Chapter 27
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN
DESPERATE TIMES, DESPERATE measures and all.
Which was why Elijah was in the waiting room at Landmere Family Practice.
That’s right.
In a moment of despair over needing to see her, he booked a physical with his favorite doctor. Which he had to pay for out of pocket since his last physical was six months ago. But again, desperate times.
Finally, his name was called.
Elijah stood and followed the nurse through the hallway to the examination room.
“Hi, I’m Marquis,” the nurse introduced himself. “Didn’t we see you at the beginning of the year?”
“Uh-huh, in February.”
The nurse gave a tight smile, as if he was trying to find his patience with Elijah. “What brings you back? Are you sick?”
“Aren’t you supposed to check my vitals and then get the doctor?” Elijah was there to see Georgia, not banter with the nurse.
A friendly knock and then the door swung open. Georgia held a clipboard, likely containing all his medical information, and smiled at the nurse. Lucky bastard.
“Was he giving you a hard time?” she asked Marquis.
Marquis shot a dirty look at Elijah. “I figured out why he scheduled an appointment. Good luck, Doctor.” The nurse left them alone, but Georgia was the one who shut the door.
But when she turned around, her smile was gone.
“Why are you here?” Georgia leaned against the wall.
“You were right.”
Taking a few steps to him, she placed her hand in front of him. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
He cracked a smile, grabbing her wrist to pull her closer to him. “I don’t have a concussion.”
Georgia didn’t step away from him, but she let out a breath as if she was defeated.
“Elijah, tell me why you are here.”
“Like I was saying, you were right.” Groveling was not fun. Elijah bit the inside of his cheek. “I wasn’t in the right headspace to be your friend. Will you give me another chance?”
Finally, she laughed, and it was like music to his ears.
“You could have called me instead of making a bogus doctor appointment. I doubt insurance will pay for this.”
He continued to hold her wrist because he was afraid if he let go, she would leave. “I couldn’t take the risk you wouldn’t answer. And I’m not trying to go to prison for insurance fraud. I paid for the visit out of pocket.”
“That’s what some people would call a stage-five clinger,” she reminded him with a knowing grin.
He shrugged, even if it was the most outrageous action he’d ever taken to see a woman.
“Maybe,” he responded. Without being able to control himself, he kissed her palm. “But I want to see you again, when you’re not working.”
With one hand on her hip, her dark-green eyes sparkled with defiance. “The last time we spoke, you couldn’t be my friend, hook up with me, or date me. I already have two brothers, and trust me, I don’t need any more. Where did this change of heart come from?”
“I miss you,” Elijah blurted. Georgia took a step away, but he pulled her back to him.
She glanced at the door. “I’m at work. This is unprofessional.”
“I’m a patient.”
And he was not willing to give up until she promised to see him again.
Georgia rolled her eyes. “You think I let patients touch me like this?”
“You better fucking not,” he barked, hating the thought of someone else’s hands on her. “Fuck, that was uncalled for.”
She tilted her head. “Especially from someone who isn’t sure if they can even be my friend.”
“Let me fix this,” Elijah rushed. “Spend time with me.”
“Fine.”
Elijah winced because the word fine was still a sore subject after Nash berated him.
“Tonight?” he asked.
She looked him up and down as if the answer to his neediness was somewhere on his clothes. After another minute, she spoke. “Yes, we can hang out tonight. But no more surprise visits. Text me the plan. I can meet you around seven.”
Without doing an exam, she marched out of the room, probably to see an actual patient.
Elijah didn’t mind.
He had a date to plan.
GEORGIA WAS CLEARLY a masochist.
That was the only excuse she landed on for why she was wearing a sexy black dress, blew out her hair, and was holding a bottle of wine in front of Elijah’s door. It was like she was asking for him to shatter her heart.
But none of that derailed her.
His door opened, and damn him for wearing women’s kryptonite, also known as gray sweatpants, paired with a white T-shirt. A dish towel was slung over his shoulder, and he was barefoot.
Elijah bit his lower lip.
The air was sucked out of her. He was so hot.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you wearing this dress, but I hope it happens again,” he said roughly. “You are beautiful.”
She did a quick spin at the compliment. “Thank you. Are you going to invite me in?”
“Of course.” He swung his door wide. “Come inside La Casa Elijah. I’m making spaghetti and meatballs, so the wine you brought will pair well.”
