"I'm not sure what you're trying to get at, but whatever it is, you're not going to bait me," I said as I added salt to both pots and put the lids on. I went to the cupboard and pulled out two boxes of spaghetti noodles, and as I did, I made myself breathe deeply to slow down my racing pulse. I wanted nothing more than to punch Vangel, and he wanted nothing more than to goad me into doing it.
"What I'm getting at is that you're the man," he said, still grinning that idiot grin of his. "You've got it all going on."
"Either say what you're going to say, or once again, I will invite you to shut the fuck up," I said through gritted teeth.
"Never mind," Vangel said as he slid off the stool and walked toward the common room. "It doesn't matter right now."
I shook my head at his attempt at intimidation and went back to prepping dinner. As I did, my thoughts wandered back to the woman in the ER who'd treated my minor burns. She had reminded me of a young fawn; her blue eyes had been wary and watchful, but she'd definitely wanted to get closer. Or at least she had until I screwed it up by feeding her a stupid line. I shook my head as I recalled the way she'd abruptly pulled back and closed down when I'd acted like a smooth-talking idiot.
Alex Pierce. I wanted to find out more about her, to get to know her better. But as soon as the desire became real, the guilt kicked in and I did what I had done for the past ten years every time I'd found myself interested in a woman: I shut it down and reminded myself that I had a full life and that it was disloyal and unfair to want more.
I ran a hand through my hair as I bent over the sink. I was sick of feeling guilty about something I couldn't change. And I was sick of living so entirely alone because of it. I decided to talk to Leo about it in the morning when I went to visit him. Maybe he'd have a work around that would give me a chance to shed the guilt and start to live again.
I could only hope.
Chapter Six
Alex
I didn't get a chance to talk with Liz after my shift, so it wasn't until the next morning that we talked over breakfast.
"So, what's up with the firefighter?" Liz asked as she dug into a plate of pancakes. I watched her as she cut them into a plateful of bite-sized pieces and then, one by one, shoved them in her mouth. Liz could, and would, eat just about anything, and I was envious.
"I don't know." I shrugged as I stuck a spoon into my healthy bowl of oatmeal and fruit. "He said I was pretty, but I think it was just a come on line."
"Did you ask?" Liz said with her mouth full of pancakes. "I mean, he could have been telling the truth. You are pretty, you know."
"Give me a break," I said, rolling my eyes as I stirred my oatmeal. "I'm not ugly, but I'm certainly a long way from pretty."
"We really need to work on your confidence, Pierce," Liz said as she stuffed half a slice of bacon in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Let's go shopping after classes today."
"We have big exams coming up, Liz," I reminded her. "I can't afford to fail. I need to study."
"One afternoon of shopping for some cute things to brighten your look is not going to cost you your entire education," Liz said, rolling her eyes. "We'll head down to State Street and hit three stores, then we'll go back to the library and study. How's that for a compromise?"
"Fine." I sighed, turning my attention toward the day's lesson. "Did you finish the reading for today's anatomy lecture?"
"More skin?" Liz asked as she pulled out her book and began flipping through it as she shoveled the last of her breakfast into her mouth. “Ah, yes, I’m familiar with it.”
"Liz, you can't keep doing this." I sighed again and shook my head. The problem was that she could: Liz had a photographic memory and could remember everything she'd ever seen, even if she'd only seen it once. It drove me crazy that she didn't have to study as hard as I did in order to retain the material, and even crazier to watch her squander her talent as she dabbled in everything from standup comedy to graffiti art.
"Eh, it'll be fine." She shrugged. "I'm like a cat. I always land on my feet, you know?"
I crossed my fingers under the table and hoped that was true as I tried to push the images of Cam Connor's unruly auburn curls and broad chest out of my mind so I could focus on my studies.
It was easier said than done.
Chapter Seven
Cam
After I'd finished my shift at the station, I drove home, walked Tesla, then showered, changed, and headed over to see Leo. I was not looking forward to this meeting, but I knew that steering clear of it wasn't an option.
What I really wanted to be doing was driving back over to Chicago General and seeing if Alex Pierce was on duty. I hadn't been able to get her curvy figure out of my head for the duration of my shift. I cursed myself for not getting her number, but it hadn’t seemed like the best thing to do after she’d nailed me for using a pick up line, so keeping a safe distance had seemed like the smarter choice. Even if the choice meant I didn’t know how to contact Alex.
"Sometimes we have to do what we don't want to do; isn't that right, girl?" I said to Tesla as I stood at the counter finishing my breakfast. She looked up at me and thumped her tail on the marble floor, hoping that I'd toss her a bit of the bacon I'd made to go with my eggs.
"All right, fine," I said as I tossed a piece in the air a