Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
For years I’ve tried to hide my attraction to him, because I know it’s one-sided.
Gabe is fiercely protective of me, but that’s as far as his affections go.
He’s older than me–something he reminds me of often - and he takes his role of caring for me seriously.
But when a family tragedy brings us together, grief and comfort lead to a fiery night of passion.
I might have given into my desires, but I refuse to let this change things between us. I know that Gabe will convince himself that staying with me is the right thing to do.
Gabe is my best friend, and I don’t want to lose him.
Is it too much to hope that fate has finally decided it’s our time, and I don’t have to choose between friendship and love?
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
✔️ Firefighter/Nurse
✔️ Friends to Lovers
✔️ All the Possessive Feels
✔️ Small Town Romance
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
CHRISSY
I push the plate away because I just don’t have the stomach for it. It’s been a hell of a day, and I don’t see it getting any better. So far today, I’ve stitched up a woman that was beaten by her husband, and I’ve treated a kid and his dad that were in a car accident, three broken bones, one heart attack, and two people that came in after a bar fight.
“You okay? You going to make it?” Bethany, my friend who is also a nurse in the ER, asks me. Nothing that we’ve seen today has slowed her down. She’s eating her sandwich with gusto. Glancing around the hospital cafeteria, I'm relieved to see others who also appear tired. A few of my colleagues have the same look that I have, and it makes me feel a little better that I’m not alone.
“Four more hours to go.”
Bethany whistles and blows out a breath. “You’re about to jinx us. You never talk about how much time you have left. You know that, Chrissy.”
“Fine, yes, I’m going to make it. I’m just… I don’t know.”
She picks up a chip and points it at my plate. “You need to eat something.”
I pull my plate back toward me. I know she’s right. I’m exhausted, and whether or not I’m hungry, I know I need to keep my energy up. I take a bite of my turkey sandwich. “Happy?”
She smirks. “Ecstatic.”
We’re both quiet, and Bethany is the one to talk first. “Are you still thinking about changing departments?”
I shrug. I’ve been thinking about it for a few months, but my gut is telling me it’s time. I don’t have the love for my job that I once did. I’m not sure what it is, but I know I’m wanting to slow down. “Maybe. I’m still thinking about it.”
“Well, you know you can’t just leave me. You’re the only one I can talk about work with and you don’t get sick hearing it. My sister gags if I even talk about blood.”
I roll my eyes. Bethany is known for her graphic stories. “Maybe you shouldn’t go into such detail when you’re telling a story, Bethany. I swear I got sick when you talked about that amputation last week, and hell, I was in the room when it happened.”
She takes another bite of her sandwich, and as she’s chewing, she laughs. “Please, I just like to keep it interesting.” She chokes and swallows her mouthful. “Speaking of interesting… incoming.”
She nods her head toward the entrance of the cafeteria, and I suck in a breath. Gabriel Gray. My foster brother… my best friend… and the love of my life.
I avert my eyes from his because I don’t want him to see what I’m thinking. I try to appear uninterested, but I let my eyes travel down the length of him. His unruly hair is in a ponytail, and his dark blue T-shirt is tight across his broad shoulders and looks as if it might be cutting off the blood supply to his muscled arms. I let my gaze travel down, and he has on cargo pants that are tight in the thighs. The man is huge and a force to be reckoned with. Anywhere he goes, people gawk at him.
I look over at Bethany, and her mouth is hanging open as she watches him. I hate that jealousy surges inside me. I have no right to be jealous, but here I am, eaten up with it. “You might want to wipe your mouth. You’re drooling.”
She just smiles. “I mean, look at him. Of course, I’m drooling.”
“Hey, ladies.”
Gabe doesn’t wait to be invited. He pulls the chair out that is next to me, spins it around, and then straddles it. “How you doing, Bethany?”
She practically swoons and even giggles. “I’m doing good. How you doing, Mr. Hottie?”
I roll my eyes. “Really?”
She looks at me and then gestures to him. “What? It’s not like he doesn’t know.”
Gabe is watching me closely. “Know what?”
“Nothing,” I say.
Bethany laughs out loud like she’s enjoying this. “Right, well, if she’s not going to tell you, I will. Everyone calls you Mr. Hottie. You know because well, you’re a fireman and you’re hot.”
Gabe chuckles, and I swear the man blushes.
He’s staring at me. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
I look at Bethany and squirm at the curious way she’s looking at me. “I have not.”
Gabe reaches for me and brushes my hair off my face, tucking it behind my ear. I do my best not to let myself react to his touch. I wave his hand away. “I haven’t been avoiding you, I’ve been busy.”
I try to draw Bethany back into the conversation. “We’ve been busy in the ER, haven’t we?”
She nods at the clear look I give her. “What? Yes, I mean, yes, we’ve been busy.”