I cleared my throat. “My dad—he uhm…”
“Your dad was a foster child?”
I shook my head. “No, not him.”
Tessa stared at me with wide eyes, and I knew she had guessed the truth by then. I took a deep breath and stared straight ahead, unsure of how much I wanted to tell her.
“My mom died when I was practically a baby. So it was just me and my dad until he started bringing around a bunch of different women. Some of them were nice, I guess. But others—not so much. There was one in particular—she caused a lot of trouble for us. My dad wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. But I was taken away before he could figure it out. I grew up with a few foster families.”
“How did your foster families treat you?”
The stinging returned to my eyes. “Fucking rough. Very rough. No matter how badly you’re treated, a part of you will always long for the family you were born to.” I shrugged my shoulders. “It doesn’t matter though. I just hope Sarah ends up with a good family. Good families can be hard to find. I wouldn’t wish what I went through on my worst enemy.”
CHAPTER 11
Tessa
I knew Evan was giving me the edited version of his story, because the expression on his face clearly insinuated that the hardships he’d endured as a child were more than he could bear discussing.
He sat there, staring off into oblivion with his dark eyes misty with the tears he fought hard hold back; it was simultaneously heartbreaking and beautiful to behold. Seeing such a large, muscular, and dignified man in such a vulnerable moment—it was like I could see a glimpse of the child he had once been. A part of me wanted to sweep that child into my arms and make sure no one ever hurt him again.
And then there was the man—the accomplished, tough-as-nails doctor. With him, I was feeling the urge to kiss away any bad memory he possibly possessed.
I carefully set down my cup of tea so that I could rub Evan’s back. He tensed slightly at my touch before relaxing into it. I continued rubbing my hands over the taut muscles so easily felt through his shirt. The gesture was only meant to comfort him, but it was also igniting the desire I felt for him…The desire I desperately needed to push aside because we were in the workplace and needed to keep things purely professional.
Evan set his own coffee down and sighed. To my surprise, he then leaned against me and placed his hand on my knee.
The scent of his cologne growing more intoxicating by the second, I found myself placing my head on his shoulder, breathing him in. “We just have to hope for the best. The only for certain thing is that if child protective services hadn’t been called, Sarah would have stayed in a situation where she was sure to get hurt. At least now, we’re giving her a chance to be safe.”
Evan nodded. “Yeah, I know that.”
He turned his head toward me, and it became apparent how dangerously close we were. All I could see were his lips…
Like a magnet, I was drawn in. The kiss was innocent at first—just a quick peck meant to console. But then it grew into something deeper. His lips cascaded onto mine and his arm encircled my waist. I wrapped an arm around his neck and let my other hand run through his silky hair.
We were quickly getting lost into each other…
Until the door of the on-call room swung open.
We leapt apart, with me accidentally knocking over my tea in the process. Shit.
Dr. Morris Cohen stepped inside, whistling a tune to himself. “Oh—there you are, Ms. Kennery! Dr. Newman was looking for you. Evan, my man! How’s it going?”
“Hey Morris,” Evan said, wiping his lips and then scratching behind his ear.
I hastily searched around for some paper-towels to wipe up my spilled tea.
“Go ahead, Tessa. I got it,” Evan said.
I nodded, my heart racing as I retreated from the room.
What was it about him that kept me coming back for more?
I was breaking hospital policy, no fraternizing with your superiors, but I didn’t care.
He was so damn enticing. And I couldn’t get enough.
CHAPTER 12