Selfless Hero Read online

  I nodded. “You’re welcome.”

  “Do you have kids? I mean… you don’t look like you do…” His eyes not-so-subtly roamed over my body before he caught himself and glanced away. “I didn’t mean it like that because plenty of moms are still… Anyway, uhm… you were just so good with Raya earlier, I wondered…”

  I stood there, stunned to see that for the first time, Dr. Lewis actually looked flustered. It was my turn to chuckle. “No, I don’t have any kids, Dr. Lewis.”

  “You can call me Max.”

  I nodded. Max. His name even sounded sexy. Shit, this was going to be a problem. A long stretch of silence passed between us. Unnerved, I cleared my throat. “So… is that all?”

  Max ran his hand through his hair again, and I stood there, wishing I could run my own fingers through it. Wondering if it felt just as silky as it looked…

  “Kylie, the real reason I brought you here is because I want to apologize for yesterday.”

  I blinked. I certainly hadn’t seen that coming. I opened and closed my mouth a few times, not sure what to say. When I finally could manage to speak, all I said was, “Oh.”

  He shook his head. “I had no right to speak to you that way. I’m not sure what came over me. I’m not usually like that, I swear.”

  “Well, Megan told me that. She said that you weren’t yourself yesterday.”

  “And what else did Megan tell you?”

  “That you used to be a soldier.”

  He smiled and I noticed for the first time that he had dimples. Then again, it was probably the first time I’d ever seen such a genuine smile from him to begin with. I couldn’t help the way my own lips curled into a smile at the sight of it.

  I gave a start at his sudden nearness. Disoriented, I couldn’t figure out if I had involuntarily moved closer to him, or if he had moved closer to me. The fresh scent of his skin drifted to my nose.

  God, he smelled good…

  “You’re a very impressive nurse, Kylie,” he said. “You’re impressive in a lot of ways, actually…”

  “I can say the same to you. I mean, as far as doctors go.”

  He smirked. There was another stretch of silence. Suddenly, he sighed. “Look—the reason I treated you that way is because I know you’re the kind of person I could… you’re the type of person that could very easily hold my interest and I can’t risk that sort of thing at the moment. I mean, I’m not delusional enough to think I actually have a chance, but still, I can’t get close to anyone. Besides, the ‘no fraternizing with superiors’ policy is pretty clear.” He shook his head. “Sorry I’m being so lousy with my words right now. I guess I’m really just trying to say that I hope you accept my apology. And I hope we can get off to a fresh start since it looks like we’ll be together quite a bit. Professionally, I mean.”

  Crap. He meant we couldn’t take advantage of the on-call room being empty, or the fact that I had noticed his cock twitch under his scrubs. He was right, of course. The policy was absolute.

  Plus, I loved my job.

  But it literally hurt not to touch him…

  CHAPTER 8

  Max

  She just stood there, looking lost in thought.

  I certainly wasn’t though; my brain was in my damn pants.

  Her perfectly curved smile, the way the blond strands fell into her eyes. What was I doing in here with her alone?

  “Kylie?” I dipped my eyes to meet hers. She looked back at me and I watched her lips purse, like she was about to say something. I became aware of the seductive gleam that appeared in her eyes, and suddenly, I was quite sure that somehow, she wanted me just as much as I wanted her.

  “The policy, huh?” she said. “It doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you.”

  When she smirked, my self-control went out the window. “Screw the damn policy then,” I said, moving closer to her, carefully observing her expression. When she didn’t object, I stopped down and allowed my lips to crash into hers.

  She melted into me, and I pushed her back against the door, my one hand trapping her beneath me. But she was no prisoner, she wanted it as much as I did.

  Fuck, she tasted good. Like honey.

  Sweat beaded on my forehead, knowing that what we were doing was completely insane. Irrational.

  “Max, what are we doing?” Kylie said between kisses, clearing sharing the same thoughts, but just as powerless against our shared attraction as I was.

