No way.
Chapter Two
Wes was a man possessed.
What else could explain why his focus was shot? His work was suffering. He couldn’t sleep. Hell, he couldn’t concentrate long enough to pay attention to a show on TV. All he could think about was her.
Lanie. The heavenly nurse with the sweet smile and the pretty blue eyes.
He’d asked around the hospital, of course. Immediately they’d all known why.
The smirks, the suggestive comments, they aggravated the hell out of him. Okay, yeah, he could own his reputation but that had been a long time ago. He’d finally taken a clue from Evan and started throwing himself in his work.
When was the last time he’d had sex with anyone he worked with? Well over a year. How about the last time he had sex with someone he met on the job? Same.
There was something to be said about a man who focused on his career versus one who played at it. He wasn’t getting any younger. He wanted to be considered damn good at his job—one of the best. And, now that he was a little more secure in that department, he thought meeting Lanie was perfect timing.
Everyone around him thought he was up to his old tricks again. It was insulting.
Not that he could really blame them.
It was well past the end of his shift, almost midnight and he grabbed his duffel bag from his locker, slamming the metal door shut with a loud bang.
&nb
sp; “What’s your problem?”
Wes turned to find Evan watching him, his eyes narrowed, hands resting on his hips.
He wanted to roll his eyes. If one of his best friends was going to give him shit, he’d explode. “Sorry. Frustrated.”
“Over what?” Evan tugged on a sweatshirt, then zipped his duffel bag closed, tossing it on the ground before he shut his locker.
“That nurse. Lanie.”
“Haven’t got a chance to talk to her?”
“Not only have I not talked to her, I haven’t even seen her.” Wes glanced to his left, then his right, making sure they were alone before he continued. “I asked around about her to a few people.”
“Yeah? What did you learn?”
“That she’s relatively new on staff. She’s originally from Arizona, and she’s single.” Evan sighed and shook his head. “They all asked how long it was going to take to get her in the sack.”
Evan chuckled. “Your reputation precedes you.”
“Damn it, that’s the problem. I haven’t done anything like that in months.
Months. ”
“Oh, I know. It’s just that people have a hard time forgetting.” Evan offered him a grim smile. “Hopefully she hasn’t heard about your escapades.” Wes groaned. He hadn’t even thought of that. “If that’s the case, I can probably write her off before I even talk to her again. The gossip around this joint runs rampant.”
“Tell me about it.” They headed out of the break area located close to the emergency area. “People still can’t believe I actually have a girlfriend. Someone approaches me at least once a week to ask me about it, about Morgan.”
“How is Morgan?” Evan had met her on the job, when she’d been smacked by a door while on a date with a complete jackass. Just like that, she and Evan had fallen madly in love.
“She’s good.” The giant smile on Evan’s face would split it in half if he didn’t watch it, and the glazed look in his eyes made him look like a bozo. A bozo who was a total goner for his woman. “We’re starting to hammer out wedding plans.”
“No way.” A shiver moved through Wes, and it wasn’t pleasant. Yeah, he was hot for the new nurse on staff but he certainly wasn’t thinking marriage and roses and picket fences and little rugrats. That was crazy talk.