“No, but I’m sure I could find someone to love.”
She grimaced. “That’s not who you are. And what about the clinic?”
“I’ll have to quit the clinic once I accept a proposal.”
She gaped at me. “Bri!”
I shushed her. “Listen, I’m sure you have rounds. We can talk about this later.”
“Like hell—”
I glared at her, nodding in the direction of the three-year-old who had sharp hearing. She covered her mouth, nodded, and headed back to the exam rooms that were just down the hallway. I heard the door clicking back into place with the familiar beep that signaled it had locked properly.
And then, it was quiet. Too quiet.
I had a lot of work to do.
* * *
After several follow-up calls, appointment reminders, and a massive family that all needed to be seen for hand, foot, and mouth disease, I locked up the lobby doors and went into wind-down mode.
I sighed as I wrapped up a few appointment reminders and then shut down the computer. I stared at the lifeless screen, the light of the LED monitor having faded and revealed my demure expression. I shook my head.
I need to stop being so negative about this.
But how could I? My fate had been determined from an early age, practically before I was even born, so I felt like I had zero control over the situation. I grabbed my purse, slung it over my shoulder, and headed to the door, flipping off lights on the way.
“Need a hand?”
I gasped and jumped back from the door, placing a hand over my racing heart. “Who…?” Marshall came into view from the exam hallway. I shook my head as I chuckled nervously. “You could have given me a heart attack, Marshall.”
“Lucky for you, I’m a doctor.”
“That’s not exactly comforting.”
His husky chuckle sent shivers down my spine as he approached. He gestured to the parking lot. “Can I walk you to your car? It’s dark.”
“It’s hardly dark.”
“It would make me feel better if I knew you were safe in your car. Personally.”
I parted my lips to protest, but the genuine concern on his face prompted me to pause. What was the harm in him walking me to my car? After all, it was a safety issue. The primary resident doctor was just trying to make sure the receptionist was safe.
That’s it. That’s all it was.
I nodded. “Alright, that’s fair.”
The walk to the car was comfortably quiet. I never thought I would find myself able to hold someone’s company without saying anything but being around Marshall was rewarding.
I didn’t need to perform. I didn’t have to make small talk. He seemed content simply walking next to me, a stroll erupting between us that felt more like a date than a doctor walking his employee to her car.
I paused next to the driver’s side door. “Well, look at that. We made it safely.”
“We did.”
I smirked. “Thanks, Marshall.”
“Of course. I’ll make sure you leave safely.”
I chuckled as I unlocked my car and slid inside. “You’re sweet.”
He was too sweet. He shut the door firmly after me and stepped back as I inserted the key. When I turned it, the engine sputtered, a clicking sound echoing from the dash instead of the usual rumble of the engine.
I groaned as I tried again. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I stepped out of the car and ran my fingers through my hair.
“I can drive you home,” he offered, “if you’re okay with that.”
He meant to say if my family was okay with that—which I knew they wouldn’t be. But how else was I supposed to get back to the estate? I didn’t argue, following Marshall to his truck. I slid into the passenger seat, inhaling what was purely Marshall and only Marshall.
It made me want to do things that I knew I shouldn’t do.
My voice was small as I whispered, “Thanks.”
He hummed as he started the engine, gesturing for me to buckle up before he pulled carefully out of the empty parking lot.
As with the walk to my car, the ride home was quiet. I instructed him to pause at the end of the lane, frightened by the prospect of being caught with him.
Who was I kidding? I wanted to be with him. Every molecule in my body urged me to take charge, to lean over the center console as soon as the truck was in the park at the gates. I turned to Marshall then with a look of desire that I couldn’t deny any longer.
And then it happened. He kissed me.
He lunged over the center console and stole my lips, his warm mouth cupping mine so perfectly that I might have convinced myself at that moment that it had happened a thousand times before. This was just another night between us, another kiss.
Oh, how I wanted that to be true.
Desire flooded my system, stirring me to return the kiss with a furious whimper that doubled my appetite. He responded in kind by cupping my cheek, tilting my head so he could better take control of my mouth. My eyes rolled back as his tongue teased the slit of my lips and sought entry.
I let him in. I parted my lips and welcomed him as if it wasn’t going to kill me later.
As soon as I broke the kiss, I realized how heavy my breathing had become, our gasps for air having fogged up the windows to a significant degree.
“Good night,” I blurted.
I left the car, marching to the gate while fighting the urge to look over my shoulder. I couldn’t look back. I could never look back.