She snorts. “I hardly know what to wish for at this point.” Yet she closes her eyes and blows on my finger, making the eyelash flutter away and heat surge through my body. The way this woman affects me is like no other. I hate it as much as I love it.
“We should head up,” she says. “I don’t want to be late, and if possible, I want to talk to Michaela before she hears about it from someone else.”
“I don’t think she’ll care.”
Her lips curve up into an alluring smirk. “Oh, she’ll care. All the nurses and doctors who wanted to be the next Mrs. Hughes will.”
“It’s just new guy syndrome.”
“New hot billionaire guy syndrome.”
I step into her, my lips dipping closer. “Is that what I am? Hot?”
“And a billionaire.”
“You don’t care about that. You likely have more than I do.”
She shrugs. “I never said you were hot. I was simply relaying the nursing party line.”
I can’t stop myself from trickling my fingers along her cheek. She shudders ever so slightly, and her pupils dilate. I doubt she’s even aware of it, but I know she feels this. There’s no stopping it. No denying it.
I only hope we can contain it.
“Is that so?” I whisper, only to have something catch my eye off to the side. “Shit. Josh.”
“What?” Alarm skitters across her face.
“Josh is heading our way.” And because she’s my wife and I want him to know it, I put my hand on her cheek with my band showing, dip my head, and kiss her. Her hands grip my arms—the way she has every time I’ve kissed her—and she holds on tight, rippling with uncertainty and unease.
“What the fuck?” Josh barks, grabbing onto Skylar and tearing her away from me. I jar back, feigning surprise that he caught us. Even as I gather Skylar back into me, resting my hand possessively on her hip and keeping her close.
I fix my gaze on him. “Problem, Dr. Wesley?”
His expression is murderous as he ignores me and goes right after Skylar. “Why is he kissing you?”
Skylar licks her lips but straightens her spine, and I love that. I love that she’s not cowering. I love that she’s bold, even if I know he scares her. I love that she left him and is finally able to see her worth.
“Because I’m married to him,” she states bluntly, and if I thought he was murderous a moment ago…
His eyes scan back and forth between us before narrowing down on her hand. My diamond band is there even if the rock isn’t.
“I told you she was seeing someone. You weren’t interested in believing me.”
He looks like he’s going to tear us apart. “Married?” he spits. “How the fuck can you be married to him?”
I hold up my hand. “Hey, you’re in the lobby of a children’s hospital. Watch your mouth and tone, Doctor.”
“Fuck you,” he barks at me before reaching for her, but I shift her so he can’t touch her. He goes ballistic. “This is bullshit. It’s not real.”
“It is,” she tells him.
“You’remyfucking girlfriend, Skylar. Mine! No way this is fucking happening.”
“It’s already happened.” And here comes our practiced lie. “Aston and I reunited after you and I broke up. You remember how I kissed him at the Valentine’s Day party two years ago. Well, I never got over that.”
Recognition flickers in his eyes, and I can’t help the flutter in my chest. She told him about the kiss. About me. It also explains why Josh was after me about her from the first moment I set foot in this hospital. Why he’s likely the one who claimed her off-limits.
“Anyway, things got serious fast between us and?—”
