Who can blame her?
“Okay, I’m going to walk out to the elevators and meet him. Remember, act surprised.”
She winks at me and I walk over to the elevator lobby. I gave my kids’ parents a heads up about today’s guest so they could come and take photos and meet the athlete themselves, but I decided to make it a surprise for the kids.
Finally, the elevators open and I can just stare. He’s brought four of his teammates, all dressed in blue jeans and their team jerseys, pushing carts full of gifts, baskets wrapped in bows and cellophane, full of their team gear; hats, jerseys, pajamas, flags… you name it. They have stuffed animals and games, too.
I look up into Will’s bright, happy blue eyes and I can’t stop the grin that splits my face in two.
He’s spoiling my kids!
“Hey, you’re the prettiest nurse I’ve ever seen.” He offers me that cocky grin and follows the other guys out of the elevator. They are all so tall and broad, making me feel tiny next to them.
I look down at my simple blue scrubs and laugh. “Right because scrubs and ponytails are all the rage these days.”
He leans down to kiss my cheek and whispers in my ear, “Hottest nurse I’ve ever seen.”
Well, then.
I clear my throat and Will introduces me to his teammates; Jerrel Sanders, Thomas Jones, Kip Sutherland and Trevon Wilson.
They are all incredibly polite and look a little nervous, hands in their pockets, shuffling on their big feet, looking about the hospital corridor.
“Thank you so much, all of you, for coming. I haven’t told the kids you were coming; I wanted it to be a surprise. But the parents know, so they could bring their cameras and stuff.” The guys all nod and I look around the lobby. “No press?”
Will’s face sobers. “No, no press. This isn’t a photo-op, Meg. We’re here because we want to be.”
“How did you talk your PR lady into that?” I ask, surprise ringing through my voice.
“She works for us, not the other way around,” he responds simply and grabs a rolling cart full of goodies for my kids. “Lead the way.”
I lead the guys into the corridor, a wide smile on my face, and wink at Jill who is standing at the nurse’s station, her arms folded around her middle.
“Let’s start with Nicholas. He’s played football until this past winter when he got hurt on the field and it was discovered that he as osteosarcoma.” The guys all frown with concern. “Bone cancer,” I murmur and knock on Nick’s door.
“Yeah,” I hear him call.
I crack the door open and shield his view from the guys behind me. “Do you have a sec?”
His eyes light up and he grins at me. He’s got such a crush, it’s cute. “I always have time for the hottest nurse here.”
I open the door wide and step aside so the guys can move into his room, and Will leans down to me on his way by and whispers in my ear, “See? Hottest nurse.”
Nick pales, his jaw drops, and then he starts to laugh. “Oh, my God!”
“Hey, man.” Will approaches him first and offers his hand to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet another player.”
“I’m not playing anymore,” Nick murmurs.
“Once a player, always a player, dude.” Will grins and sits next to his bed. “What position did you play?”
“Quarterback,” Nick responds shyly, not able to look Will in the eye. Nick’s hair is gone, and his once strong body looks weak in the large hospital bed.
“Were you good?” Will asks.
“Fuck yeah, it was only my junior year and I had offers from USC and Florida State,” he says proudly.
“Damn, I’m sorry, man.”
I step out of the room and let the guys chat it up with Nicholas, give him gifts and just make his day.
Hell, make his whole life.
About an hour later, the players file out, smiling and joking with each other and with Nick. Will offers me a sweet, sad smile. “We need to talk later,” he mutters.
I frown and cock my head to the side. Talk? About what? I don’t have time to question him.
“Okay, guys, if you’re comfortable splitting up for a while, there are a lot of kids anxious to meet you. I have extra nursing staff on hand today to lead you around and introduce you to kids and their parents.”
“Sounds great,” Sanders responds and offers Jill a cocky grin. “Lead on, sweetheart.”
They each grab baskets full of gifts and follow my staff to various parts of the department, and I laugh as I hear whoops and cries of excitement coming out of the rooms.
“This is awesome, Will. These kids will remember this for the rest of their lives. Thank you.”
“My pleasure. I’m gonna stick with you, if you don’t mind. Where to next?”
* * *
Okay, the man is good with kids. He’s kind and a good listener. He has patiently posed for dozens of photos, flirted with my girls, made the guys feel like he’s their buddy, and just been generally awesome today. All five players eventually made it to every room and talked with every patient. Now, we’re all gathered in a common area that we have set up for families, where they can come and rest. It’s recently been remodeled, and it proudly boasts about two-thousand square feet of plush leather couches and recliners, an enormous big-screen television mounted to one wall, tables and chairs near outlets for laptops and plenty of space to spread out.
Now the oldest patients who are able to leave their rooms are scattered around the space, at the suggestion of Kip, so the kids can ask questions and have a little more time with the team before they leave for the evening.
They’ve already been here for a staggering five hours.
“Meg, I need some help with an IV in room twenty,” Dr. Sanchez whispers to me so she doesn’t interrupt the Q&A session.
“No problem.” I follow her back to the room and help her, and then when I return to the lounge, I stay out of sight so I can listen.
