Sleeping with the Intern Pt. 02

Chapter 11

I released the team and met up with Dr. Wassel, following him around the rest of the afternoon as the group went with Guy to meet the patients. I had several administrative duties to learn which I hadn't known were a part of my new responsibilities--scheduling, hour tracking, payroll submission. Sometime after four p. m. when my feet ached and I was ready to collapse from exhaustion, we finished up and he excused me. Thankfully there were only a few days in the beginning of training on my part, so I didn't have to endure this daily.

I was tired and needed to relax, maybe curl up with Boots and think about how to make this new job and the situation with Cash work. I would have liked a glass of wine too, but drinking alone didn't sound like much fun, and with Annalise back in Chicago it was likely I wouldn't drink again for a few months.

The doctor's lounge, however, sounded like a good place to let the relaxation start. I heard one of the nurses left some brownies out, and I wanted to snag one for my drive home, so I headed to the second floor. When I stepped into the room I was surprised to see Dr. Barbie doll there, pawing at Cash's chest again. It irritated me and I found myself feeling jealous again, but why? So I slept with him once. Cash wasn't mine. I had no say over who or what he did. And I'd made it a distinct point to highlight the non-frat policy too.

I avoided looking at them and headed straight to the counter where the pan of brownies sat, but I was disappointed to see that they were gone. I'd missed my shot at a yummy treat and that frustrated me. I consoled myself from digging a few quarters out of my pocket to get a soda from the vending machine and overheard Kari flirting with Cash. He said something but I couldn't make out what it was, and that was okay. I didn't need to know how much of a player he really was. He was off limits now. And why were they still here even?

Snagging my soda from the machine, I turned to go, but Cash's voice stopped me. "Dr. Ellis, I have a few questions about the program. Do you have a sec?" I froze on the spot and turned slowly to face him. I didn't want this conversation right now, but I knew it was inevitable.

"Sure thing." I forced a polite smile and waited.

"See you tomorrow, Kari." Cash dismissed her with a wave of the hand and approached me. She dawdled, going to her locker and checking her makeup as Cash stood next to me. "So the man who showed us around, Guy... Is he like in charge of us or something?" His eyes seemed more grey than blue right at that moment, and I wondered if they changed like that dependent on his mood.

"No, Guy is second year trauma--so it's his sixth year. He's been around enough to know the ropes and I can't possibly do everything myself so he is my assistant." I gripped my soda in hand, crossing my arms over my chest. I wondered what his game was, sidelining me to ask stupid questions didn't seem like something someone as intelligent as him would do.

He glanced at Kari and then turned back to me. "And will we be assigned surgeries or will we just be selected as they come in? I mean, you can never tell when the doors open with trauma patients on the other side."

I rolled my eyes at him. This was an act. He was stalling. "I'm sure you have experience in the field and know whatever doctor is skilled in a particular skill set and is available will be given the task of saving the life. Some doctors excel at muscular trauma, others brain trauma. It's possible you don't see any surgeries for months based on the patients who come in."

Kari slammed her locker and smacked her lips. She winked at Cash as she passed by and wiggled her fingers. "See you tomorrow Dr. Keller." Her fog of perfume nearly gagged me as she passed. I'd have to discourage that abuse of the hospital atmosphere, as patients could have allergies and scent sensitivities. For now I had to find out what Cash's game was.

"So this is pretty weird. Why didn't you tell me you were starting this program?" I felt a little irritated that this blindsided me. "I would never have slept with you."

He chuckled and shook his head, brow furrowed. "Why didn't you tell me you were a doctor and just appointed chief resident?"

Touché. I had to give him credit. I didn't divulge my position either, which was my fault. I should have known better, but who'd have thought a bartender would show up in my rotation? "Because when I tell men I am a doctor, they get intimidated and lose interest." Was that the case? It had been a while since I dated anyone, and the men who hit on me were coworkers or patients, which were obviously off limits anyway. Still, it was my natural inclination to conceal my job because I didn't want any person to like or dislike me based on my profession.

"So you wanted me to be interested?" He grinned at me and leaned on the doorjamb, blocking my escape.

No, I hadn't wanted him to be interested in me. Not until the moment Annalise fled and deserted us and I was alone with him. Then I'd wanted nothing more than for him to be consumed with me. Even that morning when I woke up I didn't know if I wanted him to be interested in me. Remaking that moment would only spoil the magic, right? And now I definitely didn't need him being interested in me, because I was so interested in him and that was one hell of an HR nightmare.

"That's not the point. I'm your boss now, so this never happened." I gestured between his body and mine, and felt my hand get sucked into his gravity. God I wanted to touch him, feel those corded abs beneath my fingertips.

"By the way, I would have still slept with you had I known. You are sexy, beautiful, and fun." He seemed to notice my hand hover in the air, ready to part the front of his button down and trace his six pack and I pulled it back in horror.

"You cannot say those kinds of things, Cash." I glanced around nervously, praying no one heard him. "I mean, Dr. Keller." I corrected myself and felt my gut churn. This was going to be impossible. Holy fuck.

"Okay, okay," he said, straightening. The way his posture shifted showed me he took my words seriously, but all it did was make his shirt strain against the buttons as he squared his shoulders. I could just faintly make out the hint of his tattoos beneath the fabric of his shirt. "It's strictly business from here out, Dr. Ellis."

"Okay, good. Let's just put this behind us and forget it happened. It was literally just a wild coincidence." I had to keep telling myself that--that it wasn't destiny or fate, or some cruel twisted joke. A coincidence is all. We fucked and now we were working together. Keep it together, Piper.

"Got it, boss." He grinned at me again, turning his dimples into weapons. I felt my body ache again just being close to him. God, I had self-pleasured last night thinking of his face buried between my thighs and that stubble scratching me all to hell and now it's all I could think about again.

"Stop smiling like that. I mean it. If anyone found out about us, I could be removed as chief. Please don't screw this up for me." I heard the faintest whimper in my tone and loathed myself, so I did what any socially awkward, introverted woman would do. I pushed past him and walked out. He was too far under my skin to dig him out, and I needed my best friend's advice--STAT.

By the time I got home I had calmed a little, but walking into my bedroom and seeing my disheveled bed made me bang my head against the wall. I stripped and put on a t-shirt and shorts, then took the entire pint of Rocky Road out of the freezer with a spoon and curled up on the couch. Boots sat on the arm rest purring as I dialed Annalise's number. By now she'd be eating dinner and grading papers or whatever it was teachers did in their personal time.

"Hey, woman. How was your first day?"

"My god, Anna. You're not going to believe who one of my residents is. This is such a fucking disaster." I shoved a spoon full of ice cream into my mouth and groaned.

"What's going on?"

"It's Cash," I blurted out, but the words sounded more like "is cosh," and I wasn't sure she understood me until she responded.

"Wait. What? The bartender?" Her voice rose three notes in pitch and she said, "Shut up."

"Yes, the bartender," I whimpered and swallowed.

"Wait. How does a bartender get into a residency? Don't you have to be a doctor?"

"Yes, he's a doctor." My misery got worse by the second, and I shoved another bite of ice cream in my mouth. Boots nudged my arm, begging for attention, but I had none to give him. My obsessive nature had me so stuck in my head.

"No shit."

"I know!" I whined again and dropped the spoon into the pint. "This is a disaster. How am I going to deal with this?" Boots nudged his way onto my lap and I set the pint on the coffee table and let him rub his head on the bottom side of my chin as I scratched him.

"I wonder why he didn't tell me that when I told him you were... I mean... Uh..."

My gut sank and so did my shoulders. "Annalise, you told him I was a doctor! When?" That sneaky bastard. He knew all along and never told me.

"Well," she started, sounding sheepish. "You went to the toilet and he asked why a hot girl like you was single. You know I had too many 'sexes on the beach'--wait is that the right way to say more than one 'sex on the beach?'"

"Annalise, focus."

"Okay, okay, well, I was just so proud of you and I said you were smart and you were a doctor, that you just got appointed chief resident and you were a kick-ass trauma surgeon and..." Every word that came out of her mouth put another nail in his coffin.

"Did you tell him what hospital?" She didn't even need to confirm it. The stupid grin on his face this morning as I walked in and saw him told me what I needed to know. I just never connected the dots until just this second.

"Well yes... Holy shit. So when I told him, he knew you were going to be his boss? My god, I'm sorry, Piper. I didn't say anything because I know you don't like to tell guys that, and you seemed really into each other."

I shook my head and seethed a sigh out my nostrils. I didn't blame her for one second. How could I? she was a boasting best friend only trying to talk me up. He, on the other hand, was a snake. "Now I'm pissed. That was no coincidence at all. That cocky asshole." I was so furious I could march over to his house and tell him off--if I knew where he lived. And the frustrating part was, even at work tomorrow I'd have to play it cool. But he'd get what was coming to him one way or another.

I'd see to that.

Chapter 12

I sat at the back of the room this time, the chair at the head of the table. Piper stood as she had the other day at the front of the room behind the desk there with her laptop open. She recounted a few stories of trauma patients that entered the emergency room before they had the trauma unit here. Her simple blue scrubs and white lab coat made her look just as amazing as the red pantsuit she'd worn the first day. I could tell she was upset with me though, the fire in her eyes each time she looked at me a little too obvious.

I didn't let it unnerve me. Piper was professional. She, herself, had put the limits on whatever relationship we had--though I wouldn't have called it a relationship at all, just hot sex and chemistry. But I took her seriously when she asked me not to bring that into this space. It didn't seem to stop her from bringing it in though and Kari even noticed.

"What's up with the looks she keeps giving you?" Kari whispered in my ear. I could smell her strawberry lip gloss and it brought a grin to my face when Piper happened to look right at me as Kari leaned in to make the comment. It only made her eyes darken.

"Not sure," I whispered back, holding Piper's gaze as I spoke to Kari over my shoulder. "I think maybe she doesn't like us talking during the lecture."

It was true; I could see Piper visibly grow frustrated as I spoke. She didn't say anything, but she stared me down as she continued her story. Kari sat back in her seat and I was glad she did. It was sweet that she was so into me, but she was too young, nearly ten years my junior. She had a lot of growing up to do before I could take her interest seriously. Piper, on the other had, made me start to doubt everything I had told myself since my divorce a few years ago.

