Page 22 of Covet (The Red #3)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Noah

Listen to No Other Love

by Matchbox Twenty (feat Amanda Shires)

“ I ’ve missed you,” Daisy said, reaching across the table to snag my hand.

We’d decided to go out for dinner since tomorrow was her day off, and I didn’t have to get to the studio early.

Guilt pressed down on me. I’d been ignoring her lately.

All my focus was on my music and writing songs with Elle.

October rolled in. Halloween decorations stuffed the stores, Starbucks pushed out pumpkin spice lattes, and the city emptied on weekends to visit the Hudson Valley for apple picking and fall leaves.

Since our last dangerous encounter, Elle and I had been careful.

It was as if we both knew there was an invisible line between us we couldn’t cross.

It was easy to blame it on the intimacy of song writing, of hours spent locked in a room together, digging into the raw parts of ourselves to share for the good of the music.

I felt as if there was a secret door inside myself cracking open with every encounter Elle and I had.

I kept kicking it closed, knowing there was no way we could ever be happy together.

As long as we never did anything wrong, we could show up with the group with nothing to hide.

I squeezed her hand. “I know. Sorry I’ve been so busy. Tell me what’s going on at the hospital.”

Daisy scrunched up her pert nose, making me smile.

She wore a short red plaid mini, black boots, a red sweater and red glasses.

Her hair was loose and she’d sprayed the perfume I loved; a scent reminding me of ginger and spice.

I know she’d tried to bring it tonight. It had been a while since we had sex, which wasn’t like us.

The waitress interrupted and dropped our bowls of pasta off.

Daisy and I immediately grabbed the fresh parmesan and smothered our portions.

“There’s so much drama,” she said, moaning as she forked up a generous amount of penne.

“We got a new intern who’s chasing after Dr. Perosi like a puppy dog, pretending she’s starring in Grey’s Anatomy.

Brynn got called in for an emergency to help with a bunch of kids who got in a car accident, but disagreed with Dr. Asshole on running additional tests.

He pushed back. She talked shit. He threw her out, but then the patient ended up seizing so Brynn was right.

Everyone was running around taking sides because Dr. Asshole is up for a promotion and wants to dump a lot of his teaching.

Which is a good idea since he’s terrible and no one wants to work under him. ”

“Is Grace still fucking Tommy?”

Daisy paused for a sip of wine. “Yep. It’s nasty. The on-call room is like their sex dungeon.”

I cracked up. “They do all this other reality stuff. They should follow a hospital crew around with cameras. It’s worse than those housewives.”

She snorted. “Right! It’s sucky for the interns though.

We just take endless crap until we graduate and get a permanent job at the hospital.

” I dunked my bread into the sauce, and passed her the oil and hot pepper.

She was particular with how each segment of an Italian course was seasoned and prepared.

As tiny as Daisy was, she ate with gusto, and ate a lot.

We were foodies. Both of us enjoyed a good grease fest as much as a five-star restaurant.

We made reservations weeks in advance when we wanted to get into a hot place.

“I can’t wait till graduation when I can finally start my career. ”

“You’re definitely staying in the ER?”

“The Pit, baby. I’m good at it. Calm under pressure.”

I shook my head. She was a constant amazement. “Your patients are so lucky, Dais.”

“Aww, thanks! How about you? What song are you working on now?”

I kept my attention on my plate and my tone casual. “Actually, we’re trying to find a pop song that has a bit of edge but we can’t seem to find the right balance. JJ wants a fast song for the clubs to highlight.”

Daisy nodded. “But Elle has such a killer voice for ballads. I thought you were writing around her vocal chops. Something deep.”

“We got one. It’s called The Rarest Thing.” Just saying the title caused my gut to clench. Images of sitting close to Elle, trading lyrics, gazing into each other’s eyes as we played and she sang; all of it hit me like a sucker punch.

“Oh, you need to play it for me! It’s been too long since I heard something you created. Maybe tonight?”

My stomach tightened. Our song meant more than it should. Playing it for Daisy felt…wrong. At least, when we released it to the world it won’t have the intimacy attached. The song wouldn’t belong to Elle and I anymore. “We’re not completely finished yet. I’ll show you some of the others, though.”

She agreed readily, as usual. I shoved down the guilt and swore I’d do better. Be better for this woman who loved me. We fell into easy conversation and ate our pasta. Daisy was always fun to talk to. Besides being a great listener, she was funny and had a talent with storytelling.

We’d just ordered dessert when a commotion broke out behind me.

I turned in my chair to see a man stumble toward a table, clutching his chest. He was overweight, dressed in a button-down plaid shirt and jeans, with a red beard.

His wife or girlfriend started yelling his name and the man crashed to the floor.

The restaurant exploded in chaos. A waiter rushed over, obviously in a panic. The woman began screaming. I stilled, my blood running cold as I watched the horrific scene play out.

“Is anyone a doctor?”

No one responded. It was as if the entire restaurant stilled and stared in shock.

Daisy jumped to her feet. “I’m a nursing student.

Call 911 and ask for an ambulance. Keep them on the line.

” She knelt beside the man, who was gasping for breath but still conscious.

Her voice was calm and soothing, contradicting the quick way her hands moved professionally over his body.

“Hi, I’m Daisy. It’s going to be okay, can you speak?”