  “We’re breaking the rules,” I said.

  No matter how much I wanted to play with her first, I couldn’t hold myself back. There wasn’t much time before we were found out, but it would be enough for what I had in mind. I pulled my pants down and then help her to do the same. I turned her around and pressed her against the door, sliding my hand over her big ass.

  “Try to keep quiet.”

  “Yes, doctor.”

  Oh hell, that did me in.

  I pulled down her white lacey panties and kissed the backs of her thighs. She immediately spread her legs for me. I slipped a finger in, and then another pumping her slowly.

  “Do you want me?” I growled in her ear.

  “So much.”

  I stood, and she pushed her sweet ass out to me, bracing herself on the door. I leaned around her and locked it before burying my dick in her sweet folds.

  I pumped slowly at first, feeling her tense with every push.

  “Yes,” she moaned.

  Just as I was about to pick up the pace, someone began talking on the other side of the door. “I think she’s in recovery, but right now I just need some sleep,” they said. “I’ll talk to you in a couple hours.”

  Shit.

  I pulled out and we both quickly dressed just as the doctor on the other side tried the handle.

  “Is someone in there?” she called out.

  “Be out in a minute,” I answered.

  Can’t a man just get some time to screw a hot nurse in the on-call room? Jesus.

  “Kylie, when we walk out, we have to go in different directions,” I whispered. “Sorry we didn’t get to—”

  “Finish?” she offered, her fuck-me eyes still boring into my soul.

  “Yeah.”

  “Maybe another time.”

  I opened the door to see a young female doctor I didn’t recognize waiting impatiently. “Room’s all yours,” I said as Kylie slipped out and I struggled to tear my eyes away from her ass as she bounced away.

  The doctor clucked her tongue. “You know the policy, Dr. Lewis.”

  “Yeah, I sure as hell do. I also heard you say you were skipping checking on a patient’s recovery to get some sleep. So we’re even, right?”

  She rolled her eyes as she pushed past me into the on-call room, but said no more.

  CHAPTER 9

  Kylie

  “You’re very lucky, you know that?” I said, as I finished applying the last of the bandages for the man in front of me. He was an elderly gentleman who’d been brought in by his military daughter for the burns he’d sustained on his hand from a mishap while cooking breakfast.

  “Clumsy is more like it,” his daughter said, though not unkindly. “I’ve told you time and time again, Dad, if you’re hungry, just let someone know! You know you aren’t supposed to bother with the stove.”

  The man grumbled under his breath. “I’m not six feet under yet. And I still know how to cook. Besides, you were sleeping. Why would I wake you? You do enough already.”

  His daughter sighed. “You see what I have to deal with?” she said to me, shaking her head. “Okay, Dad—”

  “It was just an accident! The damned skillet was heavier than I remember it being.”

  I chuckled. “Yes, those skillets can be tricky sometimes.”

  “You see! She gets it!” He wagged a finger at his daughter. “Did you switch skillets around on me while I wasn’t looking?”

  “Dad, I was sleeping. Remember?”

  “Oh, that’s right.”

  “Well
, Mr. Wayland, just be a bit more careful next time, all right?” I said.

  “All right, beautiful.” He winked. “Maybe next time, I’ll cook breakfast for you.”

  All I could do was laugh as his daughter rolled her eyes.

  “And that’s the one thing that will never change about the old man. Always such a flirt,” she said.

  “I need a toilet,” Mr. Wayland said abruptly.

  “It’s right down the hall,” I said. “Make a left.”

  “Hang on, Dad,” his daughter said.

  “I don’t have time to hang on,” he said, hurriedly shuffling out of the room.

  “Your dad is sweet,” I said. “People his age—they just like to feel helpful, that’s all. So maybe have him cook with you and give him small tasks to do. Make him feel like he’s contributing sometimes.”

  “You know, that’s a great idea,” she said. “Thank you, Nurse—”

  “Kylie.”

