Page 48 of Forgot to Tell You Something

“I have someone for you to meet. Get this, he loves punk music, he’s inked, he’s cool as fuck, and sexy as hell. He’s also off tonight and looking very forward to meeting you.”

I clear my throat, chancing another glance in Owen’s direction. The man is borderline furious. I can continue poking the bear, or I can dead the situation.

As tempting as poking one handsome hunk doctor sounds, I’m not in the mood for a mid-unit tussle. “I don’t know, Eric.”

“I showed him your picture. He thinks you’re beautiful.”

That did it. “Tally, can I speak to you for a minute?” I swear Owen is puffing his chest out, as if he needs to look any bigger. He already towers over Eric.

“Hey,” Eric grins at Owen, earning a forced smile in return, before swinging his gaze back to me with a shrug. “Just think about it, Lu. You need a good man in your life. Unless you’re dating someone. It’s been a while since we talked.”

Of all the questions he had to ask, he chose that one. Right in front of Owen.

I mumble the only two words that describe my current situation. “It’s complicated.”

“Isn’t everything?” Eric retorts with a wink. “Well, back to the dungeons. See you later, Lu. Call me if you change your mind.”

Owen closes my office door, flipping the latch to the locked position. “What the hell was that?”

“By all means, make yourself comfortable.”

“I’m not kidding. I’m about to lose my shit.”

He cannot be serious. This man just made plans with another woman in front of me. Now he’s giving me crap? Oh, hell no. “If you’re having issues, contact HR.”

His fist hits against my desk, making me look up. “Oh good, we’re back here. I wasn’t sure which Tally I’d get today.”

“Which Tally? No doctor, unlike you, I only have one version. Andunlikeyou, I don’t make dates in front of the staff or former relations. But then again, I don’t lie, either. So, you and I have very little in common.”

Owen huffs as he plops into a chair. “You went MIA on the man you’re dating. So much for taking the high road.”

I want to hit him. Hard. It wouldn’t hurt him, but it would shock him into silence. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Owen turns on his phone, scrolling through his call log. “Twenty phone calls and forty texts over the last few days, all unanswered. Not to mention, I stopped by your place the last two nights, but you were conveniently out. Me? I look like an obsessed psychopath.”

I hate how much my heart warms, hearing how desperate he was to see me. Then, my brain reminds my naïve heart that this man made plans with another woman.

Heart, return to icy exterior immediately.

“I didn’t think we had anything to discuss.” I speak the words without emotion, but they elicit one from Owen. I swear, the man winces at my statement, and me, being a marshmallow in armor, feels immediate guilt over his reaction. “I turned my phone off last night. I stayed in the hospital with my Dad. I didn’t want to leave him.”

He’s on his feet, his bulk pinning me against the filing cabinet. “Is there any improvement?”

I nod. “He’s going to rehab tomorrow or the next day.” That’s his cue to back up. A cue that Owen ignores as his fingers trace along my collarbone, and I bite back a whimper. This is the trouble with amazing, mind-blowing sex. When it ceases to occur, your brain and body go on strike, and the slightest touch can hurtle you over the cliffs of madness.

I’m clinging to a bare root on the edge of that cliff.

“I’ve been so worried about you, Tally. I haven’t heard from you since the other night.”

The night he gave me a hickey, fed me Chinese, and put me to bed. But when I awoke, he was gone. It’s funny how, after only a couple weeks, I’m used to his presence.

“You snuck out.”

“I didn’t sneak out. You fell asleep. I had an early call and didn’t want to wake you.”

The truth of our reality seeps back in. He’s off-limits, and the sooner my heart gets with the program, the better. “Look, I have a ton of backlog here. It’s been a rough few days.”

He presses his forehead to mine. “I’m sorry.”

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