A Nurse to Tame the ER Doc

“There is that,” she admitted.

“But more importantly,” he continued, “it matters because I wasn’t ready for our relationship to end and I don’t believe you wanted it to either.”

“We ended one night early,” she reminded.

Jack had never had difficulties talking to women. Now wasn’t the time to s

tart, but he was struggling to tell Taylor how he felt, what he wanted.

“I think you misunderstand.” He searched for the right words. “I didn’t want us to end on Monday morning, Taylor. That’s why I didn’t come to your tent. Because you meant more to me than just another woman I met at a music festival. I was doing my best to make sure you knew that. I thought if we had sex, I’d never convince you that I wanted a relationship.”

“I wanted you to come to my tent.”

“I needed to do things the right way.”

“Whose right way, Jack? Yours? Mine? Someone else’s? Because what makes you think your way was the right way? Or what I even wanted? I’m tired of men who think their way is the right way,” she ranted, her brown eyes narrowed to tiny slits. “Who says I wanted a relationship? What if I just wanted sex and for us to go our separate ways on Monday?”

She had a point. Still, it wasn’t as if he was asking for forever. Just that he enjoyed her company and wanted more of it. Wanted more of her.

Was he was being selfish in wanting to pursue a relationship when he’d be leaving?

Then again, she wasn’t saying she wanted more.

“What is it you want, Taylor? Friendship? Then we’ll just be friends. If that’s what you want, I’ll respect your decision.”

With all his heart he believed she wanted more than friendship. He felt it in her touch, in the way her fingers had found their way into the hair at his nape and toyed with it. “But, for the record, I want more than friendship.”

Her feet were barely moving. “How much more?”

“I’m here for another two months.”

“Beyond that?”

He inhaled. “Anything beyond that wouldn’t be easy. Not with the way I travel.” He exhaled slowly, not liking his next words. “Whatever happened would end when I leave Warrenville.”

The song they danced to ended and another started. They continued to slow dance, but the tempo was more upbeat, matching the wheels turning in Taylor’s head. He could see them spinning round and round, much as the other couples on the dance floor were.

“I miss you, too,” she finally said. “But that doesn’t mean anything is going to happen between us.”

What she said registered and he laughed, pulling back and pretending to check her.

Taylor’s hands stilled at his neck, where she’d been twisting his hair around her fingers. “What are you doing?”

“Checking for blood because I’m pretty sure that admission mortally wounded you.”

She rolled her eyes, but the effect was lost as she was smiling. “Don’t press your luck, Jack.”

His arms already around her, his hands at her lower back, he hugged her. “In all seriousness, Taylor, I’m glad you miss me. I want you to miss me so much that, for the next two months, you can’t stay away.”

Her eyes took on a sparkle he’d not seen since Rockin’ Tyme, other than when she’d been talking about her sculpting.

“Sounds a little creepy.”

He laughed again. “There she is.”

“Who?”

“The woman who captivated me during a music festival.”