Wash (29 page)

Elijah
walked her inside and at the elevator he asked, “What floor are you
on?”

“
Second, right above the pool. I get the same room every time.”
She smiled when the elevator door slid open and they stepped on. “I
usually just take the stairs at the end of the hall. My room’s
right across from it.”

Elijah’s
eyebrows rose. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“
You seemed like you really wanted to take the
elevator.”

The
doors opened and she led the way down the hall to her room. “I had
fun tonight.”

“
So did I.” His tongue ran across his lips as he pressed them
together. “Do you have plans for tomorrow?” His fingers rubbed his
forehead. “Shoot, I’m on call tomorrow at the hospital.”

“
Maybe I’ll see you there. I need to sit behind my computer and
get some work done.”

His eyes
lit up. “Why don’t you do it in my office? I’ll be in and out and I
promise I won’t be a bother.”

“
That sounds… nice.” She rummaged through her purse and pulled
out her room key-card. “You should—”

Elijah’s
lips pressed against hers as she looked up from her bag. They were
soft and left hers much too quickly. “Text me tomorrow when you
wake up,” he whispered.

Charity
nodded but didn’t say anything; she didn’t trust her voice. Inside
the room, she leaned against the door and fanned her face with the
room key-card. She heard the stairwell door open and
close.

She
wanted to text him now and then all night. What would be even
better, she could crawl into bed and call him, then fall asleep to
the sound of his voice.

Chapter 16

Charity,
of all things, slept in the next morning. She never did that. Ever.
It was almost eleven by the time she made it to the hospital. She
stopped at a bakery her mother used to go to on the way and bought
a plate of treats and three coffees. Her father wasn’t in his
office and neither was Elijah. He left a note on the door to say he
was in surgery and for her to use whatever she needed.

She
stepped in the room and closed the door behind her, inhaling
deeply. She could smell his cologne in the room and she momentarily
closed her eyes.

Today
she needed to work. Not fantasize about the chief.

She
reopened the door and walked over to Elijah’s desk. She wrote a
note for her father on a Post-It to say if he needed her, she’d be
across the hall. Then she sat down at Elijah’s desk with her
laptop. His office was similar to her dad’s. A large mahogany desk,
black leather chair for him, and chairs. The far wall had
interesting stone inlayed. It almost looked like a waterfall with
no water. Across from the door, just under the window, was a table.
The pieces of artwork on the walls were abstract. She walked around
the room to see if they were signed. It was hard to make out the
signatures, but she had a feeling they were from New
Zealand.

She sat
back down at Elijah’s desk and opened her computer. As it loaded,
she changed her mind and stood. She should be working on the table
under the window so Elijah could work at his when he came back. She
dragged one of the ottoman-type chairs over to the table and then
carried her computer.

In
between Internet searching and e-mailing companies she had worked
with prior, she finished her coffee. Elijah came in just as she did
a basketball shot with the empty cup.

“
Score!” He laughed. “Nice shot!”

She
laughed and dropped back against her chair, feeling a little shy
and unsure if she should hug him, kiss him, or shake his hand.
“How’d surgery go?”

“
Really good. Put a broken femur back together. The guy fell
off his roof cleaning his eaves and broke it.”

“
Well done.”

He
pointed to his desk. “You can sit there, you know.”

“
I didn’t want to kick you out of your spot.”

“
I don’t mind sharing.” He leaned against the wall, his arms
crossed over his chest.

“
Do you work everyday?” She had wondered that last night while
lying in her bed.

“
Not always.” He rubbed his neck. “But I am here a lot. I don’t
mind.”

No
family to come home to. “Is my father here all the time,
too?”

Elijah
tilted his head as he considered his answer. “I think the hospital
is his home now.”

And his
family. He still had a huge house and a daughter, but both seemed
irrelevant now. She sighed. “I think I know what you
mean.”

“
Hel-lo?” Charity’s father called from across the hall. He
stood in Elijah’s doorway a moment later. “You can work in my
office if you’d like a desk, Charity.”

Behind him, Elijah pointed to himself and then his desk. He
mouthed, “
I
offered
.”

“
Thanks, but this is great.”

Her dad
noticed the tray of baked goods on the table by her. “Are those
from today?”

“
I brought them in a bit ago. There’s coffee for both of you.
Just not sure how hot it is.”

Both men
came over and started eating the cookies. As they snacked, they
talked about patients and procedures. Charity politely tuned out
and went back to work on her laptop. The rest of the day continued
in a similar manner. Elijah would come in, snack on whatever
Charity had set on the table, and then scoot out again when his
pager went off. Her father would do the same thing. He seemed to
show up minutes after Elijah would walk into the room.

The heat
between Elijah and her seemed to hit a simmering level. Inside of
Charity it felt like it would boil over at any moment. It didn’t,
and by the end of the day, she had caught up on everything she
needed to do. Elijah was in surgery and she did not plan on sitting
in his office waiting for him.

She
packed her things back into her briefcase and left him a note that
said she promised to text him this week. She underlined the word
promise twice. In the hall, she tried her dad’s door. It was
locked. She could call him tomorrow morning.

On the
way back to the hotel, she stopped and bought a bottle of red wine
and a set of wine glasses. Plastic cups from the hotel would not
suffice, she wanted to relax and enjoy a glass or two.

Chapter 17

Charity poured herself a glass of red wine and settled on
the couch. She set her phone facedown on the coffee table and
picked up her glass. She took a sip and then pressed the tip of her
finger against her lips.
What was Elijah doing right now? Did she ever
cross his mind?
Instead of taking another drink, she set the glass down and
checked her phone.

