Page 9 of Joshua
I nod and lower my mouth to her ear. “It’s a doll.”
She stills, and when I pull back, her eyes are filled with surprise.
“For my niece. Her birthday is next week,” I say and chuckle.
Hazel swats my arm playfully, but before she can scold me, a clerk calls her forward. I move aside toward the door and wait, giving her privacy to send her envelope. The time alone allows me the opportunity to take her in. She’s as beautiful as I remember, more so without pain thinning her lips.
I need to ask her out. I’m considering the best way to bring it up when she stops in front of me. “Dinner me soon—” The words fly out of my mouth, and I drop my chin to my chest. Embarrassment fills me, and I rub the back of my neck.
Hazel’s chuckle draws my gaze to her lips, and I find her smiling. Will they taste sweet?
“Sorry, what?” she asks.
After clearing my throat, I try again. “Would you like to have dinner with me sometime? See, I can sound intelligent.”
Hazel gasps and covers her mouth in exaggeration. “You can?”
I grin. “Be nice.”
“You can!” Her giggles die down when her gaze drops to my mouth.
I lick my lower lip, enjoying the way she watches my tongue glide across it. My dick twitches at our playful exchange, and I look down to her breasts. She’s wearing a bra that has them lifted and pressed together, no sign of her nipples to be seen.
When I finally glance back up, I find her brows raised, amusement shining bright in her eyes. I want to squirm at the way she watches me, as if I’m an item at auction. I wonder if she would bid on me or move on to the next lot. “We can grab a coffee or tea instead?”Anything, just don’t walk out on me again,I internally plead.
“Isn’t there a rule about you seeing patients?”
I shrug. “Well, technically you’ve been discharged, and I’m no longer in charge of your care.”
“I see,” she mutters and steps aside when an older woman squeezes by. “Do you ask out all of your nonpatients?”
“No.” I answer quickly and truthfully. Contrary to what some of my coworkers think, Hazel would be a first if she ever gave me a yes or no.
One of her brows raises higher than the other, and she tilts her head to the side. “You’ve never asked out a prior patient?” Her question is filled with more surprise than doubt.
“You’d be the first, Ms. Hazel Rivera.”
“Wow, you remember my full name at that. You don’t happen to be stalking me, are you?”
It’s my turn to raise my brows in surprise. “No! Why on earth would you think that? I’m not a creep—promise you that.”
“Sorry, it’s just strange that after a month you’d remember my name, and now you’re in my neighborhood post office.”
I cross my arms across my chest. “Your neighborhood post office? I didn’t realize you had any claim to it.”
She covers her mouth with her hand. “Oh! That came out really bitchy. I’m sorry! I’m just surprised to find you here. This isn’t very close to the hospital, and I guess I’d assume you’d live closer to there.”
I shake my head. “Nope. I live out this way, ten minutes from here to be exact. Takes me thirty-five to get to work on a good day.”
“Oh, wow. That’s kind of nuts.”
I shrug. “Just how it worked out.” I offer her my hand. “Joshua Bradley. I’m an RN at Memorial Hospital in the emergency department. Nice to meet you, Hazel Rivera.”
She accepts my hand and giggles. Her face lights with amusement, and I’m relieved she’s not put off by the situation. I can see why she’d be wary over our random meetup. Like I gathered, she’s a smart woman.
“Nice to meet you, Joshua—”
“You can call me Josh if you’d like,” I say.
