Page 44 of Day Shift

Conan shifted, placing his fist next to my hip as he leaned in closer. “Look, Angel, I didn’t mean to be a dick to you. Staying away was the last thing I wanted, but I had no choice.” His jaw was clenched tight, and his face—only inches away from mine—had a look on it I’d not seen before. His frustration was palpable. Clearly, he was pissed off. The heat in his eyes and the way his nostrils flared made my breath hitch.

I tried to keep my composure, despite the chaos swirling inside me. “I…I’m sorry. Let’s just drop it. It’s not worth worrying about,” I said, my words stumbling out in a rush. What the hell could his problem be? With heat rushing up my neck, I turned, preparing to slip into the pool to escape further confrontation, but he reached out with his big ole giant hand and captured my chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing me to face him.

“You’re wrong. It is worth worrying about,” he said. Then he took a long breath, his stare unflinching as I blinked in stunned silence. “You deserved better—as a patient and someone suffering from a TBI. You have amnesia for Christ’s sake. It was unprofessional, bordering on perverse, of me to kiss you or take advantage of you. I’m a fucking nurse—your nurse—who was responsible for your initial care. I was in a position of power over you when you were at your most vulnerable. What I did was wrong, a big mistake. That’s on me, not you, and for that I’m sorry.”

My mouth dropped open, but words wouldn’t form. I shook my head, trying to clear the whirlwind of embarrassment and anger. Did he honestly think I was so pathetic that a fucking kiss could possibly damage me somehow? I smacked his hand away from my chin.

“It was only a simple kiss,” I said. “It’s not like you threw me against a wall and fucked me until I didn’t know my name—not that I know my name, but you get my drift. Besides, I all but fell into your lap and begged you to kiss me. No need to be dramatic. It was no big deal.” I huffed, rolling my eyes so hard it hurt.

He dropped his chin to the side and arched his brow as his tight lips curved into a half-smirk. “Sorry, didn’t mean to imply that a kiss from me was any big deal. As gorgeous as you are, I’m sure back in your real life you have men falling at your feet. So, let me rephrase. In a hospital environment, none of the staff should ever allow themselves to participate in an inappropriate interaction with a patient. I not only did that, but was caught in the act.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, just as I was about to pull away from our kiss, I looked up, and your ever-diligent guard was staring straight at me from the doorway.”

My lips formed a silent O as understanding dawned.

“That’s why I bolted. I went to Atticus, and he not-so-gently advised me to self-report before the guy told on me. I swear, if we hadn’t been standing in the middle of the ED, he would’ve punched me right in the face,” Conan confessed, a rueful grin flickering across his face.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, despite the seriousness of the situation. “So, what happened then?”

“I self-reported. But I didn’t expect the chain of events to unfold like they did. Let’s just say Administration wanted to fire my ass. If it hadn’t been for Atticus threatening to leave and take Sam with him, I wouldn’t have a job. It could have cost me my career. Instead, they agreed to put me on probation and restrict me from leaving the ED except when given specific permission by the charge nurse.” He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders in disbelief.

“So, of course, the gossip mill has had a field day with all the speculation about what I did,” he said. “Worse, it impacted Sam. Administration found out she’d taken a special interest in you and demanded she stop. I’ll give it to her though. She stood her ground, telling them it was her duty as a nurse to provide help to those in need. She told them her relationship with you was professional and dared them to prove otherwise. They let it drop, but not without warning her to watch her step because of how the press was treating the whole mysterious Jane Doe situation and her possible ties to organized crime.” His head dropped, and he ran his hand over the back of his neck. “For me, it’s been a big deal.”

My hand shot out to his knee, his bare skin warm to the touch. “I’m so sorry, Conan. I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined all that would happen. Oh my God, I feel terrible that every single person who has reached out to help me has had to suffer. I…I don’t have words to tell you how awful I feel.”

He covered my hand with his, and then his head snapped up, a broad grin spreading across his lips. “I should have just waited for you to get to Atticus’s house.”

I felt his smile all the way to my toes. How could I resist wanting a taste of those lips? But after all he’d been through, I bet he would never take another chance on the girl with the broken head. Fuck, what a shame.

Trying to detour away from the seriousness of our conversation, I teased, “Oh, so you think you’ve earned the right to kiss me again?”

In one swift motion, he pushed off from the ground and sprang to his feet. For a big guy, he had some moves. He extended his open hand, which I more than happily accepted, and helped me up to my feet. Then, pulling me to his chest, he leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Like Samantha just said, I do like kissing the ladies.”

Before his words could completely register, Sam let out a high-pitched squeal and ran to bear-hug a woman with long, dark brown hair.

Atticus raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Looks like I need to scrutinize the security system, because I could have sworn the front door was locked.”

Sam, still hugging the woman, tossed over her shoulder, “Nah, I updated the protocols, giving Beth her own biometric access.”

Sam let the woman go and strolled over to Atticus, planting a kiss on his cheek. “I knew you wouldn’t mind.” She chuckled.

Turning toward Conan and me, she shouted, “Hey, you two, come over here and let me introduce Angel to my best friend!”

When we joined them, Sam made a quick introduction. “Angel, this is Bethany, another nurse from the ED at St. John’s. Beth, this is—”

“Oh, I know exactly who this is. She may not have a name, but she’s totally famous,” Bethany said, throwing her arms around me in a big hug. I stood there with my arms pinned to my sides, swaying back and forth.

“Beth, let the woman go,” Conan said. “You’re freaking her the fuck out. Give her a minute to adjust to your hyperactive nature.” He rubbed his fingers over the creases in his forehead.

Bethany let go, pushed me up against Conan’s side, took his hand, and draped his arm over my shoulder. “Don’t worry. She’s all yours. Wouldn’t dream of stealing her away from you.” Catching my gaze, she winked and headed to the grill, where Atticus stood, checking the temperature of the steaks.

The laughter that bubbled up from my throat felt good, cleansing even. I started swaying to the rhythm of the song that was playing on the speakers—“House Party” by Sam Hunt. “So, what now?” I asked him, the tension finally lifting between us.

“Now?” Conan paused. A playful glint appeared in his eyes. His fingers glided down my arm, and he took my hand, spinning me around in time to the music. “Now, I guess we try to be friends without complications.”

“Friends with no strings attached?” I asked as we continued to dance. The phrase rang a bell, tugging at the hidden part of my mind.

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