Erin took a deep, fortifying breath and stepped out the elevator into the private ward where open, her father lay recuperating from the surgery.
After her shower, she’d fallen asleep with memories of the night spent in Ethan’s arms swimming about her mind and plaguing her dreams. Frankly, she was even surprised she’d gotten any sleep at all.
Cautiously, she made her way to her father’s room half hoping she wouldn’t run into Todd. Though she knew she would have to face him sometime soon, her nerves were just too high strung from the encounter with Ethan and the poor man deserved more than a few curt words of apology. In fact, he deserved a full blown bout of groveling from her and a pound of flesh.
She reached the door and hearing muted voices coming from within, she jerked it open and walked into the room.
Her mum occupied the sole chair on the other side and she was gazing tenderly down at her husband who was finally awake.
“Oh there you are darling.” Her mother looked up as she entered. “We were just talking about you.”
Pasting what she hoped was cheerful smile on her face; Erin came further into the room.
“Morning, Mum,” she leaned down to place a kiss on Victoria’s cheeks before turning to her dad.
“How are you feeling?” She asked, gently placing a kiss on his forehead. His skin was cool against her lips. “Sorry I couldn’t come see you yesterday, I was out of town.”
“I feel like someone took a mallet to my ribs.” Harold grumbled, wincing as he tried to sit up only to be roundly scolded by his wife and daughter. “Oh don’t fuss for Pete’s sake. I’m fine.”
“Well you shouldn’t try to move so much then.” Victoria shot back. “Remember what Dr. Hastings said, dear. No sudden movements till the sutures are removed.”
She turned to Erin, a curious look in her eyes.
“Speaking of Dr. Haskell, he came in here several times yesterday asking about you. He said he’d been trying to reach you but you wouldn’t answer your phone and he was worried. So I tried calling you too but no answer. Where were you?”
At the mention of Todd, Erin felt a guilty flush rise in her cheeks. Damn Ethan for putting her in this awkward situation, she thought, mind racing as she considered and discarded several excuses. Finally, she decided on something close to the truth.
“I ran into an old friend and got carried away, catching up on old news.” The excuse sounded lame even to her own ears and she winced.
Well, that would have to do for now.
Victoria frowned. As always, she knew when her daughter was hedging the truth. “What old friend? And if I deduced correctly, you’d made an arrangement with the doctor, and it was incredibly rude to stand him up like that.”
“Mum, I -”
“Vicky, leave the girl be.” Her father cut in firmly, reaching for his wife’s hand and squeezing it in gentle reprimand. “She’s an adult and free to make her own decisions.”
“Thanks Dad.” Erin said, relief flooding her frayed nerves. Much as she loved her mother, the woman could be a tad overbearing sometimes. Her mother meant well of course, but sometimes…
Victoria pursed her lips. “Fine. But at least, try to offer an apology to the doctor? He was rather worried about you.”
“I know,” Erin sighed, not relishing the task ahead of her. “I’ll be right back; I need to have a word with Todd.”
“Who’s this Todd?” Erin heard her father ask her mother in a gruff tone as Erin slipped from the room.
“Todd is Dr. Haskell, darling.” Her mother replied in a cheerful voice.
The door sliding shut muffled Harold’s reply and Erin let out another sigh, rubbing at her tired eyes. Even after a steaming hot shower, her body still ached, reminding her that only a few hours ago, she’d been exercising muscles she didn’t even know existed.
She shook her head firmly to clear the thought. Why couldn’t she keep the irritating man out of her thoughts? Jeez, the way she was acting, one would think Ethan had been her first lover and he certainly was not.
He may not have been your first, but he was certainly memorable.
Firmly, she shushed that inner voice. Now was not the time to indulge in those kinds of thoughts.
“Excuse me.” Erin approached the lone nurse sitting behind the nursing station, filling out some forms. The woman looked up with a frown, impatience clearly written on her face.
“May I help you?” The nurse asked, her tone barely polite.
Lifting her chin at the woman’s tone, Erin leveled a haughty look at her. “Yes, I would like to know if Dr. Haskell is in the hospital, and if so, where I can reach him.”
The woman slid a critical eye over Erin, no doubt sizing her up. Her eyes took in the simple but obviously chic clothes that told her the woman standing there was not someone easily dismissed. The nurse’s altered subtly and she set down the clipboard with a sigh.
