Page 44 of Timeless
“One would think, but no.” Thank goodness I’d had the wherewithal to dodge most of the egg salad sandwich and Jell-O lunch that didn’t agree with one of my patients, since changing medications, otherwise I would have beaten my own personal record of five.
“Well, at least you can finally go home now, so there’s that.”
“Exactly. Tag, you’re it.” I laughed with a lighthearted smile, passing off the reins.
“No, thank you, if given a choice, but it is what it is; here’s hoping for an uneventful night shift.”
“One can only dream.” I pulled my hoodie over my head, tugging it low before grabbing my keys and slinging my duffel bag over my shoulder. “Anyway, I’m out. Have a good night.”
“Thanks. You too. Oh, hey, before I forget again.”
I stopped with my hand on the door handle and turned.
“Last week, during the day shift, a guy was lingering around asking about you.”
My fingers tightened around the handle. “About me?”
Erica nodded slowly, her brows pulling together. “Yes, he said he was an intern with Neurology, but the whole exchange was weird.”
I dropped my hand to my side. “Weird how?”
“It wasn’t just what he asked, it was how he asked, and his tone was completely off, like he wasn’t surprised you weren’t there. As if he thought you were avoiding him.” She hesitated, then stepped a little closer, lowering her voice before continuing. “He spoke like there was some kind of unfinished business between you two.”
My stomach sank. “That doesn’t make any sense. We haven’t had any recent crossover cases with that department.”
“I know, and I told him just that. That’s why it struck me as odd, because he didn’t seem confused, though. If anything, he looked amused. Like he knew something I didn’t.”
A chill ran down my spine as the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
“And you’re sure he was from this hospital?”
“I mean, yeah, I think so. That would be weird, wearing another hospital’s scrubs in ours, don’t you think?”
“Right.” I placated her, but meanwhile, my mind was racing with what-ifs. “Did you catch the name on his ID badge?”
“No, he had it tucked into his pocket. I did ask if he wanted to leave a message or his contact info. He said no, and he’d catch you when the timing was better, then just walked off.” She paused and eyed me curiously. “Maybe you’ve bumped into him down in the cafeteria or something?”
I shook my head. “No. Not that I remember.”
But even as I said it, a darkness stirred within, like a shadow of unease that would forever haunt me, one I didn’t know how to escape.
Her eyes lingered on me like she wanted to say more but thought better of it.
Questions circled in my head the whole way home, each one repeating like a warning. I desperately wanted that part of my life gone, but it was foolish to think that could ever be true. The internet lived forever, and I’d always spend my life looking over my shoulder because of it.
Sliding my key into the lock of my front door, I turned my wrist, more than ready to flop down on the couch and relax with Jaxon, only to gasp when I opened the door and absorbed the scene unfolding before me.
Jaxon cooking in my kitchen was an absolute sight to behold.
A signature basic black T-shirt stretched over his sinful arm muscles as they flexed with each movement, paired with worn blue jeans, but it was the bare feet that had me smiling like a love-struck dreamer because he looked entirely at home in my space.
I was busy relishing the feeling of calm and security that washed over me whenever he was near, when he stepped away from the stove and pulled me away from the doorframe where I had been leaning.
“You’re home.” His hand snaked around my neck and into my hair, angling my neck upward and drawing me into his sphere before my lips parted with need.
I couldn’t stop the heated breath that escaped me as I dropped my bag to the floor at our feet and pushed up on mytoes, reaching for his shoulders to wrap my arms eagerly around his neck.
Jaxon lifted me off the ground with one arm wrapped around my waist and pinned me against the back of the door, which was now closed. With my legs hooked over his hips, I felt him feeling around beside me, locking all my locks after his restraint snapped and he captured my lips with greed.
