Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 85342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“Sorry, I was thinking of something.” I try to make an excuse. His fingers graze mine as he grabs the jacket from me. He slips his jacket on and I see the white shirt pull across his chest. “Thank you for coming over and checking on me.” I look down for a second, trying to gather my words so I don’t sound like an idiot. I look up and it feels like he’s closer than he was when I looked down. I look up into his blue eyes. “I really appreciate it.”
He puts his hand up and I think he’s going to touch me, but instead he holds his neck. “Will you call me,” he says softly, “if you need me?”
“Yes,” I reply, and I can swear he feels as if he’s closer than he was before. My heart speeds up and my mouth suddenly becomes dry when I see him moving his head toward me. All I can hear is the echo in my ears.
I can almost feel his lips on mine and I try not to move. “Liar,” he says softly right before he steps away from me and walks to the door. “I’ll call you later.”
Only when I hear the door shut behind him do I finally say, “What the fuck was that?” I put my hands on my hips. Kissing him would be a huge mistake, huge. It’s almost as if you don’t know what you’re missing, right? So it’s better to not know at all. “You should be glad he didn’t kiss you,” I tell myself as I walk back into my bedroom and grab my shoes. “But why are you so pissed that he didn’t?” I ask myself when I grab my purse and head out the door, locking it behind me.
I make my way to court and the whole day it bothers me that he didn’t kiss me. Even when I walk in the hospital four hours later to check on Penelope, I’m still thinking about it. Like, he was in my space. I play the scene over and over again as I walk down the corridor, and then I see the man who has been all over my thoughts all day long.
He stands there wearing blue chinos and a button-down shirt, as he leans into the counter at the nurses’ station. He has a smile on his face as he talks to the nurse. He must feel me staring at him because he looks up and his smile gets even bigger when he sees me.
I’m about to ask him if he’s following me when I see a man step out of Penelope’s room. He looks right at me. “Julia Williams.” He uses my first name and I wonder if I’ve met him before. I’m about to say something when he holds up his hand and I see white papers in his hands. “You’ve been served.”
CHAPTER 16
Chase
“So how have you been?” I look at Marie who sits behind the nurses’ desk. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
She laughs and she can already smell my bullshit; the minute I finished practice I got in my car and drove straight here. Even when I got in the elevator and pressed the fourth-floor button, I was telling myself I was just doing a follow-up on one of my patients. “Since when do you visit this floor?” She shakes her head as she writes in a chart. I think about lying to her, but I don’t.
“Okay, fine, you got me.” I lean against the desk and smile at her. “I was just checking on a patient I had the other day.” Marie lifts her head and looks at me. “Penelope.” She gives me a sad smile as she reaches for her file.
“She’s doing a bit better,” she informs me and I can feel eyes on me. I turn my head and see her. Julia, the woman who has been on my mind since I walked out of her apartment. When I almost crossed that fucking line and kissed her. She rushed from her room so fast with my jacket in her hand and the only thing I could see was her lips. The only thing I could think about was bending down and kissing her. The only thing I knew I shouldn’t do was kiss her. The minute the door closed behind me, I practically ran out of there as if the building was on fire and I had to save myself. Only when I was in my car did I take a second and get my breathing under control. My hands gripped the steering wheel and all I could do was close my eyes, which made it fifty times worse since all I could see was her. When did she start taking my breath away? When did kissing her feel like the best idea I’ve ever had? When did it hurt to walk away from her and not kiss her? When did seeing her make everything better? When did it all change?