Boss Me (8 page)

“Yeah, she said the roads were slick, but not too bad,” she replies before planting a kiss on his lips.

Moments later, a petite older woman with blond hair the same color as Will’s sister’s runs into the room with tear-filled eyes. “Oh, thank God,” she says just as she throws herself down on the gurney. I can’t hear the words that he’s saying, but Michael gently pats the top of his wife’s head and whispers words of comfort and love.

The boys steps outside one by one to give their parents a few moments alone. While outside in the hall, I’m formally introduced to each of Will’s brothers. He seems to relax now that his brothers are here which causes me to breathe a little easier. I don’t know why, but the thought of Will being upset doesn’t sit well with me. My stomach feels tight and my heartbeats a rapid tempo filled with nervous energy.

Thirty minutes later, the emergency room begins to return to somewhat normal. The victims of this morning’s accident are all either released or admitted for observation. Mr. Stevens was the latter. Dr. Smith called in our resident cardiologist, Dr. Hall, who confirmed that Michael had suffered a mild heart attack. Pending any setbacks, he will be on his way home sometime tomorrow with a few restrictions and new medication.

I find Will in the main artery of the emergency room. “Are you sure you don’t want to hang back here with your family?” I ask as I approach with a fresh cup of coffee for each of us.

“No, I have a job to do. The only thing I’d be able to do upstairs is stare at the wall. I’ll visit Dad after my shift,” he says as we start to make our way towards the ambulance.

“I’ll drive,” I offer, wanting to give him time to relax from his anxious morning.

“Okay,” he says as we walk together through the sliding glass doors and out into the freezing cold air.

The remainder of the morning progresses quietly into afternoon. We’re paged to a nursing home for patient transfer, a fender bender in the grocery store parking lot, and to a home for a child having difficulty breathing. Each time I glance over, Will seems lost in his own thoughts, so I decide to let him be.

Even with the quiet, there’s still a loud, sexually charged buzz present in the ambulance. I catch Will watching me out of the corner of his eye several times. Catching glimpses of Will catching glimpses of me is a heady feeling. The desire and want that was present last Sunday is still very much alive, even though Will’s mind tends to be elsewhere. It’s brewing and yearning like smoldering ash. All it’s going to take is that one little spark and the entire thing will roar to life.

At two o’clock, following the shift changeover, Will goes to clock out and see his dad, while I head upstairs to catch up on the emails and paperwork I missed today. Fortunately, Tim is back on Monday so my days of filling in for him are over. Though, I can’t be sure it won’t happen again soon with any of the other employees. We don’t have many part timers available who can fill in at a moment’s notice.

My cell phone rings at three-thirty. Zach is just getting home from school and is excited that he gets to spend the weekend with his father, since last weekend’s visit was a bust.

“Hello, sweetheart. How was school?” I ask into the receiver.

“Good. What time is Dad going to be here?” Zach asks, quickly and full of excitement.

“Four o’clock. His secretary called me about ten minutes ago to let me know he was about to head out,” I tell my son. Nick could pick up the phone and call himself, but he’s never been the personable, warm type. He has a secretary, and he uses her. “Your bag is sitting on your bed. Don’t forget to take your homework and get it done tonight. Don’t save it for Sunday night, again,” I remind him.

“Mom, can I just do it when I get back on Sunday? Dad is supposed to take me for cheeseburgers and fries tonight since we missed last Friday,” Zach whines.

“No, you can’t. You need to do it tonight. Why don’t you go ahead and get started on it until your dad gets there?”

“Fine,” he mumbles.

“Text me when you leave the house, don’t forget to lock the door, and call me if you need me,” I tell my son.

“I know,” Zach reminds me.

“Love you,” I tell him.

“I know,” he says exasperated. “I love you, too,” he adds with a little more enthusiasm than his previous statement.

“Be good for your dad, and have a good weekend.”

“Bye, Mom.”

“Bye, sweetheart,” I say into the phone. I hear him click off, but can’t bring myself to drop the receiver. Zach spends more of his weekends with me than he does with his dad since his father frequently has to cancel, so when the quietness sets in, I often find myself lost and lonely.

