Chapter 1 Beth
It’s one thing to be a clutz.
It’s a whole other thing to trip over your own feet and spill a cup of foamy urine over one of the hottest men on the planet.
“Oh my God.” I slap my hand over my mouth as I stare at the offending yellow stain now spreading across the front of his blue scrub top. I stare up in horror at matching blue eyes, glinting in amusement.
“I mean, I know you’ve never been a fan of me making management switch out Twix for Hot Pockets in the vending machines,” he says in that Southern twang of his. “But I never thought you hated me that bad.”
“Oh no, I don’t hate you.” In fact, I have the biggest crush on you known to man. “I’m so sorry, Dr. Collins. I’m such a clutz. I didn’t mean to do that.”
“Of course, you didn't. That's the story we'll tell the cops.” And then he winks in addition to flashing me his signature crooked smile that has my heart racing once again. If I think about it, that smile caused this whole mess in the first place.
I was coming down the hall, steady as you please, carrying a urine sample from the diabetic patient in room forty-five.
Dr. Zach Collins, who looks like a movie star from Baywatch, was coming in the opposite direction, and then, just like that, across the long hallway, with its septic scent and beeping noises, our eyes met.
The sounds all faded away, the chatter of the intercom becoming a faint buzz in my ears.
Suddenly, I smelled something soft and oceany, with a hint of masculine spicy cologne that he sometimes wears.
Usually, I could tell when he just left a room because of that scent, and I always took a moment to breathe it in.
I inhale it now, and when I get close, he smiles and opens his mouth to say something.
I don’t actually ever get to hear what he has to say because the smile has my heart skipping a beat, my feet tangling with themselves, and, of course, on instinct, my hands shoot out for balance, sending the entire cup of urine flying all over his shirt.
“I’m so sorry, Dr. Collins,” my face is flaming red, and I glance around to see if anyone is watching. Luckily, the hallway is empty for now, although given how busy the ER is this afternoon, it won’t stay that way for much longer. “I should have been watching where I was going.”
“No, it’s entirely my fault,” he says. “I wasn’t watching where I was going either.”
“You weren’t?”
He shakes his head. “My mind got lost somewhere along the way. In a certain someone's eyes.”
I blush heatedly, and my heart continues pounding as I try not to gape like an idiot.
I don’t know what to say. I never know what to say when he tells me things like that.
I know it counts as flirting, but I'm not sure if it’s because he’s just a natural flirt or because he’s actually interested in me.
But I haven’t seen him flirting with any of the other nurses, so it doesn't seem like the former. Then again, I also know he just got out of a long-term relationship, so he's probably not looking for anything serious right now.
That’s perfect because you can’t afford to have anything serious either, the horny little miss that resides in my brain says. So why not take the chance? I don’t think you’ll regret riding out this hunk. And it's been so long since you've had a nice little meaningless romp.
No. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, subduing the desire.
My days of throwing caution into the air and recklessly indulging in meaningless romps are over.
I'm not that girl anymore. That girl died a painful death after a mistake that cost me the world.
That mistake still haunts me to this day.
“Are you okay?”
I swallow the bitter feeling rising in my throat and open my eyes to Dr. Collins’ concerned expression. I try not to get lost in his blue gaze once more as I respond, “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry. Just dying with embarrassment.”
“Don't worry about it,” he says, chuckling. “At least none of it got in my mouth. Trust me, I’ve had much worse things thrown at me. I’m more upset about the fact that you keep calling me Dr. Collins.
” He raises an eyebrow, his tone teasing and admonishing all at once.
“I’ve told you several times to call me Zach. ”
Oh, I can call you Zach all night. I can whisper it as I ride you, with your hands tweaking my nipples, your lips devouring mine...
Okay, slow down there, tiger, before you have a heat stroke.
“Right, Zach. Well, I’m really sorry about that.”
“Luckily, it doesn't smell too bad,” he says. “You’ll have to collect that again, won’t you?”
“Yeah.” I sigh. The patient wasn't pleasant about peeing in a cup the first time, and I don’t imagine the second time will be any better. But I've been a nurse for five years already, and so unpleasant patients no longer scare me.
“Oh, by the way, since I have you here,” I suddenly recall something. “I was looking for you yesterday, but you left early.”
“Looking for me?” he smirks. “Why? Did you want to ask me on a date?”
Oh my God, does he want me to? No, focus.
My face is on fire, but I try to maintain a professional expression as I clear my throat.
“Um, no, it was about one of your patients. I think his discharge paperwork wasn’t filled in correctly, so he’s still marked as an ongoing patient.
The father insisted that you discharged the boy last night, but the mother didn't let him go home as a result.”
