
He leans back, looking at me. “And fuck it, bro. You should go to the hospital and ask this Alley chick out. You’ve got nothing to lose.”
I twist my mouth, nodding. “You’re right. I will, as soon as I’m off these damn crutches. I want to feel like myself when I see her again.”
I lean my weight onto one crutch, balancing the other against the side of my body, and reach for the heavy coffee shop door.
It’s not my usual spot, but it’s the closest to my building.
Still stuck on crutches, I’ve been settling for shittier coffee in exchange for a shorter walk.
I manage to tug the door open, but holding it while hobbling through feels like a cruel joke.
“Oh, here, let me get that for you.” A woman’s voice comes from behind, and before I know it, she’s there, swinging the door open like I’m some helpless old man.
“Thanks,” I mutter, glancing at her. My heart practically skips a beat. It’s her—Alley. She’s in dark blue scrubs, her hair pulled back, just as gorgeous as I remember.
“Hey! I know you… Jensen, right?”
Wow, she remembered my name. That has to mean something.
“Yeah,” I say, keeping my voice casual. “And you’re the hot nurse… Ashley, right?”
“Alley.”
I know. I think about you every day. “Oh, sorry.”
She waves it off. “You were coming out of anesthesia. I don’t expect you to remember my name. I’m surprised you recognize me at all, honestly.”
I limp inside with my crutches, and she follows, letting the door swing shut behind us. “Of course I remember you. You’re the hot nurse who gave me shit about having a boner. How could I forget that?”
She freezes mid-step, her cheeks flushing bright red.
“Oh my God.” She groans, covering her face with both hands.
“I cannot believe I said that. That was so unprofessional of me! I was making dirty jokes like we were old friends. I prayed you were too drugged up to remember.” Her hands slide down her face, and she shakes her head, muttering, “I’m the worst.”
I laugh, shrugging. “Why are you giving yourself such a hard time? It’s fine, it’s funny. I mean, I did have a boner, and you are very pretty, so…”
She gapes at me, a slow smile spreading across her face.
“Well, I’m glad to see your boner has gone away.
Or… maybe it hasn’t. I mean, I don’t actually know if you have a boner right now.
” Her eyes flick down, and I smack my lips together to keep from laughing.
“I’m just assuming you don’t.” She exhales sharply.
“Holy shit.” Then she bursts out laughing.
“Wow. Okay, I would very much like to start over.”
“Oh, you would? Is talking about whether or not I’m hard making you uncomfortable?” I tease, biting back a grin.
“Yes. Very.” She nods quickly, then straightens up, extending her hand. “Hi, I’m Alley. I’m a nurse at East River Hospital.”
I take her hand, giving it a firm shake. “Jensen Adams. I’m a sales manager for a software company, fancy way of saying I sell techy stuff to businesses.”
Her lips quirk into a small smile, and I catch myself holding onto her hand a second too long before letting go.
My turn at the counter comes, and I give the barista my order before turning back to her. “Let me get your coffee.”
She waves me off, shaking her head. “No, no. You don’t have to do that.”
“Come on, I want to. For taking such good care of me… twice now. At the hospital, and just now with the door. You saved my ass.”
“Well, when you put it that way, I guess you do kind of owe me.” She grins, and damn, it does something to me. She’s beautiful.
I pay for our coffees, and we move to the counter to wait.
“This is crazy, seeing you here,” she says. “I never come this way, but I was leaving a friend’s house this morning.”
A friend. Right.
She clears her throat. “So, do you live close by?”
“Yeah, around the corner. I don’t usually come here, though.” I lean in, lowering my voice. “The coffee kind of sucks. But I needed to get out, and, as you can see, I’m still inept.”
Her eyes widen, and she grimaces dramatically. “Oh, crap. The coffee’s bad? Will they notice if I bail?” A mischievous smile lights her face. “Technically, I’m not out anything if I leave. It was free.” She nudges me lightly.
Shit. I can already feel myself falling for this girl. It’s stupid, really. I don’t even know her, but she’s hot, fun, and jokes as much as I do? This girl might just be made for me.
I chuckle. “You better not leave me to suffer through this shitty coffee alone. The only thing getting me through was knowing I’d have your company.”
“Ah, that’s sweet, but I can’t stay. I’ll be late for work.” They call my name, and she grabs both coffees before I can even try. “Where do you want to sit?”
She’s sweet, saving me from the embarrassment of having to ask for help like I have every morning this week. I gesture to a table by the window and hobble after her, trying not to feel like a total invalid. Hopefully, I’ll be off these crutches by next week.
As she sets my coffee down, I try to stall her, even if only for a minute. “Hey, listen. I’ll make you a deal. Three minutes of your time, with the world’s shittiest cup of coffee, to decide if I’m worth giving your number to.”
“I have a better idea. I’ll be right back,” she says, biting her bottom lip.
She walks over to the counter, and moments later, she’s back, holding out a napkin.
“How about I don’t need three minutes.” Her smile is confident as she backs toward the door.
With a quick turn, she’s gone, leaving me staring at the napkin in my hand, her phone number scrawled across it.
Beneath the number, in bold letters, she’s written: HOT NURSE.
I can’t help but grin as I plop triumphantly into a seat. She’s funny, confident, and left me wanting more? Yeah, I’m definitely calling her. Today’s already a hell of a lot better than I expected.
I decide to text Alley after wrapping up a call with a potential customer.
Hey, I found a napkin on the street labeled HOT NURSE with this phone number… Are you said hot nurse?
I send the text, fully intending to ask her out, but as I reread it, panic sets in. I was trying to be funny, but now I’m realizing she might actually think some random guy is texting her and just ignore it.
Dammit.
I’ll give it a couple hours, I decide. She might be working anyway. Let it simmer, and if she doesn’t reply, I’ll send a follow-up to let her know I’m joking.
I waited a few days to text her because I didn’t want to seem overly eager, even though I wanted to message her the second she walked out of that coffee shop.
I usually play the dating field by my own rules, but the one rule I always stick to is not coming off too needy.
Build the anticipation, make her wait, at least a little.
I glance at my phone for the thousandth time in ten minutes and realize this isn’t going to work. I’m going to drive myself crazy.
I start typing.
Sorry, that was my attempt at being funny and not wanting to come off overly eager. This is Jensen, btw. It was great running into you the other day. You free Saturday night for a drink?
I pause. Do I ask her out here? Or do I wait for her to respond, feel it out?
My thumb hovers over the delete button, but I grit my teeth and hit send. Too late now.
I place my phone face down on my desk, trying to play it cool. But two minutes later, I’m already reaching for it. Nothing. I set it down again. Another glance. Still nothing.
Then, finally, it buzzes.
Alley
Jensen? Hmm… sorry, I don’t know a Jensen.
My stomach drops, but before I can panic, another message comes through.
Alley
Just kidding. Hi, Jensen. Saturday works. Where are we going?