“He should be in the doctor’s lounge,” She replied, in a much subdued voice. “I believe he has surgery scheduled in an hour so he might be busy…”
“Thanks.” Erin cut in with a polite smile, not wanting to delay a minute longer. “Maybe I can catch him there.”
She spotted Todd through the glass doors of the lounge. He was engrossed in a pile of journals spread out on the table before him, a paper cup of coffee clutched in one hand completely oblivious to the other doctors in the lounge.
Her heart beating in trepidation, Erin pushed open the door and approached his table.
“Todd?” Erin stood there, feeling a rush of guilt for even talking to him. Startled, his head shot up and he squinted at her for a few seconds in confusion before he recognized her.
“Erin… hey” Todd looked like he hadn’t slept in days, his hair a tousled mess like he’d been running his fingers endlessly through it and there were bags around his eyes in addition to the rumpled blue scrubs. Still, Erin had to admit, that didn’t detract from his good looks.
He unfolded his long length from the chair, easily towering over her in a non-threatening manner. His expression became wary. “Is your dad okay?”
“Yes, he’s awake now.” Erin replied, the knot of guilt and apprehension tightening even more like a steel band around her chest. Guilt because in that instant, she realized trying to start a relationship with him would be tantamount to cheating and she couldn’t do that to him.
He looked genuinely relieved and ran a hand through his hair.
“I’m glad he’s okay. Though we’ll keep him here for a couple more days just to be sure- but I don’t think there’ll be any complications.” He sighed and gestured to the empty seat opposite his. “Would you like a cup of coffee? They make ’em terrible here but I can have someone go to the café across the street.”
Erin shook her head, sliding into the offered chair. “No, but thanks. You don’t have to get me anything. Can we talk for a minute?”
He studied her for a moment then nodded and took his own seat. “Look Erin, if this is about yesterday, there’s no need to explain. Rather I think I owe you an apology.”
“Huh?” Erin blinked at him in slack-jawed surprise. Why would he have to apologize when she’d been the one with the appalling behavior?
Picking up his cup, he sipped at the contents then grimaced and set it down again. He looked at her then, his warm brown gaze seemingly boring into her thoughts.
“I want to apologize for my selfish behavior. When I met you, I should have been sensitive enough to know you were not ready to date- what with your dad in the hospital and facing surgery.”
“But -” Erin began but Todd held up a hand and continued.
“Knowing how vulnerable you were at that time, I should have waited until he was better before asking you out… but I let my attraction to you override my better judgment and I pushed you into doing something you obviously aren’t ready for and for that, I apologize, Erin.”
He reached over hesitantly and took her hand resting on the table, cradling it as though it were fragile porcelain. A wry smile spread over his face as he saw the stunned expression on Erin’s face.
“I don’t blame you for not making our date yesterday, if anything it helped me realize how stupid I’d been. Can you forgive me?”
Erin felt as though someone had dropped a bomb on her. Was she dreaming or had she somehow stumbled into an alternate reality where men were actually nice? Her senses clouded over in confusion and she lowered her head, rendered speechless for once in her life.
The hand holding hers tightened slightly, and as though from afar, she could hear Todd say her name. She gave herself a mental shake and looked up, finding his worried gaze on her.
“Hey, you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She managed to say, though the words felt like she hadn’t spoken in days. “You just caught me off guard.”
He laughed, giving her hand another squeeze before letting go. “I seem to have that effect on people a lot. So, am I forgiven? I’d like a chance to start afresh, maybe when your dad’s out of the hospital and things get back to normal?”
She returned his smile, thankful to be back to her senses. Her mind was quite another matter though. What on earth was she supposed to say?
I’m sorry but I had sex with my cousin’s ex and he’s a possessive bastard? Despite Ethan’s threat, Erin wondered if he was even interested in her or if last night had just been a one- off thing.
Oh what the hell! Erin decided to go with the flow. After all she was a single, unattached and most importantly- an independent woman and she could damn well date who she chose. Last night had been a mistake- one she would definitely not be repeating- and Ethan could go jump in a sewer for all she cared. Todd was a thousand times a perfect match for her and he was actually asking for another date rather than asking her to go to hell.
“I’d like that too, Todd,” She replied, giving him what she hoped was a sincere smile. “I’d like a chance to start over.”
