Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 11654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 58(@200wpm)___ 47(@250wpm)___ 39(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 11654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 58(@200wpm)___ 47(@250wpm)___ 39(@300wpm)
“I’m not a good guy, Nova. Don’t think that. You wouldn’t think that if you knew what I’ve been thinking about all day.”
“What have you been thinking?” I ask him and then cover my mouth with my hands. Did I really just ask him that? “Forget it, I don’t need to know. It doesn’t matter. This”—I point between the two of us—“can’t happen. I’m here to get you walking. I can’t get involved with patients.”
He releases the edge of the table and slides his hand toward my arm. We both watch him move and I tremble at the thought he’s going to touch me.
When his hand wraps around my forearm and his thumb strokes across my wrist, I fidget in my seat. His touch makes me want things I shouldn’t.
“All I’ve thought about all day is your hands on me. All I’ve thought about, all fuckin’ day, was putting my hands on you. I’m hard now, just thinking about it. If you stay here, Nova, I’m not going to be able to stay away from you. I want you too damn much.”
“I can’t,” I squeak. “I could lose my job.” I jump up from the table and start piling the dishes in the sink. I start to wash them and when I look over my shoulder, Rancher is getting up and walking from the room. Man, I wish things were different.
4
Nova
I stay awake all night. When I think I’m about to fall asleep, I jolt awake. When I first went to bed, I had plans to quit the next morning and send another therapist. That is the legal and moral thing to do. The right thing.
The more I thought about it, the more shady it got in my head.
All I could think about is how I always do the right thing. I’ve never strayed from it; I’ve always done what was right and expected of me.
Well, now for the first time, I want something really bad. I want Rancher. He’s a good man, and he’s hurting. I want to be here for him and not just as his physical therapist.
When I ask myself, Can you walk away from him tomorrow? The answer is no. Absolutely not.
So I come up with a plan. And a prayer that I’m making the right decision.
I make a few phone calls the next morning and hide out in my room until everything is in place.
When I finally come out, I go to the kitchen and Rancher is sitting there at the table. He looks up at me and in that one look, I know I’m making the right decision.
“Can we talk?”
Rancher
I know what she’s going to say even before she says it. I nod and she sits down. I brace for what I know is coming. She’s quitting on me. On us.
She nervously rubs her hands together. “Rancher, I made a few phone calls this morning. You have a new therapist showing up tomorrow.”
There’s no sense in arguing. She’s obviously made up her mind.
“Uh, and if it’s okay, well, God how do I even say this, I took two weeks vacation and I thought I could stay here… maybe help a little… as your friend.” She looks away from me, but not before I see the insecurity in her eyes.
“Wait.” I hold my hands up. “You’re staying?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “Yes, but not as your therapist. Of course I will still help you while I’m here, but yes, I would like to stay. But I could only take off two weeks. And you won’t be my patient.”
I’m confused for a minute and then it hits me and I realize what this means.
I reach over to her and pull her hand toward me until she’s out of her seat and on my lap.
She makes sure to avoid my bad leg as she turns sideways, smiling at me. She cups my face in her hands. “I may not have thought this through. You may not want me here for two weeks. Maybe you wanted one night. And honestly, that’s fine, Rancher. I’ll take whatever you are willing to give me, because the way I feel when you touch me, well, I just want to feel that again.”
“Honey, you’ll be lucky if I let you leave in two weeks.” I kiss her then and it’s just as sweet and primal as I thought it would be. Her lips touch mine and I get lost in it, not coming up for breath until I’m breathing raggedly.
“Go to the bedroom, my bedroom, honey. I’ll be right there.” I help her off my lap and watch as she stands over me.
“Let me help you, Rancher.” She reaches for the crutches but I stop her.
“No!” I say, probably too harshly. I don’t want her to see me struggling and I don’t even know how I’m going to pull off having sex. But I know that nothing will stop me from having her.