"So, you see the faster the response to the initial trauma, the more tissue can be saved in this situation." Piper closed her laptop. "Any questions?" she glanced at the clock on the wall and then turned to take questions from the group.

Shana asked a question about how and when to remove a tourniquet that had been applied by an EMT. Piper's answer was smart and spot on. I admired that she knew so much about this field. It was something we had in common, and it felt like she was a kindred spirit too.

Kip cracked a joke about an amputee victim lying in a pile of leaves being called Rustle, and while the rest of us laughed, Piper scowled at him. So the class clown act definitely wasn't the way to her heart at all. I tried to cover my mouth so she would'nt see me smiling, but when she looked at me I knew she'd seen it and was even more upset that I'd laugh at the joke. She had to understand most of these people were way younger than me, and I'd spent fifteen years of my life serving my country without the freedom to have a little fun and express emotions.

"If there are no more actual questions, I'll let you all have a break. We have rounds in thirty minutes. We'll meet in the trauma bay near bed one. That patient will be a unique one for you all to see. He checked in this morning with a screwdriver through his hand."

The group made a collective gasp--all but me and Piper that is. They acted like we were going to a freak show, not practicing medicine. Their hushed words as they paired up and left were proof of their immaturity in the practice. I hung back, not only distancing myself from that, but curious to see why Piper was fuming mad with me. She busily packed up her things into her desk and locked the drawers and when she looked up at me, I knew she was about to let loose.

"What?" I asked, stacking my notebooks up and picking them up. I hugged them against the side of my body and walked toward her.

"You knew." Her tone was sharp enough to run me through, and I had to stifle a chuckle at how comedic it was that she was so angry.

"Knew what?" She didn't have to explain. Her first statement was enough to tell me everything I needed to know. She'd figured it out, that I had known about her position and our future work dynamic when we slept together. The outrage in her eyes was almost as priceless as the expression on her face when she saw I was on her roster the first time.

"Don't play games with me! Annalise said she told you." Piper's chest rose and fell in short choppy breaths. She pushed her glasses up her nose and glowered at me with pursed lips.

I held my hand up in my defense and offered a lighthearted tone. "Okay, okay. Yeah, I knew. I was waiting for you to tell me you were a doctor, where you worked. You know, normal stuff like when you're out on a date." I shifted my notebooks to my other hand and she shook her head in a fit.

"It wasn't a date. I didn't even invite you!" She was so cute when she was angry.

"So you're telling me that you regret the most mind-blowing sex you've ever had?" I smirked at her and stepped closer, bridging the gap. She backed away cautiously and glanced at the clock again. I could see her wheels turning as she thought of something to say. The pregnant pause only proved my point.

"You're pretty damn arrogant."

Ah, there it was. She was resorting to name calling because I was right. "Self-assured, yes. If that is what you mean." I squared my shoulders and leaned my hip against her desk. I was getting to her, making her flustered. Her eyes darted around, searching my face. She was thinking of a comeback. I liked that she was like this, that she wasn't witty and snarky like me. It meant her heart was actually pure, that she was genuinely hurt and not just a bitch. I felt bad for hurting her; I never thought it would.

"How do you know I haven't had better?" Her emerald eyes flashed with anger again, her nostrils flaring. Damn she was sexy.

I chuckled at her question. "Trust me. I know." The sounds that woman made when I fucked her had never come from her throat before in her life. I guaranteed it. I did things she'd never had done, and I liked knowing I had.

"You're a real jerk, you know? If you thought that little escapade was going to get you special treatment, you're sorely mistaken." She picked up her hospital issued tablet with all her patient files loaded onto it and hugged it to her chest, pushing her glasses up her nose again.

My chest tightened. Is that what she really thought of me? That I was some player using her as a pawn to get a leg up in this rat race of medical residency? That by sleeping with the boss I would get better marks or more attention?

"I was never expecting any sort of special treatment. I just wanted to have sex with one of the most beautiful and funny women I have ever met." The words sliced through my heart faster than a hot knife through butter. Why did I say that? It was true, but admitting that out loud physically hurt. Why?

"Stop saying things like that!" She rushed past me forgetting her stethoscope. I snatched it off her desk and dangled it from a finger and when she turned to say something else, she glared at me and stomped back to me to take it.

"You got it, Dr. Ellis." I winked at her as she took the device from my hand and huffed at me.

"I have to go. We have rounds in less than thirty minutes." She turned to go and called over her shoulder. "Don't be late."

"Never. I'm a military man, remember?" I couldn't but smile at her as she stormed out. So it wasn't the exact reception I thought I'd receive when she learned that juicy tidbit, but it was enlightening. Piper took her job very seriously as evidenced by the way she was handling me in the aftermath of our indiscretion. Knowledge of what we had done would be a blight on her reputation fi anyone found out. I knew that and she was scared of it.

I, however, began to feel like the future I saw as crystal clear wasn't so cut and dry anymore. The water was muddied and things I had drawn as a hard line in the sand seemed less distinct, more like a snowdrift curling over the edge of an abyss I told myself I'd never encroach up on again.

Heading down to the trauma unit, I tried to put the interaction behind me. I was here to learn, not hook up. If Piper really was that upset about things, then it wasn't work the energy to continue goading the bear. What was most important now was my ability to fit within this system and make it work. They did things differently than we did in the army, and I had no rank here. Holding my tongue would prove challenging, of that I was certain.

After a good wait, Piper joined the amassing group and we began rounds. The gentleman with the screwdriver through his hand wasn't as gory as I pictured, but judging by the reactions of the rest of the residents, it was pretty gory for what the trauma response team around here got to see regularly. I'd seen guys' eyeballs hanging from their sockets with half their face blow off by an IED. This was nothing.

We visited a patient who came in after a car accident. It broke my heart that it was a child whose parent hadn't put them in the proper restraint and during the accident the safety belt caused some major issues. I knew immediately that his pain was caused by internal bleeding just looking at the symptoms. In the field I'd seen this at least five times--all from car accidents just like this one.

Kelly asked a very smart question and Piper gave a great answer, but I couldn't help myself from piggybacking on what she said to clarify it. "Actually, Kelly, if you remember the ABCs of CPR, you'll remember it's airway, breathing, then circulation. If your patient is bleeding out you can operate to fix that, but if you don't intubate first, you'll lose them in less than six minutes as they suffer lack of oxygen. One of the biggest mistakes trauma responders make is not getting airway secured first."

Piper once again glared at me. Telling the team that patients can bleed out in as little as two hours doesn't enforce the greater need to make sure all of their vitals are checked up front. It's irresponsible, though I didn't think for a second that Piper didn't know that. She was very intelligent, but she was under pressure to make sure this group learned everything. I honestly thought I was helping.

Still, her glare was cute. She had no clue how hot she was when she was angry with me. It was only a bigger turn on than her backward personality. I had to avoid looking at her the rest of the day so I didn't get hard and have to try to hide it.

Fuck, if I didn't want to bend her over the end of a gurney and have my way with her. This job was excruciating.

Chapter 13

One month in and the anger lessened, at least a little. Cash wasn't at all what I thought of him when we first met. His experience as a field medic trumped anything I'd experienced in my life. Hudson had its days where there were hunting accidents, car accidents, and even people with heavy machinery being foolhardy and winding up in the ER, but I'd never had to operate on someone who lost half their face to an explosion. For that I was thankful.

Cash had proven time and again that he knew what he was doing. To him this residency was a cakewalk, nothing but a formality that stood between him and the license to do what he'd been doing for years already. I felt intimidated at times and out of my league, but I showed up each day ready to do my job. Like today--when news of a drive-by shooting came in and we were told six victims of that shooting were being brought here by the squad. My team was paged to the trauma bay and I gathered them to myself while we waited.

"When those doors open we do what first?" I grilled them. This was their first real experience with this and I had to know they knew what they were doing.

"Listen for the medics to offer their run down." Kelly blurted and I fired off another question.

"List the proper steps to take for preliminary examination." My eyes darted around as Shana spoke up.

"See if the patient is responsive and measure using the Glasgow score."

"No, you're wrong. Your patient is dead. Someone else." I snapped. I knew I did, but this wasn't time to be wrong.

Cash said loudly, "Airway, breathing, circulation. After that disability and then exposure. Always check vitals first."

"Good." I breathed in deeply as the bell went off indicating the busses were arriving. "During secondary survey what is the first thing you do?" My eyes scanned their nervous faces. They were right to be taking this seriously. We'd never seen six gunshot patients at once. I couldn't do this myself.

"Gather more medical history; make sure the patient has divulged all the facts. Check for less critical but still serious injuries like blunt force trauma to the abdomen and or head, penetrating abdominal or thoracic trauma, and any sign of fractures or compartment syndrome."

"Good, Kip, now we're on. Remember your training. Give me updates immediately. If we go to surgery, I'll leave Kip and Shana in charge here; Cash, Kelly, Kari you scrub in, and Tony you're floating. Be where you're needed. Got it?"

The group offered a collective agreement as the first gunshot victim rolled through the doors. The EMTs barked out his stats. Kip went to action immediately taking up the patient's charts that were airdropped to his tablet, and they rolled him into an exam room. His wound, to his leg, didn't seem very traumatic, but there was a chance he'd bleed out if not sutured quickly.

I watched Shana hover by the door as the next patient came in. He was soaked in blood and his shirt had been torn open. "Patient thirteen-year-old male has a gunshot wound to the chest. Blood pressure is seventy over forty-two. We've pushed five cc's of epinephrine already. Heartrate is thready at one hundred seventy-two beats per minute."

"What the hell are you doing!" Cash bolted forward, pushing the EMT out of the way in such a hasty move it startled everyone. "Why is this dressing fully occlusive!" He sounded angry and the only thing I could do was watch in horror as he tore the bandage off the bleeding kid's chest and ripped the EMT a new one. "Never, ever do that. A fully occlusive dressing on a gunshot wound to the chest can cause a tension pneumothorax. This kid's lung could be collapsing."

"Yes, sir, sorry doctor." The EMT pulled out her stethoscope in horror and pressed it to his lungs, listening for breathing sounds and I snapped.

"What are you doing giving orders!" I knew he was right, but he had no business taking control like that. "This is my trauma unit."

