5. Suzie
Suzie
“W hat in the hell was I thinking? I don’t run, not even when I’m late.” But apparently, eating a giant plate of barbecue nachos the night before didn’t just make me do crazy things like go for a run, but also made me talk to myself. Like a crazy person. It was my own damn fault for ordering the platter that was meant for at least two people—four, if it was being used as an appetizer. And I ate almost all of it.
And washed it down with a bottle of moscato.
Like the animal I was.
“Turn around. Go back. No one knows you’re here,” I told myself out loud, trying to talk some sense into myself.
Running was the most ridiculous exercise on the face of the planet. Who ran for fun? What was fun about being hot and sweaty, aching, and wearing a sports bra? Oh, and that wasn’t even the worst part. No, I decided that if I had to go for a run—which, for the record, I didn’t have to—I might as well have a gorgeous view along the way. So, not only was I hot and sweaty and aching all over, but I was also nearly three miles from home. “That’ll teach me to pig out on my cheat day.”
Eventually, my body gave out and my legs slowed to a step or two every few seconds while my chest heaved like I’d just finished a marathon. Sweat poured down my body and it wouldn’t stop, even as the ocean breeze picked up my hair and blew it in all directions. I felt like a hot mess and I could only imagine what I looked like.
“Ow!” My foot hit a small pothole at an odd angle and twisted enough to make my legs give out. “Son of a shit!”
I looked around at my surroundings and reached for my phone, only to find no service out here near the cliffs. To make matters worse, there was only one structure on this stretch of road and it had been unoccupied for years. The big craftsman mansion had been built before I was born and over the years it had taken on many owners, rich families who dreamed of using it as a summer home, except the rich and powerful rarely took summers off. So, the house sat empty until it was sold, again and again.
I looked up at the sky and shook my fist. “This is what happens when I decide to get healthy and in shape. Bad things.” That act of defiance didn’t make me feel better and it did nothing to get me closer to home, or cell service.
I needed to get up. I had to make my way to the top of the cliff and hope I got enough of a signal to call for help, or—I looked over my shoulder at the route that had brought me here—I had to limp two and a half miles back home.
“Up,” I growled as I brought myself up to my feet—well, to be fair, to my foot. The right ankle had twisted itself good and I could already feel it swelling in my shoe. “Up the cliff,” I grunted and did a little hop and drag motion to get me closer and closer to the top of the cliff.
It was only a few hundred feet, but the journey felt as if it lasted centuries. By the time I was halfway there, I was covered in even more sweat and my teeth chattered from the cool ocean breeze. My heart felt as if it was trying to beat out of my chest and my lungs burned like someone doused them in alcohol and lit a match to them. “This. Sucks.” And it sucked even more when I made it up there and still had no cell service.
“No.” I collapsed on the damp grass and fell backwards with a groan. “I guess this is where I’ll die.” It was dramatic, for certain, but a woman had a right to be dramatic every now and then. It was female prerogative.
“Hey! You, over there. This is private property, which means you’re trespassing!” The voice was distinctly male with the crashing waves and now howling wind, that was all I could determine. Oh, and he was upset.
“This is actually a vacant property,” I shouted back, too exhausted to get up and confront the man. “You’re the one trespassing, so back off before I have to call the sheriff.”
I didn’t like to name drop, it was gross, but I couldn’t move and I needed a few minutes to gather my strength to make it back to town.
I smiled when silence surrounded me, happy my threat had sent the angry man on his way.
“Suzie Wright, is that you?”
I froze at the sound of the now all-too-familiar voice. “Gavin? What are you doing all the way out here?”
“I was relaxing inside until the perimeter alarm sounded that there was an intruder.”
I sat up at his words and frowned. “Intruder?” I pointed to the beautiful mansion. “You live there?” I shook my head. “Of course, you live there.”
“I do. I bought the place a few years back, and I got a great price for it, too. How did you know I lived here?”
“I didn’t,” I admitted sheepishly and told him all about my misadventures while running. “I finally came to my senses and stopped only to twist my ankle, and find cell service nonexistent out here.” It was embarrassing to admit, to Gavin of all people, but it wasn’t more embarrassing than lying on the grass in a sweaty heap. “Go ahead, laugh.”
I appreciated that he didn’t pretend that it wasn’t all ridiculous and funny. “There are easier ways to get in shape, you know.”
“I do,” I groaned.
“And you could have just called if you were that eager to see me.” His deep laugh sounded when I rolled my eyes at his playful words.
“Hey! What are you doing? Put me down, right now.” I squirmed as Gavin lifted me in his arms, carrying me across the large expanse of grass and up to his beautiful, grand mansion. “Gavin.” He smelled so good and his arms were rock hard, strong as hell. Did I mention how good he smelled? Like man and ocean and sex.
