8. Ava
Chapter Eight
Ava
Hospital gowns & kisses
You’re beautiful.
Tanner’s words reverberated through my thoughts like a rumble after a thunderclap.
I set down my slice of pizza. “Tanner! You did not just say that.”
“Say what?”
“That I’m beautiful.” I gestured to myself.
“Ava. Are you blind?”
“Not last I checked.”
Tanner, handsome as all hell, rolled his eyes. He didn’t seem to realize what a big deal it was to tell a woman she was beautiful.
“Come here,” I demanded.
At that moment—with Tanner here while I wore a hospital gown and looked as unsexy as possible—I felt a glimmer of my old self. The me before my marriage. That version of me came roaring back.
He set his pizza down on the rolling table beside my bed and leaned his elbows on the railing. “Right here?”
Pretty sure we weren’t prepared for what I did next. I leaned forward, bracing an elbow on the pillow on my lap. Wow, he was handsome.
I studied him. His gorgeous eyes were this caramel color—swirly with gold. His lips were shaped just right, the bottom one a little fuller than the top. His jaw had sharp lines, and his cheekbones were something. Good grief, I’d never even noticed a man’s cheekbones, but his were carved.
“Two more inches,” I declared.
He looked confused, so I took matters into my own hands.
I leaned forward, cupped his cheeks, and kissed him.
The moment our lips met, I was surprised lightning didn’t strike right then and there.
The point of contact was so hot I was certain sparks scattered in the air around us. He froze for a second.
He smelled amazing—woodsy and smoky with a hint of fresh soap. His cheeks were warm under my hands. I loved the feel of his prickly stubble under my fingertips. I leaned back, feeling my eyes widen.
“Tanner,” I whisper-shouted.
He looked shocked for a heartbeat, but then my rescue guy took charge. He lifted his hand, curling it gently around the back of my neck. Oh, that was awesome. His touch was strong and warm. He angled his head to the side and laid one hell of a kiss on me.
He started with an easy brush of his lips over mine, slow and easy. On the heels of a breath, he drew back, nipping my bottom lip.
Oh. My. God. It was a good thing I was sitting down. I’d have melted into a puddle if not.
His eyes darkened. “Ava,” he rasped.
I could feel the shape of my name on my lips when he kissed me again.
This time, his tongue slid almost languidly across my lips.
When I gasped, he swept inside, and our tongues tangled.
I was breathless and hot all over by the time he drew back, ending with one kiss on each corner of my mouth.
When he straightened, even he looked a little unsettled.
His shoulders rose with a deep breath. All the while, I could barely even breathe.
I tried to collect myself. “Holy wow,” I finally managed, my voice hoarse and breathy. “That was a little unexpected.”
“Yeah,” he said evenly, though his voice was still rough and his cheeks tinged pink.
“You should give classes.”
“What?” Tanner looked confused.
“On kissing. Best kiss of my life, Tanner. Hands down.”
His eyes went a little wide. “You don’t have to go overboard, Ava.”
“I mean it. I am a cynical, angry woman who swore off men. You just kissed me, and I saw stars. I’m on fire. I don’t even know what to do about this.” I leaned back into the pillows, grabbed the daily medical report off my table, and fanned myself with the pages.
Tanner’s lips twitched. “Well, I have to agree. Best kiss ever.”
I froze. “Oh my God, Tanner. Now, you don’t need to go pretending I swept you away.” I took a steadying breath. “We have to be normal again.”
I opened my mouth to say something else just as there was a knock on the door.
“Hello?” Chris, one of the nurses, peeked around the edge of the door. “Oh hey, guys. Just gotta do your nightly check.”
“Come on in,” I said with a wave. Not because I wanted him to come in, but because I needed something, anything, to snap me out of this fuzzy desire before I did something truly crazy. Like try to get Tanner to climb into this sexy hospital bed with me.
Tanner made his getaway once Chris started checking everything. He was so smooth about it that it didn’t even feel awkward. All the while, though, I was freaking right the hell out inside. I couldn’t believe what I had just done.
“How are you feeling?” Chris asked just as the door closed behind Tanner.
I glanced up at him. “Oh, you know. Bored.”
“Nice of Tanner to bring you some pizza for dinner.”
“I know, but what do I do with it now?” I looked at the pizza box with two slices left.
“Well, you can put it in the refrigerator.”
“The one for medicine and stuff?” I pressed.
“Sure thing. I’ll box it up for you in something smaller,” Chris offered.
“You don’t mind?”
“Of course not.”
“I can have cold pizza for breakfast. Sweet,” I teased.
Chris chuckled, tapping a few keys on the laptop and resting his hand on the bed railing. “You should be out of here in a few days. What’s your plan?”
“I don’t know!” I exclaimed. “Holly said she’s going to see what she can find for me.”
“Oh, Holly has connections.”
“Do you have connections?”
Chris chuckled. “The same ones Holly does. She’s probably more persuasive than me, all things considered.”
“You think? You’re as nice as Holly.”
“I know, but she’s bossier.”
I burst out laughing. “I see that.”
He lifted the pizza box. “Let’s see what we can do.” Within minutes, he had placed the remaining two slices in a container and held it up. “We’ll label it. No one’s going to confuse this with anything else. How’s your pain, though? You don’t mention it.”
“Well, even though you all are phasing me off the good stuff, I’m still okay.”
Chris’s blue eyes twinkled. He was handsome, objectively speaking. He was also happily married to his husband, who happened to stop by one day while Chris and I were working.
“We’re titrating you down on the morphine, and you’re still not reporting an increase in pain. You’re going to be fine. Ankle breaks like this are a pain in the ass.”
“No shit.”
“My friends left.” I pouted, feigning dramatic sadness. I was disappointed they were gone, but in all honesty, I didn’t really want to go home. I hated it there right now.
It was one thing to get cheated on. That’s the oldest story in the book. But I’d married for all the wrong reasons, so I was humiliated and disappointed in myself for deciding to marry Brad.
“Keep me posted. Although I’m sure Holly will keep me posted. If you need a place to stay, we’ll scramble and find it.”
“I can’t believe I can’t just fly home.”
“You could,” Chris pointed out.
“I know, but it would cost a fortune. I’ve already looked into it.”
“Consider this an extended vacation.”
“Are you going to be my physical therapist when I’m out?” I asked.
“I could be.”
“Well, I heard you do that on the side.” Chris nodded along. “And you’re a nurse. How come you do both?”
“This is Alaska, the land of more than one job. Life here is expensive. A lot of people do extra stuff on the side. My physical therapy work is very part-time. I only work with two or three people a week.”
“Well, can I request you?”
He waggled his brows. “You can.” With a tap on the railing, he departed.
I stared at the door for a moment before reaching for my phone to send a message to Tanner.
Me: I didn’t mean to freak you out. I probably shouldn’t have kissed you. We can just pretend it didn’t happen.