“Damn,” he says. “I must have made a mistake somewhere. I'm still getting used to the new system.” He sighs deeply. “I hate that they keep overhauling the EMR system, as I'm getting used to the old one.”
I nod because I can totally sympathize with him.
The hospital keeps experimenting, trying to find ways for us to get our notes done faster and much cleaner for the insurance approval, but it also ends up inconveniencing healthcare providers by making us constantly train for new methods of entering insurance codes.
“I can’t wait till the robots take over and can do this stuff for us,” Zach mutters.
I raise my eyebrow. “You know if the robots take over, you and I may not have a job, right?”
“Ah, you mean we get to lounge on a beach in Bali? I get to take an all-year vacation with a beautiful brunette? Sign me up, Wall E. I will be your loyal human subject.”
I giggle and shake my head. That’s another thing about Zach that gets me.
He’s not just a pretty face. He’s also funny, smart, witty, kind, and good with kids.
As the resident emergency pediatrician, I've seen him calm screaming toddlers faster than some sedatives.
He does it with the same effortless ease as he accomplishes with everyone else, even the parents.
He never raises his voice or seems frustrated, even when the parents are a hindrance to the care he provides.
He simply gives everyone that crooked smile of his, employing patience as he talks them off the ledge.
What’s not to like about him? He’s prime crush material.
This is probably why I find myself telling him, “I can help you with the EMR if you want.”
“You will?”
I nod. “I pretty much spent all weekend getting caught up on the new codes and all. I can at least show you how to fill out the discharge paperwork so it doesn't get stalled.”
“Oh, that would be amazing. But don't you have to go get more urine to test?”
I shrug. “Yeah, but it will likely take him some time to work up another round. Might as well use that time wisely.”
Zach grins and then says, “Then lead the way.”
As I walk next to him, trying not to be swayed too much by his ocean scent, that's like a balm that just washes away all my stress from the day. Dr. Collins, Zach, purses his lips as we walk and then curses to himself.
“Shit.”
“What?” I ask him.
“I forgot that I needed to ask the family history of the patient I just saw.” He sighs. “Jesus. I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for eight years already, and I still forget little things like that.”
“Sometimes, it’s the little things that trip you up more than the major ones,” I admit. “Don’t beat yourself up. Everyone makes mistakes like that.”
“You don't.”
“Of course I do.” I give him an incredulous look. “How could you even say that when I spilled pee on you?”
“Yes, but as we established, that was mostly my fault. I stepped in front of you when I wasn’t supposed to.”
“Well, agree to disagree,” I say. “Either way, I assure you that I make plenty of mistakes.” Including huge life-changing ones, mistakes that I have nightmares about.
Sometimes, even during the day, the mistakes plague me.
“Really?” Zach's eyes widen as we stop in front of his office door. “You always look so put together. I used to wonder how you managed it working in a crazy place like this.”
I nearly snort, laughing as he opens the door. He thinks I’m put together? I’d heard the opposite growing up, although, to be fair, my parents were strict Mormons, so their bar for 'put together' was extremely high. Maybe that’s why I rebelled all through high school and college.
I take note of Zach's office as we walk in, and I place the cup on the table.
His office space is small, but at least it's not shared.
It's sparse, containing his desk, a rolling chair, and a single leather sectional next to the door.
A small window behind the desk illuminates the whole room, bouncing off the messy stack of papers on his desk next to his computer.
I place the urine cup on the table and grab a bottle of sanitizer, squeezing a dollop onto my hand to disinfect it.
“Hey, give me some of that too,” Zach says behind me, and I nod and turn around to do just that.
Only to find him shirtless.
I freeze.
My breath hitches in my throat. My heart stops for a second and then pounds faster. The sanitizer bottle clatters to the ground, and my hand squeezes in the air.
He's magnificent.
His body is sculpted to perfection, golden and tanned. Broad but not too muscular, just enough that it leans out his frame quite nicely.
And as I stare in silence, practically drooling as the chest comes closer and closer.
I finally turn my face upwards, where he's standing in front of me, amusement and desire in his eyes.
“You going to give me some of that sanitizer or not?” His voice is teasing but husky.
I croak out an answer that's not an answer.
His hand travels around my waist, pulling me closer, and my entire body flushes with heat in anticipation of his kiss. He hesitates for a single second, then moves slowly, asking my permission the entire way.
My breath rushes through my lips in little pants. I know I should put a stop to this, but I can't.
I want his lips on mine so bad I can't breathe.
The opening of the door interrupts us, but I still don't drag my face away from his. There's a low sound, and Zach looks away first.
“Aaron,” he says.
Panic crackles in the air as my head whips to the side, eyes snapping wide to meet the angry gaze of Dr. Aaron St. James.