“Well, we will have to plan a great outing for them and show them the town.”
Emma shakes her head in agreement and adds in, “We also have to go shopping for outfits to go out in. I want to take them to Eduardo’s club and hang out in the VIP section with them. I think that they will enjoy that, don’t you?”
I nod in agreement. “Sounds like a good time, Emma, but I don’t have much money to go shopping. I am on a pretty strict budget right now.”
She puts her hand out, nudging me to take it. “Don’t even worry about it, Liv. I got you covered, girl.”
I think about Emma’s money and do not understand how she does it, making her money stretch so far. She had such exceptional clothes. I wish that we were the same size so we could share outfits.
I get up from the couch and tell Emma I have a couple of things to do before heading to bed. I grab a pop tart from the pantry and enter the bedroom. I love Pop-Tarts—my one guilty pleasure. I am looking forward to the girls coming to visit. I answer their comments on the group chat and express my eagerness to see them all. It gives me something to look forward to. I need that now. Things are improving with Dax, and I see Brodie once, sometimes twice, weekly. I think back to Brodie and feel that he looks sadder every time I visit him. I know he must be depressed about his situation. Who wouldn’t? I just can’t help thinking he looks exhausted. Exhausted from his life now, maybe? I’ll need to bring this up slowly with him the next time I go over this week to ensure that he isn’t having darker thoughts. Since I have known him so long, I can tell his moods, and right now, they are somber.
I lay out some clothes for school tomorrow and prepare my work bag, looking over a few notes on my patient's medical history for tomorrow's clinicals. I can’t wait until I graduate, and this is behind me. It is so much work, and with everything else on my plate. I wish it were this year. I see Dax has called when I go to brush my teeth, and I return his phone call. He picks up almost on the first ring.
“Hey baby, what are you doing?” His deep voice makes me sigh, but I quickly cover it up with a cough.
“Just getting ready for bed, you?” I hear the fridge opening and closing very quickly.
“Making a quick snack before I go to bed. I just wanted to hear your voice before I crashed.”
I get into bed and pull up the covers. “Well, I’m already getting in bed, and as soon as my head hits the pillow, I'm out. We don’t exactly sleep much when we are in each other’s company.”
He chuckles, “No, we definitely do not sleep. And I can’t wait to not sleep with you again. Good night angel. I hope I get to see you tomorrow.”
“Me too,” I say. “Night, Dax.”
I snuggle into my pillow and think of Dax claiming me like he did last night. The thought pulls my lips into a smile as I drift off to sleep.
ChapterTwenty-Three
Dax
Last night wasan endless stream of phone calls. A few admissions came through the ED ensuring that my day was going to be busy. Thankfully, my travel mug was filled with strong coffee, and I slowly gulped it down as I drove to the hospital—the comforting bitter taste drove the sleep from my brain. The hospital is busy with shift change, and I make my way to the floor, hoping to bump into Liv before my day gets underway. My eyes scan the hall, but she’s not there.
“That would be too convenient,” I mutter and turn to make my way to the operating rooms.
As I push through the door, I see her. It’s her gorgeous brown hair I notice first, and my dick twitches in my pants as I see her start to laugh. The hard-on I was about to sport deflates quickly as I notice she’s walking with that same asshat from yesterday. He has his hand on the small of her back as he guides her down the hall. My heart rate speeds up, and red clouds my vision. I start walking over to them as they open a doorway to the stairwell. He ushers her inside, and I hurry, clenching and unclenching my fists in a fury. I promise myself that if he has his hands to himself by the time I get there, I’ll act gentlemanly, but if he’s touching her, all bets are off. I open the door and step through, not believing what I see.
I hear hushed tones, and Liv’s voice sounds shaky when I hear her say, “Adam, what are you doing?”
I let the door slam shut, making my presence known. Adam's head snaps up, meeting my eyes. In the same breath, he takes a step away from Liv, trying to feign innocence. Liv turns toward me, her eyes wide, her bag clutched tightly to her chest. She breathes my name like a prayer.
“Dax.”
I slowly walked toward the guy who had his hands on her trying, and failing, to control my anger.Was his name Adam?I think to myself.
“Hey, Adam, What are you doing?” I say the words punctuated with spit flying out of my mouth.
Adam, who is about the same height as Liv, looks up at me as I stop next to him.
I have my hands in my pockets, so I don’t immediately punch him and get my privileges suspended or, worse, my privileges revoked. When it comes to this woman, I just don’t make the best decisions. When I get close enough to touch her, I take my hands out of my pocket, grab Liv’s bag, and fling it on my shoulder as I take her hand in mine. Trying to ignore the jerk in front of me, I turn to look at her,
“Are you okay?”
Her eyes are wide when she looks at me but then immediately soften at my question. She says nothing and just shakes her head, nodding yes. The move is barely perceptible, but I see it. I turn to Adam, my rage lowering just slightly now that I have her hand in mine.
“I must be crazy because it looked an awful lot like you were hitting on my girlfriend.”
He doesn’t back down, and I must admit that he shows some balls, considering he is about six inches shorter than me.