“Suzie,” he shot back. “Let’s get you inside and get some ice on that ankle. It’s probably already swollen.”
“Probably, but I managed to drag myself up to the top of the cliff, so I think I can walk up to your house under my own steam.” Being pressed up against him like this was too much. His uniquely masculine scent swirled up my nostrils and buried itself deep in my brain, guaranteeing I would always identify that smell with him.
“You’re strong and brave and all that good stuff, Suzie. But I can walk faster carrying you than you can carrying yourself, so just let me be the strong hero—for a moment, anyway.”
A hero. I didn’t need a hero, and I sure as hell didn’t believe in heroes. There were good people, genuinely good people, who did good things for no reason other than it was the right thing, but even those men and women weren’t heroes. They were just people.
“I don’t need a hero; I need a cold compress and pain reliever. You wouldn’t happen to have any of that on hand, would you?”
“You bet I do.” He flashed a proud smile. “I paid someone to stock everything a person would need to live the life of a hermit up here on the cliff.”
I laughed, appreciating Gavin’s sense of humor. He was rich and had been for a long time, so he was probably used to people taking care of his every need, yet he still seemed slightly embarrassed about it. “Planning ahead?”
He shrugged, which was no small feat with me in his arms. “I try.”
“I approve. Maybe not about the hermit thing, but planning in general is a good thing.”
“Especially now.” The mansion looked even bigger on the inside, with tall ceilings and large windows that let light in from all directions.
I’d been expecting a modern nightmare, but Gavin’s place was homey and welcoming. “Wow, this is nice.”
Gavin laughed. “I’m just going to pretend that your words were appreciative and not at all shocked that my home is in order.”
“Not shocked that it’s in order, but shocked that the place isn’t covered in leather and chrome.”
It was tastefully decorated with a big black sectional as the centerpiece, a large television mounted on the wall, and photos of friends and family on the mantel, the walls and end tables. The video gaming consoles underneath the television confirmed that this was indeed a bachelor pad.
Gavin set me on the sofa and took a step back, his green eyes taking me in for a long moment. “Leather looks nice, but trust me when I tell you it’s not as comfortable as you might think when the weather is hot and humid. I’ll go grab that compress for you.”
I watched his long legs carry him to the kitchen until Gavin was out of view, wishing I had free use of both legs to look around the place. From my perch on the sofa, the living room was the main room in the house. It looked the most lived in and it felt the warmest. Every little detail I learned about Gavin only made me like him more.
“I brought you something for the pain, too.” In one hand, he held a bag of peas attached to an ice pack.
“Thanks, but I haven’t eaten today so I’ll take something when I get home.”
He flashed a playful smile and took a step closer. “Your timing, Suzie, is absolutely perfect.” With those words, he scooped me in his arms once again, as if I weighed nothing, and hauled me into the kitchen.
“Smells like more running to me.”
He chuckled and set me on one of the cushioned kitchen chairs, propping my injured legs up on another one. “I suppose that means you haven’t learned your lesson?” His green eyes caressed every inch of my body before he licked his lips. “You look good, Suzie. Really good. Running isn’t necessary.”
“Thanks, but you haven’t seen me without my clothes on.”
“Not yet,” he answered with a quick smile.
“You know what I mean. I need to watch what I eat.” It wasn’t just fitting into clothes that I worried about, but working in a hospital made me very aware of how even a few extra pounds could impact my health, and I was determined to run JRMC for as long as I could.
“Excellent. My chef prepared a vegetarian lasagna with salad. What could be healthier?”
“ Just a salad?”
“That’s boring, and a woman who’s wearing cat eye glasses with rhinestones is anything but boring.”
“Athletic wear,” I answered with a sheepish smile.
“See? Not boring. I’ll get plates.” Before I could tell Gavin it wasn’t necessary, he brought dinner and salad plates along with silverware to the table. “And glasses,” he said with a wink and disappeared down a small hall common in big homes like this. “Can’t have lasagna without wine, can you?”
“It’s against the law,” I assured him in a serious tone. The smile Gavin sent my way had my blood boiling in my veins to the point I felt beads of sweat pop up on my forehead and all around my hairline. “Maybe I shouldn’t, though,” I told him as I had an attack of conscience. “You’re a patient of the hospital.” It was an excuse and we both knew it.
But Gavin wasn’t the kind of guy who would let that kind of statement go unchallenged. He scoffed and shook his head. “The whole damn town is a patient of your hospital—doesn’t stop you from fraternizing, does it?”
I shook my head.
“Besides, I have a doctor and you’re not him, so enjoy having a meal with me. Please.”
It was the please that got to me, and I nodded. “Fine, but only because you asked so nicely.”
“And because I’m so handsome and charming?”
