Chapter 11
We walkedinto Pearce’s house at eight o’clock and I plugged my iPhone in because it was dead. As soon as I did, it fired up with five missed called and ten texts from Terri wanting to know where I was.
I immediately called her. I tried to scoot away from Pearce, but he intentionally stalked me and wouldn’t let me escape his arms.
“Where the hell are you? I was giving you till ten to call me before I called the police. Geez, Lex, I’ve been calling you since last night.”
She yelled so loud in the phone. Pearce heard every word.
“You’d better tell her about me,” he said.
“Who’s that? Where are you?” she demanded to know.
“Calm down, Terr, I’m at Pearce’s.”
“Who?”
“Pearce.”
“You mean Smoky Eyes?”
I flicked my gaze towards him, and his brows arched. My face started to burn. That little moniker was out of the bag now.
“Yeah, Terri, that’s right. Smoky Eyes.”
“Why didn’t you fill me in? And when did all this go down?”
“Long story. Let’s just say he called on Christmas morning and we got together that night.”
“Humph. That’s exactly how long I’ve been tryin’ to get in touch with you. Couldn’t you at least have called or texted me to give me a heads-up? I’ve seriously been worried sick about you.”
“I’m sorry. I really am. We just sort of got caught up with each other. And then my phone went totally dead.”
“Ever hear of electrical outlets? Never mind that. I’m just glad you’re okay. Look, it sounds like you’re still tied up. Call me when you’re alone and free. Okay?”
“K. I love you.”
“I love you too, Lex.”
I ended the call and looked up to see Pearce staring at me with a comical expression. I’m sure he’d want an explanation.
“Smoky Eyes, huh?”
That didn’t take long. It was time to fess up.“Yeah, that was my nickname for you. I told you that I fell in love with your eyes, didn’t I?”
“You might have mentioned something like that.” His grin stretched from one ear to the other. “I like it.”
We ended up snacking on the rest of the food he’d bought for the boat, Afterwards, we planted on the couch to watch a romantic comedy. Then we went upstairs for another sex-filled marathon.
The next morning, I rolled over and reached out my arm to find a cold empty bed spot. Loneliness descended, which was oddly weird. For years I’d been alone and never thought I’d be with anyone. Now, after only two nights with Pearce, I backtracked. I wanted him in here with me, instead of at work. Idiotic, but I was helpless when it came to him. Then a silly smile formed on my lips. I had it bad for him. Really, crazy bad.
I sat up and then spied the note on the bedside table.
Good morning, beautiful,
I hope you had a wonderful night filled with vividly sexy dreams of me. If you did, I expect you to share them so we can act them out tonight. I’m at work and please call me when you wake. If I’m in surgery, I obviously won’t be able to answer. Leave a message, or better yet, text me something wickedly dirty and I’ll call you back as soon as I’m able. I miss you already and can’t wait to hold you in my arms again. Coffee’s ready, and anything is yours for the taking as far as breakfast is concerned (and anything else as well). I’ve left a key for you on the kitchen counter and the code for the alarm is 171272*. Keep this handy, I want you to come and go freely. I look forward to seeing you tonight.
I love you,
Pearce
I gotup and searched his closet for one of his shirts to put on. Then I reread the note about forty-three million times before I finally set it down. In the kitchen, I poured myself a cup of coffee and wandered around his lovely home, looking at pictures of him and his family he had displayed. It was easy to see by the large number of them that they were close. It reminded me of how sad my situation with my own family was. Not in a million years would I ever have guessed that they would end up treating me the way they had. I quickly brushed those unpleasant thoughts away. Nothing would spoil my time here.
Pearce’s home was inviting, and not the least bit stuffy. I wandered through every room, wanting to be close to him. Seeing a piece of him everywhere, I ran my fingers along his desk and other things that reminded me of him. Tonight would take forever to get here. I just knew it.
