Page 11 of Devoted

“Aw, yes. You’re the other nurse?”

“That’s right,” I answer before lifting my head to see Brooks. “Alright Dr. Bennet. Shall I start an EKG?”

“Yes. And blood work. And get it done quickly so we know exactly what we’re looking at,” he orders, and the command in his voice sends a bolt of lightning between my legs. How the hell am I supposed to work beside this man when him ordering me around makes me aroused? “Miss Collins, how’s your pain and where is the pain right now?” Brooks goes through a slew of questions as me and one of the other nurses move around her bed, hooking up wires, connecting IV tubes, and preparing for future care.

“Well, it’s not the good kind of pain, Doc, like you get from a hard spank or a little hair pull.” All three of us chuckle slightly at this woman and her sexual innuendos. “But I’m definitely aware that my body is fighting something right now.”

Brooks asks her a few more questions about her symptoms, pain level again, and keeps his stethoscope on her chest as he listens to her heart rate.

He removes the ear pieces, grabs the printout from the EKG, and then reaches for Penny’s hand. “Okay. Well, it definitely seems you’re having a heart attack. We’re going to send you to the Cath lab to see exactly where the blockage is and then open up that artery. The goal is to do everything we can to preserve healthy heart tissue. Jess here is gonna take excellent care of you and then I’ll be right back with the cardiologist.”

“You sure you can’t stick around, Doc? I could use something pretty to look at.” Penny flashes him a wink as the light catches her eyebrow piercing, and I swear I see Brooks blush a bit.

“I have one other patient to tend to first. But I promise I’ll be back. Stay strong and try to stop talking. It will make breathing easier,” he teases before striding up next to me, leaning in so close I can smell his gum again. “Put her on beta blockers and blood thinners, and make sure we have given her aspirin. Keep her stable and call up to the Cath lab and make sure they are ready to go.” His words are crass and clear, which almost offends me that he thinks I can’t do my job.

“Aye, aye, captain,” I fire back, moving around him as our fingers brush against each other slightly. Just that simple touch sends a fresh wave of butterflies a flight in my stomach while annoyance with him sits in my chest. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to punch and kiss a man simultaneously before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.

Less than twenty minutes later, Penny is delivered to the Cath lab where a balloon will be placed in her blocked artery to open it up and get her blood flowing again. I don’t see Brooks for a good hour as more patients move through the ER, but as I sit down to fill information in to the computer, a firm hand clasps over my shoulder and heat radiates from the touch.

“Nice to work with you earlier,” he says before moving around me and perching his delectable behind on the counter adjacent to my computer.

“Thanks.”

“Penny is doing well, by the way. They moved her to the CCU.”

That makes my eyebrows draw together. “You checked on her?”

“Well, yeah. You seemed to know her, so I just wanted to make sure she was being taken care of and resting. Clara is still with her, but Cooper’s arrived now so she’s not alone.”

And as if I didn’t already have the hots for this guy, now he has to go and make me swoon at how sweet he is. “Do you know Cooper?”

He chuckles. “Actually, yeah. I grew up here, remember?” I nod. “He and I used to play football together in high school. He’s a few years younger than me, but we were friends.”

“This town is so small,” I admit knowingly.

Then he changes the topic on me. “So, uh… how long have you been a nurse?”

“A little over two years. How about you? I know the Chief said you were in Santa Barbara for three years.”

He brushes a hand through his tousled blonde hair and then focuses back on me. “Yeah. I did my residency there after college and then they hired me on full-time. This will be my fourth year working in the ER.”

“You didn’t choose neurology or cardiology? With your ego, I would have expected that,” I tease as the corner of his mouth tips up.

“You think I have an ego?”

I shrug. “A little. I got quite the glimpse of it at Skye’s last week.”

“Ah, yes. Well, I’m sorry about that. Now that I know exactly why you were so tired, I should have known better than to mess with you.”

I stop typing for a minute before sitting back in my chair, peering up at him from my seat. The florescent lights in the ceiling make his eyes seem darker from the shadows they cast on his face. He’s still sporting the same stubble as the other day, but he looks more refined right now—like he could be a model for a medical magazine. Do they even hire models for that?

I don’t know what it is about this guy, but he’s got me so intrigued. He knows how to be playful, yet serious. He’s a hot doctor, for crying out loud. And now I know he’s got a heart under that proud ego.

I shake my head and then gather my thoughts. “You’re not the only one that needs to apologize. I was cranky and shouldn’t have given you crap for your gum choice.” That statement grants me a hearty laugh from him as he reaches in his pocket and takes out another piece.

“Thanks for reminding me. I spit out my other piece earlier.” He folds the gum in his mouth before rising from his seated position. “I guess we both should just start over, huh?” He reaches out to shake my hand and the second our palms touch, my mind and body go insane.

Why, oh why does the man I find utterly attractive have to be one of my co-workers? This situation just became so incredibly complicated for me—especially because as I watch his eyes bounce back and forth between mine, I can sense the attraction between us in mutual.

“Yes. I’d like that,” I manage to say around the lump in my throat.

“Perfect.” He leans down to whisper in my ear again, the same way he did at Skye’s and my pulse starts to race. “I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other now. Keep up the good work, Jess.” And the way my name rolls off the tip of his tongue makes me squeeze my legs together to alleviate the throbbing down there.

I reach for the folder of the patient chart and begin to fan myself with it, turning to watch the flex of his ass as he walks away from me. And just before I return to my task, he glances over his shoulder, catches me gawking at him, and then flashes me a wink before he turns back around, leaving me flushed and embarrassed.

I’m always focused and devoted to my job. But then again, I’ve never had a distraction like Brooks Bennet to threaten to derail me. And somehow I feel like my resolve will never be the same.

---