"Alright, well reprimand me later or just do whatever you feel you need to, but I have more experience in this and I could have just saved that kid's life. If you want to take over go right ahead." His brow was drawn in deep concentration as he worked, pressing his own stethoscope to the kid's chest. He was right and we both knew it. I backed up, watching him work as the next gurney was rolled in. This one was a shot to the shoulder--through and through with minor bleeding. Shana jumped on it and they moved to the side.

Cash looked up at me as he listened and I gestured. "Go... just go..." He walked alongside the medics as they wheeled the patient toward the exam room and I left the man in Cash's capable hands while I assessed the next few patients.

There were two more non-life-threatening wounds and a man who came in DOA with a gunshot to the head. I called it and then started toward exam three where Cash still hadn't emerged when I got the page.

"Dr. Ellis, prepping OR four for surgery."

"Shit," I muttered, scanning the room. My team was swamped with the patients, but Kelly and Kira were still on standby waiting to scrub in. "Go... now," I told them and headed straight for Cash's patient. The ladies rushed to the scrub station and I found myself staring at a puddle of blood on the floor under the young teen Cash was working on. He slid a chest tube into the lower right side of the boy's lung to let air out of his chest.

"How is he?" I picked up the chart and looked at it and Cash ignored me as the boy sucked in a breath and moaned.

"I'm scared. I'm going to die, ain't I?" He seemed so tiny in that bed and all I could think was how helpless he must feel.

"You're going to be just fine, buddy. This is Dr. Ellis. She's going to sew you right up." Cash spoke so reassuringly to the boy I even felt more confident. But when he looked up at me in a way the kid couldn't see his face, I knew it wasn't good. The boy coughed and blood ran from his mouth.

"Let's move. The OR is prepped." I nodded at Cash and the nurses backed away from the bed. Cash pushed with me, guiding the gurney out into the hallway, but the boy's machines started alarming.

"We're losing him," Cash said, looking up at his screens. Cash kept pressure on the wound with one hand while he felt for a pulse. "Fuck!" He pressed his scope to the boy's chest and shook his head. "We're losing him."

I wheeled the bed faster, moving toward the elevator as quickly as we could, but I knew it was too late. There was so much blood, even if we got to the ER and got three units hooked up to go at once, he wasn't going to make it. Still, it was our duty to not stop until we'd tried everything.

Luckily we didn't have to wait for the elevator. The door slid open as soon as I pushed the button but the boy flatlined and Cash growled out his anger. He climbed on top of the bed and started doing chest compressions as the doors closed and we started to ascend. I almost started crying. Losing a patient was hard anyway, but when it was a kid it was even worse.

"Goddammit!" Cash swore, doing everything to keep the boy's heart beating but it was no use. The doors opened and my team was there ready to take him to the operating theater, but there was no pulse, no blood left in the boy to carry oxygen to his brain.

"Cash..." I said firmly and he glared at me as he continued compressions.

"Get the blood."

"Cash, he's gone."

Cash seethed out a deep breath and stopped, shaking his head with a scowl on his face. He climbed off the bed and turned on me. "This is why it makes more sense to have the operating room in the same location as the trauma unit. If that EMT had done their job right, we'd have known it was this bad and taken him right to surgery." He walked into the elevator and pushed the button to close the doors and vanished.

"Harsh," Kari muttered and I snapped at her.

"We still have four other patients needing our help. Get to the OR. We have to stop the bleeding on patient one. The bullet nicked his femoral artery."

"Yes, ma'am," Kari said backing away with wide eyes. I hadn't had to be so aggressive with my students yet, but today was a different day, one that I'd remember for a long time.

Two hours later, after a long surgery to repair the patient's artery, I scrubbed out with the team, minus Cash, who had chosen to remain in the trauma unit to help Kip and Shana. I couldn't say I blamed him. He was needed there and literally made everyone around him more confident and calmer under pressure. I did fine with Tony and the girls. When it was said and done, we saved four of the six patients, and to me that was about as successful as we could have been.

I sent them home to clean up and get dinner, and lingered outside the trauma unit until they all left. I was overwhelmed and exhausted. I was also mildly conflicted about how to address Cash. It was obvious to everyone today that he knew his stuff. It wasn't that I didn't; I just didn't have the same personality to tear the EMT's head off. I'd just have to think on it overnight and make a plan to talk to him tomorrow.

Chapter 14

I waited I should have gone home like Piper said but the look on her face when my instincts took over and the way she scolded me but I didn't back down was eating at me. I was nothing if not professional and I always obeyed my superiors, but something came over me and I couldn't help myself. So I stood in the doctors lounge hoping she would stop in before she went home. It was along shot, but it paid off. After nearly thirty minutes of waiting, Dr. Ellis rounded the corner and strutted in with quarters in hand, headed for the vending machine.

"Uh, here, let me." I rushed over to the machine and slid a dollar in the bill slot before she could get her quarters ready.

"Thank you, Dr. Keller, you don't have to do that." The look on her face wasn't anger or frustration. It was fatigue and something else, discouragement maybe? I hated that I was possibly the reason for some of that discouragement and I needed to apologize.

"I do. I feel bad..." I backed away so she could select her beverage and she eyed me sternly before pressing the button for a Coke. The machine dispensed the can and it thumped around inside before dropping to the tray beneath. Both of us bent to retrieve it at the same time and our heads knocked together.

"Ouch," she yelped and straightened. I winced and got the soda and handed it to her.

"I'm sorry."

She took the can from my hand and rubbed her head then shrugged. "It's okay."

"I meant for this afternoon." She smelled good, like honey and lemons or citrus fruits of some kind. But her eyes were tired, and the stress of the day was evident in her posture and expression.

"It's okay." Her tone grew cold and I sighed. I knew I had upset her.

"It doesn't sound okay." She turned away from me and cracked open her soda and I continued. "It's just that as a combat medic I learned there is no time to stop and think. You just act, and I saw that sort of stuff all the time. My instincts kicked in and I jumped into action. I'm used to being a ranking soldier and... I'm sorry."

Piper stood with her shoulders squared now, head down, and said, "I said, it's fine."

"Fine isn't okay, Dr. Ellis, and this is my official, professional admission that I messed up. I sincerely apologize."

She turned slowly and looked up at me with recognition in her eyes. I watched her shoulders relax and slump again and knew the stress wasn't just about me. She looked like she needed a friend, and I'd give anything to be that for her. Losing a soldier was one thing, but seeing that kid go just about sent me into a fit of rage. I knew men deal with things differently. She was probably carrying that weight too.

"Look, let me buy you dinner. Make it up to you. You look like you could use a night out to relax."

Her blue scrubs and white lab coat were crumpled and her hair was mussed, but she was gorgeous. I almost told her so when Guy walked in. He nodded at us and waved as he passed by on his way to his locker.

"It's not a good idea," she grumbled but I turned to Guy.

"Hey man, I was just saying it's been a long day. Want to do dinner? We can grab a beer or something." If I convinced him, she'd have no reason to say no. It was colleagues going out after a hard day.

I was surprised when Guy looked up from the phone in his hand and said, "Actually, that sounds good. Where to?"

I turned back to her with a grin. "Dr. Ellis? Where to?"

Piper's eyes narrowed on me and her forehead crinkled. "Cash," she hissed under her breath, but I wasn't backing down. Not now.

"Pizza? I know a great place." I thought for a split second that I crossed a line with that comment, but she looked away and then back to me.

"Alright, but not pizza. How about a burger joint?"

Internally I screamed in celebration but I looked to Guy who blurted out, "Five Guys on Ninth?"

"Meet you all there!" I declared triumphantly and reached into my pocket for my keys. I'd have offered her a ride, but I already knew her response and I didn't want to push it. So when I pulled up and waited for almost ten minutes and she still hadn't shown up, I was starting to think she skipped out. But Guy parked his car and started heading for the front door so I joined him.

It was dark already, the sun down more than an hour ago, and I had a spot under a light that was burnt out, hoping to be able to watch her. But this perspective was good enough too. Guy and I stood near the host stand and I watched her little sedan pull in. She'd changed into the skirt and blouse she wore this morning for lectures and it made my dick throb just looking at her. I got a crazy mental picture of her straddling me in one of these booths and realized maybe I should have stopped at home to rub one off again before this--to keep control of my urges.

The host led us to a table along the wall and I squeezed in next to Guy who still hadn't put his phone down. When I glanced at his screen I saw my face there, along with headlines from the army's website. I rolled my eyes, knowing what I was in for.

"Says here you've got a purple heart?" Guy's eyes popped up and he grinned at me. "Tell us the story!"

I glanced at Piper whose glasses hid her face for the most part. She used them to hide but I could see her beauty anyway. She didn't seem interested and there was no way for me to get out of sharing short of being rude so I answered as best as I could.

"It's honestly nothing. There were guys hurt way worse." I shrugged and folded my menu open, but Guy was persistent.

"No seriously. You don't get awarded a purple heart for nothing. What happened?" He locked his phone and put it down for the first time and that's when Piper looked up, pushing her glasses up her nose with a single finger.

"Yeah, Cash. Tell us." Hearing my name on her lips was all I needed. Right now I wasn't Dr. Keller; I was Cash--a friend. She'd strayed so far away from anything personal for days now I thought I'd never get her to come around. So if she was eager to hear, I was eager to tell.

"Well, we were outside of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan on patrol when our Humvee rolled over an IED." Just remembering it sent pain into my leg. "The vehicle rolled and shrapnel went everywhere. I had a broken tibia, compound fracture, but I managed to get to the men I was with. One was dead instantly, but the other was out cold and bleeding. I stopped his bleeding and radioed in, then dragged him behind a rock for cover and held the ground until the helo came in." That day still haunted me. I came close to being the dead man. I was supposed to be driving and I let him take a shot. Still partially blamed myself, though my ex blamed made me out to be the monster that I was even in the vehicle to begin with instead of home with her.

"Wow, that's insane. You must have been so scared." Piper's tone of compassion and empathy struck me as deeply personal. The fear in her eyes was real, but Guy burst in with a typical male comment and broke our eye contact.

"Dude, that's sick. Injured and still a doctor. Wow, man. You deserve that medal." His slap on the back was less of a congratulation and more of a sign he was jealous, but my gaze lingered on Piper's face as he went back to his phone. She pulled her eyes from mine and stared at the menu as the waiter came.

