Page 99 of Tulips and Lost Time

Midnight rolls around, and the end of another shift sneaks closer. I’ve been on the job a hell of a lot longer than Kari has, and my shifts are always with Mitch, which means we know each other now, we know how the other works and the strengths each of us bring to the job. That means we have a system that has me out of the bus on time, except in the case of an emergency.

Tonight is not one of those nights.

I sit in the ambulance dock, hidden in the shadows, and watch the doors as they whir open and the afternoon shift wander out. Nurses. Doctors. Administration. It’s a hard change once midnight hits, which means any patient inside, if they’re in pain at midnight, will have to wait a second for the handover to occur and the new staff to familiarize themselves with what’s going on.

It’s not a perfect system, I know. But this is a small town, and it’s rare that anyone is left for more than a minute or two for the personnel change over.

“I can give you a ride.” Bernadette—a nurse—moves through the doors with a to-go cup of coffee in her hand and a purse dangling off the other arm. But her companion, Kari, is who holds my interest. “It’s not safe for you to walk home alone, Kar. And we don’t live all that far from one another, so I don’t mind?—”

I step out of the shadows, casual as fuck, and grin when the duo glances across at the movement. Bernadette’s shoulders slump, relief, while Kari’s come up.

“Hey.” I swagger closer and swing my keys around my finger. “Marc is working at the club tonight and asked me to come get you.”

“Oh well, that’s easy then!” Bernadette winks at me and continues on. “Thank god Marcus is organized, huh? I was getting worried.”

“Thank god for Marcus,” I agree as Kari’s eyes narrow. “Come on.” I move in closer until only a foot separates us and sling her backpack out of her hands. Slipping my arm through the strap, I turn to walk by her side. “I’m taking you home tonight.”

“You’re being insanely obvious,” she growls. Her body is taut and her lips barely move. “Luca…”

“Sneaking isn’t always about not being seen.” I wrap my hand around her bicep and steer her into the shadows. “Sometimes, it’s about ensuring you’re seen in all the places you’re expected to be.” I look down and smirk. “It’s math.”

“It’s stupid.” The moment we’re out of the light, she yanks her arm from my hand and snatches back her bag. “You’re stupid.”

“You’re cranky.” I lead her to my bike, which just so happens to be two feet from the hospital exterior wall. Then I shove her against the bricks and inhale her gasped breath. “You’re cranky when you want me. You’re cranky when you’ve got me. What do I need to do to make you smile?”

“I’m just a cranky person in general.” Her perfect, emerald eyes search mine. But fuck, her hands come to my hips, too. Her throat rolls as she swallows the lump clogging the middle. “It’s who I am now after years of being angry. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” I lean in and feather a kiss along her jaw. Nibbling. Biting. Beaming when she gasps. “Be here with me. We only get to experience this time in our lives once.” I take her bottom lip between my teeth. “Be present, and stop looking for a reason to hate me.”

I cup her jaw and force her head back. Her hair catches in the brickwork, tugging and tangling as I move her. But she doesn’t complain. She doesn’t push me away. If anything, she pulls me closer, her chest lifting and falling as she searches for air.

“Come for a ride with me, Bear.” I dive in and savor the flavor of her neck on my tongue. Her sweet, floral scent. Her warm, heady intoxication. “We can take an hour before you have to be back. No one will even notice you were gone.”

“I’m actually really tired.” Blushing, she forces her eyes open and searches mine. “That’s not a cop out, though. I’m on my fifth, consecutive twelve-hour shift, and my eyes feel like they might spontaneously combust.”

“Take you home?” My heart stutters. Her rejection, so gentle, and yet… right there. “You want me to just drop you home?”

She swallows, gulping noisily. “But you could come in with me.”

My heart comes to a dead standstill. “What?”

“Britt’s staying at the house with X, Laine’s staying with Graham, and Jess has been working a bunch, so she’ll be asleep. If anyone saw your bike out front, they’d assume you were visiting your sisters. You could come in…” She hesitates. “We could just hang out. No… ya know.”

“No sex?” My face hurts with how wickedly fast my smile curls up. “You’re asking me in, but you’re laying down a boundary.”

“I just… I want to spend time with you. But I’m not even sure I’d have the strength to hold on if we go for a long ride. I thought this was a decent compromise, but if you?—”

“I accept your terms.” I shoot forward and slam my lips to hers, bashing the back of her skull against the bricks again. But guilt fails to fill my veins. Instead, I feel something else entirely. Love. Want. Mostly anticipation. To spend time in her home, in her room… just her and me…

What am I? Seventeen fucking years old?

“I’ll stay as long as you want me to.” I slide my fingers along her ribs and smirk when she trembles. “I’ll hide in the fucking closet if you need me to. If the twins were to ever become suspicious, they’d be cool anyway. I don’t give them trouble about their dating lives, they don’t give me trouble about mine.”

“Perhaps you should get more involved. Laine’s dating a complete jackass. None of us like him.”

“Laine’s a big girl. If she wants my help, I’m here for her. But if she wants to date a guy, I’m gonna trust her judgement.”

“Negligent,” she teases.

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