Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
My mood plummets all over again and I shove him away. “I can’t,” I mutter, glancing away, knowing one little grin from him is going to send a wave of humiliation washing over me. “It’s just … everything down there hurts, and what if like … I try and then the stitches break, or I accidentally move funny and the wound gets deeper and cuts right through my intestines?”
“I, uhh …” Tanner says, leaning back and running his fingers through his hair, trying to hide the smirk tearing across his face. “I don’t think it works like that.”
The humiliation is real. “Go away,” I groan, dropping my face into my hands as my cheeks flame with embarrassment. “You’re never going to think I’m sexy ever again.”
Tanner outright laughs and reaches for me, attempting to pull my hands away from my face. “On the contrary,” he says. “Seeing you vulnerable and needing me, while also holding tight to that smart-ass mouth of yours is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh really?” I question. “If you have a nurse kink, just say the word. I’m sure we can find one of those sexy nurse outfits for you to wear somewhere around here. Though we might have to adjust the skirt, otherwise, your dick is going to hang out the bottom.”
“And so it should be,” he says. “Every nurse should have easy access to their oral thermometer.”
“That’s true,” Nurse Kelly says, striding through the door, making my cheeks flush for a whole new reason while Tanner just sits back in his seat, looking far too proud of himself. I’ve become friendly with Kelly over the last few days, and it’s no surprise why Jax had a ridiculous crush on the woman. She’s hot as hell with a personality that could start wars between men. She’s down to earth and happy to talk to me during the long-ass nights where I can’t sleep, but hearing about Tanner’s thermometer isn’t exactly something I’d hoped she’d overhear, let alone agree with the idiot.
“So, what’s going on?” she says, picking up my chart off the end of the bed and scanning over it while clicking her pen. “Do I get to send you home today?”
I cringe before giving her a guilty smirk. “Ahhhh … yes.”
Kelly watches me with a narrowed stare, not believing me for one minute. “Don’t you lie to me, Brielle Ashford. I have my ways of finding out, and trust me, you’re not going to like it. Your boyfriend’s thermometer might, though.”
My cheeks flush again and I roll my eyes. “Fine,” I mutter. “It’s still a no-go on the evacuation.”
Kelly shakes her head, not impressed with me one bit. “Do you know what these are?” she questions, pulling out a piece of paper and holding it up. She waits for me to shake my head before continuing. “They’re your discharge papers. All it needs is my signature and you’ll be free to go home.”
I give her a blank stare as she crosses the room, shoves the papers against the wall, and uses a blob of blutack from her scrubs to pin the papers where I can see them. Kelly steps back to survey her handiwork with a proud smile. “Your ass is the only thing standing between a thorough probing and freedom. So what’s it going to be, Brielle? Am I signing those papers or are we spending another long night together?”
I clench my jaw and throw my blankets back.
Fuck. My. Life.
“Atta girl,” Kelly says, giving me a fake-ass grin and two thumbs up. “Unclench that asshole and the rest will be history. You’ll feel like a brand-new woman.”
Muttering to myself, I stop at the bathroom door and glance back at the two banes of my existence. “Are you just going to sit there and wait?”
Tanner knows better and keeps his mouth shut while Kelly grins a little more. “Damn straight we are,” she says. “And for the record, it’s in your best interest to make it quick. The longer you spend in there, the longer I get to ogle your man.”
I send her a scathing glare before letting it slide across to Tanner. I don’t need to say a damn word, he knows what’s up, and being the smart man he is, he stands and rolls his eyes. “Fine. I’ll go to the cafeteria and get us something to eat, but if you’re not out by the time I get back, I’m coming in there and squeezing it out of you like the last drop in a tube of toothpaste.”
My glare hardens and his eyes widen just a fraction before he scrambles out of his chair. A cocky smirk cuts across his face, and just before he steps out of my room, he glances back at me, laughter roaring in his dark eyes. “Go get ’em, tiger.”