9781631052347OnCallKenyan (2 page)

Chapter
One

He
chuckled as he tossed in the narrow bed again. AJ’s dreams were usually vivid,
as AJ generally only dreamed of his two favorite things, surgery and sex.
Lately he hadn’t been able to kick the beautiful blonde with blue eyes from his
dreams. It was frustrating because he couldn’t see the rest of her and plus, AJ
wasn’t monogamous in real life so he hated the fact that his dreams were. His
lips caressed her creamy shoulders as his hands held onto her curvaceous body.
AJ assumed it was her body, because he couldn’t see the rest of her.

“Ross,”
she called out his name as would a mermaid seducing a sailor.

“
Paging Doctor Ross To The Nurses’ Station.”

“Paging Doctor Ross To The
Nurses’ Station.”

AJ
startled awake as the voice of the on-call nurse’s voice rang in his ears. He
groaned, he moaned, he let out every protesting voice he could master. He
grabbed the pillow from the bed, in the on-call room, and covered his head.
“I’m technically not a doctor yet. Get someone else,” he shouted in the
darkness.

“How
about you? You shut up!” He heard the groggy voice of a female on the top bunk.

He
threw the pillow to the foot of the bed and sat erect, moving so fast that his
forehead came into contact with the bed frame. “Shit! Can this day get any
worse?”

“I
promise you it will, if you don’t shut up and let me sleep,” she grizzled.

“Sorry.”
Adrian began to apologize, but when he touched his forehead he winced in pain.
His fingers were coated with the warm crimson of his blood. “I think I cut my
head on this bed frame.”

“Are
you bleeding?”

“Yes.”

“Are
you a doctor?”

“Yes.”

“So get
up, go stitch yourself up, and let me sleep. I am begging you. I am ready to
pay you anything for some peace and quiet.” The girl’s voice got a little harsh
as she thrashed on the bed.

AJ
jumped to his feet, afraid that all her movement would send the bed crushing
down on his head. “What’s your problem?”

“You
are my problem!” She raved as she leapt off the bed, landing inches away from
Adrian. Both of them were stunned by each other. They stood in silence for a
couple of seconds before she said “You’re a big guy.”

“So
I’ve been told.” AJ drawled as he wiped the blood rolling down his forehead.

AJ
studied her. Her long blonde hair was in a ponytail at the back of her head,
her eyes were a swirling blue-gray color. She almost resembled the woman
haunting his dreams. But then her stubborn chin reminded him so much of his
sister Lisette, any fantasy which had started hatching in his dreams died
instantly. He groaned inwardly, disappointed. He would have loved to kiss her
pouty lips, caress her full body and weave his fingers into her hair, but that
stubborn jaw put him off—with his two younger sisters, he didn’t need another
aggressive woman in his life.

“Do you
mind helping me with this?” AJ smiled, slowly and sexily. Lisette had described
his smile as wolfish, as if he just about to chomp down on Little Red Riding
Hood. AJ knew was his smile was his best wing man and it always got him the
response he wanted, so this time should be no different.

Katherine’s
hands shook as she raised them to his forehead. It took all of AJ’s
self-control not to wrap his hands round her tiny waist and pull her against
his aching body.

* * * *

Katherine
Henry watched as the hunk of a man stared at her with indifference in his eyes.
At first she thought she had caught a hint of desire, but something she had
done put him off. He was a big guy. His hard muscled frame oozed with sexiness.
She wanted to reach out and smooth her hands along his body, just to feel his
hardness.

“Do you
mind helping me with this?”

Katherine
licked her lips as she was torn out of her fantasy. “What? Help you with what?”
Her raw throat made her voice sound like a scratchy whisper.

AJ
chuckled and the sound washed through her like a warm cup of cocoa. “Can you
help me with the cut on my head?”

“Sure,
I am a doctor!” Katherine bit her tongue, holding back from saying anything
else stupid. Internal heat surged her cheeks when his lips pulled into a
disgustingly sexy smile. “Of course I’m a doctor that’s why I’m here. So are
you, you are a doctor too. And—I’m going to shut up now.”

“How
about we go to the nurses’ station and you can look after me there.” AJ lips
curled into a sly grin as laughter claimed his brown eyes. Katherine noticed
his lips must be his best asset, his secret weapon in getting women to go home
with him. Hell, she was ready to leave with him and he was a bloody mess.

“Of
course.” Katherine snorted. “Do you use that line a lot?”

“That
wasn’t a line. I just want you to stitch me up. If you can’t I’ll get someone
else to do it.” He turned toward the door.

Katherine
reached and grabbed his arm before he left. She cursed herself as her fingers
barely wrapped themselves around the bicep in his arm. She desperately wanted
to feel his strong arms around her, even for a second. But when Adrian opened
the door and let the world in, she had no other choice but to step out. As she
did, Katherine noticed a lot of eyes staring at both of them suspiciously, and
for a second she thought she saw a sad look in one nurse’s eyes before they
turned into pure rage.

“I
think that one likes you,” Katherine said as she pointed at the disapproving
nurse.

“If my
memory serves me right, she likes me a lot.” Adrian shot her a grin.

“Oh
brother, you are bad news aren’t you?” Katherine chuckled. “Its not bleeding
too bad. A band aid will do just fine. Take a seat on the gurney and I’ll be
right back.”

Katherine
arranged her tools on a sterile tray and slipped on a pair of gloves. She
turned toward Adrian just in time to see him wink at a nurse who was walking
by. She was mad, enraged at how ignorantly he was behaving. She felt like taking
a scalpel and cutting off his lips.

