***
Lewis leapt off Darcy, managing to grab his jacket and hold it in front of himself all as the doctor watched. He quirked a brow, looking pointedly at Lewis’s hard on, which he tried valiantly to cover with the jacket. “Nice recovery,” the doctor all but sneered at him.
He didn’t really blame the doctor. To be stuck in an ER on New Year’s Eve—and not be kissing Darcy—would suck. Having to attend to vomiting college kids and whatever else had come in since they’d been in the private room…not fun. Not fun at all.
He turned away from the doctor and Darcy, untucking his shirt and sliding on his tux jacket, trying to hide the damage.
“Okay, sorry it took so long, but be grateful that yours is the type of injury that could wait,” he heard the doctor say to Darcy.
“I am,” Darcy replied.
“Let’s take a look.”
Lewis kept his back to the two of them, waiting till the throbbing of his dick subsided. The doctor asked questions, Darcy answered, and Lewis pretended to be engrossed by a poster on the wall about STDs.
“I think we should do X-rays to be safe, but it looks like a bad sprain.”
“That’s what the nurse thought,” Darcy said.
“Well, then it’s probably true,” the doctor replied. Lewis thought there was a touch of resentment in the young doctor’s answer. Probably didn’t like having a nurse who knew more than he did. If the kid were smart, he’d learn to embrace and use Georgie’s experience. It had been the most important business lesson Lewis had learned.
He heard Darcy gasp, took a look down at himself, deemed himself decent and whirled around to see what kind of pain the incompetent kid had caused his Darcy.
But the doctor was writing something on her chart, not even touching her. He met Darcy’s eyes, but she quickly looked away. Probably still embarrassed about the doc catching them nearly in the act. They’d been close, so close, to shedding their party duds and getting down to more skin than just that awesome slit in her dress allowed. That thigh of hers was as soft to the touch as he’d imagined it would be. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on the rest of her.
“I’ll have a tech come for you to take you to X-ray. Shouldn’t be too long.”
“Okay, thanks,” she said, but still wouldn’t look at Lewis. He moved to her side, to take her hand, to just touch her again—but she leaned away from his touch. “Doctor, there’s no reason Lewis has to stay, is there? There’s nothing he can really do, right? And it’s still going to be a while?”
“Well, like I said, the tech shouldn’t be too long. And I’ll try to look at the image as quickly as I can, but yeah, you’re looking at another couple of hours, probably. And no, technically we don’t need your boyfriend for anything. You—”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Darcy said quietly.
Lewis didn’t say a word. He was too stunned about the series of events. His body was still humming and all he wanted to do was get this doctor out of the room so he could keep on kissing Darcy and she seemed to be intent on getting rid of him.
Or was she just trying to be nice?
“Lewis, I want you to leave,” she said looking him full on for the first time since they’d been interrupted.
“But, I want to…no, Darce, I want to stay with you.”
“You don’t need to. The doctor just said so.”
The doctor held up his hands in a surrender motion, said, “I’m out of here. I’ll get the tech to you as soon as I can,” and left the room.
“Who cares what he says. I think I should stay.”
“Lewis, go.” It was her command voice, and he stood, helpless—not knowing what had just happened. This must be one of those times when he couldn’t read the situation. It happened to him all the time. But never when he was with Darcy.
Had he read the situation wrong? Was the kissing all on his side?
“The night is still relatively young. Go back to the party. Tell my parents I’m fine and that I’ll meet them at home.”
“How will you get home?”
“I’ll call a cab.”
“A cab? On New Year’s Eve? And what, hobble up the walk and into your house on your own? Because you know no cab driver is going to carry you.”
“I’m sure I’ll have crutches by then.”
“You’re going to use crutches in that dress?”
She let out a sigh of exasperation. That cue he could recognize just fine, hearing it often enough. “Fine. Find my parents at the party and ask them to swing by here to pick me up on their way home. They never stay much past midnight anyway. The timing will be per…just right.”
“I really don’t feel right—”
“Lewis, you can still find Grace. You can have your kiss with her. God knows you’re more than ready.”
She knew about Grace? And the kiss? How much exactly?
She sighed. “I know it all. How you and Tess conspire every year to make sure Grace loses that stupid bet.”
“You know all that? How?”
“I figured it out years ago.”
Had she? Had Grace? He wanted to ask, but Darcy spoke first. “It’s okay, Lewis. I want you to go. I want you to be with the one you want to be with. That’s what New Year’s Eve should be.” She turned away, adjusting the ice pack on her ankle. “Lewis, go.”
And he did.