“So, do you have a girlfriend, Will?” A pretty sixteen-year-old patient named Liza asks with a shy smile.
“No, I don’t, sweetheart.”
“Why not?” someone asks.
“Well, there is one woman I’m interested in, but I don’t think she likes me back.”
“Well then she’s stupid,” Liza retorts, and everyone laughs.
“No, she’s smart,” Trevon jokes, punching Will in the shoulder.
“Who is it?” Nick asks him.
“Actually, you know her,” Will begins and I bite my lip and feel my eyes widen. Holy shit! “I’d love to get to know Meg better.”
“Well then ask her out,” someone out of my line of vision advises him.
“I don’t think she’s interested in me.”
“We can help,” Liza offers. “We know her really well.”
“Um, okay.” Will suddenly sounds nervous and I grin.
“She loves music,” my patient, Bree tells him.
“And chocolate,” offers Mike.
“And she likes hugs,” my thirteen-year-old Jason chimes in.
“But if you fuck with her, I’ll tear your heart out of your chest, cancer be damned,” Nick states clearly, harshly.
“Nick!” his mom exclaims. My feet are rooted to the floor. I should go take care of this, but I can’t move. I want to hear Will’s response. Silence fills the room and I picture the two guys, one almost a man and one a grown up, staring at each other.
Finally, Will says, “You know, Nick, I already had a lot of respect for you just from our chat earlier today, but now I just think you’re badass. You’re a good man. You don’t need to worry about Meg.”
I walk into the room in time to see Nick nod soberly and look at the floor. The other four players’ smirks have left their handsome faces, and are instead looking at Nick with respect.
“Okay, everyone,” my voice is bright, not giving a clue that I just heard the conversation about Will and me. “I know you probably have a lot more questions for our guests
, but I think it’s time we let them off the hook. They’ve spent a lot of their time with us today.”
There are a few groans, but the room erupts into applause.
“Thank you!” The kids call out, and all five players look a bit embarrassed, but boast huge, proud smiles.
“You’re very welcome,” Will responds when the applause dies down.
“Good luck on Sunday,” Bree’s dad calls out. “I have money riding on it!”
“We’ll see what we can do,” Sanders responds.
I follow the players back to the elevators, Will and I lagging behind the others. He takes my hand in his, but I pull away and look around.
“Not at my job, Will.”
“Oh, so I can hold your hand outside of work?” he asks with a cocky grin.
“I didn’t say that.” Damn him.
“Walk me to my car.” He murmurs down to me, so only I can hear.
“You didn’t ride with the others?” I ask.
“No, Trevon stopped at the training center on his way here to get the Hawks gear, and we all met here.”
“Okay.”
When we reach the parking garage, Will’s teammates each hug me tight.
“You do not have an easy job, little lady,” Kip mutters, his face grim.
“Days like today make my job fantastic, Kip. Seriously, thank you, all of you for coming today. You just don’t know what you did for those kids.”
“Why haven’t you asked us to come before?” Jerrel asks and Will coughs, choking on his own spit.
“Actually, I have. Several times. But I always got a no.”
“Fucking Susan,” Trevon mutters darkly. “From now on, contact us directly. I’m assuming you have Montgomery’s number?”
“Uh, no.” I shake my head and press my lips together.
“Well, hell, I’ll give you my number,” Kip grins. “And not just to visit you at work.”
“Back up, Sutherland,” Will warns. “I got this.”
“Good.” Kip winks at me and the guys all go climb in their own vehicles to leave, wave at us and are gone.
“So,” Will murmurs and steps toward me. Despite the magnetic pull I feel, I take a step back.
“I should go back up.”
“I want to see you, Meg.” Well, he’s blunt, isn’t he?
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I murmur.
His eyes narrow and he crosses his arms over his chest. “Why not?”
“This is a busy time for you, Will, and my job is busy too. Hell, I haven’t heard from you for the past two weeks, so I just assumed…”
“Number one, don’t assume. Ever.” His voice is hard and immediately grabs my attention. “Number two, yes, we’re busy, but we can find the time. And number three, I’m interested.”
“How did I end up naked the morning after the party?” I blurt out, ashamed that I can’t remember. His eyes twinkle mischievously.
“You woke up naked?” he asks, a half-grin spreading on his handsome face.
“Yeah, but I remember you making me put the t-shirt on.”
“You were still in the t-shirt when I left that morning. I told you, no hanky panky.”
“I’m surprised that you didn’t try anything.”
“Oh, trust me, sugar, having your tight, naked ass cradled against my dick was damn alluring.” He steps closer to me and tips my chin up with his fingers. “But I wouldn’t take advantage of you when you don’t have your wits about you. When I take you, you’ll know exactly what we’re doing, what you’re feeling, and I won’t stop until your legs are shaking and the neighbors know my name.”
Holy fucking hell.
He brushes his lips over mine once, then twice, before cupping my face firmly in his big hands and sinking into me, kissing me soundly. God, it’s just as good as I remember, if not better, and I didn’t think that was possible.
If I were wearing panties, they’d be soaked; I’m panting, and I just want to climb him. He pulls back and gently brushes loose hairs off my face.
