He wasn’t wrong about that nurse today, either. I told him I wasn’t interested, but I was. There was something about her that I haven’t seen in anyone else. It wasn’t physical—although she is very attractive.

The moment I walked into the supply closet and overheard their conversation, I watched the blood rush to her cheeks. I noticed every time she dragged her tongue across her lips and every time she had to swallow over her need.

I didn’t need Noah to point out her body.

She was nearly six feet tall, I bet. She’s thin but has curves, and her legs are impossibly long. I know I shouldn’t, but I imagine how they’d feel wrapped around me.

My head falls back against my chair and my eyes close as my imagination takes over.

Suddenly, I find myself back in that supply closet, only this time, I’m alone with her.

I have her in my sights and she retreats as I approach her, pressing her back against the shelving to keep as much space between us as possible. I stalk forward, taking one deliberate step after another until I’m directly in front of her.

Our eyes are locked, and I can see the way her chest rises and falls. Her top tightens and stretches across her chest, and I can see her nipples pebble beneath the fabric. I lean in and she freezes, unsure of what I’m going to do.

I wonder what she’ll let me do.

I place the tip of my nose at her jaw, slowly running it up to her ear. I breathe her in, letting the scent of her soap and shampoo take over my senses. Her skin is soft and warm, and the natural smell of her body is divine.

I pull back, meeting her gaze once again. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this since I met you.”

“Thinking about what?” She looks up at me from beneath her dark lashes before biting her lower lip. Her cheeks turn pink, and that’s when I realize that there isn’t just one thing about her that I’m attracted to.

I’m attracted to everything.

The way she looks, the sound of her voice, her smell, her age, her innocence.

“This,” I reply, wrapping my hand around her throat and crashing my mouth against hers.

Her tongue dives into my mouth, and her hands move to my chest. As we kiss, they travel up until they’re wrapped around my neck. She lifts her leg, bending it at the knee and hooking it over my hip. My hand roams up her thigh to her ass, squeezing.

That’s when I pick her up against me so that both her legs are wrapped around me. My cock comes alive, growing hard. I rock my hips forward, grinding against her. She whimpers, a moan slipping from between her lips that’s silenced by my mouth.

I need this so fucking badly that I can’t think straight.

All I know is that it’s been six long years since I’ve felt a woman’s touch, and now, my body yearns for it more than ever.

My beeper goes off, pulling me from my thoughts. “Shit.” I shake my head clear and pull the pager from my pocket, finding a code white. I push away from my desk and run from the room.

3

ALLY

When an alarm goes off on the floor, everyone jumps into action, just like one of those hospital dramas on TV.

Every staff member on hand is trained so well that their jobs become second nature. There is no think; there is only do.

They’re completely unlike me, who hears this alarm and looks around, wondering what to do.

I’m not sure if Val says something to me, all I know is that she grabs my arm and drags me along with her as she and several other staff members run toward a patient’s room.

A light above the door is flashing red, telling everyone which room to go to.

Inside, Val releases my arm, and I stand back and watch the chaos ensue. A man and a woman stand by the window. The woman is in tears, her face is red, and her chest is contracting for oxygen. The man is standing behind her, holding onto her arm.

There aren’t tears rushing from his eyes, but you can see the worry on his face. Deep-seated wrinkles are around the corners of his eyes and across his forehead. He looks pale and they bothhave dark circles under their eyes, telling me they’ve been doing more worrying than sleep lately.

My attention goes to the patient, who’s stretched out on the bed. It’s a boy between the ages of twelve and sixteen. He’s young, thin, pale, and unconscious.