Nothing.

Should she text him?

“
Just leave it alone,” she mumbled, quickly setting the
phone back down. She savoured the sip she had hesitated on. A few
moments later she reached for her phone again and started to text a
message. Halfway through, she deleted it. She got up and set the
phone by the TV cabinet.
Out of sight, out of mind.

She
walked to the window and stared vacantly through the glass, seeing
more of the room’s reflection than outside. Images of Elijah ran
through her head. The day they met in the elevator, dinner later
that night, his piercing blue eyes looking so surprised when she
had kissed him to save him from the crazy lady, and how handsome he
had looked the night after on the hospital balcony. His face with
its tender lips, high cheekbones, and that scruff which always
seemed to be playing sexy on his face; all it wouldn’t leave her
head.

After
she finished her glass of wine, she grabbed the bottle to pour
another. Maybe burying her thoughts into a liter of Merlot would
put her thoughts to rest. Her phone’s little red light flicked to
say there was a message. She raced over and hit the screen with a
slightly shaky finger. From nerves or excitement, she couldn’t
tell.

Julie
.

Her
heart dropped as she exhaled a disappointed breath. Julie just
texting to ask if she wanted to come over for dinner
tonight.

Charity
didn’t. She’d rather be alone tonight.

Pacing
the room was apparently next on her to do list. She stopped
abruptly when an idea hit her.

No text.
No more phone.

She
walked to the closet and pulled out a sleeveless black dress she’d
recently purchased. It was body hugging with enough of a V-cut to
show a bit of breast. The skirt front hung short and the back ran
longer with the hem just touching the top of her calves. It was the
closest thing she had to sexy. She refreshed her makeup and went
with a gloss lipstick instead of the red she always wore. Her hair
had spent the day tied up in a bun and as she pulled it out, for
once it actually cooperated and fell against her shoulders in a
wavy, windswept way.

She
stared at the mirror’s reflection before slipping on a pair of
black heels and grabbing her purse and keys. She slipped her coat
over her arm, planning on putting it on as she left the
hotel.

With
purposeful steps she walked to the door. She pulled it open and
stopped short.

There
stood Elijah. The look of surprise left almost as soon as it
showed, replaced instead with the same desired longing Charity had
burning inside of her. His mouth hung just slightly open, like he
wanted to say something but didn’t know what. Those bright blue
eyes stared intently into hers.

She
couldn’t move. Her breath lost itself after she sucked in a quiet
gasp. How could he have known she was going to see him?

He
stepped to her, his lips crushing against hers as his arms wrapped
around to pull her tighter against him. Nothing tasted sweeter than
his tongue finding its way into her mouth. Her hips pressed into
him, trying to get closer.

Somehow
they ended up just inside her room, Elijah turning them so the door
wouldn’t hit them as it closed. Charity’s fingers crushed into his
hair, tracing down his neck and onto his shoulders. She could feel
her fingernails dig hard into the leather of his jacket, as if they
had a mind of their own. Somehow her coat had slipped from her arm
and lay tangled up between their feet.

Elijah
pressed her up against the wall, their kisses growing more frantic.
Charity pulled his coat down over his arms and it dropped to the
floor. Her eyes had closed the moment his lips had touched hers.
She had no idea what he wore but the material of his short-sleeved
shirt was soft and thin against his skin.

His
thumb traced along her cheekbone as his other hand splayed along
her ribcage, just millimetres from her breast. He groaned; a
hungry, lustful moan deep inside his throat.

It made
Charity smile. She loved the sound.

Elijah
pulled away slightly but continued to kiss her. His lips parted
hers slightly as he began to whisper in a husky voice, “Are you…
enjoying… my torment?”

She leaned her head back against the wall and opened her
eyes. Inches away from that sexy face, she wondered how she had
held out this long. He wore a charcoal grey shirt that nearly made
her moan when she pictured what he would look like without it
on.
Just
black jeans with his belt and boots.
Her eyes closed voluntarily; no willpower
could have stopped them. She swallowed hard.

His lips
brushed against hers. They still held their fire, but the need was
less intense, like a slow dance.

Charity’s fingers found their way again at the back of
Elijah’s hair. The warm tremor deep inside her belly could only be
relieved by pressing her hips against his. It helped, but only a
moment before the tremor begged for more. She could feel every inch
of his hard body against hers. The warmness inside only grew
hotter.

A
terrified scream from the hallway split the air.

Elijah
stiffened at the first scream.

A woman
screamed again, crying, “Help! Someone please help me!”

Elijah
sprang immediately for the door. Charity followed close behind,
unsure of what she would see.

The
shrieking woman lay kneeling on the floor beside a man about ten
doors down from them. They must have just come from the hotel pool.
She wore a yellow terrycloth robe and couldn’t be more than ten
years older than Charity. The man on the floor lay on his back,
arms and legs sprawled like he’d just dropped.

Elijah
raced over, his voice calm and steady as he spoke to the woman.
“I’m a doctor. Ma’am, what happened?” His head turned and he
brought his ear close to the man’s nose and mouth.

Charity
noticed the tattoo on his arm. Half of it lay hidden under the
sleeve of his shirt but she knew exactly what the design was.
Caduces. The medical symbol with wings and the rod of Asclepius, at
least that’s how she knew it. There were loads of different
versions. She blinked and focused on the prone, unmoving
man.

Elijah
stared the man’s chest. “What happened?” he repeated.