At six o’clock, I’ve caught up enough and decide to head home. I could really use a glass of chardonnay and a hot bath to erase the stress of the day, but the main thing I’m concerned about is whether or not it’ll help erase the images of Will Stevens.

The wind has finally settled down, but the cold air is still bitter and unforgiving. I reach my car and slide inside quickly, but when I attempt to start it, there is only a clicking sound. The car doesn’t start. I try several more times, but each time has the same result. I exhale deeply and close my eyes.

Great! This is just what I need tonight!

I’m disturbed from my self-pity by a knock on my window. I look over and even though it’s dark outside, I can clearly see Will standing next to my door.

“Are you having car trouble?” he asks as I throw open the door.

“Yes,” I say, gathering up my bag and purse. “It won’t start. I’ll just run inside and call a tow truck,” I add as I lock the doors.

“I’ll give you a ride home,” he offers. His striking blue eyes bore into me with a fierceness that I’ve never seen. I don’t know whether I should accept and jump in his car or run as fast as I can the other way.

“I don’t mind calling a tow truck,” I say.

“Yeah, but by the time Gus gets here and gets your car to his shop, it’ll be late. I’ll run you home and you can call him to get it in the morning,” he offers.

I consider my options and the thought of waiting here for another hour or two until a tow truck arrives isn’t appealing. Definitely not as appealing as sharing cab space with Will Stevens again today. Though, I know that I need to keep my distance from the sexy paramedic if I want to keep my sanity…and my job.

“Ummm,” I start, but Will cuts me off.

“Come on. I’ll give you a ride home, Carmen,” he says, nodding his head towards a car a few spots down from mine.

“Okay,” I say and slowly make my way towards his car.

Will has it running already, heat cranked up on high. It only takes a moment before my ass is toasty warm with the seat warmers and the hot air is thawing my nose and ears. Will cleans off the fog on his glasses and pulls out of his parking spot.

“Which way?” Will asks as he reaches the end of the parking lot.

“Right,” I inform my driver. I try to watch the scenery around me, but honestly, there’s nothing better than the scenery within the car. “So, how’s your dad doing?”

“Better,” Will says. “He’ll be discharged sometime tomorrow. We’re fortunate that it was a mild heart attack. He’s back to his ornery self already. When I left, he had the two nurses in stitches with his dirty jokes,” he adds with a smile.

“I’m glad to hear that,” I reply with a smile. “Are you doing okay?” I ask without being able to stop the words from spilling from my lips. Will glances over at me, the whites of his eyes standing out in the darkened shadows of the car. “I mean, you just seemed out of sorts today because of it all,” I add quickly, wanting to take back the question.

“I’m okay,” he says while keeping his eyes firmly on the road. “You know, I responded to a call almost two years ago to find my brother, Jake, shot. Also, I was in the first unit to respond to the scene of a car accident when Avery and her best friend, Holly, were only seventeen. Both times, I kept calm. I was in the zone, even though it was my flesh and blood there. But when I walked in that room and saw my dad on that gurney? That affected me more than anything ever has. I was scared to death this morning,” he confides in a quiet voice. He sounds so distant, like he’s not really talking to me. He’s talking out loud, to no one but himself.

“I understand that fear,” I say, reaching over and placing my left hand over his right one on the steering wheel.

The entire car becomes electrically charged. Invisible sparks fly as my cold palm rests in a friendly gesture over his warm hand. Will sucks in an audible breath and whips his head over to where I’m sitting next to him. I watch as his eyes darken, taking on a heated, intense glaze. My heart rate spikes and my breath comes out in short pants.

I’m about to pull my hand away when he grabs it and holds it firmly within his own. Heat floods my entire body as lightning shoots from my hand, up my arm, and courses recklessly through me, striking every single nerve ending I possess.

Will returns his eyes to the road, but doesn’t let go of my hand. I could pull away - I
should
pull away - but I just can’t seem to do it. His hand, wrapped around mine, feels too good.

I realize at that moment that we missed my turn. “Um, turn left here,” I say, though my voice comes out deeper and breathier than normal.

After a few more turns, Will is pulling into the driveway of the house I indicate. “This is where you live?” he asks, yet to let go of my hand.

“Yeah.”

