Page 42 of The Wingman

“Yes,” I say. “We go way back,” I fib. It’s not true, but it does feel like I’ve known her for a lifetime.

She picks up the phone, and calls Jules. After she hangs up, she says, “I shouldn’t ask this. It’s not the time or place, but my husband would lose his mind if I got a picture of us. And my son. Oh my God, don’t even get me started with him. Do you mind? I don’t want to bother you. I’m sure you get asked that all the time.”

“I don’t mind at all.”

She fishes her phone from her purse, and a few people in the waiting room rise when they see her taking a selfie of us. Before I know it, I’m posing and smiling with numerous people. I don’t mind at all. My fans are everything. Hockey is everything.

Jules finally comes through a set of double doors, and the smile on her face when she spots me seeps under my skin and wraps around my damn heart. My gaze races over her, takes in her blue scrubs. They do nothing to showcase her beautiful body, but she looks amazing just the same.

Don’t fall for her, dude.

“Entertaining the waiting room and staff I see,” she says, as I finish my last picture and move off to a quiet corner with her.

“I do what I can,” I say in a low voice.

I don’t miss the whispered words, the hum of excitement as Jules and I lower our voices to talk privately.

She steals a glance around the room, and I don’t miss the way Sally is gawking at us. She lets loose an exaggerated sigh. “I think I’m going to have a lot of explaining to do.”

My knuckles brush hers, and her fast intake of breath, the way she leans toward me, doesn’t go unnoticed. An unconscious invitation? I’m not sure, but fuck, man, I love the way she reacts to me. I resist the urge to grab her ponytail and tug until her sweet mouth is open, welcoming mine. I briefly imagine myself kissing her, drowning out her stress of the day until she’s lost in euphoria. Yeah, that’s what she needs, my mouth on her, helping her wash away the stain of a hard day.

“What would they do if I kissed you?” I ask, only half joking. I can’t seem to focus on anything but her mouth, and those s

weet lush lips I want to taste in the worst fucking way.

“Don’t do that,” she warns, and glances over her shoulder. “My God, I’m going to get grilled as it is, and I don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea here.”

“Yeah, me neither,” I say quickly. A nurse comes into the emergency area and calls a patient. “Wait, I know her,” I say and shift so she can’t see me.

Jules glances at the nurse. Her eyes are narrowed, her mouth tight when she turns back to me. “Someone you dated?”

“No, I think she was the one who got off on sticking needles in me last time I was in Emerg.”

Jules frowns, her expression serious. “When you had the concussion last fall?”

My head jerks back. “How did you know about that?”

“Lindsay follows the game. She mentioned it last night.”

The pieces of the puzzle begin to click in to place. “Ah, so that’s why you were so worried about me?”

She plants a hand on her hip and juts her chin out. “Friends worry about friends, Rider,” she shoots back, but then she covers her mouth to stifle a yawn.

Professional nurse that she is, she presents as strong and steadfast to those all around her, but underneath that bravado, it’s clear she’s exhausted, and everything inside me responds to the weariness in her body.

“That’s right, and that’s why I’m here,” I say. “You haven’t eaten all day, and I intend to fix that.”

“Why?” she asks, a teasing edge to her voice. “Am I going to need my energy tonight?”

I get that she’s hinting at what she thinks we’ll be doing later—what we talked about on Skype—and that she’s keeping this thing between us, whatever it is, about sex. A good reminder to me, but deep down, the truth of the matter is, she works hard taking care of others all the time, with no one to take care of her. That doesn’t sit well with me at all.

“Yeah,” I say.

A grin spreads across her mouth. “Thought so.” She produces a key, and reaches for my hand. She presses it into my palm quickly, and folds my fingers around it to hide the glinting silver from observing eyes.

“Peaches might freak out at first, but just fill her bowl with some food, and she’ll love you forever. You’ll find her plastic container in the pantry.”

“Is that all it takes to get a girl to love me?” I tease.

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