***********
Ethan pulled his car into the driveway of the stately split level Ranch style house, noting the other cars already lining the driveway with a wry grimace. Apparently, the whole gang had decided to come and though on normal occasions, he was eager to see them, today he had other things on his mind. Namely a fiery, foul mouthed minx who had somehow gotten under his skin in a way no woman ever had.
He parked and killed the engine. For long moments, he sat there, deep in thought, replaying his last conversation with Erin in his mind. Not for the first time, he wondered what the hell had possessed him when he’d threatened her to dump the doctor. All he could say was that he’d been assailed with mental images of Erin in the doctor’s arms and that had provoked a fit of jealous rage that he’d reacted without thinking.
He sighed; reaching into the back seat for the box wrapped in shiny gift paper and stepped out.
A squeal of feminine delight split the air as he neared the front door and it was thrown wide open.
“Uncle Ethan!” His seven year old niece launched herself at him. Laughing, Ethan braced himself for impact, carefully keeping the gift wrapped box out of reach.
“Hey, Shortbread!” He ruffled her blond curls, while she wrapped her arms around his legs and hugged tight. “Happy Birthday Lola.”
She tilted her head back to beam up at him. “You came, just like you said you would.”
Crouching down to her level, Ethan playfully chucked her chin. “I always keep my word, hun.”
Her eyes sparkled in joy. “What’s in the box, Uncle? What’d you buy me?”
“Lola, let your uncle come in first before you ply him with questions.” Lola’s mum appeared by the doorway, beaming at them both.
Scooping his niece into his free arm, Ethan ambled towards his sister-in-law, a wide grin splitting his face.
“Hey Jodie.” He pressed a kiss to her cheeks, while handing over the box.
“You’re late.” Jodie scolded, though her tone was light and teasing. She stepped aside to let him enter the spacious living room. “They’re all in the backyard. We were just about to start eating without you.”
“Aww c’mon, I’m only an hour late. Besides Nonna would never start the meal without me.” Ethan followed her through the kitchen.
Already he could hear lively chatter that signalled things were already going in full swing. The tantalizing aroma of baked goodies and barbecued food filled the air, causing his stomach to rumble in appreciation.
“I wanna see my present first,” Lola piped up from the crook of his arm. She turned soulful green eyes to him, a look that had rendered him putty in her hands every damn time. “Please? Just a peek, I promise.”
“Well,” Ethan could already feel himself caving in. Damn, but the girl was good. “Maybe just a -”
“No.” Jodie turned to level a chastising look at the pair. “There’ll be plenty of time for presents later darling, right now it’s time to eat. Your uncle should know better by now.”
Ethan grinned. “How can I resist when she gives me the ‘look’?”
“One would think with all the women you’ve dated, you would be immune to the look.” Jodie laughed, setting the box on the kitchen table and reaching for her daughter. “Here, let me take her, the other kids’ll pounce the minute you set foot out there.”
He relinquished his burden and flexed his shoulders in mock readiness. “Here we go.”
They entered the huge backyard. A dozen pair of eyes turned to them, then there were squeals of delight from the younger children and hollers of greeting from the others.
Ethan allowed himself to be tackled to the ground by a horde of screaming kids, their cries of delight threatening to deafen him permanently.
“About time you got here.” Cade, his older brother stood over them, a wry smile on his lips as he ‘rescued’ his brother from the mob, scooping up two kids under his arm. “Was starting to think you’d lost your way or something.”
“Nah, you know me bro; I love to make an entrance.” Ethan scooped up his four year old nephew, buzzing a kiss on the boy’s cheeks to fits of delighted screams. With two more kids clinging to his legs, he walked towards his mother, who was watching the scene with an indulgent smile. His sister and sister-in-law sat on either side of her, all staring up at him with welcoming smiles.
“Hello Mum,” He leaned down and pressed a fond kiss on her soft cheeks, his nostrils filled with the familiar jasmine scent she favored. “Good to see you again.”
“Good to see you too, dearest.” Martha Lachlan hugged her son, then held him at arms length so she could scrutinize him properly. “My, you’re looking healthy at least. Has some woman finally decided to take care of you?”
Ethan shook his head in amusement. Trust his mother to go right for the kill.
