Page 8 of Hush

“Maybe not,” Dr. Parker said, eyeing Elise, his gaze playful and warm. “You’re smart to stick with vanilla.”

He ushered them out of the room. Although he didn’t touch her, sensing him behind her sent another flush of warmth over her skin. They reached the central workstation, and Dr. Parker handed them off to the scheduling nurse.

“See you Wednesday,” he said, giving them one last grin before heading for one of the doors on the opposite side of the clinic.

Chapter 5

Ben

Walking behind her, Ben detected a warm scent coming off her skin that smelled like sweet almonds. She wore her hair in that same smooth twist that exposed the nape of her delicate neck. Ben imagined her dressing for the day and dabbing a spot of perfume behind each ear. That did it—he could feel his cock hardening inside his pants. After dropping Elise off at the scheduling desk, he headed straight for his office to take a breather, forcing thoughts of her naked body from his mind.

I should not be thinking about her like this.He sat in his office chair, rotating it left to right while his thoughts tumbled.Interesting her ex is such a prick, he thought as his protective side roared to life. Ben remembered the way she seemed to shrink whenever he opened his mouth. Ben didn’t blame the guy for caring about his kid, but it was like he cared more about sparring with Ben, jabbing insults to rack up points in some useless game. Why had such a sweet thing like Elise been married to someone like that?

Today, she wore a petal-pink sweater that hugged her curves perfectly, and wool slacks tailored in all the right ways. He couldn’t help wondering what she wore underneath—a sleek little thong and matching lacy bra? Adjusting his now-throbbing cock, he leaned his head back against the chair.Get it together, he told himself.She’s your goddamn patient’s mom.

With a sigh, he logged in to his computer, intending to catch up on charting, but a text alert from Kelly pinged with a message.

Do you have a date yet? Tick-tock.

Ben tossed his phone down with athunk.He just couldn’t do it—the results of his failed dating career over the last year was proof. After he’d discovered the woman he’d been about to marry was backstabbing him in secret, trusting anyone again didn’t come easy. He’d worked through the bitterness by brute force—he had spent so many hours at the gym the staff joked they were going to give him his own parking spot, and so many hours studying for his boards the eye strain gave him brain-crushing headaches. Maybe he was still messed up, or maybe he would never be right again.

Seeing Elise and Jaden brought up feelings he’d abandoned. He should be happily married right now. Instead, he came home to an empty house, empty bed.

In his practice, he had come across several attractive women. He even had a woman make an appointment with him for a fake injury, presumably just to see him. Such blatant falsification had triggered his resentment, and he’d asked his staff to throw her out. Even if he wanted to date a patient, he couldn’t. It went against privacy laws, violated doctor-patient privileges, and would be an excellent way to get fired. The same was true for a family member of a minor—like Elise. This seemed brutally unfair. The only woman he had any real interest in was off limits. He wasn’t stupid enough to ignore the psychology behind this—it was entirely possible his desire for her resulted from the fact he knew hecouldn’thave her.Which means I’m seriously messed up.

After the scandal Ashley had caused, if he violated conduct laws here, it would unearth everything he’d left behind and effectively end his career for good.I’ve worked too hard to let it all come down like that.

Being a surgeon had been his dream for as long as he could remember, back when his mom started getting sick. He knew he idolized the doctors who cared for her, following a path that led him to where he was today. But it was more than that. He loved coming to work, loved everything about the surgeries he performed. Healing people was what he was born to do. He’d be lost without it.

Elise

With Jaden finally asleep, Elise slipped from his bedroom, leaving the door ajar in the usual way. She hadn’t needed to lay with him for over a year now. He was anxious about the surgery the next day, so Elise had stroked his back and soothed him with reassuring words she did not feel.

Feeling restless, she padded into the kitchen in her fuzzy slippers, still in her work clothes, and poured herself a glass of red wine. The small house felt drafty despite the heater working full tilt. A pile of kindling and several logs were piled in a tub next to the fireplace, but she almost never bothered to build a fire.

She opened her laptop on the coffee table, then slid to the floor so she could finish her lesson plans for substitutes covering her classes for the next three days. There was also a stack of quizzes to grade in her briefcase, but she would save those for the hospital. In case she ran out of work, a book was packed as well, but Elise wondered if her mind would be in the right place to read it.

She thought back to her sister’s phone call and the dating site. So far, Elise had yet to click the link she’d sent, though her curiosity had grown. Maybe it was the wine, her glass almost empty, that was to blame, but she couldn’t help thinking,What’s the harm in looking?Her fingers tapped open the email. Before she could stop herself, she clicked the page open.

It took her a moment to orient herself. Apparently, from the questions Caitlin had answered, she had been “matched” with potential dates with similar interests. There were a surprising number of divorced men. From their pictures at least, they all seemed fairly normal. Some had kids, some were older, and still others were much older. She got lost in reading their profiles, amazed these people felt comfortable being vulnerable like this.No thanks, she thought, her stomach clenching.

She clicked on her profile. Caitlin was right—the image didn’t show Elise’s face clear enough that someone would recognize her. But the whole thing made her feel shallow and desperate.I’m not ready, she thought, closing the lid of her laptop.

* * *

Elise sat at Jaden’s side, holding his hand. He lay completely still, and he looked so fragile in the hospital gown with its tiny yellow teddy bear pattern and faded piping, the white knitted blanket pulled to his armpits. An IV inserted into the wrist of his good arm was delivering a mild sedative. As Elise slowly readGooseberry Parkto him, making her voice calm and serene, she felt his grip on her hand soften, his face relax. Meanwhile, Garrett paced along the room’s edge. Elise secretly wished the nurse would give her a dose of whatever drug they’d given Jaden, because she was wound as tight as a top, and Garrett’s pacing wasn’t helping.

Dr. Parker breezed into the room, wearing a set of green scrubs and running shoes. Elise felt her skin jump.

He gave them all a warm smile before approaching Jaden’s side. “How ya doin’, buddy?” he asked, his gaze focused solely on him. Elise felt a rush of gratitude for this tiny bit of kindness—she felt ready to break into pieces with worry.

Jaden’s eyes were slow to shift to meet Dr. Parker’s. “Good,” he said.

Dr. Parker smiled. “They’re going to come get you in a minute, and you get to take a ride in your bed down to surgery. Your mom and dad have to stay here, but I’ll be there when you arrive, okay?”

Jaden seemed to think about this. He looked at Elise, and it took everything she had not to break down. “It’s okay, honey,” she said, working hard to keep her voice calm. “Dr. Parker is going to take good care of you, and I’ll be right here when you get back.”

Jaden swiveled his gaze to Dr. Parker. Elise watched him blink his eyes slowly.

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