When I looked at the clock and saw it was almost ten, I hit the stairs and stripped off my clothes. Walking into his shower reminded me of the one from yesterday. I leaned against the wall and sighed. Every time I thought of him, my knees went weak. It was time to get my mind on something else or I would turn into one of those simpering, lovestruck women I’d always despised—the ones who pined over their men.
After my shower, I dressed, dried my hair, and threw on some makeup. Then I tapped Pearce’s number and he answered immediately.
“Good morning, gorgeous.”
“Good morning back. I just got out of the shower. I spent quite a while in there thinking of the one we had together yesterday.”
“Stop. You can’t do this to me. I’m about to do a splenectomy and a kidney repair on an accident victim. I need my head in the right spot.”
“Ugh. That sounds gross.” His laugh hit my ears.
“Once you get used to seeing organs, it’s fascinating.”
“Maybe for you.”
“No, really. Most doctors are a bit squeamish at first, but it goes away.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Did you sleep well?”
“Of course. I had the best exercise all night.” I laughed.
I heard voices in the background and clanging.
“Look, sweetheart, I have to go. They’re waiting on me to scrub. I’ll call you as soon as I’m finished. Love you, babe.”
“Love you too. Do a good job in there.”
“I’ll do my best.”
He ended the call. I went down the stairs, took the key and the code, and set the alarm on my way out. After I locked up, I strolled home. It was only a couple blocks.
When I got home, I called Terri and asked her if she wanted to meet me at our favorite barbecue place for lunch. Of course, she was all in. In the meantime, I washed a couple of loads of laundry and vacuumed when my cell phone rang. It was Pearce telling me he was done with the first surgery but that he was preparing to do another. He didn’t know what time he’d be done, but he’d call when he could.
I finished up the chores, hopped in my new set of wheels, and drove across the Ashley River to meet Terri. When she saw me pull into the parking lot, confusion took over her features. Her eyes bugged out when she opened my car door.
“Pearce?”
“No. Lisbeth. My Christmas present.” I laughed.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. This is awesome. That lady sure adores you.”
“I know, right? I did my best to talk her out of it because I feel guilty about it, but she wouldn’t hear of it. It’s mine free and clear.”
“It’s a beaut, Lex, it’s a beaut!” She used her National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation voice and had me in tears, laughing.
We grabbed a table inside and she pulled every last teeny detail out of me about my time with Pearce. She had a knack for that. I didn’t hold anything back. “Part of me wants you to tell me that I’m insane and it would never work, but the other part wants you to pat me on the back and tell me what a great job I’ve done.”
In Terri’s usual way, she did neither. Her eyes drilled serious holes into me, and she said, “I have to meet him. I’ll reserve judgment on everything until I do.”
“Fair enough.”
We talked about a few other things and then it was time to go. We hugged and I promised I’d set up a time for them to meet. I really wanted her honest opinion.
Since the next day was a workday, when I got home, I pulled out my computer to get prepared. Ugh, I hated to even think about it. I had gotten spoiled having these few days off.
Once all emails were cleared and I had responded to my clients, I pulled up my appointments scheduled for the next day and made sure all preparations were completed.
Then I waited for Pearce to call … and waited. When the clock hit eleven, I decided to head for bed. I texted him to let him know and hit the sack.
PEARCE
“Middleton,get your ass in here, stat!” Jeremy called out. I finished scrubbing and waited to be gloved, masked, shielded, and gowned by one of the personnel.
“I’m here,” I said moving into the sterile field.
“What took you so long? Your head’s in the clouds. Must be a woman.”
That’s an understatement. “Must be. Wanna fill me in on what we have here?”
“What we have is a mess. Gunshot wound. Abdomen. Perforated bowel. Need I say more?”
“Nope. Let’s get to work.”
We got the patient patched up and into recovery, but it was one of those days. One right after the next. And the whole time all I thought of was Alexia. And that she loved me. She. Loved. Me.
I smiled. Good thing I had a mask on for most of the day because everyone around me would’ve wondered what kind of happy-assed pills I was popping. It wasn’t like me to be smiling through all the shit show cases we were dealing with. But it couldn’t be helped. She put a smile on my face that I couldn’t erase.
