Chapter 9
Jen
“Why are you calling me at seven in the morning?” I grumble into the phone. I’d do anything for Sloan, but doing it at seven a.m. on my day off is really testing whatever this is between us.
“I might have gotten pseudo-arrested yesterday and although she opened the door, apparently Nina can’t be bothered to take me to get my car. Can you come get me?”
“What?!” I ask, shrieking.
“I’ll explain on the way back to my car. Can you get me or not?”
I can tell he’s on edge, but I’m not that gushing girlfriend. I’m here as long as the fucking is good, but push me too far and I’ll show your rockstar ass to the door.
“I’ll come grab you if you tell me where the hell I’m driving, and curb the attitude since you being in the slammer has nothing to do with me.”
“Shit, sorry Jen. I was in a holding cell in the Pentagon. I’ll meet you at the bus stop just outside the gates.”
Oh, this is going to be one helluva story.
Imagine my absolute surprise when I get to the bus stop an hour later and discover Sloan is with Luke. I can’t say I’m sad about it.
Climbing in the car, Luke Blackwell hums his approval at the coffee in the backseat cup holder. “If this coffee is for me, I’ll marry you right now,” he jokes.
I toss a fast-food bag in the back seat. “And I brought biscuits.” I eye them both and can quickly see they must have spent the night pummeling each other.
“When you get bored with Sloan, give me a call,” Luke teases again.
“You really want me to add more bruises to your face, Luke? Keep it up,” Sloan growls from the front seat, confirming my suspicions.
“Okay, someone start talking. Where am I going and what happened?”
Sloan’s too pissed to speak so Luke gives me a quick rundown and I just shake my head. Traffic in D.C. is a bitch at eight in the morning so my answers are short and annoyed as I try to follow the GPS directions back to the cemetery.
“At a funeral? Come on guys.”
Sloan turns in his seat to scour at Luke. “You shouldn’t have even been there. You ruined her fucking life.”
“I didn’t know that until last night. Honestly, Sloan, there was no reason for me to think it was anything but a training accident! I’m sorry, okay? I’m so fucking sorry.”
No one speaks again until we get to their cars.
“Sloan, I still need to give you what Hailey wanted you to have.” Luke’s out of the car, standing next to Sloan’s open window, resting his elbow on the door frame.
The look that passes between them carries the weight of ten thousand words and emotions and I’m on the outside looking in.
For the first time, I feel a pang of jealousy over whatever these two shared.
While obviously traumatic, it seems to have formed a link between them that neither is ready to let go of just yet.
However, instead of healing over the past ten years, Sloan’s just been surviving. Luke’s return has made that much clear.
Warning bells are going off in my mind. My parents were distant with me, but revolved around each other. Even though I was the product of their love, I was edged out. Looking back and forth between Luke and Sloan now, I can’t help but wonder if it’s about to happen again.
My shoulders relax when Sloan says, “Jen stays at my house when I’m gone. You can drop it off to her.”
Luke looks like he wants to argue but nods instead and swings his eyes to me.
“I’ll text you.”
When I drop Sloan at his car next, he leans across the center console and gives me a chaste kiss and tries to pull away. That wasn’t nearly enough. I grab his shirt and pull him back to me deepening the kiss in an act of neediness unlike myself.
As his tongue slides across mine and his teeth nip at my lower lip, I realize I never fessed up to kissing Luke at Noah’s. Figuring I need to get that out in the open, I drop the bomb and brace for impact.
“I kissed Luke after the bonfire,” I admit, searching his eyes for the words his mouth won’t tell me.
“You what?” He backs up against the opposite side of the car, a hurt expression on his face as a heavy sigh escapes his lips. “Anyone but him, Jen.”
“Sloan, tell me what’s going on.” I want to reach out and touch him in some way, but I refrain, sensing his need for space.
Sloan tells me all the time he’s glad Emma brought me into his life, and I know he was feeling left out because all the other guys are settling down, but he still keeps me at arm’s length…
a lot…like now. It’s part of the reason I’m hesitant to admit my growing feelings to him.
“Because he has a habit of ruining every good thing in my life.”
Sloan and I don’t have a lot of overly serious moments because this was never supposed to be overly serious, but I sense that changing for both of us.
Despite our evolving relationship, Luke seems to be a sticking point.
I can’t keep my hands to myself around him and Luke’s broken nose and new bruises are evidence that Sloan can’t either.
Shit this feels awfully deep.
Finally, I reach out and run my left hand across Sloan’s chest, gripping the seatbelt still laying diagonal across his torso. Seeing the fatigue in his eyes, I’m unable to believe what I’m about to say but know it’s the right choice. “Okay. I won’t do it again.”
Bye bye dreams of being the cream in a rockstar/soldier Oreo.