The rest of dinner was filled with more war stories and combat medic questions. Piper got into it too, asking about different field medicine techniques, and I was able to lend my opinion about how the trauma unit could function better. After an hour of gabbing and shoving our faces full of food, Guy announced his woman had texted him.

"Gotta run, guys. She's cracking the whip. I'll see you tomorrow." He dropped a twenty on the table and I slid out so he could escape, leaving me and Piper alone.

I sat and waved at the waiter for the check and Piper pushed her glasses up for the hundredth time. It was cute, and I felt like we were getting somewhere.

"So why aren't you dating now?" she asked, having heard about my divorce following one of the most difficult moments of my career overseas.

"Well, I suppose that's sort of personal. Why aren't you dating?" I turned it back on her because my answer wouldn't make her happy. I knew she was probably the "settle down" type, and I knew I never would be. Not anymore.

"I'm too busy. Relationships and work aren't very compatible in this job." She looked away, distracted by the waiter. I took the check and offered a crisp one hundred dollar bill, and stood.

"I'll walk you to your car," I told her, offering my hand.

She sighed and looked reluctant to take it, but she did. The whole evening had been a bit tense, but it was a start. Piper had so much more to offer this world than just her expertise as a doctor. She was funny and kind, and some day she'd make a fantastic mother. For now, though, I just hoped to be near her, learn more about her.

We stepped out of the restaurant and I guided her toward her car, happy to find she parked right beside me beneath the busted streetlight. She was silent as we walked, but her hand trembled around my bicep. She squeezed lightly and I found myself smirking at it. She was frightened out her, or maybe nervous about our goodbye. She was right to be if that's what it was. I had been jonesing for her for days. Now was my shot, off work, out of the way, no witnesses, and after a great dinner and conversation.

"Here we are," she announced, reaching for her car, but I pulled her in faster than she could react and pressed my lips to hers. She squirmed in my embrace, wriggling around until she realized I wasn't letting go. Then slowly her lips parted and let me in. I deepened the kiss and slipped my tongue into her mouth and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"God I want you so bad," I growled against her mouth and she moaned into mine.

I reached behind me and opened the door to my truck and she pushed me into it.

Chapter 15

It was wrong on so many levels but ever since that night at the club and the way Cash did things to my body I'd never experienced, I had been craving it again. Fighting every urge for weeks had taken all the mental energy I could muster, and the more I learned about him the harder it got. But tonight, as we stood next to his pickup truck parked beneath the broken streetlamp, I couldn't resist any longer. Maybe it was the way his rough hands gripped my hips, or the torture of knowing how incredible his body was beneath his clothing, but I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

He opened the door and I backed him into the seat as he turned the dome light off. I devoured his mouth, thrusting my tongue between his teeth to dance with his. Cash growled his appreciation as I straddled him and swiped at the air trying to find the door handle.

I found it and yanked it shut, and Cash shifted in the seat, as I settled. His hands groped me as he deepened the kiss, and I felt myself anticipating his dick. My pussy throbbed, probably creating a puddle in my panties.

"You want this again, huh?" he growled as his hand rudely thrust up my skirt. When he found the elastic of my panties he grunted approval. I felt the moisture there as his thumb stroked the silky damp fabric. "Fuck," he muttered as he gripped my ass and pulled me in close. Then he grunted in approval and pulled me in for another searing kiss as he ground his erection against my center. I couldn't hold back the moan that escaped my mouth when he rubbed my clit, making me see stars.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." I curled my fingers through his hair and kissed his neck, nibbling his earlobe. "I want you, Cash. I want to be the girl you take home with you tonight and fuck."

"You are that girl," he answered, his hands moving frantically over my body, shoving my skirt up my thighs until it was bunched around my waist. I fumbled with his fly, feeling awkward as ever. I couldn't seem to work the button and my frenetic attempt to undo it made me look foolish.

Cash snickered and grabbed my wrists. I paused, just long enough to hate myself for letting this happen, but as Annalise would say, I was getting my need met and nothing more. I tried not to make eye contact but he held both wrists with one hand grabbed my chin with the other. He forced me to look at him as he folded my arms up, pressing them to my chest.

"God what I wouldn't do to feel your pussy slick my cock as I slide in." The baritone rumbled through my body making it vibrate with lust.

"Condom," I muttered quietly.

"I can do something else..."

His eyes glazed over with lust and I shuddered to think what it was he wanted. After the way he fucked my ass last time, I was intrigued, but my nerves got the better of me. I almost bolted, and I would have if his fingers didn't turn my chin loose and slide up my thigh to push past my panties and into me.

"Ahhh..." I whimpered. "Condom..." I moaned again as he started thrusting. I couldn't touch myself or reach for him. All could do was grind against his palm as the heel of his hand rubbed me while he finger fucked me.

"You're so wet, Piper. Is this what you want?" he asked, his voice like melted chocolate. I couldn't answer. I couldn't speak. I couldn't think beyond the pleasure his fingers were giving me. I didn't even know if I was still breathing. I was drowning in the sensations and he hadn't even taken my panties off yet. "I want to make you feel good, I want you to come all over my hand and then I want to fuck you so hard you scream. I want to make you come all night long. I want to feel you squeezing my cock when you come."

Cash placed one of my hands on each of his shoulders and whispered, "Keep them here..." Then he pulled his dick out as he continued to work my pussy to a frenzy. It was exquisite, grinding on him and rocking my hips so hard the truck started to rock. The windows were steamed, I was so hot sweat rolled down my back.

"Shit... Oh, god I'm so close," I whimpered and he continued thrusting and rubbing.

"Say you want to come. Say you want to come on my hand."

"Yes. Please, make me come." I was on the verge of orgasm. I could feel it building so fast I could barely breathe. It felt like I would explode, like I would go supernova. And when it crashed into me, it was blinding.

"Oh, god... oh, god... oh god," I panted as I came, grinding myself against him as my pussy spasmed around his hand. I ran my fingers through his hair, grabbing onto his head. I rocked against him and he continued thrusting his fingers into me. I was so sensitive that I could feel every ridge of his knuckles and every bump from his veins as they slid in and out of me. The orgasm seemed to last forever and I couldn't stop my body from rocking hard.

"You are such a bad girl, Piper," he whispered as he retracted his hand. He reached into his glovebox behind me while I draped myself over his chest and expertly rolled the condom on with his hands wrapped around my waist and reaching beneath me. The tip of his cock tapped my pussy, making me jolt. I shuddered and goosebumps rose on my body.

Cash's arms still wrapped around me, he reached between his legs and guided his dick into my pussy. His moist fingers played at my ass, teasing me, smearing my juices around. "Fuck, I want this hole," he growled as he pressed a digit against the ring of hot muscles. I gasped and stiffened, rocking my pelvis forward.

"No. No, no, no, I'm not ready. I haven't... I haven't done that before," I protested, shoving his hand away. His finger was wet and slippery and slid easily into my ass. I groaned loudly and spread my legs wider, so I could grind my clit against him.

"No?" He rocked his hips. The tip of his cock was just barely inside my pussy, but I could feel him rubbing the head against my g-spot. "Tell me you want to... tell me you want to feel this big cock in your ass."

Cash's finger thrust into my ass deep, then he rolled his hips forward and pushed his dick into my pussy. It felt bigger than before, maybe because I was on top, or because he had a finger in my ass. I didn't care. I let out a howl to rival a pack of wolves and clawed at his shoulders.

"Oh shit, oh, holy fuck..." It was intense, bringing me right back to my pleasure zone instantly.

"Yeah? You like this," he asked, thrusting both his finger and his dick at the same time."

I whimpered like a baby and nodded, biting my lip. "Tell me you want me to fuck you in the ass. Tell me you want me to shove my big cock in your tight little hole."

Cash thrust his finger in and out of my ass and I jerked up and down, my thighs trembling. My clit was swollen and hot and I moved my hips faster. I could say nothing. The sensations stole my breath and my ability to think straight. I was so close to coming again and any second I would snap. I devolved into a puddly mess of whimpers and whines, scratching the back of his head as I clawed at him.

"Oh god... You're so hot..."

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Cash pushed a second finger into my ass and I lost it. "Cash! I'm coming!" I screamed, my orgasm ripping through my body. I'd never come so hard in my life. I clenched my pussy around his cock and I felt it twitch inside me.

"Ah, fuck, Piper!" he yelled, thrusting into me hard a few more times before I felt his cock jerk and pulse. I rode the waves, twitching and tensing. My stomach muscles were so tight it drew my chest and head downward until my forehead rested on his shoulder. My hot breath dusted his neck and I jerked several more times, but his fingers just didn't stop. It was like he was mind fucking himself--pretending it was his dick in my ass and not his fingers.

He pulled out and I felt his hot cum spurt onto my inner thigh and that ended everything instantly. I jerked upright, gasping as I felt more cum drip out of me and my panties scratch at my sensitive skin.

"Holy fuck!" I screeched, scooting backward quickly. I stared down at his dick. The condom split and hung loosely from his hard cock and he had a mess of cum and my moisture on his jeans. "Shit!"

"Oh fuck..." he grunted, resting his head back against the head rest. "God..."

"Cash! Oh fuck..." I scowled and reached for the door handle, ready to leap out of the truck, but he grabbed my wrist.

"Stop."

"Let me go!" I snapped, opening the door. I lurched out of the truck and felt the chill of his cum on my inner thigh as the cool nigh air hit my lady parts. I was pissed, not because I feared being pregnant--no, I didn't figure it was that time in my cycle. I was pissed that I let this happen again. I let him get to me.

"Look, I'm clean," he protested as I reached up my skirt and fixed my panties, then fixed my skirt. It was a damn good thing there was no light out here, or I'd really be pissed. As if I wasn't angry enough already.

"How old was that thing? I don't want an STD." My hands were moist, slicked with our sex, so I shook them in the air, looking around for a way to dry them. Cash reached into his glove box and grabbed a paper napkin and handed it to me.

"I'm clean, Piper. You don't have to worry about anything. I take my sexual health as seriously as I take my job." He slid out of the truck and buckled his belt and I wiped my hands as clean as I could get them, then glanced around to make sure there really was no one looking before I wiped my thigh clean.

