Skye took Bob to the patient board, taking time for a thorough checkout with those marked as critical. Then, she ran outside, eager to see more of Ash.
Chapter Six
Skye smoothedthe wrinkles from her scrubs. Ash had invited her to dinner, and she hoped he realized she had nothing else to wear. Stopping by a small mirror on the way out, she pulled her hair out of the messy ponytail and finger-combed her long waves into submission. She wished she’d carried makeup in her bag. A bit of eyeliner or mascara would help make her appear less ragged for her date.
She exited the staff entrance, nervous but hopeful. Beneath the shelter of the covered driveway, nurses and respiratory therapists gathered, planning their off-shift rituals, while EMTs cleaned out the ambulance rigs.
Despite his promise, the sexy man with the gorgeous green eyes and toe-curling kisses was nowhere to be found.
She shifted the weight of her backpack over her shoulder. With a sigh, she headed toward the metro but pulled up short.
Someone was waiting, but it wasn’t Ash.
Spencer opened the door to his car and climbed out. He walked over, his long legs devouring the distance between them indetermined strides. He greeted her with a chaste kiss, taking her bag from her shoulder, as he’d done hundreds of times before.
“We need to talk.” The stern, clipped tone pointed to his anger, but a vulnerability had settled in the clench of his jaw. The way he kept his chin tucked had her expecting one of his rare apologies.
She placed her hand inside her pocket and curled her index finger around the platinum band. The words that would end their relationship died in her throat while she took in his injuries. A white bandage bridged his nose and a black eye darkened his expression. He sported a swollen and cut lip, and a bruise discolored the angle of his jaw.
She stretched out to cup his cheek. “How do you feel?”
He gripped her wrist, pulling her toward the car, dominating her with his size.
“You embarrassed me in front of your coworkers.” His terse words told her no apology would be forthcoming.
“I’m sorry.” She couldn’t help the words from tumbling past her lips even though she had no reason to apologize.
A shadow crossed his face, and he looked around, but the few people present weren’t within earshot.
“We’ll talk more at home where we can have the privacy we need. I understand why you did what you did, why you felt the need to get back at me, and I want you to know, I forgive you.” Dark eyes implored her to accept his brand of forgiveness.
She gulped at the raw edge to his voice and placed her hand on his forearm.
“You accepted my ring. You belong to me. Yet you let another man kiss you, Skye. I’m very disappointed.”
Spencer never kissed her with the passion Ash had shown. Ash’s unrestrained urgency had stirred her heart. He’d made her feel likeshe couldn’t breathe, whereas Spencer merely filled the aching loneliness eating at her life.
She looked around, searching for Ash. Maybe, just maybe, he would actually appear.
Spencer's grip tightened, and his jaw worked from side to side. “I’ve had all day to think about what happened. If we’re to be husband and wife, you must adhere to certain standards, and there are consequences for when you fail. We must be more diligent.”
She swallowed against the lump in her throat. Her eyes went to his belt and the way he stroked the leather. Run was what she should do, but a lifetime of avoiding conflict told her not to resist. They’d talk when they got home, and she’d make him understand.
With a weak smile, she lowered herself into Spencer's car. He had his flaws, but he still wanted her as his wife. Why he had been with another woman was a question she needed answered, but there were worse things than infidelity within a relationship. Her gaze dipped back to his belt, apprehension brewing in her gut.
Where was Forest?He always knew when the light grew dim.
The door to the car slammed, shutting her inside. She trembled with the feeling of being trapped.
He was disappointed, not angry. They would talk this through, like any other couple.
They’d been together for three years. Did she really want to give up their history and their future for a man she’d just met? A man who had stood her up?
Spencer was many things, but compared to the monsters of her past, he was but a flea. She didn’t doubt he cared for her. She only wished it hadn’t hurt so much.
He climbed into the car and laid a hand on her knee and squeezed. “You know I love you.”
She gave a fragile smile but couldn’t bring herself to repeat the words.