Who was this guy? Georgia giggled at all his sweetness as she walked inside, kicking her sandals off next to a few pairs of his shoes in the hallway. She followed him to his kitchen, which was large and had an island in the middle. Putting the wine on the table, she sat on a stool.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Georgia wasn’t the greatest cook, but she was sure she couldn’t ruin dinner by stirring pasta.
He looked over his shoulder after he pulled a sheet out of the oven. “Do you want to slice the garlic bread?”
“Sure!” She went to stand next to him at the kitchen counter. “Garlic bread? Does this mean kissing is off the table?”
Elijah chuckled. “I thought I was trying to prove we could be friends?” He handed her the knife to cut the bread while he dished their plates.
“You are so confusing,” she mumbled. Quickly slicing the bread, Elijah reached over her to grab the carby garlic snacks and put them in a bowl.
“Let’s eat outside,” Elijah suggested, grabbing the plates. “Can you grab the wine and bread? I have a wine opener on the patio. I have some white wine we could try too.”
Grabbing what she was instructed to bring, Georgia followed him out his back door to his outside deck. There was a table with lit candles, and Elijah stood behind a chair he had pulled out. The night sky and flickering candles, in combination with how he stared at her, made her heart race.
Pointing at the chair, he said, “You can sit here.”
This was not friend behavior, she thought as she walked to the table and set down the bread and wine. She took a seat in the chair he pulled out for her, and then he sat down next to her.
“Is this what you are like when you date someone?” Georgia blurted out, and she didn’t even have a sip of wine yet. Smooth, real smooth.
He shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s been a long time since I’ve dated.”
Okay, maybe he was trying to be friends.
“Not me.” Georgia watched him open the bottle of wine and pour her a glass. He barely had the bottle moved before she scooped up her glass and took a healthy sip.
He, not so gently, put the wine back on the table. “I’m well aware of the dates you’ve had since you came back to Landmere.”
“There is nothing wrong with dating,” she reminded him.
He let out an annoyed breath.
“Where did you learn to cook?” Georgia asked after she dug into her spaghetti and meatballs. And, yes, she was a glutton for punishment because she skipped the garlic bread just in case they kissed.
“I’m not winning a Michelin star or anything. At work, we all rotate on who brings meals to the station, so I know how to make a few things.”
“What else can you make?”
Elijah wiped his mouth with his napkin. “For work, I cook easy things like casseroles and stuff.”
“But this isn’t work.”
“Thank fuck for that.” He shook his head. “For you, Peach. I’d make you whatever you wanted.”
She smiled while she sipped her drink. “Maybe next time you’ll do surf and turf?”
“As long as you don’t care if it’s not perfect.”
“Perfection is overrated.”
“Agreed.” Elijah’s hand rested on her thigh as he leaned back in his chair.
Just one touch, and her body tingled.
“I’m glad you decided for us to eat outside. The summer is almost over, and I swear, I’ve barely enjoyed it.”
His eyes darkened with lust. “I can think of something you enjoyed this summer.”
“What makes you think that?” She teased, loving any reaction she got out of him.
Elijah’s grasp on her leg tightened. “Is this something friends should talk about?”
No, she was not letting him shove her into the friend zone again. She didn’t skip garlic bread for nothing, and she wanted more from him. “I don’t want to be friends.”
“What do you want?” he asked, his hand moving from her leg to his glass of wine, taking a generous gulp.
“I want you.” Georgia was throwing it all out there. She’d deal with the repercussions from his rejection she was sure she’d get later. “Elijah, we’re good together. I want to explore where this can go.”
If she had a cuff to take his blood pressure, it had to be through the roof. He sat still with his jaw clenched and his left eye twitched. Honestly, part of her was close to saying screw it, and maybe they could be friends, but that wasn’t what she wanted.
Georgia wasn’t ready to give up on Elijah.
She’d wait him out. While he sat there dumbfounded, she curled her legs under her and took another bite of the meatball.
“Could we go slow?” Elijah conceded.
“I’m not asking you to propose tomorrow,” she told him. Though if he did, she knew she’d say yes. Without a doubt. Something about their connection made her feel like they could get through anything together.
As if they were made for each other.
Sparks overfilled their cup.
“I need slow. Casual and slow,” he repeated. “Can you handle low-key for a bit, and see where this goes?”
Georgia smiled despite the proverbial knife slicing into her heart. But this was new, and he was right to ask to take it slow. “I can, and I know you said you want to go slow, but does that mean checking things off my list is put on hold?”
“Not that slow,” Elijah said. “Are you done?”
She didn’t even get to respond before he was pulling her out of the chair and dragging her into the house.