Chapter 2
Two
Kendall
Something buzzed on the far nightstand and I rolled over, straight into Dalton.
Shit! I’d barely remembered that he boldly climbed into my bed last night.
Sure, I’d invited him to stay, though I’d told him more than once to leave.
It had definitely been the alcohol talking.
I hadn’t expected him to kiss me. Shaking his shoulder several times without a response prompted me to climb on top of him, a move I seldom did to anyone.
Dalton groaned and blindly grabbed his cell phone. “Hello?”
He sat up, but when I went to move out of his lap, he wrapped his arm around me, keeping me there. “Why is it my problem that you allowed multiple people to take PTO on the same day?”
The person on the other changed her tone and sounded like she was explaining something bigger than poor planning.
Dalton cursed under his breath. “You should have led with that information. I need a shower, but then I’ll be in. You owe me a real cup of coffee, not that sludge from the break room.” Ending the call, he let out a long breath.
“I thought you were off today.”
“I was supposed to be.” Grumbling, he returned me to my side of the bed, fixing the blanket before getting up.
I perched up on my elbows, watching him pull his jeans on and loop his belt through his pants. I liked the idea of him removing it way more than him putting it on.
He sat on the edge of the mattress, tying his sneakers, clearly annoyed at having to work yet another shift. I bet it wasn’t the first time he was called in this week. “I haven’t had a day off in far longer than I should.”
“What time is it?”
“Five o’clock. Go back to sleep. I’ll call you in a little bit.” He yanked his shirt over his head, finishing with his clothing. Leaning over my body, he pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“You’ll be busy.”
“I’ll make time.” He touched my right hip and tapped his finger on it. “Try not to put pressure on your foot today.”
We both knew it would be a stretch on any given day at the emergency department, but it was solid advice.
“I’ll do my best,” I assured him.
“Good.”
“Dalton…” Heat flushed my face, and I looked away. I’d wanted to seek some sort of clarification about what we were heading toward, but I couldn’t handle the rejection.
He touched my chin, turning it so I had to focus on him. “I’m serious about the two of us discussing things later. Don’t overthink today. We’ll talk soon.”
“But…”
He interrupted my protest with a kiss. Though last night had been completely unexpected, my drunk ass hadn’t appreciated it. His mouth seemed to mold to mine, and I swore no one had taken my breath away quite like him. Dalton broke away far too early for my liking.
“See you later, prancer.”
“Have a good day.”
“You too.”
I thought back to last night as I watched Dalton leave my bedroom.
I was mortified by my behavior and the way we had interacted.
He was throwing off serious Daddy Dom vibes, but maybe I was reading into it because I really wanted him to step into that role.
But he counted down in Grant’s office and I’d submitted to his dominant tone easily.
Dalton would make a great partner, and I imagined what it would be like to be in a relationship with him.
It left me thinking about Grant, who’d also been throwing off serious Daddy vibes.
I thought I’d felt them from him before, especially since I’d been spending a lot of time at his bar.
But when he picked me up in his arms after I fell?
My heart seemed to flutter in my chest as I remembered.
I was rapidly losing my cover as someone who wasn’t into wanting a specific type of dynamic.
Dare I hope the holidays could bring in an extra helping of magic for the three of us? Grant flirted with Dalton last night, and even though I wasn’t sure if he wanted a relationship, it sure seemed like he wanted something.
Rolling over, I pulled the pillow from the side of the bed where Dalton slept. Inhaling the scent of his cologne, I smiled. His passionate kisses left me wanting more.
Sighing, I snuggled into my sheets. I had a few more hours of blissful sleep calling my name, and with the promise to talk with Dalton and a yummy coffee with my name on it, perhaps today wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Work was suspiciously calm, but I had been a nurse long enough to know that looks could be deceiving. I’d even taken a break this afternoon. We were always busy, just like any other emergency department, but thankfully not insanely packed. Rounding the corner, I bumped straight into Dalton.
“We have to stop meeting like this,” I said. He looked tired, but as handsome as he had when he left my bed this morning.
“Hey, prancer. Sorry I couldn’t grab you a coffee yet. I’m working until four but I’ve got to take care of some things after that.”
