Ten days ago, Luke had delivered a box of the most delicious pistachio macarons to the hospital which I’m embarrassed to admit I scoffed down without sharing or slowing down. Then I’d spent way too much time over the next few days searching online for the bakery they’d come from and making my way there to buy more, convinced the first were a fluke and they weren’t as delicious as I’d remembered.
They were.
Then Liam and Hannah basically ganged up on me and demanded I remember my manners and thank Luke for such a thoughtful gift.
Something that wasn’t as easy as you’d think.
Firstly, I wasn’t sure Luke was the one who’d dropped them off. I mean sure, all evidence suggested it was him, but there was no proof. It wasn’t like he’d signed his name on the hastily scrawled post-it note.
Then there was the small issue of the fact that I had no way of knowing how to contact him. I didn’t have his number or address or even know where he worked. I knew he was a Chicago city paramedic, but when it came to specifics, I had nothing.
Using all my excuses hadn’t worked, and yesterday afternoon a smug-looking asshole strutted into my office and handed me a piece of paper.
“What’s this?” I asked as Liam plopped down on the seat opposite me.
“This, Doctor Rowe, is what you’ve been searching for.”
“And what exactly is that?”
“The sexy Luke Steele’s address.”
I almost choked. “What?”
“Luke’s address. Well, his work address anyway. I tracked him down.”
“Do I even want to know how you got it?”
Liam tilted his head to the side and winced telling me everything I needed to know. And more importantly, everything I didn’t.
Now here I was. Nervous enough I was almost peeing my pants but stubborn enough that I refused to run. I spent last night staring in my closet trying to figure out what the hell I should wear. I wanted to look cute but not like I was trying. I’d never realized how easy I had it. Most days I wore scrubs and didn’t even think about it. Once I’d finally settled on a pair of dark skinny jeans, black boots, and a faded t-shirt, I’d spent an hour this morning doing my hair and putting on makeup.
“I’m looking for Luke Steele if he’s around,” I told the guy staring at me.
“Come on in. He’s around somewhere,” he invited.
Following him, my steps felt heavy as butterflies in my belly took flight.
“Steele! You have a visitor,” he called out before turning back to me. “Take a seat, he won’t be long,” he gestured before leaving me sitting in a small, bland office staring at the walls.
After a minute, I was fidgety.
That’s not true.
I was fidgety before I even made it through the doors.
It’s why I’d been up way too early and my apartment sparkled. The bathroom was so clean you could practically eat off the sink.
Unable to sit still, I got up, walked over, and checked out the photo on the wall. The only photo on the wall.
Damn! It was a good-looking group.
Firefighters. Cops. Paramedics. Army. Talk about boys in uniform.
“They’re friends,” a deep voice said from behind me, sending a shiver down my spine.
Spinning around, I came face to face with a very sexy, if not somewhat disheveled Luke Steele in his navy uniform. I didn’t think I was a girl who appreciated a uniform, but seeing the way Luke was filling it out, had me appreciating the view. But it was the stubble on his jaw and the mussed-up hair that had me stepping away from the picture and squeezing my thighs together. Just imagining how it’d feel scratching against the soft skin on the inside of my thighs had me imagining all sorts of things I shouldn’t be.
“Hi,” I said dumbly.
