CHAPTER FOUR
The woman was staring up at him, his fist still twisted around her thick, luscious brown locks. Her eyes were so big, it was like looking at one of the baby giraffes at the animal sanctuary. She was fucking hot.
“Wh-what do you mean? I don’t like to be made fun of,” she said trying to sit up.
“Believe me, I’m not making fun of you. You’re beautiful and the fact that you’re also fucking smart is a bonus.”
“C-can I sit up please?” she asked.
“Let the girl up!” said Kennedy. “Geez, Mitch. Is this how you’re getting a date now?”
“I hope so,” he said smiling at Marnie. “I’d like a date with you.”
“Is he always cruel?” she frowned, staring at Kennedy. Kennedy looked at Marnie, tilting her head.
“He’s never cruel and he never, ever is cruel to a woman. If he’s asking for a date, he means it.”
“Trust me, he means it,” smirked Brooks leaning against the door frame.
“Oh, geez! This is one of your triplets?” asked Marnie.
“That’s right. I’m Brooks. We also have a sister, Marissa. I’ve heard a lot about you. Dr. Marnie St. John, right?”
“Yes, that’s me,” she said struggling again to be upright.
“Mitch. Let the girl up,” said Kennedy. He released her, reluctantly and smiled at her.
“How’s the hard head?” grinned Brooks.
“Sore,” he frowned. “But I have it on good authority that the stitches won’t prevent me from getting a date. Right, Marnie?”
“A date with someone else, yes. Excuse me,” she said leaving the room.
“Now you’ve scared her away,” said Kennedy. “She’s a great emergency room doctor. We need her. Do not scare her away. Do not screw with her emotions. And do not, hurt her.”
“I have no plan of doing that,” said Mitch. “I meant it. I want to ask her on a date.”
“Okay, big guy. After we finish all the tests. That’s a nasty cut and I think you have a mild concussion. Let me do my job and then I’ll cut you loose.”
It was another few hours before all the tests came back. In the meantime, Mitch was given a tetanus shot, as well as a complimentary dose of penicillin, just in case.
Nearly time for dinner, he was starting to get hungry and angry. His sexy doctor had not returned, most likely scared of him. Cursing himself, he hoped she didn’t leave the property, praying in fact that she wouldn’t.
There was a soft tap on the door and he sat up straighter, immediately closing his eyes because of the dizziness.
“Don’t move so quickly,” said the sweet delicate voice. He slowly opened his eyes, allowing his head to stop swimming.
“You came back,” he smiled.
“You’re my patient. I had to come back,” she said quietly checking his vitals.
“Is that the only reason?” he asked staring at the flawless peach skin.
“No. No, I’m hungry so I thought you might be. I can take you to the cafeteria if you like.”
“I’d like that very much,” he said. She nodded.
“Don’t sit up too quickly. We’ll go in the ATV. Slowly bring your legs over the side.”
Mitch didn’t want to tell her that he’d had a half dozen concussions in his life. This wasn’t his first one. He nodded, slowly bringing his legs over the edge of the bed and waiting as she held his arms.
“Let me get a wheelchair,” she said.
“No. No, I can walk if you allow me to lean on you,” he said staring at her. She stared back, unsure of whether to believe him or not.
“If you fall, I can’t lift you. You’re too heavy,” she said with a strange expression.
“I won’t fall. I promise,” he said standing beside her.
He slowly wrapped his arm over her shoulder, feeling the heat of her flesh through her dress. She’d taken off the white coat and now he saw all of her and it was magnificent.
Marnie held her breath as her patient stood. He was enormous. Big, strong, and he was so handsome she was having a hard time breathing.
“C-can you walk?” she stammered.
“I can walk just fine, Marnie. Let’s go out the back and you can drive me on our first date.”
“It’s not a date,” she said emphatically.
“Are you married?”
“No.”
“Are you engaged?” he asked.
“No.”
“Are you dating someone that I should know about?”
“No!”
“Alright, are you a lesbian? Do you prefer women?”
“No!”
“Okay. Then it’s me. You don’t like something about me. My hair? Should I cut it? Or maybe it’s my clothes. I mean, I was working when I got hurt but I have nicer clothes.”
He took the seat in the ATV and she sat behind the wheel with a loud sigh.
“No. I’m not married, engaged, or dating. I’m not a lesbian. It has nothing to do with your appearance. I mean, almost nothing.” She started down the long main road toward the houses and the cafeteria. It was already dark, but the ATV was equipped with headlights.
“You’re going to have to explain that to me,” he said staring at her. She could feel his eyes on her and squirmed in her seat.
“Why is this so important to you?” she asked. “I’m sure you could have any woman on the property or in this city for that matter.”
“Well, I suppose I should be offended that you think I would just choose someone out of a lineup and flattered that you believe any woman would want me. But I’ll ignore all of that for now.
I don’t want any woman. I want the woman that makes my heart stop and then speed up.
She makes me nervous and shaky and yet I know that she’s all I want in this whole world. ”
“You can’t be serious. I think you hit your head harder than we thought. Let’s get back to the hospital.”
“No,” he said gripping her hand over the steering wheel. “No. I didn’t hit my head harder than you thought. I’m just fine. Listen, Marnie. I know that we don’t know one another very well, but I don’t play games with women and I don’t lie. Ever. In fact, I’m known for my brutal honesty.
“Now, it’s obvious that some asshole told you that you weren’t worthy of love and affection somewhere in your history.
And it’s obvious someone made you feel insecure about your appearance and if I get my hands on him or her, I’ll beat the shit out of them.
Just know this. I like everything I see.
Everything. I want to get to know you, take you to dinner without the headache. ”
She gave him a small grin and he counted that as a win.
“I want you to get to know me. I want to know why you chose emergency room medicine. I want to know who your parents are. I want to know it all, Marnie. All of it.”
They sat in the ATV for a long moment in silence. He could see the flesh of her breasts moving up and down with her breathing and it was everything he could manage to not lose control.
“I was raised by my stepfather,” she said pressing the pedal. He continued to stare at her. “He was a good man. A great man but he died when I was in medical school.”
“And your mom?” he asked.
“She was an alcoholic who tried to sell me to our landlord to pay the rent.” She could feel Mitch tense up next to her. “It didn’t happen. My stepfather stopped it from happening.”
“Where is your mother now?” he asked quietly.
“I heard she died but I honestly don’t know. I haven’t seen her since I was eleven. It was just me and Hal, my stepfather. I shouldn’t call him that. He was just dad to me.”
“He sounds like a great man that raised a great daughter,” said Mitch.
“Thank you.”
“What about the rest?” he asked. “I’d like to know it all.”
She parked the ATV and stepped out, coming around to his side. She helped him from the seat and he leaned on her once again. Not because he needed to, but because he wanted to.
“Maybe we save that for a second date.”