“There’s no woman,” An image of Erin as she’d looked in his bed last night swam into his mind but he pushed it aside, setting his nephew down. “I’m just eating right and exercising regularly.”
“More’s the shame,” His sister, Emily tittered. “You need a girl to take you firmly in hand.”
The words evoked a double meaning in his mind, thoughts of how Erin had taken his shaft in her small hands and stroked him before lowering her hot, sweet mouth…
Christ! His body tightened in desire, much to his disgust. The bloody woman had invaded his thoughts to the extent he now drew innuendo’s from simple words.
“I know a couple of women who’d give their eye teeth to be with you,” Claire, his sister-in-law was saying, her eyes glinting in mischief. “Why just the other day Kathleen Peres asked if you were still single and -”
“Leave the poor man alone, Claire.” Jared, Claire’s husband strolled over, clapping his brother’s back and handing him a cold beer. “He’ll get a woman when he’s good and ready.”
Ethan shot his brother a grateful smile. His mother meant well, but sometimes, the woman could be tenacious to a fault. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Jared’s eyes filled with mischief. “Though I hear from the gossip columns that you’re stuck in a love triangle with a certain woman… what was her name again…?”
He looked towards his wife for help.
“Gosling, Dear.” Claire said, taking delightful pleasure in the teasing. “Same surname as the woman he almost married five years ago.”
“Gosling?” Martha sat upright, a frown on her face as she looked sharply at Ethan. “Are you involved with Nicky Gosling again? She’s no good for you Ethan and I said as much from the beginning. It was a blessing when she broke it off with you.”
Ethan shot his brother a dirty look, silently promising retribution that would be just as painful as this moment. His jaw set and he could feel his patience rapidly dwindling. This was the reason he hadn’t wanted to deal with his family today.
Reining in his temper, he took a long swig of the cold beer, the action giving him time to get himself back in control. He lowered the bottle, aware they were all waiting for his answer.
“I’m not seeing Nicky,” he replied. “And my love life is no one’s business but my own.”
Mercifully, Jodie chose that moment to call everyone to the table. Ethan excused himself to use the bathroom. He needed time to clear his mind or the evening would be ruined. Granted, he was the only one in his family still single, but they needed to lay off his case once in a while.
He knew they meant well and under normal circumstances, he could handle their good-natured ribbing and dish back in turn, but the encounter with Erin had left his nerves frayed and his temper barely in control.
He wondered what she would be doing right this minute. Was she thinking about their night or had she spoken the truth when she’d dismissed it as just sex?
His fingers tightened over the rim of the washbasin, his reflection showing the hard set of his jaw and the glint of anger in his eyes.
He would go to her apartment after dinner with his family.
Just sex huh? Perhaps another bout of lovemaking was in order. And this time, he would make her eat her words.
******
Erin opened the door to the penthouse suite, surprised to find the place dark. She was certain she’d left the hall light on as she disliked entering dark places.
She groped for the lightswitch, her mind still on her conversation with Todd though that had happened hours earlier. Not for the first time, she wondered if she’d done the right thing by encouraging him to ask her on a date again. Yeah, she liked him… but was her attraction to him enough to sustain a relationship?
When he’d left to prep for his next surgery, she’d remained in the lounge for an hour, her thoughts in turmoil. Finding no peace, she’d gone back to her dad’s room and passed the rest of day in her parent’s company, though her thoughts had never wandered far from her dilema.
Her fingers found the switch and she flipped it on.
She screamed.
The man sleeping on the couch jumped up, startled at the scream. His hand automatically reached for a non-existent weapon, while his eyes searched for the source of the blood curdling scream. When he saw her, he relaxed, shoulders slumped in relief.
“Good God! You scared me.” Lane muttered, shooting her a grin.
Her heart still racing a million beats a minute, Erin found her voice and stared at her cousin as he flopped back on the couch with a sigh. Lane Gosling resembled Nicky in looks, with the same blond hair and green eyes. Coupled with his well-built body and charm, her cousin had had more than his fair share of women falling at his feet.
“I scared you?” She shrieked at him. “You just stole ten years off my life! What the hell are you doing here and how did you get up here?”
Lane shrugged, his broad shoulders rippling with well-defined muscles. “The bell hop let me in seeing as how I’d been sitting outside for hours waiting for you to show up.” His eyes travelled over her in appraisal and he grinned again. “Howdy cuz.”