"This can't happen, Cash," I snapped, rubbing furiously at the sticky cum wads on my thigh. "This, you and me... This sex, this chemistry. Shut it down."

He chuckled and leaned against the side of his truck with a deep sigh. "It looks like you're going to have to tell your sex drive that, doc...."

I hated him. Hated that he got to me, hated that he made me feel things. Hated that he was in my damn rotation and he was out of touch and off limits and every fucking thing I ever wanted. I glared at him and choked back a whine.

"It's done. Got it? Not again... No casual staff hangouts, no dipping into the breakroom and buying me soda. Not again," I ordered then turned and yanked my car door open. Before he could protest I climbed in and slammed the door, starting the car and backing out.

He had this wicked power over me that I simply couldn't stand up to. Cash was poison for me, my career, my heart, and ultimately my future. So why the fuck did I want to drink that damn poison until the bottle was empty?

I called Annalise right away, freaking out about what just happened but it went straight through to voicemail. Which meant I had to do this on my own now. No choice. I left a message hoping she'd get back to me though, because in this situation a girl needs her best friend.

"Anna, I did it again." I whimpered. "In a parking lot in his damn Jeep. Tell me I'm a horrible woman and that I'm throwing my career away. Tell me I'm going to be sorry. Just fucking call me."

The phone dropped from my shoulder to my lap and I focused on driving. A broken condom was the biggest mistake I had time for tonight. I didn't need to add distracted driving to my list of failures.

Chapter 16

Ever since the incident in the ER last week I felt more confident that I was in the right place, and it appeared so did all of my colleagues. They'd been asking me questions in the middle of Piper's lectures all week long, though I'd managed to quash a lot of that by telling them I'd rather not talk while she was talking. I just never though it would lead to them turning to me during rounds to ask questions.

Piper scowled at me near the front of our small group as yet another question came my direction from Dr. Rivero, who'd taken to calling me Sixty-Eight Whiskey, an old military term for a field medic. I was chuffed to be recognized like that, but judging by the glare on Piper's face, I knew she wasn't having any of it.

"So Sixty-Eight Whiskey, what is the best way to perform a tracheostomy?" Tony raised his eyebrows at me rather than directing his question toward Piper, and I dropped my chin and looked away from him. If they kept this up, I was going to get the brunt of the lecture, and I hadn't instigated any of it. She had to think I was egging them on, but it all happened because I took charge when I shouldn't have.

"Uh, Dr. Ellis?" I mumbled. I knew the answer but these students needed to know she was in charge and I'd done enough to damage her reputation in front of them already. I looked up at her and a flash of gratitude appeared in her eyes just as her cell phone chimed.

"One second," she mumbled, pulling her phone out. She glanced at it and popped her eyes back up and then looked at me. "Dr. Keller, please answer Dr. Rivera's question. I will be right back."

Stunned, I watched her saunter away as all the eyes turned toward me. I explained the two methods of tracheostomy, then fielded a few more questions. I was happy to help and glad Piper didn't feel threatened by my knowledge, or at least she respected me enough not to show it. I owed her that same respect though, and I intended to show her.

Kira wriggled between the interns who, after their questions had been answered decided to mill about the hallway while we waited for Piper to come back. She stood right next to me and plumped her tits right in front of me, as if it wasn't obvious she wore low-cut tops on purpose because she was showing them off. And the fact that I was taller than her and that I had to look down at her to see her made it all the more challenging not to look.

Kira was smart, obviously. She made it through med school and got into this internship too. But she wasn't my type, not to mention she was ten years younger than me almost and I wasn't into dating women that much younger than me. I thought I'd made myself very clear a number of times, but she was persistent.

"So, Dr. Keller, you really did performed surgery in actual fields?" She batted her eyelashes at me, and I knew she was dumbing down her speech to sound less intelligent. I hated when women did that too, as if I wasn't smart enough to see through it.

"Yes, actually. I set plenty of bones, removed shrapnel, and gave plenty of tracheostomies too." I scanned the hallway, keeping an eye out for Piper to return, but no sign of her yet. Besides, it made it easier to avoid looking down at Kira who would only want me to look at her tits.

"Why does he call you Sixty-Eight Whiskey?" She cocked her head like a dog waiting on his master, and I sighed. I was done with the dumb questions all meant to make her look interested in me.

"Look, Kira, I--"

"I know what you're going to say, so don't. Just take me to dinner some time." She touched my stomach lightly, but I politely took her hand and removed it from my chest.

"Kira, this isn't going to happen. We work together and I have to take my job seriously." I found myself scowling even though I wasn't truly angry. I understood that she was attracted to me the way a lot of women were, but as a coworker it was off limits, besides I had my eyes on someone else.

Someone who caught my eye as she pursed her lips and cleared her throat. Piper was back from wherever it was she went and caught me with Kira's hand in mine. I let go of her immediately, but the damage was done. It wasn't an altogether nasty expression she had on her face but it wasn't pleasant either.

"Alright everyone, that was the director." She raised her eyebrows and her expression shifted. It was her professional "I'm a teacher" look but at least it wasn't a scowl at me. "Our very own Dr. Keller received a very positive review from the board after saving our young patient's life following that accident last week." She smiled broadly and the group murmured amongst themselves as she continued. "Dr. Penrith said you were quote 'a very gifted physician and an asset to the department.' And he is proud of our entire team for the work we did that day saving those lives."

Pride swelled in my chest as the group applauded yet again and directed their gratitude my way for my leadership. I wanted to soak it all in and absorb it but I also knew how that day had affected Piper and how upset she was. And after that incident in my Jeep, I felt like I was on thin ice already. I knew what she wanted, and we both knew it was off limits, which only made me want her more.

"Dr. Keller, may I have a word with you?" She directed her gaze at me for a moment, then nodded at the others. "The rest of you take ten minutes and get a drink or use the restroom."

Kira, still sullen about my rebuff, sighed heavily and stepped away from me, glancing over her shoulder as she followed the group down the hallway. I stood still, waiting for whatever it was Piper wanted to say to me. She approached but waited until the rest of the doctors were out of earshot to speak.

"Is that really what they call you?" she asked, but I was lost.

"Huh?"

"Whiskey one-sixty or whatever?"

"Oh, sixty-eight whiskey?" I snickered at her honest mistake. "Actually, it's sixty-eight-W, but in the phonetic alphabet it's sixty-eight-whiskey. And yes, combat medic specialists have that designation, though there are some variations if you're a flight medic or something." When Tony brought it out the first time I was surprised to hear it, but I'd become used to it the last few days.

Piper looked confused but shrugged and shook her head at me. "Alright..." She sighed. "Look, it's unprofessional for the rest of the residents to ask you questions like that. I know you know a lot but you need to defer to me every time. Please."

Things were awkward between us, but I completely understood. "Yeah, I get it. I'm sorry, Piper."

"That's Dr. Ellis, and it's okay... Is there a problem between you and Dr. Holder?" Her eyes narrowed at me and I pursed my lips. Kira was a problem to me but I was professional enough to deal with it on my own. No need to drag her down.

"Nah, that's nothing. I can handle it."

Piper's eyes searched me and her expression darkened. Maybe she was jealous or maybe she was realizing if another woman wanted me there was nothing she could do to stop me from dating them, all because she wanted to play by the rules. But rules were made to be broken. Which is what we did in my Jeep last week.

"I'm sorry about what happened in the ER, and that thing... in the restaurant parking lot in my Jeep." That got her attention and her cheeks flushed.

"That can't happen again, Cash," her voice lowered to an almost indiscernible volume. "I could lose my job."

I steadied myself and looked around to make sure no one was nearby. "Could we at least talk about it? Maybe I could call you?" Piper wanted me as badly as I wanted her and so what if we had some really great sex, right? That didn't mean we were dating. We both had the same policy on relationships; she told me herself. Our careers were too busy to bother because we both knew it wouldn't work out. But we were both adults who had sexual desires and needs, and we could scratch each other's itch.

Piper seemed flustered and backed away, her cheeks growing darker. "It can't happen, Cash. This is my career. I can't take the risk. Please, understand I'm not trying to be a bitch or anything."

She was playing the long game. I could see it in the way her lips grew dark with arousal even as she was denying me. And if that was the case, if she really was denying her own desires and needs, then I would have to play the long game too, which mean going along with her right now to keep the peace.

"Alright, I get it." I wasn't happy about it, but I could play this game a little while. "I won't bring it up again."

She huffed out a breath and nodded. "Okay, thank you. Now, let's get back to it."

She turned on her heel and sashayed off and I followed her, watching that tight ass of hers which I still planned to claim. I had to bide my time, but I wasn't about to give up.

Chapter 17

After a twelve-hour shift, I was exhausted. My feet hurt so bad and all I wanted to do was relax. I drew a bath and started to undress when the doorbell rang. I wasn't expecting any visitors, but I threw my t-shirt back on and hurried to the front door. Boots followed me, bell around his neck jingling, and I took a look through the peephole to see a man standing on my front stoop with a bouquet of flowers in a vase.

I was confused and thought maybe he had the wrong place, but I opened up anyway. He smiled at me, and looked down at a small tablet he held in had, enclosed in a very ruggedized case.

"I have a delivery for Piper Ellis. Is that you?"

My doubts about this delivery vanished when he said my name, but my suspicion about who sent it instantly triggered. I had no guys interested in me except for Cash, though I'd laid down the law already. He knew it couldn't happen; we couldn't be an item. Why would he do this?

"Uh, yes, that's me." He thrust the flowers toward me and I hesitantly accepted them. They were gorgeous, a dozen long-stem red roses. It had to cost a fortune for the flowers alone, but the crystal vase was beautiful too, and there was a small card perched amongst the foliage.

"Sign here please." The man turned his tablet around and held out a stylus. I took it and scrawled my name and then he was gone, climbing back into his delivery van and pulling away. I stood there in the warm evening air for a moment just smelling the flowers feeling my insides melt. No man had ever bought me roses before, and it was a very romantic gesture. Cash wouldn't go through all this just for sex, so maybe the card indicated that he was just apologizing for being a jerk at work.

I retreated into the house and locked up, then shuffled to the kitchen counter and set the vase down. I pulled the envelope off the tiny plastic stand where it was perched and tore it open. It had my name written on it and neat block letters, but the card inside simply said "XOXO." There was no name, no note, no signature. If he thought he'd be some mysterious secret admirer he was wrong. No one paid me enough attention for it to be anyone else.