Whatever it was that broke through her barriers, I was thankful for it. She explained about her past, and honestly, I didn’t give a flying fuck. I knew she was a good person. I felt it deep in my gut and saw it in her eyes. She had repented enough for the sins she had committed and for the ones she hadn’t. I only prayed she could move on, and I planned to help her do just that. Some way, somehow, I was going to help that little bird fix her broken wing.
“Damn, Middleton, what’s up with you?” Jeremy asked.
Busted.
“What d’ya mean?” I asked back, in a pitiful attempt to deflect him.
“Seriously?” He shook his head. “You’ve got a dorky grin on your face. Who is she?”
“Her name is none of your damn business, that’s who,” I said, laughing.
Jeremy rubbed his neck and said, “And even the strong will fall eventually.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
He shrugged. “You’ll figure it out. Hey, it’s that girl, isn’t it? The spleen and the stab wounds. That night I had to cover for you because you knew her. When you kept hounding my ass in the OR. Now I get it! Oh yeah, baby. Middleton has taken the plunge.” He let out an evil laugh.
Now it was my turn to shake my head. “You’re a sick man, Johnson. You know that, don’t you?”
“Huh! Not nearly as sick as you’re going to be when you end up engaged and then married. Ha!”
He let out an even more wicked laugh this time.
“I don’t get it,” I said.
“Don’t worry. You will. You think it’s bad now? It’s only your emotions. Just wait until she has everything you own and then the kids start to show up. Oh brother.” He slapped me on the back and those evil laughs of his were starting to sound a bit disturbing.
“Dude, you need help. I have a close friend who’s an excellent psychiatrist. I think you should see him.”
Then Jeremy belted out the biggest belly laugh I’ve ever heard a human being produce. Thank heavens we were interrupted by a page.
“Dr. Middleton, you’re needed in five.”
“I never thought I’d be glad to get away from you, man.” I tossed the rest of my lunch into the trash and headed back to work.
ALEXIA
I must’ve been wipedbecause the next thing I knew, my phone was ringing and it was two in the morning.
“Hullo,” I mumbled into the phone.
“Hey, babe. Sorry to wake you but unlock your door. I was swamped and just finished. I want to crawl in next to you and pass out.”
“On the way.”
He was on my porch when I went to the door and unlocked it, and I was in his arms before I knew it. His face was chilly from the night air, and I shivered as he kissed my neck.
“Come on, babe, let’s get you back in bed.”
He tugged me along and I crawled under the covers. He undressed and slid in behind me, pulling me against him.
“God, I missed you today,” he murmured against my neck. “Do you think you can go to med school and become my partner so we can always be together?”
I chuckled. “That’s a negative. The sight of blood and guts makes me pass out.”
“Hmm. Guess that won’t work, then. I’ll have to come up with something else.”
He snuggled in closer, and his breathing evened out. It wasn’t long before mine did the same.
* * *
My alarm wokeus at six and Pearce groaned.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve set it on vibrate.”
“Not a problem. I’ll go back to sleep as I don’t need to be in until nine.”
I slid out of bed even though that was the last thing I wanted and got up. He was sound asleep when I headed to the closet and got dressed. The coffee was already made, so I poured a cup and wrote him a sexy note about how great it was to find a hot guy named Pearce in my bed this morning. I dropped my extra key next to the note.
My office was in Mount Pleasant, which had me heading over the river. I was enjoying the view, singing my head off as traffic thickened. It wasn’t a good sign when I came to a dead stop. Checking my traffic app, sure enough, there was an accident ahead. All lanes on the bridge were blocked. Great. I’d be here for a while.
A horn honked and I happened to see some guy waving at me. Upon looking closer, damn if it wasn’t Fred again. Or maybe Barney. Why couldn’t I get away from this dude? I offered up a slight wave and turned away. Then another thought roared into me. Now he knew what kind of car I had and even possibly snagged my tag number since he was slightly behind me.
