Twelve
I don’t know what was worse. The agonising pain, or the fact that she was right next to me, smelling so fucking good, with her warm hand in mine, and I think… I really think, that if I could move enough to try and kiss her, that she’d let me. More than that. I think she’d fucking kiss me back.
That hand she’d had on my knee. It just made me crave more of her touch. Her warmth. My only regret, well, apart from being fucking crippled by pain at the same time, was the fact that her hand wasn’t touching my bare skin.
“Ice… I should probably go.” God no. I didn’t ever want her to go. Nobody had ever been aware of the pain I suffered so often. Nobody else had ever been with me through a bad bout of it. Nobody had ever, EVER, tried to nurse me through it, and fucking cared that I was in pain. It was breaking down every fucking wall I had tried to put up around me, because suddenly I wanted to let someone in. Her . Specifically her.
“Don’t.”
She swallowed hard, moving away from me a little, and straightening her skirt.
“I shouldn’t be here.”
Because it was her fucking day off. She’d chosen to see me on her day off, and that meant something, right?
“I’m sorry to take up your time.” My voice sounded huffy, but I didn’t mean it that way, not really. I just desperately wanted her to stay. I didn’t want to be alone.
“I shouldn’t be making myself available like this. It’s… it’s not appropriate.”
I tried to move, cursed, and stilled again, as another spasm sank its teeth into me.
“Why did you, then? Why are you here, doc? Am I just some patient or fucking client that you feel you have to protect, or is it more than that? Is that all I am, or am I a fucking person to you?”
Someone knocked on the door at that moment, and I flinched, and then cursed again as the spasm invited its fucking friend to the shoulder party.
I tried to stand up, and Lissa moved quickly, bearing my weight as best she could, until I was upright. I glanced at the door, wondering how the fuck I was going to hide what was wrong.
“Go to the bathroom. Close the door.” Lissa was already walking to my door, behind which, someone had miraculously waited, for once in my fucking life.
I backed toward the bathroom, and she shot me a glare.
“Now!”
I did as I was told, because I had no other option right now. As soon as the bathroom door was closed, I leaned back against it, and let out a sharp breath. Whatever the fuck happened now, I had no way of blagging it. What the hell should I do?
Lissa
I pulled open the door, and the Club President, Reacher, was standing there. He stared at me awkwardly for a moment.
“Uh… can I come in?”
I nodded and backed up, letting him step into Ice’s room. The guy was bigger than Ice. Taller. More imposing. There was something sweet about Ice, even though he did his best to hide it.
Reacher cast his eyes around the room.
“Oh… Ice not here?”
I smiled, and pointed to the bathroom.
“Nature called, Mr Reacher.”
“Just Reacher. Are you guys about done?”
I picked up our empty coffee mugs and took them to the kitchen, almost like it was my place, and it was just a natural thing to do.
“Yep, just finishing up. He’s made some small breakthroughs today. Don’t be surprised if he’s needing space for a bit.”
He folded his arms. “What kind of breakthroughs?”
I turned from the sink, mugs washed and draining. I dried my hands on the towel.
“The kind that are confidential, as per our therapist/patient relationship.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“That the only relationship happening here?”
I walked over to my handbag, pulling my phone from inside.
“What else do you expect, Reacher? Are you suggesting that I’m being inappropriate or unprofessional? Ice needed to talk, and that was what he did.”
He looked uncomfortable, glancing at the closed bathroom door.
“Is he okay? He’s… he seems vulnerable lately. I just don’t want to see him hurt.”
I liked that he cared enough to worry about that, but it also felt like another attempt to attack my professionalism, or, let’s be honest, the lack thereof.
“I can assure you, Reacher. I’m not doing anything untoward. I’m merely doing what’s necessary to help him with his journey.”
He didn’t look convinced.
“He lost his shit down in Church. You helping him with his temper?”
“Again, that’s not for me to discuss with you. Please don’t keep asking me to breach confidentiality in this way, Reacher. If he wants to talk to you about things, then I hope you’ll listen, and not judge. I’m wondering if you’re even capable of such a thing?”
His eyebrows shot up.
“Wow… you don’t pull any punches, do you?”
I heard the bathroom door open, and Ice stepped out, leaning against the wall across the room.
“Doc, thanks for everything. I shouldn’t keep you, though. If you’ve finished kicking Reacher’s ass, that is?” His smirk was beautiful, because it told me that his pain was passing, at least for now. I watched him for a moment, and he nodded just a little. Thank god .
“Thank you for the coffee, Ice. I have my phone here. Let’s make your next appointment, if you’re ready.”
He nodded. “Reacher, you gonna leave someone free to take me this time?”
Reacher glanced from him to me.
“He’ll be back tomorrow.”
I laughed. “Wow… you really don’t understand how any of this works, do you? You don’t decide when Ice makes an appointment. He does, and it depends on if I have any available appointments.”
He glared at me. “Well, do you?”
I stared right back at him.
“Perhaps.”
“Jesus. Right, I’m leaving this with you, but Ice… this doesn’t happen again. Next time, you ask for my office.”
I followed Reacher to the door.
“Next time, maybe don’t take away his only opportunity to honour his appointment in the first place.”
I closed the door as soon as he crossed the threshold, sputtering quiet curses, and turned to speak to Ice, finding him closer than I’d expected. Very close. Almost touching me.
“You have any idea how fucking sexy it is, watching you hand Reacher his ass like that?” His voice was low and predatory.
“Ice…”
He backed me up to the wall again, moving carefully.
“Nobody sasses him like that. Well, maybe his old lady, but mostly people know better. You just savaged him, Lissa, and it was hot as FUCK.”
He crowded me against the wall, his body heat leaching into me, as he stared me down. He was taller than me, but not by much. A perfect fit, you might say. Of course, the last thing I should have been thinking of was how we might fit. We couldn’t be anything more than we already were.
“Thank you, Lissa. For being with me today. For covering for me. I know that it’s your job, but it felt like someone cared, and I didn’t realise how much I needed that.” Ice stroked my cheek lightly as he spoke, and I felt more heat and tingles from his touch.
It made me want to grab his neck and pull him in for another kiss. A real one this time. No teasing, just kissing. I didn’t want to risk his injury though, and of course that wasn’t the only reason. Ethics . There’s a huge fucking reason.
“I do care, Ice, and I’m glad I was here for you. Thank you for trusting me with uh… with what’s going on. I have a better understanding of your… uh… your…”
“What’s up, Doc? You look like you’re going to pass out there, or are you just too warm? Do you need to remove some clothes?”
Dammit. I took a deep breath and put a hand against his hard chest, pushing back, even though I wanted to drag him closer.
He moved. He didn’t resist, but maybe because it would injure him more if he tried.
“Am I overstepping those boundaries Reacher was so worried about, Doc?” He didn’t look like he gave a damn, those grey eyes filled with heat, when we were so used to seeing coolness. I nodded once, swallowing against my suddenly dry throat.
“I… message me to make an appointment, Ice. I should leave. It’s not right for me to be here. I shouldn’t have come.”
“I’ll make sure you’re not sorry the next time you… come …”