My eyes rolled on their own and he let out a loud laugh that suffused my blood with even more heat. “You’re so modest, Gavin. Has anyone ever told you that before?”
Not that I can remember, and I have an excellent memory,” he joked and poured the wine.
“You’re not going to tell me all about the vintage and the grapes and the uniqueness of the soil this wine was harvested in?” It was a cynical question, but Gavin wouldn’t be the first man to show off his limited wine knowledge.
Gavin shrugged. “No fucking clue, honestly. I get tons of swag bags and I usually let my assistants and staff have everything but the booze.”
“Really? That’s sweet.” It wouldn’t do me any good to think of Gavin like a human, a real person. He was a celebrity, a world-famous rock star who would book it out of town the first chance he got.
“What can I say? I’m a sweetheart.”
I pointed a fork at him and couldn’t stop smiling. “There’s that modesty showing again.”
Gavin ate like a man, not a gentleman. He held his fork like he knew how to eat in good company, but he dug in, taking big, manly bites until almost half the lasagna was gone. “Damn, that’s good. What do you think?”
“I think I’d better invest in a treadmill.”
“No way. I think you ought to take a long hard look in the mirror, babe, because you are a hot fudge sundae with nuts. And a splash of extra caramel.”
I didn’t know how to respond to such a compliment from such a potent man like Gavin, but my body stood up and took notice. My nipples were hard, my thighs clenched tight, and my breathing sped up to the point I was almost hyperventilating. “Why did you decide to live with your grandfather?”
He blinked and I wondered if I over stepped. “Easy. My parents were a train wreck. They weren’t abusive or anything like that, but together, they just couldn’t seem to make it work and they spent so much time fighting and making each other jealous they often forgot there was a kid in the middle of it all.”
“Damn, that sucks. I’m sorry. Are you close to them now?”
“Not really, but I’m adult now so I don’t have to be in the middle of their drama. Dad is on his fourth marriage, but this one has lasted for more than a decade so I suppose he’s found a good match.”
“And your mother?”
“Ah, Mom is on marriage number six to some kind of rich telecommunications guy down in Argentina. They were good people, but Granddaddy offered stability and I took it.”
That was sweet. “You needed that stability to live the life of a rock star?”
“I’ve got layers,” he joked. “Besides, with my grandparents, I was able to focus on the music. I learned to play a few instruments and spent hours writing songs in a notebook. I probably would’ve been out starting trouble if I’d stayed with either of my parents.”
My brows rose in surprise and I lifted my half-empty wine glass in the air. “To having layers.”
“To unexpected gems in the strangest places.” His green eyes held mine for a long moment and I felt my heart skip a beat.
He wasn’t talking about me. No one ever called me a gem before.
“What about you, Suzie? Tell me about your family.”
I frowned. “My family, why?”
“Because I’m curious to know more about you.”
He seemed sincere enough so I took another sip of wine and started talking, pretending this didn’t feel like a first date with a rock star. “My parents, the ones who gave birth to me, died in a fire when I was three years old. I don’t remember them at all, not even what they look like.” I hated that not one photo survived. I’d spent a long time searching for one before it was just too heartbreaking. “When I was five I met the Wrights, Olivia and Ephraim. After trying for years to have a baby of their own, they gave up and adopted me. I was the luckiest girl in the world. They were kind and smart, and everything was perfect. Three years after I arrived, Mom got pregnant with Drew.”
“That had to be hard.”
I smiled. “You’d think so, wouldn’t you? At first, I was terrified they would send me back but the moment I met Drew, I fell in love with him. He wasn’t just my little brother, he was my baby. I would feed him and hold him until he was big enough to push me away. Our family was happy.”
“Losing two sets of parents must have been heartbreaking, I’m sorry Suzie.”
I smiled at his kindness. “Thanks. I miss them every single day but I think they would be proud of me.”
“How could they not be? And your brother—I saw another Wright on the list of doctors, is that him?”
“Yep, Drew’s specialty is cardiothoracic surgery.”
Gavin whistled. “Impressive family.”
I rolled my eyes. “Says the rock star.”
“I just sing and perform, I don’t save lives, Suzie.”
Was that genuine modesty? I hoped not, because the last thing I needed was to find another thing to like about Gavin. “I don’t know about that, I’m pretty sure you saved mine a time or two. Besides, you do more than sing and perform. You’re a wonderful songwriter and lyricist.” I leaned in with a wicked smile. “And an undercover philanthropist.”
Gavin’s widened in surprise. He looked over his left shoulder, and then his right, as if we weren’t alone. “Keep that on the down low, woman.”
I laughed again and it turned into a tired sigh because I couldn’t remember the last time I had such a good date. And this wasn’t a date.
Definitely not a date.