Will chuckles as he uses the hand he’s holding mine with, to shift the car into park. “This was my sister’s house before she married Maddox,” he says.

We both stare at the little house I’ve called home, for several seconds. The air inside the car is thick with something. Anticipation? Desire? Lust? Oh, it’s all here in spades.

I shift uncomfortably, waiting for one of us to speak but having no idea what to say or do. I know that I should get out of this car and run as fast as I can into the house, locking the door securely behind me. There are plenty of reasons why I should get out of this car right now. The problem is that I want to stay. Or more, I want Will to come inside with me. So, I remain quiet and wait.

“So,” Will starts, clearing his throat and taking a few deep breaths. “So, do you have dinner plans tonight?”

I know what I should say, but I can’t. “No,” I reply, not wanting to break the connection that I have with this man.

“I was thinking that maybe we could order some Chinese and, I don’t know, hang out,” Will says, the nerves evident in his voice as much as in the features of his moonlit face.

I absorb his words, committing his handsome face to memory, and know what my answer is going to be.
No. No. No.
“That sounds nice.”

We both sit there for a few seconds, staring at each other as if waiting for the other to change their mind. There’s no way in hell I’m changing my mind. It’s just dinner, right?

I slowly exit the passenger side of Will’s car. Will does the same, meeting me around the front of his car. We take gingerly steps up to the front porch until we’re standing in front of the door. I slide my key into the lock, give it a gentle turn, and the door slides open as if in invitation. There’s no going back now.

Will follows me inside my darkened living room. I turn to shut the door, throwing the lock again, but just when I touch the knob, his hand surrounds me in warmth. That’s all it takes. There’s that spark I’ve been waiting for, rekindling the fire simmering between us.

I throw my arms around Will’s neck as he pulls me flush against him. The hard muscles of his abdomen flex as my lips meet his for the first time. The air is sucked out of the room, as I taste him. He tastes like hot male, ready and full of need. Will slides his tongue along the seam of my lips, begging for entry. I open my mouth for him and my entire body goes haywire. My mind goes blank, my hands lock firmly around the warm skin of his neck, and heat floods between my suddenly wobbly legs.

The kiss is exquisite. The way that you always want a first kiss with someone new to be. It’s the kind of kiss that makes you forget your own name. The feel of his hot, wet tongue sliding against mine sends desire coursing recklessly through my veins. I want more. I
need
more.

Will’s hands grab for my coat. I hear the zipper lowering with lightning flash efficiency moments before my coat is ripped from my body and dropped to the floor behind me. His hands are everywhere, exploring my body over my uniform, except the places I want him most.

I moan into his mouth as I feel his hands grasp at my uniform top. Will tugs until the shirt and undershirt are removed from my pants without breaking the connection of our lips. His tongue continues to make love to me, mimicking the motions that I can only hope are coming next. His hand touches my skin in one scorching onslaught of heat. His large hands dig at my clothes, pulling at the material, trying to free my body.

I quickly unzip Will’s coat, frantically trying to catch up. I throw the coat on the floor behind him and anxiously make quick work of the buttons on his uniform top. My fingers fumble as if completely forgetting how to perform this one basic task.

Will pulls his lips from mine, reluctantly and looks deep into my eyes. His eyes are on fire with desire and need. His breathing is harsh and his chest is panting, as he attempts to get the necessary amount of air into his lungs.

Without saying a word, Will links both of his hands with mine and starts to walk backwards towards the hallway. He gently pulls me along with him, his intentions clear. I go willingly and openly. And if I could run to our destination, I probably would.

As soon as we reach the threshold of my room, Will stops, eyes roaming over my face as if questioning. I can tell he’s looking for confirmation before he takes that final step. I place my hands on his chest and give him a gentle shove backwards into my room. Will stumbles but only for a few steps. His eyes burn into me as he realizes the meaning of the gesture.

I take two steps towards him and make quick work of unbuttoning the rest of those pesky little buttons. Will grabs my hands, holding them back as he stops my movements. Panic starts to set in that I’ve made a mistake, that Will is stopping this. But when I look up into his eyes, I see there is no mistake. He clearly wants this as much as I do. His eyes are blazing an indigo blue and they’re trained directly at me.