I sat there staring at the flowers for a few seconds realizing my heart was really falling for him. I shouldn't. I couldn't, but I was. He was incredible, and not just because he knew how to fuck me so well. Watching his leadership at work, how he answered questions the residents asked but in a way that lifted them up and didn't make them feel inferior--god it melted my insides. And he was decisive, and bold, both qualities that made a good doctor, and made me swoon too. Every day we worked together brought new realization to me that it was a dangerous situation. I liked him. Like--really liked him.

I reached into my pocket and shot Annalise a text of "9-1-1" and knew she'd call when she could. She still hadn't returned my message from last week when I had sex with him in his Jeep, but I knew it was finals week for her too. She didn't have time to mess with emotional drama when she was grading papers. Then I headed to my room where the sound of running water startled me. I rushed into the bathroom and shut off the tap. It had almost overflowed the bathtub.

Moments later with a glass of wine, I sank into the water and perched my phone on the rim of the tub, but I didn't have to wait long. Annalise called at the perfect time and I answered.

"What is it? Did doctor hot cock strike again?" she snickered at her own nickname probably knowing how addicted I was to him now.

"Oh god, you have no idea."

"So the sex was incredible again?"

I sipped my wine and the set the glass down where my phone had been. "Uh, yes. That man is a god, I swear."

"So what's the 9-1-1? You like him. Go for it." Always the bad example, like the time she encouraged me to do body shots with Mike Gilford in college, she egged me on. But she didn't understand the risk I was taking.

"Lise, I can't." I sighed hard. "He's my subordinate. And--"

"And you really like him, Piper. And he's hot, and smart, and perfect for you. So what's the hold up? What happened now?" She waited with bated breath as I explained how he sent flowers. I knew it was him, despite no card attached. It physically pained me to tell her too, because I knew she would only pressure me more instead of comforting me that I couldn't have what I really desperately wanted.

"So, yeah... that's my 9-1-1." I bit my lip and reached for the wine again, this time downing the glass. I felt my head swim a little and realized I hadn't even eaten dinner. I didn't care. Desperate times called for wine.

"I still don't see the problem. Just keep your relationship private. Don't let the people you work with know you're seeing him, and be professional on the clock and bam you get what you want." Of course it sounded easy to her because she wasn't in the situation.

"Annalise, I don't think you understand. I could lose my job." My phone chimed while I was speaking and I pulled it away from my ear to look at the screen. To my absolute horror--and maybe a little delight too--I saw the name Cash Keller light up my screen as a second call came in. How on earth did his name get programmed into my contacts when I had never asked him for his number? "Holy fuck..."

"What!" Annalise snapped the instant my phone was back at my ear.

"It's him. He's calling me. What do I do?"

"Well answer it, silly." She snickered. "He likes you."

"Oh fuck, Anna, I can't do this."

"Do it, Piper, you'll thank yourself later." She hung up on me. My best friend literally hung up on me leaving me to agonize as the phone continued to vibrate and ring.

"Shit..." I hissed, then swiped right to answer. "Hey, uh... Cash. How did you get this number?" I bit my lip and sat up straighter in the water. I wondered if he'd gotten into my employee file at the nurse's station or something. But I didn't think he'd stoop that low. Would he?

"The other night, when we were at the restaurant. You used the toilet and I got your phone out and texted myself, then programmed my name in and deleted the message thread." I could tell he was smiling as he spoke and I swooned. That damn adorable smile with dimples and a stubbled chin did things to me. It was a low-down dirty move he pulled taking my phone like that, so why was I grinning too, biting my lip like a fucking teenager with a crush even.

"Uh..." I took a deep breath to calm myself and blew it out. Then I sank back into the water where it was warmer and said, "Thank you for the flowers. I'm assuming that was an apology?"

"Hmm, if that's what you want it to be..."

God he was so fucking hot when he was aloof, and I felt like a total nerd. I also felt my body doing things, stirring at just the sound of his voice. Cash could do so many things to me if he just said the right words, and fuck was he good at that. It almost made me want to slide my hand beneath the bubbles in this bath and touch myself.

"I want it to be," I said, then instantly regretted it. What the fuck was I saying? This definitely wasn't professional, and it wasn't the right response to him either. "Uh... I mean...."

He chuckled and said, "Can I come over?"

I froze, hand shaking as the words filtered through to my ear. He wanted to come over, which meant he wanted a booty call, and that meant the most incredible sex of my life--again. But my job... and my ethics. But fuck did I want him to come over, and with that bit of wine in my system, maybe I was willing to be really really bad with him.

"Uh, Cash, we talked about this."

"So let's talk again. I'll come by and you can thank me in person for those flowers."

Shit, he was so persistent and I knew if he asked me again I'd say yes. I knew it was the wrong thing to do. I'd lectured all of my students about it, given him enough warnings, so why did I want it so bad then? Why was I incapable of holding myself to the same standard?

"I... uh..."

"You won't regret it."

"Fine... you can come over. To talk. That's it." I bit back my words and grimaced at myself. There was no way I was ever going to be able to just talk with him. I'd proven that at dinner last week when I literally threw myself onto his dick and fucked him in his Jeep.

"Be over right away."

Cash hung up without giving me the chance to change my mind and I laid my phone on the side of the tub wishing I had more wine. I rested my head on the rim and closed my eyes. "Stupid, Piper, stupid, stupid, stupid..." With each insult I banged my head on the rim and sighed. He was too perfect to pass up and I knew it, which is why I caved in. But it would mean throwing my job in the toilet, and I had worked so hard to get here. Why was I doing this to myself?

I expected him to take an hour or something, but within ten minutes I heard my bell ring again and jerked upward so hard the water sloshed out of the bathtub. My hair was tied on my head in a knot, lose strands sticking out at odd angles. My body dripped with bubbly water and puddled on the ground as I climbed out. I barely got the towel wrapped around my body and tucked into itself before the bell rang again and Boots meowed his alert.

"Yeah, I know," I told him as I scurried out and peeked through the peep hole. "Shit," I hissed quietly. He was here and I was totally not ready.

"Piper?" he called, and goosebumps formed on my arms.

"Uh, yeah..." I stuttered, licking my dry lips. God I needed more wine.

My hand reached for the knob and I turned it, slowly opening to him. His eyes instantly drank me in and he grinned like schoolboy. "Did I interrupt?"

"Uh... sorry. I needed another glass of wine." I had no idea why I said that but I did and I was humiliated. I left the door standing wide open and walked straight to my kitchen for the bottle. I might need the whole thing tonight.

Chapter 18

The first thing I noticed the instant I stepped into Piper's house--besides the fact that she was dripping wet and naked beneath that towel--was the fact that she had displayed the flowers I sent her prominently on her bar. It boosted my ego a little as I shut the door and made sure it was locked before following her to the kitchen. She guzzled wine straight from the bottle in a haphazard and rushed manner that made me believe she didn't want me to see her doing it. I had some effect on her.

"You like the flowers?" I pulled up a bar stool and grinned as she turned around, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She gasped and spluttered, choking on some wine that went down the wrong pipe and I snickered.

"Uh, yes. They're beautiful." She set the bottle down and smoothed her hands across the towel and I prayed for just one second it would come untucked from itself and fall, but it held fast. "Thank you so much."

"You know why I came here?" I touched the deep red petals of the flowers and smirked at her. This night had booty call written all over it and again I'd been jonesing for a fix. I didn't send the flowers to indicate I wanted sex from her, but I definitely called her for that reason.

"Uh..." She gulped and batted her eyelashes and when she licked her lip I noticed her eyes darting around. It was cute. Her awkwardness had become my latest fetish. I couldn't get over how innocent she was outside the bedroom and away from her stethoscope. Piper was a drug for me, but even more so, I found every part of her intriguing. If the damn career thing wouldn't get in the way I could really see myself with her.

"So you do know." I snickered and stood, and she stiffened, squaring her shoulders. It made her tits pop out a bit which she notice and promptly covered with crossed arms. "Let's face it, Piper. We're really good at this, and we both want it. Since I'm here, I say we indulge in it." I walked around the end of the bar and her eyes grew wider, saucers on her face that followed my movements. I reached for her towel and pulled the corner of it, untucking it. Her arms held it up still, and her lips were already growing darker as blood rushed to them in arousal.

"Cash, I..."

Her protests were sweet but we both knew this was happening. My cock knew too. It strained against my jeans begging to come out and play, and tonight I fully intended to pop that cherry I'd been craving. I hooked a pinky through one of hers and pulled, and her arm drew away from her body. She whimpered and let the towel go. It fell to the floor and she was naked, beads of bath water still peppering her skin in places.

"Shit..." I hissed, then sucked in a breath. My dick throbbed and felt like the skin might just tear if I swelled any further. "Now... Do you want me here or in the bedroom, or maybe the couch?"

"Why just one?" she asked, and it made my heart nearly explode. Fuck this woman was on fire. She bit her lower lip and I pulled her against my body and slid my hand into the small of her back as my lips crashed into hers.

I'd spent so much time memorizing her voice and her mannerisms, and I wanted to spend the same amount of effort and energy memorizing her body too. My fingers searched every inch of her, smoothing across her curves, touching her sensitive places. She backed me past the bar, through the living room and down the hallway. As she did, she pulled my shirt out of the waistband of my jeans and helped me out of it. I cupped booth of her cheeks and deepened the kiss as we stumbled into the bedroom, now fully on fire for each other.

I heard a soft meow of a cat somewhere and then a hiss as I accidentally stepped on it's tail. Piper snickered and pulled away, chasing the cat out of the room and giving me a chance to tug my boots and jeans off. My cock was full mast, proudly standing on end for her as she turned around.

"Do you ever wear boxers?" she snickered then rushed at me, throwing her arms around me and tackling me to the bed with a laugh. I wrapped my arms around her waist and used the momentum to turn her so that I was on top of her pinning her down.

"Do you ever go without panties?" I growled into her ear, grinding my dick against her thigh. God that would be hot, to listen to her lecture knowing beneath her skirt she had no panties on.

"Shit," Piper hissed when my hand squeezed her tit and pinched a nipple.

