6. Skylar #2
Aries ran a hand over his face, and for the first time since I'd met him, he looked genuinely worried. As soon as the look came, he smoothed it over quickly. Then, the cocky, confident man was back.
“I’ll trust your judgment, Skylar.'“
Now it was my turn to feel a little worried. He just told me he was putting blind faith in my abilities. I knew I was good, but the fact that it would be my job for the foreseeable future to protect him and his image, had me feeling the weight of that responsibility.
I wouldn’t let him down.
“I got your back, front, and sides, Aries,” I told him, poking my chest out and letting my own confidence roll off me in waves.
The confidence in my voice must have hit him differently than I intended, because something shifted in his expression.
His eyes darkened as they traveled down to where I'd pushed my chest out, then back up to meet my gaze.
The air in the conference room suddenly felt thick, charged with an energy that had nothing to do with legal strategy.
"Is that right?" he said, his voice dropping to a lower register that sent an unwelcome shiver down my spine.
I cleared my throat and straightened my blazer, trying to regain my composure. "That's right. Professionally speaking, of course."
"Of course," he repeated, but there was a knowing smirk playing at the corners of his mouth at my poor attempt to correct the situation. I knew I needed to keep things professional, but something told me that Aries Yerba was trouble and would have me crossing all kinds of boundaries.
"I appreciate that, Skylar. More than you know."
The way he said my name again made my stomach flutter, and I cursed myself internally.
I definitely wasn’t feeling very professional at the moment.
Instead, I felt like I was back in that dream from last night.
My pulse quickened, and I had to look away before I did something stupid like lean across this conference table.
I needed to get my shit together. I was supposed to be saving his career, not fantasizing about him, or daring to consider things that could fuck up my own career.
I cleared my throat in an attempt to break the tension in the room.
"Good," I managed, shuffling through my papers to give my hands something to do.
"So, we're agreed. We wait for them to make the next move. In the meantime, I want you to document everything. Any conversations you remember having with Mr. Simpson, any concerns he expressed, anything that you can possibly remember.”
“That works. Since I’m agreeing with your plan of attack, can I make a request?”
“Absolutely.”
“Can we meet after typical hours? I haven’t done many traumas lately, so I’m normally out of surgery by five or six in the evenings. I do wish to see the inside of the O.R. throughout all of this shit. It’s my therapy.”
I studied Aries and I could see how much he meant every word, and I wanted to protect whatever peace he could manage.
“Of course. I can agree to that. Unless anything major comes up, I will try to leave you alone for the next week or so. I’ll set up a follow-up meeting in about ten days. How’s that?”
“Aww. Ten days of you not interfering in my schedule. What ever will I do?”
And just like that… there was the Aries I knew.
“I’m sure you’ll manage,” I replied dryly. “Now go away. Believe it or not, you’re not the only high-maintenance doctor who’s getting sued at this hospital.”
“Who else is getting sued?” Aries asked, pretending he cared about gossip.
“None of your business. Just like your case is no one else’s business.”
He laughed, and it was so sexy. I almost smiled but reminded myself of how annoying he could be. So, instead of curving my lips into a smile, I frowned at him.
“You are dismissed,” I told him.
"Dismissed? Really?" he asked, clearly amused by my authoritative tone. His eyes flickered with something that looked like admiration mixed with challenge.
"Yes, dismissed," I repeated, trying to ignore the way his intense gaze made my skin warm. "Unless you have something else to add about the case?"
Aries stood up, towering over the conference table. "No, counselor. I think we're good for now." He gathered his papers and tucked them into his leather portfolio. "But don't think I'm going to forget how bossy you are."
"It's called being assertive, Dr. Yerba. A quality you seem to appreciate in the operating room but find offensive in a conference room."
"I never said it was offensive," he replied, his voice dropping to that deep register again. "Just... noteworthy."
With that, he turned and walked out of the conference room.
It wasn’t until I heard the door click, leaving me alone, that I allowed myself to exhale and slump back in my chair.
What the hell was happening to me? I'd dealt with plenty of arrogant doctors before—St. Ambrose was crawling with them—but none had ever gotten under my skin like Aries Yerba.
I gathered my things and forced myself to focus. This was ridiculous. I was a professional woman with a stellar career, not some hormone-addled teenager. Yet here I was, getting flustered over a man who probably flirted with everyone who crossed his path.
As I walked back to my office, I tried to analyze my reaction to Aries clinically, as if he were a case I was working on.
The physical attraction was undeniable—the man was gorgeous, with his broad shoulders, perfect smile, and those intense eyes that seemed to see right through me.
But there was something else, something that made me both want to slap him and. .. well, do other things to him.
"How'd it go with Dr. Ego?" Leslie asked as I passed her desk.
"He's actually agreed to my strategy," I told her. "We're going to call their bluff.”
“He agreed to that? I’m surprised,” she countered.
“Not as surprised as I am.” I just knew that there was going to be a falling out from this, but that was a problem for another day. Maybe I’d have my shit together by then when facing Aries Yerba and will be better equipped at dealing with his shit.