Tiny cleared his throat, and all eyes went to him.
“You can use my name,” he said.
My breath caught. “Tiny…”
He ignored me and motioned his head to the doctor. “Mark Wade. Use that. I’ll give you whatever information you need.”
18
Bailey
Tiny’s voice startled me awake. “I get it, man, I do. But you have responsibilities and work to take care of. The ship doesn’t run without you… and with no ship, there’s no sail.”
“That doesn’t even make sense.” Nate laughed out loud.
God, it was a beautiful sound. I found myself smiling, but that smile was wiped when Tiny said, “All I’m saying is that we’re falling behind now. It was okay the first day, even the second, but it’s been four days. And you’ve never had time off. People are talking, Boss. PJ is talking.”
At the mention of PJ’s name, my heart sank. I didn’t even think about any of that. I was too busy enjoying having him around, too busy being selfish.
*
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay today?” Nate asked.
I sat up on the bathroom counter. “I’ll be fine. I’ve taken way too much time away from your work as it is.”
He lifted his gaze to mine with the needle in his hand. I could tell he wanted to say something, but he didn’t, he just lifted my shirt and inspected my stomach. “You know it’s easier for me to do this when your hands are in my hair.”
I feigned a smile, too busy worrying about what Tiny had said, and did as he asked, and when I laced my fingers through his thick dark hair, his eyes rolled, an over exaggerated sigh leaving him.
“We gotta go!” Tiny shouted, knocking on the door.
“Okay!” Nate yelled back, administering my insulin.
I kept my hands in his hair as he straightened to full height. “Be careful, okay?”
His eyes narrowed, confusion clouding his features. “Shouldn’t those be my words to you?”
My gaze dropped, along with my voice. “I heard what Tiny said this morning.”
He pulled my hands away from his hair. I thought he’d be mad that I’d been eavesdropping but instead, he linked our fingers together and bent down so he could get in my vision. I shivered, not from the cold but from his touch.
His eyes locked on mine, and I sucked in a breath, unable to release it.
One.
Two.
Three.
He finally broke the silence. “It’s Tiny’s job to protect me. He’s good at his job because he worries too much. It’s not something you need to be concerned about, Bailey. I swear.”
“But I do.”
“Well, you shouldn’t.” He smiled, his eyes lighting up with the strength of it. He added, “But if it makes you feel any better, I promise to be careful. Besides, I have something important waiting for me at home.” He arched an eyebrow as if waiting for my response.
I had nothing.
Nothing but the numbers in my head.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Tiny banged on the door again. “Nate!”
Nate shouted, “Hang on!” Then to me, “I should get going.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
His grip on my hands loosened as he nodded. “Okay,” he said as if assuring himself that it really was. He started to pull away, but the second his back was turned I grasped his hand, my heart thumping too fast. Too hard.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Then I yanked on his arm, pulling him to me, and I had no idea what I was doing, but I had to do it.
“You all right, Bailey? You don’t look too—”
Before he could finish, my mouth was on his… unmoving. He sucked in a breath, taking mine with it and I pulled back, my cheeks flaming with embarrassment. I covered my face with my hands just as I saw him licking his lips. “Bailey,” he said, removing my hands and pinning me with his gaze. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that?”
“How long?” I squeaked.
“Too long.”
My eyes closed as he moved in on me. His lips on mine were warm, soft, just like his touches. They were everything I’d expected, everything I’d been afraid to want. He smiled against my lips and pulled away. “Relax, Bailey. I won’t hurt you. I promise.” And at his words, I knew it was true.
He placed his hands gently on my bare thighs, slowly sliding them higher.
I tensed even more, my heart racing, my need building. He didn’t go for my lips this time. No. It was worse. He went for my neck, his mouth opening slightly to suck, lick, and kiss me there. I moaned, my fingers back in his hair, gripping tight while he moved a hand under my shirt and to the small of my back. With my legs around him, I tilted my head back, giving him better access and his mouth moved higher, and higher, until he was on my jaw, closer and closer to where I wanted him. I tilted my head down, brushing my lips against his. “You good?” he whispered.
Whatever sound I must’ve made was answer enough because he pulled me closer until my center was pressed against him. Then he captured my mouth with his, his tongue darting out, running slowly between my lips, begging for access.