Page 20 of Bloom: Part 1

Frowning, I unlocked my office and entered. I had one purpose in Smoky Vale, and that was to save lives. No matter how much I longed for more, there was nothing else to this life except death, and I’d do well to keep that in mind when around Bloom.

I dialed the nurses’ station and asked for a nurse to come to my office. I wrote a prescription for painkillers and antibiotics for Bloom, which I handed to the nurse along with the shirt I had taken out of my closet. Given how often I slept on the pullout couch, I kept several clothes and toiletries in my office.

When the nurse left, I returned to the work I had been doing before they called me about Bloom. Was he giving them any trouble, or would he leave quietly? What if he refused to get dressed unless I was there?

Not your problem, Doc. There’s security at the hospital for a reason.

But every time I thought about security, my stomach sank. Bloom was a fighter. He wouldn’t react well to security interference. Perhaps I should…

I pulled my hand away from the phone. Nurse Riley had said I enabled him. I couldn’t always interfere and let him get away with unacceptable behavior. How would he learn the consequences of his actions?

A fist pounded on my door. What the hell? The door was flung open on its hinges, and Bloom walked in, his cheeks red and eyes flashing, dressed in my long-sleeved shirt, which reached almost to his knees. He’d belted the waist with one of his chains. With the top two buttons undone, showing off the lighthouse tattoo on his neck, and his bare legs, he looked stunning, like he’d just crawled out of my bed. His disposition was also nothing like the young man I’d been patching up earlier. His eyes were hard as if he was one step away from killing someone.

Either me or the nurse running behind him.

“Dr. Collier, explain yourself.”

“Why are you running around on your leg?” I frowned. “Nurse Riley!”

“He’s stubborn and won’t listen. Honestly, Doctor, I don’t know how you put up with him.”

“Because I’m good in bed.” Bloom arched an eyebrow. “You should go if you don’t want to see us make out on his desk.”

“Bloom—”

“He’s nothing but trouble, Dr. Collier.” Nurse Riley walked stiffly out of the office, his back ramrod straight, and shut the door with a bang. I massaged my temples. What the hell did I do in a previous life to deserve this?

You know exactly what you did.

“You should call someone to pick you up.”

Bloom limped around my desk and plopped his ass down in my lap. “You didn’t come back. You said you were going for the shirt, but instead of bringing it, you copped out and sent the nurse. In case I didn’t make it clear, Dr. Collier, I didn’t show up here for a nurse to take care of me. I wanted you to do it.”

“This is inappropriate. You can’t call me Dr. Collier and sit on my lap.”

“Logan, then.”

The way he whispered my name sent a shiver down my spine. The sensation tapped into a part of me I’d been keeping locked away since I met him.

If I never have to treat another biker in my life, it won’t be soon enough. I clench my teeth as I check the vitals of the man lying on the hospital bed. Next to him, the former mayor looks on concerned, and I shake my head in disbelief. He’s a smart man. I’ve heard his campaigns before, and he always hated bikers. Always wanted to get them out of Smoky Vale, but here he is fawning over one.

Just what the hell do these bikers have that make sensible men lose a screw? James, my protégé, is smart as a whip, but he’s with one of them. Is it the thrill? Their personalities? Are they good in bed? It has to be something specific that makes perfectly upstanding citizens give them their loyalty. So what if they are good-looking, virile men? Their lifestyle should have sent anyone with half a brain cell scurrying in the opposite direction.

“You’re lucky the bullet didn’t shatter your collarbone,” I grumble. “In a few days—”

The door to the room opens, and I lose the last straw I’ve been clutching. “Didn’t I ask not to be disturbed?”

A young man who looks to be in his late teens enters the room. Most people would have flinched at my waspish tone and ducked out of the room, but he is unbothered. I do a double take at the straight black hair that falls past his shoulders, the heavily applied mascara, the eye shadow, and the pink lips. He wore full black, but his top is cropped, showing off more piercings than the two in his cheeks and the one in the center of his top lip. He has jewelry in his belly button and couplets just above his hips. Tattoos cover his pale skin.

Who is he? If I’d seen him before, I wouldn’t have forgotten him. He has the kind of look that’s memorable. His youth aside,he isn’t even my type, being too slender and effeminate looking, but even I can’t stop staring.

“One more is hardly a disturbance,” he says, his hard gaze challenging. “You aren’t really going to kick me out. Are you, Doc?” He sweeps his gaze over me, brows raising as if in surprise. He shifts his weight to his other foot, twirls a lock of hair between his fingers, and bats his long lashes at me.

The breath flies out of my lungs. Such a commanding energy. He’s demanding to be seen, and it’s working. I tear my gaze away, resisting the urge to take another glance. I scribble on Bay’s chart, ignoring the impertinent boy, who smells too much like trouble. “In a few days, you should be able to go home. We’ll see you to dress your wounds as an outpatient, or James can handle it at the clubhouse. You may feel fine, but your body’s been through trauma. You need to rest.” This time I have a good excuse to stare at the young man. He hasn’t taken his eyes off me, and it takes effort to act like it doesn’t throw me off balance. “And limit your visitors.”

He smirks. “I’d love to see the day someone limits me. Here’s a clue, Doc. It won’t be you.”

That challenge. If he only knew I’d chosen my profession due to the challenging nature of the job. Too bad I am not looking to limit him or anyone, but if I did, I would have put him across my knee until he learned some manners.

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