"Fuck, I need this so bad." My hips had a mind of their own, grinding on her. And her body found a rhythm with me too, her pussy smearing it's moisture aganst my thigh. She clawed at my back and arched her body up to meet mine when I found her clit and rubbed it. She was so wet I had a hard time keeping my fingers on the damn thing. It was hot.

"Fuck... Just like that," she moaned against my shoulder as I worked backward a little to take a nipple into my mouth. I bit down gently and she groaned and writhed, then I sank a few fingers into her pussy and found her sensitive spot and massaged it. It was so easy with her, like an unplucked flower. She'd never been with someone who knew what they were doing and it showed.

"Can I have you tonight... bare?" I looked up at her as I rolled my tongue around her nipple and she looked down at me with wide eyes again.

"What?" Her chest heaved as I fingerfucked her, the heel of my palm riding against her clit. "Like no condom?"

"Like skin against skin..." I sucked it into my mouth and she hissed. "I'm clean..." I reminded her but her forehead crinkled. It was the exact response I was hoping for.

"Cash... I..." Her hands rested on my shoulders as she began to tremble for me. She was getting close but I planned to withhold for now, push her to the edge and keep her there.

"I have a plan." I wasn't sure if she trusted me or if it was just that she wanted me so badly, but she looked terrified as she nodded.

"Uh... okay?" She sounded very uncertain, but I was anything but.

"It's okay I promise." I rolled her nipple between my fingers and she closed her eyes and moaned. I didn't think she was listening to me.

"I want to claim you..." In one movement, I rose up and flipped her over. She let out a sound of surprise as I gripped both hips and hoisted her to her knees, ass in the air.

"Oh fuck." She looked back at me over her shoulder as I put my fingers back into her pussy and thrust. Her fingers clawed at the comforter even as her hips started rocking.

I smeared the moisture around her lips for a moment then up to her ass and back. Each time I dipped into her she hissed and then I'd bring that moisture up to her tight hole and spread it around. Her hand reached for her clit and began massaging even as I pushed both fingers right into her ass and started fucking her there.

"Oh god, oh my fucking god," she moaned rocking her hips again and again. And I wasn't even started.

I rose up on my knees and wiped the precum from the end of my dick, then pushed into her pussy. I knew it would never sink without some sort of lubrication and tonight was the night I took her anal cherry for myself. Her whimpering and panting grew more feverish, and I knew she was close. So when I pulled my fingers from her ass and she whined, I knew she was ready.

"This is going to hurt for a second, but just hold on because fuck you'll like it so much..." I pulled my cock from her pussy and slid it up her crack to her ass.

"Oh god, Cash... I don't know," she protested but I thrust in. She screamed and I froze, my entire body tense.

"Are you okay?" I whispered, inching deeper.

"Yes," she yelped. "Yes, yes, yes."

I slid back out and thrust in again, rocking my hips. She gasped and I thrust again. She was tight and hot, her ass as perfect as I imagined. She clenched and groaned, and her body started to convulse, just as I thought it would.

"Oh god, right there, right there!" Her fingers twisted in the sheets as I fucked her. I had her by the hips, and she had my full attention.

"Cash, oh fuck, oh god," she panted. I slid out and then thrust back in, pulling her onto my cock. I waited until she was moaning and grinding back, her body in control, before I really let her have it. She moaned and cried out, shuddering as I fucked her. Her nails raked my thigh; she was so fucking tight.

Just the idea that I'd been the one to teach her to enjoy this made it impossible for me to hold out--that and the feeling of her flesh milking me. "Oh god, Piper, I'm gonna come," I groaned.

"Mmhmm," she moaned, dazed and in her giddy afterglow. It felt like her ass was a vise, squeezing my cock as I pulled out and then driving me back in. I groaned and came hard, my cock jerking and twitching as I filled her with my cum. It was exquisite, the feeling of my throbbing, pulsing cock flooding her with my seed, as if I was staking my claim to her and I was. Part of me wanted that, needed it.

I pulled out and we rolled to the side. She collapsed on the bed, her ass hot against my groin. Even if she wanted me to go again, I was spent tonight. That was so incredible I didn't know if I could repeat it.

"Oh holy fuck, that was intense..." Piper sucked in a few deep breaths. She was damp with sweat, and our bodies pressed against each other only made it worse. They fit together too, like we were made for each other. I curled around her and held her, kissing the back of her shoulder. I didn't want to leave at all. In fact, I wanted to wake up next to her like this, and maybe fall asleep like this tomorrow night, and the night after.

"Yes, you're incredible." I kissed her shoulder again, thinking how perfect it would be to wake up to the smell of breakfast cooking and walk out to see her naked by the stove with a grin.

"It won't be easy..." she said softly. "And it will take a lot of self-control at times, disciplining ourselves so no one finds out. Obviously at work you're still my student, so--"

"What?" I asked, and my lips wouldn't leave her shoulder. She drew my hand up between her tits and hugged it to her chest. Kissing each one of my knuckles she continued.

"If we're going to actually do this thing, you know? I mean, no one can know. We'd both lose our jobs for sure. I'm just saying, we can't keep our hands off of each other and we have this chemistry." More kissing my knuckles, a grin on her face and I was getting her point.

My chest tightened but I didn't know why. She was giving me what I wanted, wasn't she? "So no sex on the clock. Is that what you're saying, Doc?" I grinned at her as she turned to her back and looked up at me.

"You're in my head, Cash, like really fucking bad. I have zero self-control around you. And it isn't just sex either. I--"

"Did you hear that?" I panicked. I cut her off and I didn't even know why. I felt what she felt I just shut down. I sat up and craned my ear. "My phone..." Rolling out of bed, I walked around to my clothes and pulled my phone from my jeans pocket and looked at the screen. My chest was pounding, so tight it was hard to breathe. "Aw shit," I lied, shaking my head. "Olivia thinks she needs to go to the ER... Says she cut her finger." I glanced up at Piper who looked concerned and discouraged.

"Is she okay?"

I locked my phone and grabbed my pants, shoving my feet into them. "Not sure. She wants me to check it out and watch my nephew if her husband has to take her for stitches."

Piper snickered. "As a field medic, you should be able to do those right in her kitchen." Her eyes sparkled and she said, "You'll come back?"

"Uh..." I floundered. This was too much. Too close to home. "Maybe. I'll let you know what happens. I shoved my feet into my boots as I buckled my pants, then leaned down and kissed her on the forehead quickly as I darted out to the living room to grab my shirt. I had to get out of here, dirty fingers and all. Shit just got real and now I had no idea what to do.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

Chapter 19

The fast peck on the forehead was a bit disappointing to me, but I couldn't blame Cash for rushing out. He must love his sister a lot to take care of her like that. I wouldn't know. As an only child, the closest thing to a sister I had was Annalise, though after sex like that she'd be on her own calling an ambulance for something as minor as a cut finger. I snickered to myself as I curled into a ball and pulled the comforter over my body.

Cash got here so fast it made me wonder if he lived nearby or if he had come to my neighborhood with the hopes that I'd say yes he could come over. Which led me to believe he was planning the whole thing and that brought a smile to my face. When Annalise took me to that damn club I hadn't expected to find someone so incredible, and though I tried to deny it for weeks now, I was finally starting to see how perfect he was for me. She was right all along, though I wasn't about to confess that yet. And give her the ego boost? No way.

I sighed contently. The hormone surge from sex still had me relaxed and flaccid and I started to think about Cash and what sort of a person he was. I loved that he had a take-charge personality, though we butted heads at work. It was a comfort knowing that if I married a man like that I'd have confidence in his leadership abilities and know that he would make decisions for me when I needed. And he was strong too--not just his body either. Military people had grit; they had to. They walked into battles where they risked their lives and back out with scars to prove it.

Though, I didn't relish the idea of dating someone who was really emotionally closed off like some vets could be, but Cash seemed pretty open. We didn't know each other very well yet, but I could tell based on the way he treated his coworkers and patients that he was at least a little in touch with his feelings.

And he'd make a great father too. I knew it. The way he talked about his nephew and cared for him--like tonight how he'd baby sit for the boy while his sister got help--it was sweet. I needed a man who was good with kids and understood the rigors of the job I held. The more I thought about it, the more I realized we were so perfect for each other, but I also felt the weight of the choice my heart was making.

If I went to Dr. Jones and told him about the relationship I didn't know if I'd be demoted and someone else given the job, or if I'd just be reassigned to a different set of residents. Or, for that matter, if Cash would be refused the residency and sent to some other hospital. I didn't wan that to happen. Bellevue was one of the best teaching hospitals in the state and he deserved to put it on his resume that he did his residency there.

I lay there mulling it over in my head until I dozed off to a fitful sleep full of naughty dreams about the way he made me feel. I woke a few times, reaching across the bed for him, but he wasn't there. Somewhere around three a. m. I woke to pee and checked my phone--still on the edge of the bath tub--to find a message from him.

Cash 2:27 AM: Sorry... sleeping at Liv's.

It wasn't exactly encouraging but I understood. He must have had a rough night. I'd ask him all about I at work, and then I'd make a way for us to chat about what happened tonight and how we would handle it moving forward. He'd pressured me for weeks and I was caving, except it didn't feel how I thought. I was actually happy about it.

More than a week later, Cash and I had been throw, along with the rest of the residents, into a flurry of emergencies and double shifts. By the time our days were over, we were too exhausted to even text or call each other. He hadn't made a pass at me once, but there hadn't been time. I couldn't be upset with him, but I was disappointed in the circumstances, so the first chance we got to chat--eight days later--I took it.

Cash stood in the break room by his locker and Kira seemed to be hanging on him again. Tony and Kip were in the room too, but I had to take my shot at getting him alone for that chat. I hovered just within earshot but not too close for it to be obvious I was eavesdropping as Kira laid into him, pouring it on thick.

"I'm just saying, there is no rule against residents dating each other. We have a shot." Her head wobbled like a bobble head and he pursed his lips. I'd never seen Cash be irritated but the lines on his forehead were obviously not excitement.

"I've said it once before, Kira. I'm not interested. I'm here to learn."

"You can learn from me..." She drew her words out as her fingers walked up his chest, but he politely moved her hand away as he caught my eye.

