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“There,” he said, his voice low and full of that rough-edged charm that made my stomach flip. “Now I can work. You distract me even when you’re not around, Wildcard.”
He winked at me, casually lowering me back to the ground as if this was the most normal thing in the world. Like we hadn’t just kissed in the middle of the ER with patients, doctors, and nurses milling around us. My feet touched the floor, but I still felt like I was floating as Tucker flashed me one more grin, turned on his heel, and strode out of the ER without a backward glance.
I stood there, rooted to the spot, my heart still racing, my lips tingling from the force of that kiss. For a moment, I didn’t know what to do with myself. Should I follow him? Run after him? Or just stand here in a stupor and?—
My thoughts came to a screeching halt as I turned around. Dr. Dummy and Nurse Ratchett stood at the edge of the pit with their mouths hanging open in shock.
For a split second, I considered waltzing over there and saying something sassy, but then the realization of what had just happened hit me, and a wave of giddy excitement surged through me. My heart felt like it was doing somersaults, and it took every ounce of self-control not to squeal like a teenager who’d just been kissed for the first time.
So, I simply stood there, smiling to myself, because right here, in the middle of my workplace, in front of all these people, Tucker had kissed me like he couldn’t bear to be without me for another second. And I knew, right then and there, that he meant it when he’d told me I only had to ask.
A few hours later, I was back at the nurse’s desk, typing up patient notes and trying to keep my mind on work and not the spectacle from before. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, but my thoughts kept drifting. The goofy grin that kept tugging at my mouth probably wasn’t the most professional look, but I couldn’t help it.
Just as I finally slipped into honest-to-goodness focus mode, the glass doors of the ER slid open, and my heart skipped a beat as I glanced up. But instead of Tucker walking back in—though once was probably enough, a group of tall, broad-shouldered men storm through the entrance.
My stomach immediately dropped.
Unlike the once-in-a-lifetime moment with Tucker before, people I cared about didn’t just pop in for a visit at the ER. They didn’t show up unless something was wrong, and seeing the Wilson brothers and Riley Conrad striding into the pit had panic bubbling up in my chest.
But then I caught sight of the familiar smirk on Travis’s face as he trailed behind the others.
Oh no.
Travis’s smirk might’ve told me this wasn’t an emergency, but everyone around here knew these men were a little overprotective and a lot stubborn when it came to me and theother women in their lives, and because of that, their presence made quite an entrance.
The entire ER seemed to pause for a moment. One of the nurses at the desk next to me, Maria, actually dropped her pen, her eyes widening as she sized up the group of men. “Goodness gracious, it’s like someone just paraded a lineup of action heroes in here,” she muttered under her breath.
I hid my smile, bemused by the way all the women in the ER suddenly seemed to take a keen interest in the path they traveled. Travis’s swagger, Jackson’s quiet strength, and Everett’s serious face were met with lingering glances, and Adam—who was usually the most intimidating of the bunch considering the uniform—earned many appreciative looks. But Riley, always the charmer, probably got the most attention since he had a thing for well-aimed winks at the ladies and was grinning like he owned the place.
Meanwhile, the only thing I felt as the horde approached the nurse’s station was mild exasperation. These guys might’ve been heartthrobs to the women of Charlotte Oaks, but to me? They were basically my brothers. And with that… came a long history of me being annoyed by them and them being annoyed by me.
Whoopee.
“Kota.” Adam’s voice was the first to break through the staring contest happening around us. He stepped forward, his brow furrowed in that no-nonsense way of his. “Can we talk somewhere private?”
The question immediately made me suspicious. There was no way they’d shown up here for a casual chat, and considering the timing of this little visit and their habit of sticking their noses where they didn’t belong, I had a good guess what they wanted to discuss.
I sighed, knowing exactly where this was going but not willing to deal with it just yet. “No can do. We’re busy today. Short-staffed, too.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, a middle-aged nurse from across the desk, Julie, leaned over. “It’s actually a slow day,” she called out loud enough for everyone to hear. “Plenty of places you can take ’em to talk, and we won’t miss ya up here. But, honey, if you don’t want to, I’d be happy to step in and take your place.”
I shot her a glare. Of course, she’d be happy to step in. She—and probably half the women in this hospital—would love the chance to have a “private chat” with any of the Wilson brothers—especially with Riley in tow. Not to mention withallof them.
Before I could come up with a retort about the universal party foul that was calling anything a “slow day” in an emergency room, a familiar voice rang out from the waiting room.
“I call dibs on the boxer!”
I groaned inwardly as Travis visibly flinched.
Mrs. McClusky—here waiting to visit a friend—sat in the waiting room, waving enthusiastically at Travis. Her voice had boomed across the ER, causing several chuckles aimed in her direction.
Travis turned a bright shade of red, clearly horrified, while Riley’s grin only widened.
“Fine. Follow me,” I muttered under my breath.
I didn’t have the energy to argue, especially not with Mrs. M openly ogling Travis and the rest of the room paying too much attention. One public spectacle was all I needed today.
Exasperated, I stood up from the desk and led the group down the hallway toward one of the conference rooms that was thankfully empty.
