“Thanks, Dr. Taylor,” she said, with a smile. I was amazed at her strength, her ability to smile even in the midst of such frustration. She accepted things so much better than I did. I wanted change. I wanted a cure. And I wanted it right fucking now.
“Of course. Hopefully, I won’t be seeing you anytime soon, okay?” he said, patting Maddy’s arm.
“Let’s hope not!” she exclaimed, hopping off the table. “Can I go get cake now?”
“You sure can,” he said. “Take care of yourself, Maddy.”
“Bye, Dr. Taylor,” I murmured, gathering our things and walking out of the room, holding back tears of frustration and anger.
Maddy slid her tiny hand in mine and we walked through the large hallways of the hospital together. I sighed and smiled down at her.
“I love you, baby,” I said.
“I love you too, Mama,” she smiled up at me, the events of the past few hours seeming to fall away into the past so easily for her.
I had a lot to learn from Maddy.
But most of all - I needed to take care of her.
I’d rushed out of Jesse’s penthouse as if I didn’t have a job I needed to keep. I’d let him get under my skin. I’d weakened and let him too close.
For Maddy’s sake, I had to keep my job… Even if it meant I had to endure him rattling my cage from the inside out.
For Maddy’s sake, I’d do whatever it took to keep our foundation from crumbling beneath our feet, because without that, we had nothing.
But there was more than just motherly duty building inside me. That stupid kiss had woken up a piece of me that I thought was gone forever. For the first time in a long time, it felt like I might not have to face everything alone. Maybe I could tell Jesse my secret… Maybe I could make him understand.
JESSE
She was thirty minutes late. For a moment there, I was beginning to think she wasn’t going to show… But she did.
She knocked on the door and shuffled into the room like it was the last place on Earth she wanted to be.
Instead of taking offense to it, I let it motivate me.
That kiss had spoken volumes, and I wasn’t about to let her deny that, to pretend it wasn’t real.
“Sorry I’m late,” she muttered, avoiding my eye. “My car broke down. I had to call a cab.”
“That’s okay, no big deal,” I said, giving her plenty of mental space. I was determined to wear her down, but I was going to do it slowly. Obviously, my quick moves yesterday had backfired. I’d gotten a little ahead of myself.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied, sitting on the couch next to me. “It might be time for a new car. It’s on its last leg. Shall we get started?”
She was acting like nothing had happened yesterday. I played along, for now at least.
“Sure, sure,” I replied.
“Let’s start on the floor,” she said, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from making a joke.
“Okay, sure,” I replied, attempting to stand up. She saw me struggling and rushed to my side, putting my arm around her shoulders and helping me to my feet.
“Here we go,” she said, as she helped me over to the mat she’d placed on the floor. I laid down on it, and she began moving my leg in circles.
“How’s it feel today?” she asked, her voice soft in my empty apartment.
“A little better every day,” I said.
“Good, good,” she replied. “I’m going to do some gentle stretching now.”
She stood over me, my left leg in her hands as she pushed my thigh up towards my body. She rolled my knee in small circles, then moving to bigger ones in a few moments. Silently, I stared up at her, making a mental note of how happy I was that she’d left her hair down again today. I remembered the feel of her curls in my hands yesterday and my cock instantly sprang to life. I reached down, covering it with my hands, hoping to hide it before she noticed.
If she saw it, she pretended she didn’t, which was just as well because I knew if her eyes fell on it, it would just grow more. Never had a woman had this effect on me.
“So you’ve made it this far in your career without any other serious injuries,” she said. “How did you do that?”
“I’ve never been injured on the field. Nobody can touch me, that’s why.”
“So you’re just that good, huh?” she asked.
“Don’t you know? Have you ever watched me play?”
“Nope,” she smiled, and I felt a twinge of disappointment. I wanted her to know how good I was. Football was the one thing I was the very best at. “But I guess that’s why they pay you the big bucks, right?”
“Well, I definitely earn every dollar,” I said, laughing. “I’m out there week after week with a dozen of the biggest baddest men on the planet trying to kill me. And every single one of them is fucking good at what they do.”
“And I guess that makes you some kind of hero?” She laughed, stretching my leg into my torso again. She was so close I could smell her, and I inhaled deeply, drinking in the sweet scent of her.
“So, I guess you’re not impressed,” I replied teasingly.
She looked down at me pensively for a moment before replying.
“I’m not here to be impressed, Jesse. You can save that effort for your fans. I’m here to help you heal.”
“Right,” I replied, contemplating my next move. After a few moments, I couldn’t help myself. “So tell me what it takes to get you to go out with me again.”
“What it takes? Well, nothing, because it’s not going to happen.”
“Even for an old friend?”
“You’re not my friend. You’re my client, my patient.”
“I don’t have to be your patient,” I said, shrugging.
Her face fell instantly and she looked down at me in a panic.
“Please don’t,” she said, her voice suddenly high and frantic. “I’m so sorry about yesterday, Jesse. I shouldn’t have slapped you. You caught me off guard.”
“Relax, Maisey, I’m not going anywhere.” The panicked look in h
er eyes unnerved me. But then I remembered her car had broken down, she probably had lots of other everyday problems and expenses that she was dealing with. Losing me as a patient might have far reaching consequences that I hadn’t even considered.
“Sorry, Maisey,” I said, reaching out and putting my hand on her arm. “I didn’t mean to make you upset.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, looking away from me.
“And about yesterday,” I began, as she stretched my leg again, bringing her face inches from mine. She looked into my eyes, her lips so close to mine I could feel the heat of her sweet breath. “That kiss…”
“Yes?” she murmured softly, as she pulsed my leg towards my body again.
“You can’t just deny what we have together Maisey,” I said, her gaze glued to mine. “I don’t want to be your damn friend or your patient. You didn’t come walking back into my life by accident. You’re here, and this is supposed to happen…”
“You think getting hit by a car was fate?” She said, letting out a little laugh.
“I think I’d step in front of another one if it meant I could spend more time with you…” I replied. She didn’t blink. She stopped breathing. She was just looking at me, her mouth slightly open, begging me to take it again.
I know I said I was going to go slow. But there she was. So fucking close to me. How could I not reach out for her? How could I not touch her? I was human.
I was a fucking man.
I certainly was no idiot, and I knew exactly what that look in her eye meant.
She felt it too. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was drunk on testosterone and adrenaline.
But maybe, just maybe, I was right this time. There was only one way to find out, and if it ended up with me being slapped again, so be it.
I reached up and caressed her cheek gently, cupping my palm and pulling her towards me.
“Tell me I’m wrong, Maisey. Tell me you don’t feel anything. Tell me to stop and I’ll never touch you again,” I whispered, staring into her big beautiful eyes.
She lifted her chin slightly as our lips crashed into each other. She let go of my leg and it drifted to the floor. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into me, and to my surprise, she didn’t resist. She didn’t tense up. She melted against me, her body falling on top of mine as our kiss deepened and the world melted away.