“No one does, brother,” I agreed.
Quinn shot me a look, and then something in the parking lot caught his eye. “Speak of the Devil.”
Avery was making her way across the lot, smiling brightly, a paper bag in her hand. My stomach growled as the red symbol on the side came into view, but my attention quickly returned to the skintight jeans she wore with a simple white tank top. I’ve never known another woman to look so fucking good with no effort.
“She’s off today?” Quinn asked.
I kept my gaze on Avery. “Yeah.”
“Did you know she would be here? Is that why you spent so much time cleaning out the back?”
“Maybe.” I wiped the ridiculous grin off my face, crossing my arms and leaning against the fender of the ambulance, trying not to look too eager.
“I thought you could use some lunch,” Avery said, stopping a few feet from me. She held out the bag from JayWok.
I walked toward her, looping my arms around her waist, lifting her feet from the ground and planting a kiss on her lips. She let hers part, granting me deeper access. I groaned, reluctant to pull away. Needing her had become worse, not better, and I wondered if it was normal to feel so desperate for her, a deep-seated worry that we didn’t have much time left.
“Only if you join me,” I replied.
Her smile widened, and she gave a quick nod to Quinn before returning her attention to me. “Of course. Let me go say hi to Deb, and then we can find some shade. It’s too nice to eat inside, and we’ve only got a few weeks of summer left. Might as well enjoy it.”
“Tell Deb I’d like to eat out too,” Quinn interrupted. I recoiled watching him wink and then run his tongue over his lower lip. “She’ll know what it means.”
Avery made a gagging sound as she walked away.
I smacked him on the chest. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Quinn rubbed his chest, not looking the least bit apologetic. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You’ve lost your sense of humor. That girl has you wrapped around her little finger, man.”
I watched Avery disappear behind the emergency room’s sliding glass doors. I couldn’t argue with Quinn. Avery scared the hell out of me, but I couldn’t stay away from her, even if a part of me knew it wouldn’t end well.
Before Avery, I’d made mistakes I was too ashamed to ever admit. I knew when I did, she wouldn’t look at me the same way. Running my hand absentmindedly over my side, I pictured the large gray door that stood between my future and me only a few short years ago.
“Brooke!” I yelled, running into the lobby of the clinic.
Seeing Daniel pacing in front of a door, I knew exactly where she was.
Daniel took one look at me and shoved his shoulder against my chest, using all his strength to keep me back from the doorway. He was my closest friend, but if he didn’t get out of my way, I was going to slam my fist into his jaw.
“You have to calm down, Josh,” Daniel said. “You can’t let her see you like this. She needs you to be strong for her.”
I gripped his shirt at the collar. “What happened? I told her I would be back tomorrow. Why? I left for one fucking day!” I stared at the door, knowing I was already too late. My body shook, and I pushed against Daniel.
He put his hand against my chest and held me back. “Josh, stop. You’re going to regret this.”
I looked down and then glowered at him.
“You’re my friend, Daniel, but if you don’t take your hand off me, I’m going to break your fucking fingers.”
Daniel sighed. “I can’t. You know I can’t. If you bust in there now, she’ll hate you for it.”
“You think I don’t know what you did?” I said through my teeth. “What you’re hoping you’ll get out of this?”