One Beautiful Promise (Very Irresistible Bachelors 4)

Since I started at the hospital, I’d gained the reputation of someone who was available for extra work all the time. As an intern that had been expected anyway, but even as a resident, I’d spent more time in the hospital than necessary. Throwing myself into work meant I didn’t have time to dwell on anything else. Honestly, it had been such an easy excuse to not do things... like date.

She smiled, running a hand through her dark curly hair that was sticking out in every direction. “Look at that. Our girl’s finally getting her nose out of books and the hospital, exploring New York a bit. Good for you.”

I smiled back. Exploring Cole was a better explanation. My heartbeat accelerated; my smile widened. I didn’t want to just let life slide by me anymore, and I knew it was all because of Cole.

I’d signed up for these voluntary shifts right before I left for Rome, and canceling last minute like this wasn’t okay. I had to think ahead about which shifts I could pass on to my interns. Holy shit, I’d never even considered doing that before.

I hurried to change. My hands shook a little as I applied makeup in the staff bathroom. Yeah... no eyeliner for me. God, I was jittery. Grinning, I placed a hand on my stomach, drawing in a deep breath. Then I knew exactly what I needed to calm down my racing pulse. I played my favorite song on my phone and started swinging my hips to the rhythm almost instinctively. After shaking off some of those jitters, I approached operation makeup with renewed focus. Okay, Laney, you can do it. Come on. Show Cole the best you’ve got.

I ended up only applying mascara and a light blush. My hair was loose around my shoulders.

Okay, that was it. I was ready to surprise Cole. Well... physically at least. My emotions were still a riot, and I couldn’t even make sense of all of them. I felt this sliver of fear at the prospect of putting myself out there, but it was so easy to push it to the back of my mind. All I had to do was to picture Cole in my mind. My face literally stretched into a grin. And those were definitely butterflies in my stomach.

Slinging my purse over my shoulder, I rushed out of the changing room, darting toward the back door. I took a deep breath once I stepped outside the hospital. The air was pleasantly cool. It was a great time for a picnic. I’d made a plan for this evening. There was a Dumont Gourmet next to the hospital, and I loaded up on snacks: chips and a small pouch of marshmallows.

Twenty minutes later, I was in front of his office, knocking at the door.

“Come in.”

His tone was clipped, and he didn’t look up when I opened the door. His office was huge, with a triple window to the left. He was sitting behind a glass desk in a dark green velvet chair. There were two other identical chairs on the other side of the desk.

“Hey, Mr. Charmer.”

Chapter Sixteen

Laney

He glanced up in surprise and immediately rose from his desk, walking to me. My palms were a little sweaty.

“What are you doing here?”

“You seemed in need of some cheering up.”

“Definitely.”

“Sooo... I thought I’d help you with that. We have two options. If you still have work to do, I can just sit on the chair in front of your desk, be quiet, and munch on all the goodies I bought.”

“What’s the alternative?”

“We’re going for a walk in a place I chose and eat all the goodies there. I think you’ll like it.”

Cole stepped closer, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. He touched my lower lip with his thumb. “I can’t get any work done with you here, Laney. You’re a temptation I can’t resist.” He pinned me with that intense gaze. I caught my breath. Every nerve ending heated up when he looked down my body and then back up.

“Do you have a deadline? I don’t remember you saying anything. I wasn’t sure if you were staying here late because you wanted to just blow off steam from the morning meeting or... I’m just gonna shut up now. I can go.”

“No fucking way, Laney. Why are you so nervous?”

“I’m not sure.”

He took my hand, squeezing it lightly before bringing it to his lips and kissing it. “Let’s go.”

“My... what a gentleman,” I teased. That fire dancing in his gaze was a telltale sign that his thoughts were anything but gentlemanly.

“For now.” His voice was low and rich, and it turned the simmer inside me to a full-blown fire.

I nodded appreciatively. “So I can add patience to your list of qualities.”

Cole laughed. “You have a list?”