  “Thank you, Nurse Kylie.” We shook hands before she hurried after her father.

  I smiled to myself, thinking of how Mr. Wayland reminded me of my grandfather. It was the first time I’d smiled all day, despite the fact that Max had been constantly running through my mind.

  I focused on organizing Mr. Wayland’s files, oblivious to everything around me until a particular sentence caught my attention.

  “Child Protective Services are on their way.”

  I came to a screeching halt, overhearing one of the nurses speaking to an intern that was shadowing her for the week.

  Up until that point, my thoughts had been thoroughly preoccupied with Max. I’d seen him almost immediately upon starting the shift, and butterflies had floated through my stomach as if I was a teenager, laying eyes on my first crush. But he had ignored me completely. To say I was taken aback was an understatement. But I tried to brush it off, telling myself it was no big deal. After all, we both needed to stay professional; it’s not like we could spend the day holed up in the on-call room. But damn if I didn’t want to be.

  My pussy ached as flashes of yesterday filled my mind. His hands on my skin, our scrubs on the floor, the chance that someone could need us at any moment and come barreling in. It was all too much.

  Once I found out that I’d been assigned to another doctor for the day, my reservations were further soothed. I knew that it would look suspicious if Max went out of his way to talk to me when I wasn’t even working with him. So as we passed each other in the halls, I kept my brave face on and was determined to not be bothered by the lack of contact between us.

  The only thing that had managed to take him off my mind was overhearing a fellow nurse mention CPS. I strained my ears to hear more, but she resumed speaking in a pitch too low for me to make out anything. An uncomfortable knot started forming in my stomach. Unable to stop myself, I took several steps in her direction. “Excuse me, what’s the name of that patient? The one CPS is coming for?”

  She glanced down at the chart she held. “Raya Michaelson. Female. Seven years old.”

  The blood drained from my face.

  It’s not like I hadn’t known this was going to happen; I had even been expecting it. Yet, no matter how many times I witnessed situations like this, it always felt like a punch to the gut.

  “Where is she now?” I asked.

  “She’ll be in shortly to see Dr. Lewis.”

  I nodded, my mind racing. The doctor I’d been assigned to was on break at the time, which meant I was as well. But knowing Raya was on the way, I knew I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to leave the area. Her face drifted through my mind. I could so vividly recall her big green doe eyes, chubby cheeks, and long curly hair. I could also recall the sadness that lurked beneath her expression when I last saw her, as well as the hope that had begun to seep through as I told her the story about the little princess who’d had a spell cast on her.

  My heart ached, and I wondered if I would be able to stick around to witness what was about to unfold. After forming a connection with the girl, there was no way I could stand the thought of not being there for her at a time like this.

  It all happened so fast though. The time I desperately needed to mentally prepare for the situation was not available, and within seconds, Max appeared. He briefly locked eyes with me—the longest he had looked at me all day. I felt like my heart was going to shatter into a million pieces right then and there. There was no smoldering expression in his dark eyes—only coldness and detachment. What the hell had changed?

  “Good afternoon, Dr. Lewis. Anything we can do for you?” the nurse who’d been speaking with the intern asked. She was obviously assigned to his rotation for the day.

  “No,” he said, his voice short and clipped. “Thank you,” he then added, perhaps realizing he sounded rude.

  Another nurse appeared in the doorway. “Dr. Lewis, Raya and Mrs. Michaelson are here to see you.”

  He nodded. “Yes, send them in.”

  I stood frozen on the spot and having no idea what to do. The ball of dread in the pit of my stomach grew.

  The seconds ticked by, each of them feeling like an hour until Raya and her mother were escorted in. Suddenly, everything felt like it was once again moving too fast because I just wasn’t ready to witness this.

  Raya immediately smiled upon seeing me. Although my jaws quivered, I forced a smile back at her in return.

  “Hi Kylie!” she said excited.