I looked to see if I could change lanes, but it was gridlock. To take my mind off him, I used the time to get some work done. A few minutes later, there was a tap on my window. I glanced up to find you-know-who standing there with a big grin on his face.
“Hey, girl. You’re looking downright professional today. No par-tay time for you, huh?”
“Um, I’m actually trying to get some work done. This accident is messing me up,” I said curtly. My heart hammered out a beat in my throat. What was he doing?
“How about we get together again sometime? Brett and I really had a great time.”
Brett! That must be Barney.
“Look, that was a huge mistake. I was totally messed up that night and don’t do that anymore.”
He reached inside my car and clamped his hand on my arm. His voice hardened as he said, “My feelings are a little hurt here, Lexi. We treated you to some fine stuff and now you’re acting like you’re too good for us,” he snarled.
I tried to pull my arm away from him, but he held on like a vise. My voice shook as I replied, “That’s not it at all. I decided it was time to slow down and walk the straight and narrow. I was going at it a bit too hard.”
“Well, the way I see it, you still owe us,” he growled.
“How is that?”
“You snorted a ton of our coke. That’s how.”
“You want me to pay you or something because you never mentioned anything about that?”
He looked at me and his eyes turned dark, his lips thinned as he sneered, “Listen, sugar, I don’t want your money. I want a three-peat of what we did before. A little Lexi-wich, if you feel me. Now, I can play nice or rough. Your choice.” His hand was squeezing the crap out of my arm, and it was hurting something fierce.
“One, my choice is not to play at all. Two, get your fucking hand off me. Three, leave me the hell alone,” I said as I attempted to jerk my arm free again.
I pushed the button and the window went up, catching his arm in the process. He shouted as he released his grip. “Roll the fucking window down,” he yelled.
My first inclination was to ignore him, but I didn’t. “Are you going to play nice?” I didn’t know where this sudden burst of bravado came from, because in reality I was shaking in my boots. Literally.
“Yes! Just roll the window down, bitch,” he said through clenched teeth.
I did. Just enough for him to pull his arm though. Then he did what I expected. “You’re gonna pay for this.”
He jogged back to his car, rubbing his arm all the way. I watched until he got into his car and made sure I got the make and model of it, which was a black Honda Accord. When traffic started inching along, I scooted into the far right lane and kept an eye on his vehicle. I was finally able to get his tag number and committed it to memory.
By the time I made it into Mount Pleasant, I was shaking so badly I had to pull off into the first gas station. Sweat poured down my face as the beginning of a panic attack was hitting. Right then my phone rang.
The caller ID indicated it was Pearce.
“Pearce!”
“Alexia? What’s wrong?”
“I … I ...” I couldn’t breathe, talk, or say a word. My breathing became erratic as I hyperventilated.
“Alexia, can you hear me? If you can hear me, don’t put the phone down. Keep it up to your ear. I can hear you breathing. Stay with me and I’ll talk you through this, but please tell me you’re okay. Or tell me where you are. I can come to you. Can you at least text me?”
I panted rapidly and my face began to tingle. Someone tapped on my window and my first thought was that Fred had followed me. When I looked up, I saw a woman. I put my shaking hand on the button to lower the window and just handed her my phone.
I kept trying to gulp in air, but it only made things worse. She spoke to Pearce and ran inside the mini-market. Minutes later she came back holding a paper sack in her hand.
“Put this over your mouth and take some deep breaths. You’re hyperventilating and this will help.”
I did as she instructed but my panic was so far gone, I didn’t think it was helping.
“It’s okay”—she patted my back—“just keep breathing. This happens to me when I fly. It takes a little while before it starts to work.”
She started talking to Pearce again and then looked at me and said, “Your boyfriend should be here any minute. Just keep taking deep breaths.”
I wanted to scream that it wasn’t working because everything was turning gray, and my face was going numb. Realistically, I knew I couldn’t die from this, but at that point, it was like I was hanging on the precipice of death.
