Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
ELLE
T he ER had been a revolving door, mostly stitches, indigestion, and people with colds who couldn’t wait to see their family doctors. Even the ambulances hadn’t stopped. Broken bones, an accident on a ranch that knocked out one of the ranch hands. My heart raced until I knew it wasn’t anyone from the Diamond.
Finally, sitting in the break room, I grabbed my lunch out of the fridge and sat down. Nothing looked remotely appealing, and I was to blame. I’d packed my meals, and I needed to get groceries. We’d been living with Griff for almost a week, and his fridge was getting close to empty.
My mind had been a little preoccupied thinking of Griff. It had been three days since I’d sat on his lap and kissed him. True to his word, he hadn’t made another move, and while I was impressed by how much of a stand-up guy he was, all I wanted to be was kissed again by him.
“Hey, Elle, there’s someone at the back door to see you,” Nancy said, as she popped her head around the corner.
“For me?”
“Yeah, and he’s hot.” She wiggled her eyebrows and grinned before she walked out of the room, and I got up, heading for the back of the department. Sliding my name badge through the card reader, I opened the door, and sure enough, there was a tall, impeccably dressed, hot, cowboy leaning against the wall. He had his arms crossed over his chest, his cowboy hat pulled down low on his head, and he looked good enough to abandon my duties.
“Well, I’m not used to seeing you on this side of the doors, Mr. Harp.” I walked up to him and smiled.
“Can’t say, as I’ve ever been in this hallway under my own power before.” His laughter echoed through the hallway. Two younger nurses walked by and looked Griff up and down. They slowed and smiled at him. Griff nodded politely and quickly returned his attention to me.
“So, what are you doing here?” I crossed my arms and leaned against the cinderblock wall.
“I brought you lunch.” He held out a bag from one of my favorite sandwich places. “I might have taken a peek in your bag before you left and I needed to come this way anyway.” He shrugged, and I took the bag from him.
As I opened the bag it made noise that echoed in the hallway. “Chicken teriyaki?” The mouthwatering smell of warm grilled chicken, caramelized onions, and tangy sweet sauce wafted out of the bag as he nodded.
“I might have had a little help from Parker. Before he got on the bus this morning, I asked him what your favorite fast-food place was.”
“This is so sweet. Did you get something for yourself?”
“No, I can’t stay. I’ve got an appointment in twenty minutes.” He glanced at his watch before hooking his thumb in his pocket again.
He hadn’t mentioned being in town when I’d talked to him before I’d left for work and I wondered if it had something to do with the trouble he’d had on the ranch.
Over his shoulder, I could see one of the doctors walking approaching. His eyes narrowed in on me, and my skin crawled. “Oh, Elle, I’m glad I ran into you. I was wondering if you wanted to meet me this weekend for a drink. I know you’ve turned me down, in the past you’re always busy, but what’s one night?” He’d brushed past Griff like he wasn’t even there. The man was massive and this arrogant man acted like he was a piece of furniture.
“Umm, well,” I stuttered as I looked from the doctor to Griff, whose entire being had shifted from easygoing to possessive, and he towered over me. “Like I told you before, I’m not interested, and I’m actually in a relationship.” Side-stepping I moved closer to Griff, and he put his arm around my waist.
“Come on now, I don’t believe for one minute that you’re serious about this, cowboy.” He didn’t even look at Griff, just nodded his head in his direction.
“I assure you she’s very serious about me. Her head rests every night under my roof, not that it’s any of your business.” Griff said as he moved to stand between me and Doctor Jackson.
“Nurse Greggory, this ogre is beneath you.”
“You’ll be beneath my foot in about ten seconds,” Griff growled, not even trying to hide his anger or threat.
Wrapping my free hand around his muscled arm, I tried to pull him back but he didn’t move, so I stepped around him. Before I could speak again, Griff cleared his throat, leaned down a little closer to the doctor, and whispered, “You don’t speak to her, look at her, or even think of her again. You will find other nurses to help you with your patients, and if I hear one whisper of you making her feel uncomfortable, I will be back to deal with you.” Doctor Jackson’s face blanched, and he moved toward the ER doors without turning his back to us.
“You didn’t need to do that,” I said as I realized my pulse was racing and my hands were shaking.
“Do you have any idea what your face did when he stopped to talk to you? You went as white as a ghost. How long has he been harassing you?” He pointed his gaze at me and took a deep breath.
“I didn’t ask for your help, Griff.” Came out of my mouth, instead of the answer he was looking for.
“That’s the point. You’ll never have to ask. For as long as you’re in my house, it’s my job to make sure you’re safe. You look after everyone you come in contact with, but who’s looking after you?”
“Nobody’s ever looked after me. I’ve never needed it.” I replied stubbornly as I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed, my sandwich being crushed and I was pretty sure my bottom lip was out in a pout.
“Well, I’m not nobody, and I’m going to look after you. Go eat your crushed sandwich, and I’ll see you when you get home tonight.” He leaned down, and I was sure he was going to kiss me, but the door to the ER opened, and he stood, taking a step away from me. “Have a good shift; if that poor excuse of a man bothers you again, text me, and I’ll deal with him.” He winked, and I let his words sink into my brain.
“Griffin Harp, there will be no dealing with anyone,” I said in a loud whisper, yelling his back was now to me as he headed back to his truck. Turning to look over his shoulder he winked at me and pushed open the big metal door that led outside.
Looking down at the bag in my hand, I couldn’t help but smile. A bang from the entrance made me jump and I watched Griff walk back through the door like he was stalking his prey. He reached out and wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me to him as he lowered his head and pressed his lips against mine.
His other hand snaked around my back, and I melted. His kiss devoured me. It was possessive and set fire to my soul. The stubble on his face was rough against mine. It didn’t matter, I wanted it all. Nobody had ever kissed me senseless the way Griff did. I couldn’t believe I’d been missing this kind of passion all my life.
With my eyes still closed, he pulled away from me, and I heard him chuckle softly. “Have a good day, see you at home.” He brushed another light kiss on my lips and let me go. When I finally pried my eyes open, I watched him go. His plaid shirt was stretched tightly across his broad shoulders and wide back that narrowed at his hips, which led to the perfectly hugged ass in his Wranglers.
“You’ve got some explaining to do.” A voice said from behind me and I turned to see Sarah grinning at me, her eyes as wide as a basketball.
Taking another look at the door, I pressed my hand to my mouth lightly because I could still feel his lips against mine. “It’s a long story,” I sighed, shaking my head with a smile on my face, thinking of what waited for me at the end of my shift.