“Oh, yeah, no problem.” I stepped back, putting a small amount of space between us. “I understand.” Hoping that I hid the disappointment well, I patted his shoulder. “I’m sure we’ll catch up some other time.”
Why the hell had he stayed last night if he had no interest in making anything between us happen?
It wasn’t fair to jump to that conclusion, but his attitude grated on my nerves.
Wait. Pause. He hadn’t been giving me an attitude.
No, he was functioning on less than five hours of sleep because of my antics last night.
“May I come over later, Kendall?”
“You’ll be exhausted by then.” I hoped my brat stayed quiet. “We can catch up some other time,” I repeated. But there would be no ‘other’ time. Dalton wouldn’t stick around to tame my sass, or find out what was bothering me. “See you.”
I attempted to step around him, but he blocked me. It was subtle, no one would notice if they were watching, but I couldn’t continue up the hallway unless I pushed through him. My brat wasn’t that bold, at least not while we were working.
“You understand as well as I do that shifts don’t always end when they’re supposed to,” Dalton explained patiently. “Sometimes our days off get interrupted.”
“Yup, I sure do.” I sidestepped him and he didn’t move to stop me. “Don’t worry about it.”
Hurrying off, I glanced over my shoulder to see him watching me, his jaw clenching and relaxing as he stood there.
I slammed into the nurses’ station, but somehow stayed upright.
I never lost concentration, especially not at work.
I wasn’t clumsy but my heart was practically beating out of my chest. He made me feel a dizzying mix of safety and arousal last night. It threw me sideways.
Dalton saw the scene play out, crossing the distance to meet my side.
I barely refrained from flipping him off.
He drove me crazy. I had been reliving our kiss in my head over and over on repeat like a movie.
Intending to leave, I couldn’t help but notice how good he looked in his tight uniform pants.
Tight in all the right places. He had no business getting me this turned on without even touching me.
“Can I help with whatever has gotten you so twisted up that you’re walking into things, darling?”
“It’s you,” I sassed as I popped a hand on the hip that wasn’t smarting. “So, no.” I didn’t care about how he responded to the information. “I have been having an extremely rough year. A lot of things are bubbling to the surface. The holiday season isn’t doing me any favors.”
“I’ll let you get back to work, but we will be getting to the bottom of all this.” He guided my hand off my hip and tapped it with his pointer finger. Dalton leveled me with a look that promised in no uncertain terms that he was serious but I was desperate for his attention.
“We’ll see,” I answered in a haughty tone.
Dalton leaned close to me until his lips brushed the shell of my ear. “I’d like to tell you to meet me in the utility closet next to the cafeteria so I can get to the bottom of things now, but we don’t have the time. Drop the attitude.”
“Whatever.” He pinched the soft juncture of where my thigh and butt met hard enough to make me rise up on my tiptoes before I forced my heels down. It took me a moment to gather my composure.
“I told you how I feel about that word, Kendall.”
Glancing to either side of us, I confirmed the hallway was empty. “Keep your hands to yourself,” I whispered defiantly. “We aren’t in a relationship, so don’t act like we are.”
“Tell me you want nothing to do with me in any sort of romantic way, now or ever, and I’ll stop.”
It felt like he pulled a rug out from under me. He was maddening. No, I argued in my brain, I was irritating myself. My brat wanted to play, poke, and tease until I received the spanking I so wantonly desired. “Please don’t stop.”
“Then do as I said. Remember to be nice to my little prancer today.”
“Yes, Sir.” I suddenly stepped back and threw a hand over my mouth. Shit! Heat flamed my face and though I didn’t think I could be any more embarrassed, I was.
“Good girl.” Dalton took my hand in his and squeezed it, completely nonplussed, as if I hadn’t thrown a title at him in the middle of the hospital. His eyes sparkled in amusement, and he slowly let go of my hand as I stared into his gorgeous blue orbs. “Text me when you get home.”
“I will.”
“I’ll talk to you later.”
“La-la-later,” I stammered, flustered from our interaction. His praise turned my insides into melty goo. Blushing, I watched as he pivoted on his heel, striding toward the ambulance entrance.
For the first time in a long while, I had a tiny glimmer of hope. Somehow Dalton was on my side. He’d help me get through my issues and I’d come out the other side better than ever.