  “Hi Raya,” I said, pleased that my voice was at least steady, and that I had managed to make it at least sound cheerful.

  Max turned in my direction, staring me right in the eye. He slowly moved toward me, and I thought he was about to ask for my assistance. But instead, he drew the curtain closed, dividing us.

  It wasn’t until then that I remembered technically, I wasn’t even supposed to be there. I was on break.

  I closed my eyes for an instant, exasperated. But instead of taking the cue and leaving, I pulled out a chair and took a seat, listening.

  “Hello, Mrs. Michaelson,” Max’s voice droned.

  “Yeah, hi,” she responded.

  A heavy pause permeated the air before Max spoke again. This time, his voice was directed at Raya. “So, how are you feeling today?”

  “A little better,” she said.

  “That’s good. This is my friend here, Nurse Tyson. She’s going to take you to another room to play for a little while so that I can talk to your mother. Is that okay?”

  “Can I go with Kylie instead?”

  I felt a brief and smug satisfaction over Raya asking for me, and I almost volunteered to go with her. But then I remembered my break would soon be over, and I’d have to rejoin Dr. Mason.

  “Not today, sweetie,” Max answered. “But I promise you, Nurse Tyson is just as nice. And she’s even got a friend with her! This is…”

  “Laila. I’m the intern working with Nurse Tyson this week. It’s so nice to meet you, Raya!”

  “What’s an intern?” Raya asked suspiciously.

  “An intern is a student. It just means I’m still in school, like you!”

  “Why are you still in school? You’re old!” Raya exclaimed, drawing a brief laugh in what would soon turn into a not-so-funny situation.

  “Well, I’m not that old,” Laila said. “Come on—I’ll tell you all about school for old people.”

  “Okay.”

  I listened to their retreating footsteps, knowing that the light-hearted moment was over. I clenched my fists at the sides of my chair, waiting with bated breath for Max to resume.

  “Look, Mrs. Michaelson—I’m not good at sugar-coating things.”

  “Fine by me. I’m not much for sugar, anyway. I’ve never been fond of anything too sweet.”

  “Raya has some suspicious marks on her wrists. They’ve raised some concern and Child Protective Services have been called.”

  There was a pregnant pause in the air, making me worry the woman and Max could hear my heart pounding.

  “But she’s
a kid. She could have gotten them scars from anywhere… You know how kids are.”

  “I don’t know. You tell me. What’s your relationship with your daughter like, ma’am?”

  “It’s fine!”

  “She tends to seem a little nervous around you. And the last time I saw her, she insinuated to my nurse that there were people—as in more than one—hurting her.”

  Another long pause. I had expected Mrs. Michaelson to start arguing at any second, but instead, there was a loud and long sniff. When she spoke again, her voice was heavily choked with tears.

  “It’s not my fault. She just… she acts up sometimes, and you know how kids are. You have to put them in check.”

  “Not with abuse.”

  “It’s not abuse. Not really. It’s nothing compared to what would happen if her father gets ahold of her…”

  “Her father serves in the military, correct?”

  “Yes. And… He’s been through so much. It… It’s changed him. When he comes home, he gets so angry sometimes. He’s just stressed out and Raya—she doesn’t know any better. She gets in his way and he… Well, I have to deal with her so that he doesn’t get ahold of her himself…”

  “Are you familiar with the term post-traumatic stress disorder, Mrs. Michaelson?”

  “N-no…”

  “Well, I’m actually very glad you confided in me. PTSD is something very common among people in military services because just like you’ve said—they’ve seen too much. So we’re going to get in touch with your husband, and we’re going to do what we can to get him some help. It sounds like he needs therapy. In the meantime, we’re going to have to do what’s best for Raya. So she’s going to be taken out of harm’s way for a while, until her safety can be guaranteed.”

  “Dr. Lewis?” an additional voice appeared.

  “Yes?”

  “Child Protective Services are here.”

  “Okay. Please get Nurse Tyson and have her return with the patient.”