Page 100 of The More the Merrier

The person on the other changed her tone and sounded like she was explaining something bigger than poor planning.

Dalton cursed under his breath. “You should have led with that information. I need a shower, but then I’ll be in. You owe me a real cup of coffee, not that sludge from the break room.” Ending the call, he let out a long breath.

“I thought you were off today.”

“I was supposed to be.” Grumbling, he returned me to my side of the bed, fixing the blanket before getting up.

I perched up on my elbows, watching him pull his jeans on and loop his belt through his pants. I liked the idea of him removing it way more than him putting it on.

He sat on the edge of the mattress, tying his sneakers, clearly annoyed at having to work yet another shift. I bet it wasn’t the first time he was called in this week. “I haven’t had a day off in far longer than I should.”

“What time is it?”

“Five o’clock. Go back to sleep. I’ll call you in a little bit.” He yanked his shirt over his head, finishing with his clothing. Leaning over my body, he pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“You’ll be busy.”

“I’ll make time.” He touched my right hip and tapped his finger on it. “Try not to put pressure on your foot today.”

We both knew it would be a stretch on any given day at the emergency department, but it was solid advice.

“I’ll do my best,” I assured him.

“Good.”

“Dalton…” Heat flushed my face, and I looked away. I’d wanted to seek some sort of clarification about what we were heading toward, but I couldn’t handle the rejection.

He touched my chin, turning it so I had to focus on him. “I’m serious about the two of us discussing things later. Don’t overthink today. We’ll talk soon.”

“But…”

He interrupted my protest with a kiss. Though last night had been completely unexpected, my drunk ass hadn’t appreciated it. His mouth seemed to mold to mine, and I swore no one had taken my breath away quite like him. Dalton broke away far too early for my liking.

“See you later, prancer.”

“Have a good day.”

“You too.”

I thought back to last night as I watched Dalton leave my bedroom. I was mortified by my behavior and the way we had interacted. He was throwing off serious Daddy Dom vibes, but maybe I was reading into it because I really wanted him to step into that role. But he counted down in Grant’s office and I’d submitted to his dominant tone easily. Dalton would make a great partner, and I imagined what it would be like to be in a relationship with him.

It left me thinking about Grant, who’d also been throwing off serious Daddy vibes. I thought I’d felt them from him before, especially since I’d been spending a lot of time at his bar. But when he picked me up in his arms after I fell? My heart seemed to flutter in my chest as I remembered. I was rapidly losing my cover as someone who wasn’t into wanting a specific type of dynamic.

Dare I hope the holidays could bring in an extra helping of magic for the three of us? Grant flirted with Dalton last night, and even though I wasn’t sure if he wanted a relationship, it sure seemed like he wanted something.

Rolling over, I pulled the pillow from the side of the bed where Dalton slept. Inhaling the scent of his cologne, I smiled. His passionate kisses left me wanting more.

Sighing, I snuggled into my sheets. I had a few more hours of blissful sleep calling my name, and with the promise to talk with Dalton and a yummy coffee with my name on it, perhaps today wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Work was suspiciously calm, but I had been a nurse long enough to know that looks could be deceiving. I’d even taken a break this afternoon. We were always busy, just like any other emergency department, but thankfully not insanely packed. Rounding the corner, I bumped straight into Dalton.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” I said. He looked tired, but as handsome as he had when he left my bed this morning.

“Hey, prancer. Sorry I couldn’t grab you a coffee yet. I’m working until four but I’ve got to take care of some things after that.”

“Oh, yeah, no problem.” I stepped back, putting a small amount of space between us. “I understand.” Hoping that I hid the disappointment well, I patted his shoulder. “I’m sure we’ll catch up some other time.”

Why the hell had he stayed last night if he had no interest in making anything between us happen? It wasn’t fair to jump to that conclusion, but his attitude grated on my nerves.Wait. Pause.He hadn’t been giving me an attitude. No, he was functioning on less than five hours of sleep because of my antics last night.

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