But instead he tilts my chin up and his thumb brushes across my mouth. “Not today, princess. Today we’re going to talk about you. What’s wrong? What happened? What do you mean you lost a patient? One of your patients quit therapy?”
I shiver and a hysterical giggle slips out of my cold lips. “If only that’s all it was. I can’t really talk about her. She’s a patient and there’s patient confidentiality to consider. Just like I wouldn’t discuss your confidences with anyone else, I can’t discuss hers.”
“Give me the bare bones version. I’m like a vault. Trust me, darling. I won’t tell anyone.”
I sigh, sinking into his arms, cuddling into his warmth, needing the heat to warm up my chilled body. “I suppose you’ll see it all in the paper soon.”
“So give me that version.”
“One of my patients was killed today. She was so young, so sweet. And I just couldn’t save her.”
He studies me intently. “Did she kill herself?”
Tears crowd into my eyes again and I lean into his warmth. I need his strength today. And he willingly offers it. His big hand covers the back of my neck, rubbing my aching muscles lightly. “No,” I whisper. “She was murdered.”
His hand stills and he gasps quietly. “I’m so sorry, doc. That is awful. Do they know who did it?”
There’s the question I can’t answer. Can’t say. “Yeah. They do.”
He nods and his eyes clear. “I see. Well I’m sure you couldn’t have changed the outcome. I’m sure you did the best you could for her.”
I snort. “I’m not sure I did. I could have tried harder. Instead I let things slide and now she’s gone and it’s my own damn fault.”
He tilts my chin back up, holding me firmly and I can feel that heat in his hands burning me. His skin rough on my jaw, the friction under my skin heating my core to nuclear overload almost immediately.
“I know you, doc. You think we just met so I don’t know you but I do. I can see things so clearly in your eyes. You did everything you could and I fucking know it.”
“I feel like I should have done more.”
Chapter5
Kade
She’s right here and she smells so good. Sweet and spicy. Her skin hot under my hands. I run my fingers down her back while she cries gently. I can feel my dick lengthening under her ass. I take a deep breath.
“Get down, you motherfucker. Now is not the time,” I mutter under my breath.
“What?” she whispers, her voice raspy and tear-filled. She lifts her face from my chest and the sight of her reddened, blue-green eyes sparkling with tears on her lashes makes my heart thump against my ribs.Lord, she’s fucking beautiful.
I tuck her back into my chest and smile when she sighs deeply, relaxing into my touch.
“I know this isn’t necessarily the right time for this, princess, but there’s something I have to say to you and I want you to just listen. Don’t say anything. Just think about what I’m saying to you.”
She nods slowly but I can feel her tense up, her back stiffening.
“I want to talk to you about something personal. Something that I’ve wanted to say to you since I met you.”
Her head lifts and she shoots me a glare only slightly diminished by the tears rapidly drying on her pretty face.
“You mean since you met me a week ago? That really took a lot of control to wait a whole week.”
She pushes back and attempts to get up but I pull her back into my arms, tucking her head into my chest, my hand holding the back of her head to me.
“Dammit, Kade! You know you were being really sweet and now you’re just pissing me off!”
She struggles up out of my arms and stands to hover over me. Her arms wave around her head and her eyes shine with anger. She’s like a valkyrie and I’ve never been as turned on as I am right now. I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t tell her that, though.
“Why couldn’t you just let it go and be a sweet guy for once? Why did you have to push again?”