Shaking off the chill that shivers down my spine, I decide to head to the kitchen to see if I can find something of a peace offering for the doc but stop when I pass by the room. Through a gap in the door, I see him taking Sunshine’s blood pressure, and for the second time since his arrival, I’m taken back by his appeal. For someone who’s suffered a concussion and a nasty dose of ketamine, he looks like he’s just stepped off the cover of a romance book—muscular and tattooed with a tortured scowl on his handsome face.
I keep walking. I don’t care how hot he is. He needs to start thinking about a way out of here because he might not know it yet, but his time is running out, and his options to make it out of here alive are slim to none.
I can help him.
If he stops being such an ass.
I get it. He’s pissed. Who wouldn’t be? But the fact is he’s stuck here, and whether he likes it or not, I might be his only ally, and he needs to start trusting me.
He might not have asked for this.
But neither did I.
DOC
“You got kids?” Sunshine asks between gritted teeth.
She’s doing it hard, and I’m not sure her body can take much more. But she’s mentally tough and determined to do this without the safety of a hospital.
“No.”
“You don’t want them?”
“I do.”
She’s trying to distract herself from the pain. “Then what’s the hold-up? A good-looking kid like you, I bet you have all the ladies dropping their panties.”
“Not really.”
Another spasm grips her body, and she clenches her teeth together. She’s stubborn as all hell. “You would do well in the Inferno. A hottie like yourself… you’d have your pickings of women. Trust me.”
“That’s not my thing,” I say, securing the blood pressure cuff around her arm.
“Oh, I see.” Her eyes follow my every movement. “Didn’t pick you for liking men, but ain’t nothing wrong with that… plenty of that on offer in the Inferno too.”
Her blood pressure is through the roof. If we don’t get this baby out soon, she could stroke out.
“I’m not gay,” I finally reply, releasing the cuff from her arm.
She frowns. “Now, you’re talking in riddles. If women and men aren’t your thing, then what is?”
I place the stethoscope over her big belly to capture the baby’s heartbeat. Like his mother’s, it’s high.
“Casual isn’t my style,” I say.
She looks unimpressed because she thinks I’m lying. “I haven’t met a biker yet who doesn’t like the freedom of fresh pussy when he chooses.”
I don’t bother with a reply.
I don’t need to explain myself to her.
She’s wrong about me.
Since choosing the straight-edge lifestyle, avoiding women has become my superpower, and the mental strength it gives me keeps my guilt at bay. I’m not about to give in to any need or urge because the day I give in to temptation will be the day my past catches up with me.
And I’m afraid of what that will look like.
“You’re hot as hell, Doc, but you sure are a strange one.”
The door opens, and Lily walks in carrying a mug of water and hands it to me. “I thought you could use this.”
“What is it?”
“Cold water.” There’s a twinkle in her eyes as she raises her eyebrow. “Don’t worry, I avoided the urge to poison it.”
“You’re so funny,” I reply dryly.
She smiles sweetly. “Thank you. I was hoping to impress.”
Her sarcasm isn’t lost on me. She isn’t going to take any shit from me.
In three gulps, I down the water because all I’ve had to drink today is a few mouthfuls of foul tap water from the bathroom faucet this morning. In comparison, this stuff tastes like heaven—clean and bottled.
“Any chance I can get some more from where that came from?” I ask.
I’m so tired, I don’t even care about being poisoned anymore. Anything would be better than these four walls and the obnoxious pregnant lady on the bed.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Lily walks toward the door, and I watch her. “If you put some Southern Weather coffee in it, I’ll be your best friend.”
She pauses at the door. “You really think they carry some snooty falooty coffee in this wreck of a hotel?” The smallest of smiles plays on her lips. “Let me see what I can find.”
After the door closes, I turn back to Sunshine. She’s looking at me with narrowed eyes and an ugly smirk on her lips. “You like her,” she says.
“Who?”
“Don’t be an asshole, Doc. Tiger Lily, that’s who.” She nods toward the door. “I may be in labor, but I ain’t blind. I noticed the way you look at her. All that talk about casual not being your style, what a crock of baloney. You’re interested in her.” She sighs. “You could do a lot worse than Tiger Lily. There’s no denying she’s a beauty.”