Page 25 of Devoted

Chapter 8

Jess

“Sounds like a chance worth taking.” The words leave my mouth just as I finally accept them.

When Brooks cornered me outside of the bathroom and told me he came to the speed dating event for me, I was so damn surprised that it took me a minute to process what he said. It was like hearing that he wanted me too was the push I needed to grant myself permission to give into the attraction I feel towards him. Even though my dreaded curse is in the back of my mind, men like Brooks Bennet don’t come around every day, and the realization that other women might think the same throughout the evening made me even more convinced I needed to see what was between us and not let my fear win.

“Then let’s get to it. I wanna know who Jessalyn Harris is.”

“I assure you, she’s probably not as interesting as you might think.” I shrug and then take a sip of my drink again, virtually draining it.

“No. I disagree,” he counters. “Any woman who eats orange flavored Tic Tacs has to be interesting.” I want to reach across the table and wipe that sexy smirk off his face, then pour an entire container in my mouth to make a statement.

“Don’t make me eat them in front of you,” I say with a lift of my brow.

His laugh hits my ears again and sends goosebumps running wildly over my skin. “Point made. So tell me this then… what made you go into nursing?”

That’s a fair question since our professions are something we share in common. “Good question. Well, actually, I didn’t realize I wanted to do anything in the medical field until I was a sophomore in high school. That summer, I ran onto the scene of a car crash and comforted a little boy and his mom whose SUV had flipped through the air and landed on its roof. I didn’t do anything medically, but one of the paramedics on scene commended me for acting on instinct and told me I would be an asset in the field. It kind of just stuck with me, and that’s when I decided I knew I wanted to help save lives somehow.” And if it weren’t for a promise I made to my mother, I wouldn’t have followed through on that choice.

“So why a nurse and not an EMT?”

“Once I started doing my research, I knew I would have more stability as a nurse. And I wasn’t so sure I wanted to be the first on scene to an emergency. But I like being in the ER, intercepting the patients and helping keep them stable and feel safe.”

I assess the smile on Brooks’ face and decide that he appreciates that answer. “I can tell how much you love your job. The way you move, anticipate what’s coming, and calm patients is a gift. Nursing was definitely your calling, Jessalyn.” Hearing him call me by my full name does something to me—like ruins me for all other men.

“Okay, so what about you? I’ve already given you crap about not choosing neurology or cardiology, even though I feel your ego is far more suited for those specialties,” I say jokingly. “But why the medical field in general?”

He brushes a hand through his already tousled hair, loosening up the gelled style he had perfected earlier. “Well, I grew up playing football, like I said before.” I nod. “I knew I didn’t want to play professionally or anything, but sports medicine always fascinated me because I knew there was so much more that went on behind the scenes to make the athletes winners on the field. When I got accepted to UC, Santa Barbara, I thought for sure that’s what I wanted to do. But as I started shadowing and doing internships in the hospitals, the thrill of the ER just kind of called to me. It gave me that same adrenaline rush I got when I took the field in a football game. It’s a mixture of not knowing what’s going to happen, but also having a playbook you can always rely back on, if that makes sense?” I marvel at Brooks’ analogy, because yes, it actually does make sense.

“So you’re an adrenaline junkie?”

“I guess you could say that,” he says, grinning around the rim of his glass.

“Have you done anything else that gives you that rush? Like skydiving? Bungee jumping? Swimming with sharks?”

Brooks looks around the bar, searching for something, but then focuses back on me with wide, excited eyes. “Wanna get out of here and go jump out of a plane, Jess? Because now that you said that, I’m getting the itch.”

“You’ve jumped out of a plane before?” My nerves run haywire at the thought that he might ask me to do that with him.

He nods slowly. “Yup. Four times. But I’d do lucky number five with you, if you want.” He grants me that blinding smile again, which almost makes me want to jump out of a plane with him. Almost.

“Nope, I’m good. I will keep my feet planted firmly on the ground, thank you very much.”

“Are you afraid of heights or something?”

I grimace, contemplating my answer. “It’s not that I’m necessarily afraid of heights. It’s more like I’m afraid of the feeling of falling and not stopping before I hit the ground.”

Brooks’ face lights up at my confession. “Aw, but Jess—that’s the best part. The leap of faith you take when you jump, the feeling of the wind hitting your entire body, that pressure but also the feeling of weightlessness. It’s the most free and alive you’ll ever feel.” The smooth lilt of his words when he describes it actually makes it sound like one of the most exhilarating moments you can have in your life.

“I feel like I’d need someone to push me. I’m not saying I’d never do it, but having someone there with me would definitely make it easier.”

“I think any fear in life is easier to face with someone by your side that you know won’t let you fall.” Damn, could he be any more dreamy? Why do I suddenly want to careen towards the earth while holding this man’s hand?

“So any other fears then, besides heights?”

A waitress comes by and places another round of drinks in front of us, making me question whether we actually ordered another round when I wasn’t paying attention to anything besides the curl of Brooks’ lips.

“I signaled over there when you were looking the other way. Don’t worry. You didn’t miss an entire conversation,” he teases, sensing my confusion apparently.

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