His gaze traveled back to the nurse. Her features were scrunched up in concentration as she fiddled with a package of swabs.
He’d had his fair share of ass on the outside. His high school girlfriend had been a cheerleader. The one that did the splits on top of the pyramid. Yeah. Those memories had helped sustain him. When he was hard up, the memory of Holly riding him in her cheerleading skirt served well enough. Or Jasmine. He’d been dating her when he was arrested. She had a penchant for miniskirts. He used to slip his hand beneath . . .
Shit. He hauled in the train of thought. Now, stuck inside this infirmary, staring at the first female he had seen in weeks, wasn’t the time to daydream about sex.
Jasmine had visited him twice after he got locked up, even hinting about them getting married. He shut that down fast. He told her to stop coming. That first month had been the hardest. He didn’t need her making him long for what he couldn’t have for another eight to fifteen years. And it wasn’t fair to string her along and expect her to wait for him either.
Not that the rest of them—-the dregs of humanity that populated Devil’s Rock—-wouldn’t fantasize about Nurse Davis. Once word of her got around, the infirmary was going to be under siege. She was young. Younger than him. Although he felt ancient, older than everyone else in the world even if he was only twenty--eight. He inhaled sharply and caught a lingering whiff of her. Her hair smelled like pears, for fuck sake.
Closing his eyes, he actually wished that they had let Chester take him to the hole.
IT WAS DARK by the time they left the prison. Briar was grateful that Dr. Walker drove them today. She was exhausted in a way she never had been at the end of a workday at the clinic.
“I really appreciate your help today, Briar,” Dr. Walker announced as they drove the hour and a half back toward town, the sleek nose of his car cutting through the inky night. The desert mountains of the badlands rose up on either side of them, darker even than the night sky. “I know it’s not the job you signed on for and certainly not a requirement.”
She nodded against the headrest. “Well, they’re clearly understaffed. It’s generous of you to offer your time.”
“One day a week hardly seems enough,” he murmured, frowning.
She nodded in agreement.
After several moments of mulling silence, he added, “I know I usually take Fridays off, but I’m thinking I might go back tomorrow and take care of some more of those long--standing appointments.”
“Oh.” She held silent for a moment, staring into the vast desert night, suddenly feeling an uncomfortable weight on her chest. A car flew past in the opposite lane. There wasn’t much traffic out here. Not much of anything at all. Just wilderness. Wide--open mesas and stark mountains. She fiddled with the strap of her handbag. “I suppose I could accompany you again—-”
“You don’t have to do that, Briar,” he quickly cut in.
“I don’t mind,” she heard herself say, and then wondered who she had become. She could almost hear her sister calling her crazy again.
He glanced at her before facing the road again. “If you’re certain. That would be much appreciated. Bless you, Briar. You’ll receive full wages again, of course.”
She nodded, and waved a hand as though it didn’t matter, but of course it did. She was saving to buy a house. A home of her own. The house was part of the dream she was working toward. Just one piece of it. The other piece was advancing in her career. Would she have volunteered to accompany Dr. Walker if she wasn’t angling for that promotion? Especially considering how uncomfortable she felt working at the prison? Doubtful. Her less than altruistic motives didn’t make her feel particularly proud of herself, but then it was the reality. She grew up watching her father mistreat her mother day in and day out. Why would she want to surround herself with men like him?
The rest of the drive passed in relative silence, and Dr. Walker was soon pulling into the parking lot of the clinic. “I’ll pick you up here at seventy--thirty again.”
She nodded her thanks and stepped out of the car. With a small wave at her boss, she slipped inside her car and started the engine. Dr. Walker waited until she had her seat belt on before driving away.
She followed him out of the parking lot, turning in the opposite direction. Dr. Walker lived in a big house outside of town. Her town house was five minutes away.