“Fuck me.” Kenton looks at me like he wants to say something, but I shake my head no and take another step towards the stairs.
“You’re leaving already?” Justin asks, looking at me with a big, cheesy smile on his face. “We’re basically past second base. You touched my junk. It’s only fair I get to touch yours.”
I can’t help but smile at the guy. I see it now. He’s not pervy, just strange and kinda cute in a brotherly kind of way. “Sorry. No, I need my beauty sleep, and I work tonight.” I shrug, smirking.
“You don’t need sleep, my love. You’re alread—”
Kenton smacks him in the back of his head before he can finish, and I can’t help but smile at him again.
“Nice to meet you, Justin,” I tell him, really meaning it.
“You too, Copper.” He grins back.
“You know you’re still not safe, Autumn. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be working,” Kenton says.
I look at him, my eyes narrow, and I growl. “I’m safe and going to work, ass, so get over it.”
His jaw starts to tick a little faster and his hands ball into fists. “Tell me the name of the place so I can check on you.”
“I don’t need you to check on me.”
“Tell me or I’ll have Justin do a run on you and I’ll know everything about you down to your last fucking period,” he growls, taking a step towards me.
“Ass!” I yell, glaring at him.
“Tell me,” he roars, leaning forward, and I can feel the anger rolling off him.
“Vanderbilt,” I say, but I pronounce it ‘Vander’s Belt,’ hoping he doesn’t catch on that it’s the hospital. I don’t know why I don’t what him to know what I’m really doing. I almost feel like he hasn’t earned the right to know.
“We need to talk,” he says, his tone softer, but the growl is still there.
“We don’t,” I assure him, pulling off the blanket and tossing it at him as I walk up the stairs. I hear Justin laugh and Kenton growl something about spankings under his breath before I close the door to my bedroom, smiling.
Chapter 3
One Tequila, Two Tequila…Floor
“So why the hell did you want to move to Tennessee?” Tara asks.
I’ve been working at the hospital for about two weeks now, and I’ve been Tara’s shadow since the day I started in the ER. Tennessee is nothing like Vegas. Not only are the people different, but the ER here is much calmer. I look at Tara and smile when she raises an eyebrow at me. One thing I learned quickly is that people here have no problem getting in your business or asking personal questions.
“I just needed a change.” I shrug, putting away another patient folder.
“I can understand that. I need a change, like a nice sandy beach and a hot guy to wait on me hand and foot.” She smiles, her head tilting back like she’s imagining herself on a beach right now.
“Autumn, Tara,” a deep voice says.
Tara and I look up and smile at the same time.
“How are you ladies this evening?” Dr. D, or Derik, asks. He’s a very, very attractive black man; sadly, he is also very, very gay and has an even hotter boyfriend.
“Good,” Tara and I say in unison. We laugh, pointing at each other and calling out, “Jinx!”
I’ve found myself laughing a lot more often since I started working here. In general, I find myself a lot happier period. All of my coworkers are very nice and easy to get along with. So far, I haven’t met anyone who is petty or mean.
The one thing that hasn’t changed is my relationship with Kenton. I can’t get over the amount of anger I feel towards him. Maybe it’s stupid and immature on my part, but he hurt my feelings when he said all that to whomever he was talking to on the phone. Worse, I’d thought he’d been starting to like me.
“What are you girls doing this weekend?”
“I need to sleep,” I say, closing my eyes for a second. “My body hasn’t adjusted to this schedule yet. I swear, if it weren’t for coffee, I would be lying facedown on this desk right now.” Plus, if I slept, I could continue to avoid Kenton.
He’s left me a note daily and somehow got my cell number, so he’s started texting me. He never says much. Mostly, he asks how I am, if I need anything, and if I am settling in at my job. I never answer him. I can tell that he is becoming frustrated. I have no idea how to face him, so I do the easiest thing and avoid him like the plague.
“Sleep is overrated. You two should come out with me and Stan this weekend. There’s a club that just opened up downtown. We could go out, have a couple drinks, and dance. Wouldn’t that be fun?” Derik asks.
I look at Tara, who nods her head, and I quickly agree. I need to start acting my age. I should be having fun and going out, and now that I have a few people I trust, I have a reason to do that.
“Sure, but I won’t be staying out late. I have dinner plans with a friend on Sunday in the early afternoon,” I tell them. I’ve had dinner with Viv and her family the last two Sundays, and now, she expects me to be there. Her daughter is really sweet. Plus, her niece is supposed to be coming this weekend and Viv really wants me to meet her.
“That’s fine. Two drinks tops.” Derik smiles and the desk phone rings.
Tara picks it up and stands suddenly. “Got it,” she says, looking at Derik. “When?” she asks and listens for a few more seconds before hanging up the phone. She leaves from behind the desk and I follow her. “The ambulance is in route. Male, thirty-four, gunshot wound to the right shoulder. He’s conscious and may need a transfusion. We need to get everything set up. The ambulance is five minutes out,” Tara says, and all three of us run down the hall to prepare the trauma bay before the patient arrives.