“You’re so sweet, baby.”
Shit.
I step out of his embrace and rub my hands down my face, trying to clear my head.
“Will, I’m only going to tell you this once. Please, don’t ever call me baby. Ever.” My voice is controlled, firm. He scowls at me.
“Why?”
“I don’t like it.”
“Why?” he asks again.
“My deadbeat father used to call me that, during the few times I saw him, and it gives me the yucks. Just don’t, okay?”
“Okay. Never again.” He shrugs and smiles at me. “Sorry.”
I shake my head and start to retreat back to the elevator. “I have to get back.”
“I’ll call you,” he promises, but I just shake my head again and smirk.
“Sure you will,” I respond sarcastically, wave, and disappear into the elevator.
Chapter Four
“Meg, these just came for you.”
I’m sitting at my computer, responding to email and drinking a Starbucks, settling in before I have to take report from the night shift nurse and dig into work. Jill hands me a huge bouquet of flowers, pink roses with calla lilies. I bury my nose in them and breathe them in.
I know who they’re from, but pull the card off the plastic holder and grin at the note.
You forgot to give me your number. Mine is 206-555-3598. Use it, please.
So, he’s a little bossy.
“You gonna call him?” Jill asks from behind me, clearly reading over my shoulder and I laugh.
“I’ll text him for now.”
“Hell, I’d do a lot more than text him. Have you seen him?”
I roll my eyes at her and tuck the card in my scrub pocket. “I was here yesterday, remember?”
“The kids are still talking about it. They were really nice.” Jill grabs a chart and begins making notes.
“Yeah, they were.” I murmur and pull my phone out of my pocket. I add Will’s number to my contact list, but instead of adding his name, I label it Football Star. I smirk and open a fresh text screen.
Thank you for the beautiful flowers.
I hit send and finish my email and coffee, and begin taking report from my co-worker.
About an hour later, I feel my phone buzz in my pocket.
You’re welcome. Dinner tonight?
He doesn’t waste any time, does he? Tonight is my only evening off through the weekend. Starting tomorrow I’m working swing shifts until Monday, and let’s be honest, I want to see him.
Sure. I’m off work at six.
“Good for you, girl.” I whirl at Jill’s voice and glare at her.
“Do you always read over my shoulder?” I demand.
“No, but now that I know there’s going to be juicy stuff to read, I will be.” She winks and sashays past me into a patient’s room.
I’ll pick you up at seven.
* * *
“You look fantastic,” Will smiles when I open my front door to him. I’m in a white BoHo-style chiffon dress with a soft lace overlay, the hem hitting me mid-thigh, and my brown cowboy boots. Several long necklaces hang around my neck, a chunky cuff bracelet sits on my left wrist, and my hair is down.
“What did you do to your hair?” He asks.
I chuckle run my fingers through it. “I added a few pink strands. The kids at work think it’s fun, and so do I.”
“Me, too.” He smiles softly and steps back, ushering me out the door.
“Holy shit, you have a Shelby Mustang!” I gasp as I close the door behind me. Will stares down at me and then starts to laugh.
“It’s the same car I drove you home in after the party, Meg.”
I blink up at him and then gaze longingly at his car. I rode in a Shelby and don’t remember? Impossible!
“Please tell me I didn’t throw up in it.”
“Thankfully, no.” He grins down at me and tucks a pink strand of my hair behind my ear.
“Where are we going?” I ask as he follows me down to his spectacular car and opens the door for me.
“I thought we’d just go to a place downtown for dinner and maybe take a walk by the water front.”
Instead of sitting in the leather seat, I walk to the rear of the car and gaze at the snake emblem, the chrome, hell, even the tires are pretty.
The car is black, all black, with tinted windows, making the chrome look even shinier. I feel my eyes glass over and I sigh.
“Meg?”
“Huh?” I glance up into Will’s amused blue eyes and shake my head ruefully. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Are you okay?” he asks with a chuckle and moves to me, settles his big hand at the small of my back, and between his touch and this car, I can’t breathe.
“This is a Shelby.” I state, as if that explains everything.
“I know,” he responds. “Are you a motor-head?”
“No, I just really, really love your car.” Jesus, I love his car. This car is sexy as hell. Suddenly, I picture myself going down on him in the front seat as he drives and I gasp, squeeze my thighs together and run my fingers through my loose hair.
“What just went through that amazing head of yours?” he asks, his eyes narrowed, as he grips my shoulders and turns me to face him. I swallow.
“Nothing.” I lie.
“You’re a horrible liar.”
“Let’s just say, this car is really sexy, and does things to me,” I respond, not looking him in the eye.
“Really,” he drawls and smiles widely. He takes a tiny step closer, and tips my face up to look at him. His other hand snakes around my waist and he starts to lower his face to mine, but I step quickly out of his embrace.
“Don’t get any ideas.” I warn him and walk over to the open passenger door. He steps in front of me, blocking my way.
“Why not?” he asks.
“This is only a first date,” I remind him.
“So?”
“So, no ideas, Montgomery.” I try to look stern, but can’t help but smile at him. He’s just too… Will.