It feels like a point of no return. I don’t give any guy this much power. What Sloan and I have is special in a way that finding such an honest, open relationship is hard and I don’t want to jeopardize it. But will it still work if we start giving each other that kind of control?
His smile sets my skin on fire. With just those words, his eyes alight with something other than anger or sadness for the first time since Luke showed up on his doorstep.
“Don’t freak out,” he says, trailing his fingers down my arm. “But I’m starting to think maybe I don’t want you to do anything with anyone but me...like officially.”
The scariest part is that I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to give it a try, but I’m not sure what I fear more at this point: losing myself in Sloan or losing Sloan.
“I can see your mind going a thousand miles an hour, Jen. It’s not a marriage proposal, it’s just a suggestion because I’m starting to dread hearing if there’s been anyone else.
Admittedly,” he pauses to brush a few strands of hair out of my face, “Luke’s name is the last one I wanted to hear roll off your lips and I never want to hear it again. ”
I agreed to see Sloan exclusively as long as he promised we didn’t have to go public. He was more than willing to agree to the terms and when we had sex that night it teetered dangerously close to lovemaking.
The band’s been on the road for a week now. It’s nine in the morning and I’m on my fourth cup of coffee, trying to muddle through notes at the nurses’ station when my cell phone rings.
I’m shocked to see an incoming FaceTime call from Luke. Knowing he’s supposed to drop Sloan’s stuff off, I expected to hear from him at some point, but I figured it would be a text.
I slide the button and prop my phone up against the monitor.
“Hey, Luke.”
“Hey. Jen? Can you hear me?”
“I can hear you, but your screen is all black so I can’t see anything.”
“What? Oh. Sorry, I must’ve hit video call by accident.” He pulls the phone away from his face and walks into an office. He’s in military BDUs today instead of scrubs and honestly, I’m not sure which ones I like better.
“No need to apologize.” My tone is too flirty considering my new “exclusive” status but it can’t be helped.
He ignores the comment and moves on. “I’m calling for three reasons.
One, I spoke with the nursing manager on our trauma unit.
She said to tell you she’d be happy to meet you and talk with you, although she doesn’t have anything available right now.
Two, I talked to the manager in the ER who does have something available and she’s also willing to meet you.
And lastly, I was wondering when would be a good time to drop the box off for Sloan? ”
“Wow. Luke, I don’t know what to say.”
The fact that he acted so quickly and is sticking his neck out for me means a lot. It’s not lost on me that somehow using his connections doesn’t feel as weird as people thinking I use Sloan. Maybe it’s because Luke and I are in the same field?
I don’t have long to deliberate though because before I can continue speaking, Adam arrives at the counter above my desk drumming his fingers on the surface.
“Are you using company time for your personal calls, Jen?”
“I’m actually working, Adam. It’s called multitasking. I’m sure you’re unfamiliar with the concept seeing as how you tend to be singularly focused on me and my business.”
“Ooo, someone’s testy today.”
“Yeah, well someone’s tired of your bullshit.” Most days I think it would be easier if he just fired me and forced me to move on, so I rarely hold back. So far though, it hasn’t happened. I think my attitude turns him on.
He reaches a hand over the counter to adjust my badge which is clipped to the chest pocket of my scrubs. As soon as his hand comes into view of the camera, Luke’s voice rings loud and clear.
“Touch her and I’ll make sure today is your last day in that hospital.”
Adam quirks a brow at me and I know my own surprise is written all over my face.
“Seeing someone, Jen?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, Adam, but Luke is a—”
“Damn right, she is. Baby, flip the phone around so I can meet your admirer.” I’ve never seen this side of Luke.
Around Sloan, he always seems to stay in his shadow.
I can’t say this version of him is doing anything to lessen my attraction to the man, and don’t get me started on the way baby just rolled off his tongue like honey.
I flip the whole phone around so Adam and Luke can see each other. Adam does that douchey bro move where he juts his chin out really fast, clearly the sign for ‘sup.
“Adam, I’m Major Blackwell. Or Doctor Blackwell, you can call me either.
I’m going to respectfully ask you one time to only interact with my girlfriend in a professional manner.
If I have to ask a second time, it won’t be respectful at all.
” I have to admit, Luke looks menacing with his facial bruises and uniform.
“Now, I’m sure there’s no issue with Jen’s productivity for the morning, so if you could kindly excuse us, we’ll be done in a moment.
And if you don’t keep your hands to yourself, I’ll make sure you can’t use them for a very long time. ”
Adam turns to leave, but mumbles under his breath. “Don’t even think about taking a break at ten.”
“Damn, you weren’t kidding about that guy being a total douche, were you?”
“Not even a little.”
“So, about that box?”