He wheezed. “Yes. Chest hurts.”

She checked his throat—maybe to see if something got stuck in there—then his pulse, keeping up a flow of low conversation. “What’s your name?”

“B-B-Brian.”

“Brian, it’s nice to meet you. Just try to breathe slow, I know it’s hard with all this excitement.” She smiled, loosening his shirt. “Do you take any medication, Brian?”

“N-n-no.” He wheezed again and gripped her hand. “Help.”

“Ambulance is on its way. You’re going to be fine, Brian. All you need to do is breathe and stay calm. Can you tell me if you feel nauseous? Pain anywhere else?”

“No.”

“You’re doing great.” She tilted her head up at the staff, who held the phone talking to 911. “Do you have an AED? Can you get it for me, please?”

I stood up, staying near her, but frozen.

She asked Brian’s companion for her jacket, then propped it under his head.

Her dialogue reminded me of a normal person chatting over dinner; a calm, steady presence that held everyone in thrall.

Soon, the roar of sirens took over, and the emergency crew rushed in.

Daisy stepped aside and said a few words to his companion, who tearfully nodded. Then they left the restaurant.

Everyone seemed in shock, talking in low murmurs and returning to their tables. A hush fell over the room. Daisy sat back down and took a deep breath. “Well, that sucked. Hopefully, he’ll be okay. I’ll check the hospital later for his status.”

I blinked, amazed at how normal she looked. “Daisy—that was seriously scary. He could’ve died.”

“Yeah, he could’ve.” A flicker of sadness shadowed her brown eyes. “Part of the job. Doesn’t make it easy. I’m just glad I was able to keep him calm before help came.”

“You were amazing. I-I never saw you in action like that.”

Her smile lit up her face. “Well, it’s probably a good thing but I’m glad I impressed you.”

I smiled back. I knew Daisy was a great nurse from the way her teachers and co-workers respected her.

While I was messing around with music and barely getting decent grades in college, she’d blasted through both college and grad school with just a few months left.

Watching the way she made a difference to people on a day-to-day basis only made my awe deepen.

Daisy was special. And I was an asshole if I messed it up.

“Do you want dessert?” she asked, finishing up her wine.

“No. I want to go home.”

Her gaze skittered over mine, then stayed. Her eyes widened, then a wicked smile curved her lips. “Me, too. We’ll have dessert there.”

We rushed the waiter for the bill and grabbed an Uber.

By the time we got into my apartment, we were ripping at each other’s clothes; stumbling through the rooms, kissing wildly.

She pushed me down on the bed and climbed on top, not even giving me time to give her any foreplay.

Grasping my cock, she lowered herself down and I filled her in one deep thrust.

I grabbed her hips and groaned. She rode me with greed and I watched her small breasts bounce up and down as she chased her pleasure.

It didn’t take long for her to come. Daisy arched back and yelled my name, teeth clenched, hair wild.

In that moment, I saw us together for the future; a woman who’d always be by my side; the perfect wife and mother; and I squeezed my eyes shut, coming hard, spilling inside her.

She slumped over my chest. I stroked her hair back. “I love watching your face when you come,” I murmured.

“Stop!” She hit me, face red, rolling over. “I look ridiculous.”

“You look hot.” I played with her nipple, ready for round two. “Lay back. Let me lick your pussy.”

She patted me on the shoulder and stretched. “I’m good, baby. You gave me exactly what I wanted. Hey, don’t you have Ben & Jerry’s in the freezer? I can make us sundaes.”

“Later. You deserve a reward for your hard work tonight,” I teased. My hand coasted down, parting her thighs as I got ready to feast. But she only laughed and rolled away.

“I got rewarded enough. Be right back with treats.” She got out of bed, threw on one of my t-shirts, and padded to the kitchen.

I lay on my back and stared at the ceiling, wondering why I was off.

Daisy was the perfect partner. She didn’t demand long foreplay, and was one of the only women who wasn’t crazy about oral sex.

At first, I thought it was me, but she said she’d never been into it and wasn’t a big deal.

She gave a great blow-job, but it always felt wrong that she rarely asked me to do anything for her.

When I tried, she put me off, telling me the sex was exactly what she wanted.

I should be happy. I didn’t have to put much effort into the relationship or sex. I got off when I wanted, because she was always ready when I was.

But is that all? The sly inner voice whispered. Doesn’t it feel too easy? Is this what you want every day, for the rest of your life?

An image of Elle hit me. Lying in bed, legs stretched apart, my head buried between her thighs as I worked her to orgasm. I’d spend long, lazy moments teasing until she pulled my hair and screamed my name nonstop.

Crap.

I rubbed my face and pushed the image aside. The fantasy would go away. As soon as we stopped working together, I was positive I’d be back in control.

Daisy returned with two bowls and sat cross legged beside me. I ate in silence, trying not to be moody after we just had great sex, but she wasn’t pushing me to talk. Her foot pressed against mine. The sound of our spoons scraping the bottom of the bowl rose in the air.

“Noah?”

“Yeah?”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

“Sure.” I wiped my mouth. “I’m always up for another round.”

She laughed but it came out nervous. I glanced at her, curious why a frown creased her brow. My senses tingles with warning, but I would’ve never been prepared for what she said next.

“I think we should move in together.”