Page 74 of Privileged (Adrenalin)

“But telling them could’ve backfired. It could’ve cost you everything.”

“It didn’t,” he cuts me off. “Besides, what kind of man would I be if I let you get railroaded like that?”

“A reliable one. Someone the town could admire because you earned their trust.”

“You want me to treat them with more respect than I show you?” His jaw hangs open. “The man I love?”

“If it serves a greater purpose, yes.”

“Sorry, I can’t do that. Special favors are a deal-breaker for you—letting you take the fall for something we both did is a deal-breaker for me. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I hadn’t at least tried to make things right.”

I want to object—my career is hardly worth risking the security of the entire town–but if I want him to respect my aversion to favors, it’s only fair I respect his refusal to let me suffer the consequences of our actions. It still wasn’t necessary though.

“I get it—” I sigh “—and I appreciate it. There really wasn’t any need, though.”

“What do you mean?” His body goes stiff, like he’s bracing for bad news.

“I solved my work problem. Dr. Malcom, the family practitioner, has room in his practice for another provider. We’d share the reception staff, so I wouldn’t have to hire anyone to manage appointments, insurance claims or billing. All I need is to supply my own equipment, and the money I was saving for my own place will cover that expense. I’ll have to live here longer than planned—" I jerk my head toward the house behind us “—but I’ll also be making more, so it should work.”

My fingers are red from wringing them together when I finally lift my gaze to meet Carter’s. It’s carefully blank.

“Is that what you want? You shouldn’t settle if it’s not.”

“It’s not what I planned, though it might turn out to be better. I get to make my own hours, and I’ll get a variety of clients instead of solely athletes or the elderly. I think focusing on one type of patient is what made me restless enough to come out here in the first place, so this could be a good compromise.” I bite my lip and offer him an awkward half-smile.

“If work isn’t an issue anymore, where does that leave us?” His tongue darts out to lick his bottom lip, and while I’m pretty sure that’s not meant to be sexual, my body reacts all the same.

“Isthere an us?” I whisper as my heartbeat echoes between my ears. “I thought maybe you hated me for walking out.”

“I wanted to.” His eyes dart toward the street briefly before coming back to rest on mine. “I’ve never felt pain like that, not even after blowing my knee, and yeah, my first reaction was to be pissed. To push you away for giving up on us. Then I remembered why I fell in love with you in the first place; that selfless, compassionate heart.” He putsa hand over my chest, right on top of the erratic drumbeat his words are causing. “If you had put our feelings before the good of the town, you wouldn’t be the same person. So, no. I don’t hate you, Sloan. I love you too much.”

A tear leaks out of my eye before I can stop it.Okay, I give in. I am a crier.

“What about your dad? I don’t want to come between you and your family.”

“Funny story,” Carter chuckles awkwardly. “Turns out the old man is a bit of a romantic.”

“Huh?”

“Workplace flings are not approved,” he elaborates, “but workplace romances are another story.”

My head swivels back and forth. “I still don’t understand.”

“It’s simple really. When I told him I’d pick you over my career he realized he misjudged our relationship. He knows he was a jerk, so he’d like to apologize for that in person when you’re ready, but we have his full support.”

“Support…” Something about that sounds familiar. “You said we have the board’s support, as a couple, even if I work for you. Is that your dad’s doing? Is he the reason the board supports your plan?”

It shouldn’t make a difference, especially since their approval basically guarantees the future of the town. But if their approval was coerced rather than freely given, there might be conditions, and I’d like to know what those are before I let myself believe this is real.

“Actually, no. My dad wasn’t even in the room when I made my presentation. I told him I wanted to earn their support on my own merits.”

This man is too good to be true. Cue the waterworks, dammit.

Carter reaches for his suit jacket—I assume to get me a tissue for my leaky eyes—but instead he hands me a key card.

“Come back?” His voice wavers, as if he’s afraid my answer could be anything other than yes.

I take the key in one hand while wiping my face with the other. “Guess it’s a good thing I was too lazy to unpack after coming back here.”

---