"No thank you. Now please excuse me." He took a step back and shut his locker and she turned to walk away, also looking at me. Her glare wasn't directed at me; I was certain of that, but it seared my conscience anyway.

Maybe it was the wrong time to speak to him about things, but I had been on pins and needles waiting all week. I approached him with a glance over my shoulder to make sure Kira walked far enough away to not hear us. It gave my confidence a boost hearing him reject her. She was gorgeous and confident. She had tits for days and if I wasn't straight, I'd consider her proposal, so I wasn't sure why Cash denied her the offer, but I was happy.

We hadn't even spoken about what our relationship was or how to define it, but he was already turning foxy women away and that made me happy. I couldn't help but smile and he raised his eyebrows at me.

"What's up, Doc?"

I chuckled and asked, "Who are you? Bugs Bunny?" I snickered and he offered a sideways half-grin.

"Need something?" Cash seemed aloof and distant so to close the gap I homed in on something I knew was close to his heart.

"Thanks again for the flowers. They're wilting horribly though... I need new ones." I smiled softly, making sure I kept my back turned to the others. It was risky enough speaking to him about personal matters on hospital time, but if they saw me smiling this particular smile, I'd be busted. I batted my eyelashes at him and he nodded stoically.

"Of course." His lips were tight, probably because everyone in the room could read his expression. He had a great poker face.

"How is Olivia?"

His brow furrowed in confusion and then he blinked his eyes rapidly. "Uh... she's good, just fine now." He took a deep breath and I swore I saw his jaw clench briefly. "Look, we need to talk about what happened."

I felt my cheeks burning. He was able to speak very freely about things that made my heart flutter with nauseous anxiety. It was the exact reason I approached him, yet when he brought it up it seemed scarier.

"Uh, yes... I think we do. We have to start rounds soon, but later today?" I rubbed my forehead, though it did little to stop the jitters from spreading from my chest to my fingers.

"Sounds good..."

Cash nodded at me and looked over my shoulder at something and I could only imagine it was one of the residents watching us stand a little too close together.

I checked my watch and swallowed hard. "It's time to go, everyone!" I bellowed out, but as I turned I noticed Kira staring at me. I knew I probably looked flustered, so I straightened immediately and squared my shoulders. Maybe it was a dead giveaway, but it was too late. I tucked my chin down and walked out the break room door. We'd have our talk now and I looked forward to it.

But from here out, no more risks like that. If we were doing this thing, we had to keep it to after hours.

Chapter 20

The pile of leaves flew into the air, dispersing them around the yard after having been raked up. Leo's bubbling laughter made it worth it though. We were sent out here by Olivia after our roughhousing in the living room nearly toppled the Christmas tree. I told her Thanksgiving wasn't even over yet, that the tree wasn't necessary already but she loved the holiday so much they put the tree up as soon as Halloween was over.

"We better rake now, or we'll be on your mom's blacklist. She'll give us coal for Christmas instead of presents." I picked up a handful of leaves and tossed them onto Leo's head and he swatted them away, kicking another large heap in my direction. It was an act of war, especially when Kyle--Leo's friend over for a visit--joined in kicking leaves at me.

I lunged forward, putting my arms around each of their waists and tackling them into the large pile we'd amassed. They squirmed and fought to get free, but I was twice their size. The leaves continued to fly around until the tickling began and I had to let go. Their fingers dug into my sides making me gasp and writhe about, laughing and shouting for mercy.

"Get him!" Leo shrieked, as he climbed on top of me, straddling my waist. The two of them pummeled my shoulders and chest, and again I flipped them, pinning them down. My days of high-school wrestling came in handy, but it was the muscle I'd put on spending years in the service that gave me the advantage over two of them.

"Hey, you boys are supposed to be raking, not wrestling!" Liv didn't sound angry, but I didn't want to frustrate her either.

"Yes, mom!" I shouted, and Leo and Kyle moaned and climbed off me.

"Hey, Uncle Cash, you want to teach me about wrestling?" Leo dusted the leaves off his shoulders and head, picking at twigs and sticks that clung to his sweater while Kyle reached for the rake to clean up our mess.

I stood and cleaned the leaves off of myself too, and said, "Why's that, bud? Are you thinking of joining the wrestling team?" With soccer over for a few weeks now--they got third in the year-end tournament--Leo was probably bored after school.

"Yeah, the try outs are next week and I want to do it. Kyle does it and he likes it. Right, Kyle?" Leo planted his hands on his hips and stared at his friend who merely shrugged. He wasn't much for talking, which I could appreciate. I was a quiet kid like him.

"Anyway, can you show me moves? I want the coach to like me." His nose and cheeks were rosy from the chilly air and he sniffled a little, licking his upper lip.

"Well, first of all," I said, tousling his hair and knocking a few more sticks loose, "you have to stop licking your snot. Not only is it gross and has germs in it, but kids will make fun of you."

He yanked away from me then put both hands on my hip and shoved me hard, forcing me to stumble backward a few steps as I chuckled at him.

"I'm serious. Show me some moves." I could tell by his tone he was irritated with my comment, so I dropped it.

"Bet on all fours, and I'll show you something," I told him, and his face lit up.

He dropped to the cold ground and looked up at me with anticipation, and I knelt beside him.

"Alright, this is a pretty basic move." I wrapped one arm over his waist and put a little weight on his shoulders. "I put my arm like this, then reach under you like this." I reached under his body across to his arm on the far side and gripped his wrist, but not too firmly. "Now when you get in this position you put some weight on your opponent's shoulder, and at the same time, you pull their wrist toward you hard, and--"

As I spoke I did the move and Leo's body flipped beneath me. I found myself lying across his chest with his shoulders pinned, though I didn't let my full weight rest on him. He gasped and squirmed, but if it were a wrestling match I'd have one.

"Hey, no fair. You're bigger than me."

"Woah!" Kyle grunted, dropping the rake into the pile of leaves. "Can you show me too?" He dropped to the ground next to us as I pushed myself off the ground and rose to my knees.

"Sure," I told him, and I heard the back door opening again.

Ace walked across the patio and out across the grass toward us and I stood, telling Kyle and Leo how to get in the proper stance. Then I backed away, watching them as Ace approached me.

"She asked if the leaves are done," he chuckled, and I grinned and rolled my eyes at him.

"She just sent us out here to burn the energy off; you know that." I nodded at the boys rolling around in the leaves. Leo tried his best, but just couldn't flip Kyle, who had a slight size advantage over him. "He's going out for wrestling?"

"Yeah, he says he wants to. He'll be in a different weight class than his friends, which I don't think he understands yet, but he might like it." Ace crossed his arms over his chest and bumped my shoulder with his. "How's the thing with the cute doctor... The one from the bar."

I tensed a little as Piper's comments flitted through my thoughts. We had mind-blowing sex and then she started talking like we were starting a relationship. I could have been wrong and maybe she was just talking about "making it work" for the sex bit, but it sure as hell felt like she was saying she'd be okay with a relationship now. And every red flag in the book started flying.

"It's just hot sex," I grumbled, careful to not let Leo and Kyle hear me say it. They probably knew what sex was, but I didn't want to talk about it in front of them. "She's my boss, man. There are rules against it. Nothing can happen in all honesty, so we're just sneaking around."

Leo finally managed to get Kyle flipped over, but couldn't hold the pin and the leaves were flying again. I thought about the past few months and how I'd bought Piper flowers, took her to dinner--albeit with a coworker--and how many times we'd snuck away to fool around. I could see how she'd think this was something more, but I'd drawn a hard line in the sand.

"I saw a receipt next to your wallet for flowers, dude. You don't fool me. You don't buy a woman flowers and take her to dinner, and sleep with her multiple times and--"

"It's just the sex. That's all." Maybe I said it a bit too gruffly, but I felt on edge.

"Ew! Sex!" Leo shrieked and he and Kyle made some gagging noises before bolting off the ground and running away, chasing each other around the yard. I scowled and turned toward the house, too cold to stand outside trying to defend my non-relationship to Ace.

"I'm just saying, it looks a whole lot like a relationship to me. Have you asked her what she thinks it is?" Ace trailed behind me as I headed for the house.

I didn't have to ask Piper what she thought it was. She was clearly under some strange impression that I wanted something more than sex, and I'd have to put that idea out of her head.

"I haven't, but we both know what this is. Now, can we drop it?" I yanked the back door open and felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. As I walked past Olivia in the kitchen, I pulled the phone out and swiped right to see what the notification was. I learned a long time ago in this house to turn off my banners on my lock screen. These people were nosy. So nosy, in fact, that I felt Ace's eyes peeking over my shoulder as I opened the message from Piper.

"See... It's her," he gloated.

"Shut up," I hissed, turning so he couldn't see what she said.

Piper 5:47PM: I'm horny... Touching myself... Want to come over?

The message made me grin at my phone which was a huge mistake since Ace was staring at me. It also made my cock twitch at the idea of being inside of her again, and all my trepidation about what she might say in post-sex cooldown went right out the window.

"Uh, guys, I'm gonna pass on dinner tonight."

"God, Cash, you're whipped. I told you. More than just hot sex." Ace snickered like a schoolboy and Olivia turned around, wiping her hands with a dish rag.

"Okay, bud. Have fun. Should we save you a plate?" Always thoughtful, my sister's broad smile reminded me of my mother's.

"Sure, just leave it in the fridge. I'll be home tonight." I turned to go and grabbed my keys on the way through the front room as I shot Piper a text message.

Cash 5:49PM: On the way.

As I drove, I pictured Piper in various positions touching herself, sprawled on the bed, seated on the kitchen counter, on her hands and knees with a dildo hanging from her body. My dick was out of control, rock hard and straining against my jeans. And when I pulled up I almost climbed out of my Jeep before turning it off, then remembered at the last second.

I jogged up to the front door and knocked, and Piper opened within seconds. She stood just out of the line of sight of the neighborhood, wearing a slinky negligee. Her wavy brown hair framed in her face, dangling down over her shoulders, and the seductive smirk on her lips only made me want her more.

"I'm glad you came... Now, let me help you come."

She was so awkward, and so damn hot at the same time. I pulled the door out of her hand and swung it shut, moving toward her with the grace of a large cat. I had her in my arm and backed against the side of the refrigerator in seconds.

She'd never called a booty call before, but I liked it.