Page 46 of Chaos & Carnage

“Yeah. And so do you, it seems.” His voice was low. A mutter.

“I notice things. It’s part of the job to be observant, notice the little things that these animals can’t tell me.”

“You love this job, don’t you?”

Cade’s eyes searched mine. The hint of darkness was back, but this time it was different. It was deeper now, more raw, more unstable.

I nodded, my throat swelling, making it difficult to swallow or think about the next words, but eventually I put some together.

“I do. Could do with a break sometimes, though. It’s always so full on.”

“So, take one. Take a break.”

“You know that’s not so easy. If Stu would pull his weight, that would help.” Cade cocked his head, as if he wasn’t quite following the conversation. “You know, taking the emergency shifts. I get one or two nights off from it a week and then it’s all down to me. Sometimes I wonder whether I’ll make a mistake because I’m always so tired.”

“What about days off?”

I shook my head.

“If I ever get a day off, I can rely on Stu either dropping me in it and I have to pick up his shift or I’m on duty to look after whatever patients we have in at the surgery.”

“Man sounds like a right knob,” Cade grumbled, and I couldn’t help smiling at his response. “So, when you eventually get a day off, what do you do for fun?”

“Sleep. That’s about it, really. I’m too exhausted to do anything most of the time.”

“I don’t really sleep much. Life goes by too quick when you’re asleep.”

“Is that why you never stay the full night?” I asked. “Because you don’t like to sleep?”

Cade looked thoughtful, his head tipped slightly to the side as he looked at me.

“Yeah. I guess,” his eyes focused on mine, staring intently. “Too much to do. Does it bother you I don’t stay over?” A hint of a smile pulled at his lips, something playing out behind those eyes.

“Sometimes. My bed just feels a bit empty after… you know….”

“After we have sex?”

“Yeah. I just feel like you rush away afterwards.”

Cade moved towards me, a couple of long meaningful strides, until he could reach out and scoop an arm around my waist. And then he tugged roughly, yanking me into him.

“Ok, well, what do you say I don’t rush away tonight?”

“Yeah, that would be good.” I felt the smile spread across my face, too.

Cade reached up with the other hand, pulling the bobble free from my ponytail and watching as my hair fell from it, some falling across my face and the rest down my back. He swiped at the hair that fell around my cheeks, pushing it back behind my ear, his fingers lingering, draping down my neck.

“You’re stunning, Alice,” he whispered, dragging his fingers across my cheekbone like he was joining up the dots of my freckles. “And fascinating.” He swiped over my lips, and I breathed out, feeling my lips part under his fingers. “Such a good girl, aren’t you? Parting those lips for me.”

“Cade?” I asked, the starkness of those words, the tone of his voice, both not something I heard from him before.

The arm wrapped around my waist, pulled away, as did my blond biker, stepping backwards to take another look at me.

“Take that off,” he instructed, plucking at the white coat I wore over my scrubs.

“What?”

“You heard me, kitten. Take this off.”