If she’d been another woman other than his cousin, Erin supposed she would have melted at that slow grin. As it was, she was still mad at him for scaring the crap out of her. She glared at him and came to sit beside him, toeing off her shoes.
“Carlos let you in? Why didn’t you call and let me know you were waiting?”
“I did. Left several messages, matter of fact but apparently, you got none of them. Is that phone of yours even switched on?”
With a guilty flush, Erin realized she’d left the phone in the purse. She’d used another purse today and had forgotten to take out her phone.
“Sorry.” She mumbled, shooting him a wry smile.
Lane chuckled and leaned forward to ruffle her hair. “Apology accepted. And I’m sorry for scaring you Snookums.”
“So, were you able to get the information I asked for?” Erin folded her legs under her body and regarded Lane with curious brown eyes.
“Yeah, I got it.” Lane reached for the leather jacket he’d thrown to the ground and dug in the inside pockets, pulling out a slim brown envelope. He held it just out of reach when she dived for it, holding up a finger in caution. “Before I hand this over, I need to know what you want to use the info for.”
Blowing out a breath of impatience, Erin shot him a glare. “It’s for a business deal Lane. Now give.”
He wouldn’t budge. “I wasn’t aware Uncle Harold had decided to branch out into construction.”
Erin sighed, too tired to keep up the argument. “Look, it’s personal alright? I’m not going to use the information in any way that can be termed illegal. I’m just doing research- for a friend.”
He gave her his best cop stare but Erin returned the look. Finally, he relented and handed the envelope over. “Just be sure you don’t get into trouble Snookums.”
“I won’t.” She tore into the envelope and pulled out a sheaf of neatly stapled papers. She skimmed through to be sure she’d got the right information then set it aside.
She would deal with this tomorrow… right now, she needed food and sleep in that order.
“Thanks Lane, I really appreciate this.”
Lane shrugged, then stretched lazily. “No problem. Mind if I use your shower? Mine’s broken and the shitty landlord has refused to have it fixed.”
“Of course,” Erin gestured towards her bedroom, “But why don’t you just fix it yourself Lane? I bet you can if you put your mind to it.”
“Nah… I’m too lazy for that kind of stuff,” He grinned and rose, ambling towards the room. “Besides, the fucktard should pay for it, it’s his damn apartment.”
Erin rose and followed him into the bedroom. She needed to change into something more comfortable before she tackled food. “You could always come to The Gosling and stay. Dad will only be too happy to help.”
He shuddered in mock horror. “No… God no. I’m not one for living in a hotel.”
She laughed. “Suit yourself. Anyways, I’m going to ask for dinner to be brought up from the kitchen. Anything you’d like?”
The food arrived just as Lane stepped out of the shower and joined her in the living room wearing a towel around his waist.
She’d changed into an oversize t-shirt that just skimmed the top of her thighs, hair in disarray from running her hands through it to smoothen out tangles. They settled together in the couch and dug into the magnificent spread the chef had sent up, watching a television show when a knock sounded on the door.
“Who could be knocking at this hour?” Erin wondered. Nevertheless, she trudged to the door, slightly annoyed at being disturbed.
She opened the door and her eyes went wide as saucers.
“Ethan!” Erin gasped, shock plunging through her body at the sight of him standing there. He was leaning casually against the opposite wall, his posture clearly at odds with the determination she could see in his eyes. She hurried out to join him in the hallway, conscious of her skimpy attire. “W-what are you doing here?”
He straightened and came towards her, stalking her like a panther would stalk its prey. Without a word, he reached out and pulled her against his body, engulfing her in his warmth. Caught off guard, she allowed the contact, though her body stayed frozen, tense. His hand cupped her chin and raised her mouth to his, intending to kiss her.
“Snookums?” Lane’s voice shattered the moment and Erin gasped, freeing herself of Ethan’s hold.
Ethan wore a looked of stunned incredulity as he raised his head and looked past her, seeking the source of the voice.
A moment later, Lane sauntered into view, still dressed in that damned towel.
“What is going on here?” Ethan’s voice was filled with fury as he stared at the man who had just appeared in his woman’s apartment. “Who the hell are you?”
Erin shut her eyes and prayed this was not happening. That when she opened her eyes, this would all be a bad dream.