Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 41635 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41635 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
“No,” I say. “Never. I’ve never been with a patient, or a family member of a patient, before you.”
Ruby takes a deep breath and lets it out. “Why would Liza tell me that?”
“She wants to get rid of me. She thinks I’m an asset, but also a huge liability.”
“But you said she wants to keep you around because of all that business you bring.”
“That’s not the whole story.” I shift in my chair. “I have an ex-girlfriend on the board.”
Ruby looks surprised. “Oh,” she says.
“Her name is Amber. We met in college, dated for a little while, but it never got serious. We’re friendly now, and she… I guess she protects me.”
“Why didn’t you mention her sooner?”
I grit my teeth. “Because I’m stupid. Because I was afraid of how you’d react.”
Ruby watches me carefully. “I know you had a life before me.”
“It was a long time ago.”
“I don’t care about that. I just… I don’t know. I don’t want to feel like I’m just another patient conquest to you.”
“Ruby, you’re not.” I stand, go over to her. I kneel down next to her again, take her hand. “I swear, you’re far from that.”
“Liza asked about our relationship, but I told her we don’t have one,” she says. “Was that the right thing to do?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “It’s what I would’ve told you to do, at least.”
She nods. “Okay. Good. I just… I don’t want to let you down, Aiden.”
“I know you don’t. I don’t want you to feel trapped in the middle of this power struggle.”
“Just please, tell me everything, okay? So I can understand.”
“I promise.” I kiss her softly. “I’ll tell you everything.”
Ruby takes a breath and lets it out. She looks at me, her face brightening. “Now that I’m here, you might as well give me a tour of this hotel.”
I grin at her. “Okay, but let me warn you, it doesn’t get much better from here.”
“That’s okay.”
We stand, still holding hands, and I lead her upstairs.
17
Ruby
I follow him upstairs, my heart beating hard in my chest.
He was right. The upstairs isn’t much better. More gray, more boring, bland decorations. I can’t say I’m really surprised but I guess I expected something a little more… human? Not warm, though, definitely not warm.
We reach the end of a hall and he pushes open a door. I follow him into his bedroom as he shuts the door behind me.
“Here it is,” he says. “Where I sleep when I’m here.”
I look around. The room has bare gray walls and a gray and black color scheme.
“It’s very colorful,” I say.
He grins. “I know. I moved in like this and never bothered to do anything with it.”
“No, really, I love it. Screams ‘serial killer’ but in a good way, you know.”
He grins at me and walks over to his bed, sitting at the end. “Maybe that’s the impression I want to give off.”
“Sure, totally. Bring random girls here, scare the hell out of them. Very sexy.”
“It’s what I’m into.”
“Should I go check your freezer?”
“Only if you want to find my feet collection.”
“Gross,” I say, laughing.
“Come here,” he says.
I walk over and sit down next to him. I look up into his eyes as he tips my chin toward him.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he says softly. “You know that by now, right?”
“I guess,” I say, glancing away.
“Ruby.” He tugs my chin, making me look back into his eyes. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“There are a lot of reasons this can’t work,” I say suddenly.
He looks surprised. “Like what?”
“You’re older than me… you’re my grandmother’s doctor… you’re basically married to your job. I don’t know if you even have time for something real.”
He takes a breath and lets it out. “In the past, I’ve made sacrifices,” he says softly. “I’ve sacrificed a normal life with a regular family. I gave that up to become the best doctor I could become, but I’m finished, Ruby. I’ve done enough.”
I blink, surprised. “Are you quitting?”
“No,” he says quickly, “no, not at all. But I am going to scale it back.”
“How?”
“I’ll take on fewer hours. I’ll let some other doctors get the difficult patients sometimes. I’m going to give myself a break.”
“When did you decide this?”
“When I met you,” he says softly.
I bite my lip. “You’re still twice my age.”
“I know. I can’t do anything about that.”
“How will it work?”
“I don’t know,” he admits. “But I can say that I want this, despite the age difference. And I won’t be your grandmother’s doctor for much longer.”
I sigh. “I want it too.”
“Then have it.”
I stare at him and it would be so easy to give myself to him. It would be so easy to let him take care of me, let him be my Daddy for real. No more games, no more half in and half out, no more hiding or worrying. It would be so easy…