Wheels screeched and suddenly my door flew open. There he stood in the flesh, all six feet two inches of him. Then he squatted next to me and said, “Breathe, babe. Slow, deep breaths. Follow me. Inhale to the count of four, three, two, one. Hold it for a count of four, three, two, one. Exhale, four, three, two, one. Let’s do it again.”
He rubbed my arms and cradled my face. Eventually things evened out. He must’ve seen the fright in my eyes because he pulled the bag out of my hands and unbuckled me from my seat. The next thing I knew I was sitting in his lap, crying and shaking.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ve got you now.”
I heard his voice talking to the woman who saved me, thanking her profusely. Then his attention was focused on me again. He ran his hand through my hair, pushing it off my face. The tears ultimately ebbed, leaving me feeling like a limp noodle in his lap.
“Christ, you know how to give a man a fucking heart attack. What happened?”
Where to begin with this one? My hand massaged my arm where that a-hole had grabbed me and I noticed that bruises were already forming. He noticed it too.
He trailed his fingers over the light purple marks. “What’s this? What happened? Please tell me because keeping me in the dark is not working very well for me.”
I told him the whole sordid tale. “This is why I didn’t want to get involved with you. I knew somehow that my past would catch up with me. I’m no better than a sleazy whore.”
“Stop it, Alexia. Right now. I won’t have you belittle yourself like that. You did things that were unacceptable to you. You made mistakes. Would you do those things now?”
“No!”
“Then stop comparing yourself to a whore. You’re not a whore and I won’t stand for you calling yourself that.”
“Okay,” I murmured as I hung my head.
“Look at me.”
I did as he asked.
“This changes nothing between us. I’m here and I love you more than anything. I want to beat the bastard who broke you down just now. As I said last night, I’m not going anywhere, and I mean it. Now kiss me before I go crazy here with you on my lap.”
I kissed him, lightly.
“Is that all you got for me? You almost gave me a fucking MI!”
“What’s an MI?”
He let out a snort. “A myocardial infarction. The medical term for a heart attack. I almost crashed the 911 getting here.”
“The 911. You called 911?”
“No … my car … the Porsche.”
“Oh!” I laughed. Then I kissed him with everything I had, running my hands all over him, losing myself completely … until I heard some smart-ass yell, “Get a room!”
“Fuck, Lex.”
“You called me Lex. You don’t ever call me Lex.”
“I know. Because your name is so fucking beautiful … exactly like you.”
We just sat there staring at each other like two idiots.
“I think I need to get to work. I’m super late as it is.”
“You okay to drive?” he asked with a nod.
“Yeah. I’m good now.”
“I don’t want you to leave.”
“I don’t want to leave either, but I don’t want to get fired.”
“I’ll take care of you. You don’t have to work.”
“Yes, I do, Pearce. It’s gives me self-worth.”
“Can I tell you something?”
“Yeah.”
“To stop hating yourself so much.”
“What?”
“I’ve slept with a lot of women.”
“I pretty much had that figured out.”
“You’re okay with that?” he asked as his eyes widened.
“I mean, look at you, Pearce. If there were an entry for male perfection in the Webster’s Dictionary, they’d have a picture of you. I’m sure when you were in high school and college you had girls crawling all over you. And now that you’re a doctor … well, I’m no fool. I didn’t take you for a monk.”
“Well, I wasn’t a monk and that’s the truth. But can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“Why is it such a terrible thing for you because you slept with a lot of men, when you were either drunk or drugged out and it’s not for me when most of the time, I was sober?”
After a shrug, I answered, “Good question.”
“I think you operate under a double standard, my backwards and archaic girlfriend. I’m not saying it’s okay to have indiscriminate sex, but what I am saying is get over this already and move on. You fucked up and you learned. I did the same thing. Let’s forgive ourselves and just love each other. Okay?”
“I’ll make you a promise. I’ll do my best and try my hardest. It won’t be easy to shed, so please be patient with me. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you though.”
“That makes two of us. Now kiss me good-bye and get your ass to work.”
“Yes, sir!”