Page 58 of Only This Once
Besides, he was pretty sure Julia didn’t want that kind of life.
He could still smell her on him. He’d showered last night, after the second time, and used her strawberry-scented body wash and shampoo. For someone so straightforward and tough, the scent was adorable. He didn’t remember her smelling that way when they were teenagers.
Putting away his glass, he headed down the hall to shower and change. As much as he wanted to hold on to her scent, it was probably better if he let it go. Julia had made it clear he’d never have her scent all over him again.
Chapter 17
When the nurses wheeled the patient out of sight, Julia turned to the instruments they had used. She’d already finished her count, ensuring none were missing after the surgery, and began the process of sterilizing the room.
She preferred when the surgeries were minor enough that they could be handled at Dr. Holden’s private practice, but this one had been more involved than that. Charles worked with the hospital fairly regularly, but her stomach still cramped whenever she joined him there for a procedure. Luckily, she was mostly ignored now. Charles didn’t put up with behavior that might interfere with his job and had made examples of anyone causing issues early on.
She was embarrassed at first—it shouldn’t have even been necessary—but now she was grateful. Charles had always been a little protective, but he’d kept it no-nonsense and strictly professional. She tried to think of him as Dr. Holden while they worked together.
He hadn’t once mentioned her date with Jinx this week, and she was relieved by that, too. She’d been thinking about it way too much for something that would never happen again.
Normally, there’d be more than her and the housekeeping staff to clean the room, but the nurses were delayed getting back, and she fell behind. The cynical side of her wondered if the nurses were avoiding her, but they acted professional when they finally rejoined the team.
Dr. Holden had one more surgery scheduled for that afternoon, and there was still plenty of time. He was lefthanded, so she liked to arrive early enough to organize the surgical tools the way he preferred.
Her mind was ticking off the internal checklist in her head when she exited the surgical room, and she drew up short to avoid running into someone.
“Excuse me,” she murmured to the doctor, still distracted. She internally scolded herself. She had already gone over everything twice that day. There was no need to do it again.
“Oh, I don’t mind,” the doctor replied.
She blinked when he paused, lifting an eyebrow when he didn’t continue on. It was Dr. Anderson, she realized and bit back a sigh. He was another surgeon with longevity at the hospital.
“It’s Julia, isn’t it? Julia Caldwell? You work with Dr. Holden.”
“That’s correct,” she said, resigned to the speculation in his eyes. She moved forward a step, hoping he’d let her pass. “If you’ll excuse me.”
To her relief, he took the hint, stepping aside and gesturing for her to go. She didn’t expect him to settle in beside her and tried to tamp down the acid building in her stomach.
“I didn’t realize Dr. Holden was scheduled today. He sings your praises.”
Despite the wariness, she felt a flicker of warmth. “I’m glad. He’s a good doctor to work with.”
They’d reached the end of the hall. When she rounded the corner, he moved in closer, his arm lifting in front of her to trap her against the wall.
“Dr. Rutherford gives you high praise, too.” Dr. Anderson leaned in closer, his breath too warm against her cheek and smelling of tartar sauce. “He said you’re the hottest piece of ass he’s ever fucked. I wouldn’t mind a taste of that.”
“Back off!” she said, not lowering her voice at all. She stared at the gold wedding band on the hand blocking her in.
He flexed his ring finger. “Don’t pretend that me wearing a ring bothers you.”
Tempted to punch him right in the face, she ducked under his arm instead, walking away. “I’m reporting you for sexual harassment,” she called back, hating that it probably looked like she was running from him.
“That’s what I get for trying to be nice to you!” he shouted after her. “Did you hear that?” She glanced back to see him talking to the nurses who had been sanitizing the operating room with her. “All I did was mention how Dr. Holden praised her work, and then she’s accusing me of sexual harassment.”
Julia bit her lip to hold in the names she wanted to call him and continued down the hall.
When she caught up to Charles in his temporary shared office, he took one look at her face and stood. “I’ll walk down with you.”
She hesitated, her hands clenching at her sides. “You remember what they said last time, don’t you?” She’d made multiple reports, and the HR representative had told her there was only one commonality between the incidents, and they’d have to consider what that meant.
Charles reached past her shoulder, holding open the door. “I know you too well to believe that would stop you from reporting it.”
Her hands unclenched and she buffed her arms. “If they’re doing it to me, they’re likely doing it to other women.” She turned, exiting first. “Reporting it is the right thing to do.”