“Try
and control your hormones for five minutes, Doctor Ross.” She hissed through
clenched teeth. Now she had managed to still her own hormones she was in
control of the situation. “Do you want something for the pain?”

“No, I
have to keep a clear head, I’m on call tonight.” He grunted when she put in the
first suture.

Sexy and he can withstand pain
too?
Katherine
wanted to kick him in the nuts.

Being
so close to him reminded her of the night they had spent together in the back
seat of his Range Rover. It wasn’t very romantic but it was exciting. The
thought that someone could catch them having a tryst in a public place made the
sex more exciting. But here, now, she was standing between his strong
thighs—thighs she knew so well it pained her—as she treated his wound.

‘Take care of me.’
Those were the words she had
used that night. She had been at the bonfire with her younger brothers who had
dragged her there, saying she needed a bit of fun—and it had been fun. But that
was almost two years ago. Maybe that was why he didn’t remember her.

“I
think you might just live long enough to seduce all the nurses on this floor,
Doctor Ross,” Katherine said.

“Thank
you, Doctor…” He was embarrassed.

“The
name is Katherine Henry but my patients call me Doctor Henry.” She had given
him her name and was eagerly waiting for some indication of familiarity. But
there was none.
Not surprising, really—I
don’t think he remembers the names of nurses he’s slept with this week. How
could he remember the name of a girl from a bonfire almost two years ago?

“I don’t
seduce them,” he was mumbling. “They just seem to come to me.”

“Come
with you or by you?” Katherine spat out with a steel tongue. “Sorry,” she
quickly said when she saw the hurt look on Adrian’s face. “They flock
to you because you are a sexy guy. One
look at you, and they want to gobble you up. You are like sex on legs.”

“You
mean that?” The smile was back on his lips, the laughter in his eyes.

“I
rarely pay any men compliments. My three brothers taught me that. So…you should
take what I said as a compliment and run with it.”

“I have
two sisters. When I saw you stick out your stubborn chin I wanted to turn in
the other direction and run.”

“Siblings,
they run your life, but living without them is unimaginable.” Katherine said.
“There, you’re done. You’d better go figure out why they’re paging you.”

“Uh-huh,
thanks. By the way…could I get your number?”

You already have it, you
jackass.
Katherine
wanted to say. But instead she smiled, shook her head and started to walk away.

* * *
*

AJ
couldn’t help but chuckle when the ‘friendly’ doctor walked away from him. He
had picked up on her annoyed attitude, plus her desire for him. That was hard
to miss, because as the sliver of steel on her tongue slashed through him, the
hard tips of her nipples stared him in the face. She wanted him, and although
the feeling was mutual he couldn’t add doctors to his list of medical
conquests, even though her touch did seem familiar.

“Hi.”
Adrian’s view of Doctor Henry was cut into by a short red-headed nurse.

AJ
groaned inside, his chest rumbling with the sound. If there was one thing he
loved, it was red-heads. Each girl represented a sexual ‘something’ to him. He
didn’t believe in the stereotypes attached to blondes. But that might be
because he only engaged with ones with medical training. He loved them tough
and smart.

But
women with red hair, at least, the ones with whom he had come into contact, did
almost anything in bed. That was the only reason why all the blood had left his
head and shot southward.

AJ
stood up and had the pleasure of seeing the redhead’s eyes widen as he showed
his full length and size.
You’re a big
guy.
He chuckled at the memory. But when he saw the redhead’s pink tongue
sweep over her full lips, every memory of Katherine flew out of his head as the
redhead drew all his attention.

“Maybe
we can get a drink later,” she said in a breathy tone.

“Maybe.
But if you can convince me you’ll get a definite ‘yes’.” AJ lowered his head
and whispered to her.

“I am a
gymnast,” Red said through pouted crimson lips.

AJ chuckled.
He could feel his groin chuckle with him. This night, no matter what happened
in the hospital, would definitely have a great end.

“Name
and number, and I will pick you up at the end of the shift.”

He
watched as she quickly scribbled her details down. She was an eager one, he
could tell. AJ could feel someone watching him, and when he lifted his head, he
caught the dagger-like glares nurses were shooting in his direction. He turned
away and was unlucky enough to catch Katherine’s disapproving frown. Her
stubborn chin was out again. AJ felt his body shiver with censure. There was no
way he was going to invite another woman in his life, who was so opinionated
and critical of what he was doing. That was what he had Catalella and Lisette
for.

* * *
*

“What are you staring at?”

Katherine
jumped, startled by the baritone echo in her ear. She watched helplessly as the
charts which were next to her, crashed to the ground, announcing to everyone
around the nurses’ station how clumsy she was. She bit back an oath, and ducked
behind the desk when AJ’s gaze swung her way. She was down on her hands and
knees, the charts already gathered in her arms, yet she gave herself five
seconds more, hoping AJ would have left by then.

“Hi.”

“What?”
Confused, Katherine lifted her gaze and noticed the resident squatting beside
her. Doctor Kenneth Lyle was her attending. He was the cardiologist who she was
shadowing, and for the longest time Katherine had thought he had the hots for
her. “Oh! Hi Doctor Lyle. I was just picking this up.”

“After
you were caught drooling over Adrian Ross,” he snickered.

Katherine
snorted as she jumped to her feet. She dumped the charts on the desk and began
rearranging her hair—anything to distract her from the uncomfortable ache at
the bottom of her belly. AJ was still watching her, an amused smirk on his
lips. The redhead was still chatting away at him. But he was watching Katherine
over her head, nodding and not exactly paying attention.

“You’re
staring again.” Kenneth chuckled. “Don’t tell me you believe he is an Adonis. I
thought nurses were the only people susceptible to his charms.”