Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
He came out in jeans that were dark gray and a black t-shirt. It’d been cold since I’d known him, so I rarely saw him in shirts like that, shirts that showed off all the sexy muscles of his arms, those corded veins that looked like rivers that led to paradise. The shirt fit against his pecs perfectly and hung slightly loose around his waist because his stomach was all tight abs. He had these sexy narrow hips, and I had a feeling he was totally ripped underneath, masculine perfection.
Fuck, would I ever be able to move on?
He grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch. “How do I look?”
Soooo fucking hot. “Um, you’re going to wear that for your interview?”
“Why not?” He unzipped the jacket and pulled it on.
“It’s just…a little casual.”
“A suit is too formal, and I hate wearing ties. Plus, the stage will probably have lots of lighting, and that’ll make it warm. That’s why I always wear nothing but my scrubs when I do surgery even though it’s cold because the lights get to me after a while.” He grabbed his wallet and keys and headed to the door.
I couldn’t resist a peek at his ass—which was fucking tight.
We left his apartment then got into the car waiting for us.
“Nervous?” I asked. “You want to go over anything?”
“Nah.” With one elbow propped on the door, he looked out the window. “They’re asking me about heart surgery, which I know like the back of my hand. They aren’t asking me to solve a Rubik’s Cube or anything.”
Which he would have no problem doing…
We arrived at the studio and headed into the auditorium where the stage was. Emerson told me Derek had done a couple TED Talks, so I watched a few just to see what it was like. And I knew Derek was smart…but damn.
They had Dex check in, go over a couple details, and then people started to take their seats.
I should attend to all the other things I had to do and step out, but I really wanted to watch his interview because I found him to be the most fascinating person on the planet. I decided to sit in the auditorium, but before I left, I went to Dex backstage. “Need anything before I go?”
He downed a cup of water before he threw it in the garbage, wiping a drop from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, being sexy when he was being messy. “Nope. I got this. Thanks for setting it up. George says you’re really nice.”
“I know I’m a delight.”
He gave me an affectionate smile, and that look was mirrored in his eyes. “Wish me luck.”
“You don’t need it.” The impulse to hug him came over me, but I resisted and turned away to leave the backstage area. Sometimes I couldn’t believe this was my job, to work for someone like him, and maybe I should just be grateful I got to have a piece of him instead of nothing at all.
I moved to down the aisle of chairs until I found an open seat.
“Sicily.” Deacon stood up and waved me over.
Cleo was beside him, giving me a wave from her seat beside him.
I beamed when I saw them, some of my favorite people in the world. I scooted down the line until I took the seat beside Deacon. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“We both moved some things around,” Deacon said, wearing similar attire to his son, jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.
“I asked Matt to cover for me,” Cleo said. “There’s another plumbing emergency going on right now, but I left anyway. They can handle it.”
I was sure it was pure fucking chaos, but I didn’t make her feel guilty for her decision to come see her son.
“Is he nervous?” Deacon asked, looking so much like Derek with his dark hair and dark shadow on his jawline. Their voices even sounded the same. I only knew that because I’d been on YouTube the night before, watching all of Derek’s videos.
“No, actually,” I said. “He seems totally fine.”
“He can handle lots of attention,” Cleo said. “It doesn’t give him anxiety like it does to other people.” Anytime she talked about any of her kids, there was always a sense of pride to her voice, like any single thing she mentioned was a form of bragging.
“You know he got that from you, right?” Deacon said, looking forward as he waited for the interview to begin.
She chuckled. “Oh yes, I know.”
The lights dimmed, and the interview began.
George was the interviewer, a man in a blazer and tie, wearing round glasses on the bridge of his nose. “Heart disease is still the leading cause of death in this country, and according to Dr. Dex Hamilton, that numbers of deaths can decrease not only from changes to our diets and lifestyle, but with life-saving surgeries. The problem? There are not enough physicians to service populations in any country, advanced or unadvanced. Dr. Hamilton is known not only for his ground-breaking research into surgical practices that reduce risk for patients and reduce recovery time, but he’s also known for the health care he provides through Doctors Without Borders, bringing essential medicine and surgeries to communities that don’t have access in their respective countries. On top of that, Dr. Hamilton has his own cardiac foundation, All Hearts Beat as One, where he receives donations through sponsors so he can operate on all patients, regardless if they can afford his services. According to Dr. Hamilton, ‘No patient should be denied quality, life-saving surgery because they can’t afford it.’” George rose to his feet. “The man who needs no introduction, Dr. Dex Hamilton.”