Chapter 1 #2
The slow elevator ride is almost painful.
I tap my badge against my thigh as I run through different possibilities in my mind.
By the time the doors open on the ground floor, I’ve already mentally outlined three different approaches to getting more information from Jess.
But of course they’re only approaches. What actually happens will be entirely different, I’m sure.
Jazz renditions of holiday classics float from speakers in the ceilings, and warm white lights twinkle through the hallways of the hospital’s main floor. It’s a nice change up from the clinical blandness of the med-surg unit.
The cafeteria is almost empty at this hour.
There’s a few visitors grabbing a late dinner and employees like me on break before the kitchen closes for the night.
I spot Damon immediately, sitting vigilant in a corner booth that gives him a perfect line of sight to all three entrances.
His back is to the wall, phone face-down on the table, leather jacket slung over the seat beside him.
Damn, he looks good enough to eat. He’s in dark jeans and a charcoal henley that hugs his shoulders.
The sleeves are shoved up past his elbows, showing off his inked forearms corded with lean muscle.
Every time I look at them, I remember just how good he is with his hands.
His hair is a mess, like he’s been running his fingers through it, and his jawline has a faint hint of dark scruff.
To anyone watching, he’s just a hot guy impatiently waiting for his girlfriend.
But I know better.
I can see the way his eyes track every person who walks by. I know his vibrating leg won’t stop until I’m next to him. I can read the tension in his shoulders that never fully relaxes when we’re in public.
For a moment, I wonder if I look similar nowadays. My body certainly feels tense, my mind constantly spinning.
I don’t have time to dwell.
Once I’m a few steps from the entrance, our eyes meet across the room, and everything I was just thinking about falls away.
That’s what it’s always like with Damon.
The entire world narrows down to just us.
It’s something primal, otherworldly. This magnetic pull that’s existed between us from the very first moment he broke into my bedroom.
He doesn’t smile, not fully, but his expression softens in a way that’s only for me.
A male nurse brushes past me on his way to the coffee station, and Damon shoots out of his seat like he’s ready to draw blood.
I narrow my gaze and shake my head. Simmer down, killer.
He doesn’t wait for me to reach him. He closes the distance in seconds, arms open, waiting for me to take my place against his chest. He smells incredible. Leather and smoke and home. I breathe him in before tipping my head up to meet his gaze. “Hi.”
Those amber eyes gleam like warm honey as he finally awards me a smile. “What took you so long?”
“Oh, you know, just meeting up with my other boyfriends first to give them their Christmas gifts. I have one on each floor… Takes a while.” I smirk and wrap my fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck.
“You’re getting coal in your stocking for that, Angel.” His fingers catch my chin and his mouth finds mine in a warm kiss. I press in closer, fisting his hair, losing myself in him… until I remember where we are and pull back.
He clears his throat, keeping his hand on my waist. “Yeah… naughty list for sure.”
“I know you’re full of it. You think I haven’t seen the present stash in the office?”
“If we were home right now, I’d spank that round ass for being a bad little snoop,” he says, his voice almost a growl. “Actually—”
I yelp, as his palm comes down on my left ass cheek. Not hard, but enough that I’ll feel him there for the rest of the night. “I can’t believe you just—”
He wraps his hand in mine and pulls me toward the booth. “Come on, I got you your latte.”
Guess I’m done arguing.
“Thanks?”
Spankings and lattes… not a bad way to spend an evening.
He waits for me to sit before taking his place against the wall. There’s a plastic shopping bag next to my drink, before I can ask what’s inside, he pushes it toward me.
“I stopped at Whole Foods. Turkey wrap and those jalapeno chips you love.”
My chest swells. God, I love this man.
“Thank you, baby. You didn’t have to.” I pull out the wrap and bag of chips and feel something else in there. “A sugar cookie too? Have I mentioned that you’re my favorite person on this planet?”
His lips curve and his hand settles on my thigh beneath the booth, his thumb tracing circles. “So what happened? Things have looked pretty calm on the floor all night.”
I shake my head, holding in a laugh since I’m mid-bite. Such a stalker. Once I swallow, I give him a rundown of Jess and Adam’s conversation.
His expression doesn’t change but halfway through his thumb stills. I can tell he’s thinking what I’m thinking. Something doesn’t feel right.
“It could be nothing,” Damon finally says, but his voice lacks conviction. “Rich people are paranoid. Could be someone immunocompromised who doesn’t want to risk hospital germs during flu season. Could be—”
“Could be someone who needs medical clearance on trafficking victims before a sale,” I finish quietly.
His jaw tightens, and he moves his hand from my thigh to tap his fingers against the table. I expect him to look angry, to even argue with me on this, but as his eyes meet mine there’s something fierce burning in them. Something proud. “What’s your gut telling you?”
I take a breath. “That something’s really wrong. That Jess is walking into something dangerous and she has no idea.” I wrap my hands around my paper cup. The warmth grounds me. “I know we were supposed to have our two days. I know this ruins our plans. But I can’t just—”
“Blake.” He leans forward, and his hand finds mine across the table. “You really think I’d want you to ignore this? That I’d choose a quiet Christmas over potentially saving someone?”
“I mean... we’ve been looking forward to it. You promised—”
“And I meant it. But Angel, this is who we are.” His thumb resumes those gentle circles, this time on my palm. “This is what we do. And the fact that your first instinct was to investigate instead of ignore it?” His features soften and his voice goes low. “Fuck, I’m proud of you.”
My chest tightens in the best way. “Yeah?”
“Hell yeah.” He grabs his phone. “So let’s figure this out. You said she’s accepting the offer tonight?”
“That’s what she said. The guy… whoever contacted her, is supposed to send over a list of what they need before she accepts.”
“Good. That’s something to get us started.
Plus, there must be security footage of whoever it was in the cafeteria this morning.
” He’s already texting, his leg vibrating with tension.
“Leon can start digging right away. A rich prick soliciting residents, offering fifteen grand for a Christmas Eve house call? There’s a trail somewhere. ”
“But should we really be bothering them tonight? It’s Christmas Eve.”
He shrugs. “They may ignore my texts, but I have a feeling they’ll want in.”
I take a bite of my wrap, watching him work and trying not to feel guilty for pulling the others into this.
Watching Damon when he’s like this does all kinds of things to my chest, though.
I love when he’s focused, when those wheels in his mind are turning.
Of course, I hope this ends up being nothing, but in a twisted way I’m enjoying the way he lights up from this kind of work.
He catches me staring and shoots me a look. “You better eat your dinner. You need to keep up your strength for the rest of your shift.”
“It’s two more hours,” I say. “Watching you is way more fun.”
That look doesn’t leave his face, so I huff and eat a bit more.
“That’s my girl.”
Swapping the wrap for the allergen-free snowman sugar cookie, I smile picturing Damon picking this out in the bakery of Whole Foods.
“Leon’s in,” he says, after a flurry of back and forth messages.
“He’s already working on the hospital security cameras.
He’s happy to get a break from watching the third Hallmark Christmas movie of the day with Amanda, Jasper, and Bailey.
” He chuckles. “Falin’s in too. She said, thank God.
I can’t take another minute of these movies. ”
“I can totally envision the look on their faces.”
“Same,” he says with a laugh.
“Are you really okay with this?”
He sets his phone down, giving me his complete attention. “Of course, I’m okay with this. And you better believe my angel will still get the perfect Christmas.”
“Yeah?” I ask, my throat clogged with emotion.
“Fuck yeah. It may not be everything we pictured, but it’ll be everything to us.
” His hand finds mine across the table. “Not too long ago you were a med student who’d never thrown a punch.
Who let others tear you down. Who’d never seen how fucked the world can be.
Now you’re sitting here, picking up on things most people would miss, ready to make sacrifices to protect the helpless.
” He wraps his fingers in mine. “You’ve become exactly who you were meant to be.
And getting to watch that happen? That’s the best Christmas gift I could ever get. ”
I have to blink back the sudden heat behind my eyes. “You’re going to make me cry in the middle of a hospital cafeteria.”
“Good. You’re incredible and I’ll remind you of that every day.” He squeezes my hand. “Now, that resident… Let’s figure out how you can get more information out of her.”
I check the time on my phone once we figure out the beginning of a plan. “I should grab Stephanie’s coffee and get back. See if I can track Jess down before her shift ends.”
“Text me updates. Even if it’s nothing.” He stands when I do, pulling me against him one more time. His voice tickles my ear. “Angel?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll be watching you.”
I shake my head and lower my voice to a sultry whisper. “Good. I like knowing those pretty eyes are on me.” I pull back just enough to meet his gaze, sobering my tone. “I like knowing I’m always safe. That your claim on me is more important than anything else.”
His pupils dilate, and I feel his hand tighten possessively on my hip. “Fuck, baby. You’re going to be the death of me.”
“Not allowed to die on me yet.” I press a quick kiss to his jaw. “Now let me go before Stephanie sends a search party.”
“One more.” He captures my mouth in a kiss that’s definitely too heated for my workplace, but I don’t complain. When he finally releases me, we’re both breathing hard. “Okay. Now you can go.”
“Such a possessive stalker,” I tease.
“Your possessive stalker.” He smirks, showing his dimples. “Hour and a half. Then you’re all mine.”
“Promise?”
“Always.”
I force myself to walk away, grabbing Stephanie’s coffee before heading back to the elevators. His eyes are on me the entire time, tracking me, memorizing my every move, making sure I’m safe even in this secure place.
God, I love that psycho of a man.