Page 21

Ellie

Ha-joon kept his word and rocked my world… And other things.

I didn’t hate having his finger in my ass.

I just didn’t love it either.

Renee looked at me like I was crass when I said it like that. I looked right back at her like she was nuts. He had his finger in my ass. There was no need to pretty that up or talk in circles. It didn’t make it better to say his digit was in my nether flower or forbidden entrance or some bullshit.

He had his finger in my damn ass. Grow up.

Like… Grow the fuck up and just be adults and call it what it is. He fingered my ass. He did something new to me and I wasn’t sure if I liked it.

I didn’t dislike it. I liked how much he fucking loved it.

Seriously, the man was so into my damn ass that I was fucked better than porn or movies or my wildest dreams. I ached in ways I hadn’t known possible, and I was a vampire with advanced rapid healing. So that was unreal and amazing.

And after he woke me up for another round, I threatened to go back to my condo if he didn’t let me get the sleep I needed. The pout he gave me was great, but there was too much going on for either of us to call out sick.

I did promise to come back over the next night so he could calm down and not try to get a month’s worth of sex from me in like eight hours.

Though I did understand given how amazing it was.

What wasn’t amazing? The annoyed lion Alpha waiting for me at my parking spot the next morning.

I swallowed a sigh, accepting this was happening and something I’d let go on too long for us to end up here. That didn’t mean I wasn’t validly annoyed because he could have just let it go.

Clearly, he wasn’t the sort without at least a conversation.

“You shouldn’t have poked him,” I said as I got out.

“We both know you did so don’t even try it.

You took shots at him in front of me knowing I was involved with him.

There’s no way you didn’t do that with him for him to react that way.

Obviously, there were things happening that I missed because he doesn’t get jealous for no reason. ”

Gerald seemed shocked that I came out swinging, but then the disappointed look came back and he opened his mouth.

It irked me and I was sleep-deprived.

Sleep-deprived from amazing sex, but sleep-deprived just the same.

“He’s not the right fit for you, Ellie, and we both know that—you’re smart enough to know that.”

I snorted, giving him a look of disgust and shaking my head which again shocked him. “Let’s stick to work, Gerald, because you’re not even someone I’d be friends with outside of work, much less ever date.”

“Excuse me?” he hissed, looking completely affronted.

And taken aback.

I turned to face him and focused on his confusion.

“You’re judgmental, Gerald.” I nodded when he frowned.

“You’re judging me right now. You’re giving me that disappointed look you do often right now .

Like you have any right to judge my decisions or in any world I should defer to your input or opinion.

You have this misconception that just because I listen to your legal advice for the hospital that—”

“Wait, I do not and—”

“You do,” I defended. “So don’t gaslight me and try to act like this is me.

I’m also not the only one who’s seen it.

” I held up my hand to him and decided to use Renee to help me.

“Go tell Dr. Bass what you said to me about both of us knowing that Ha-joon isn’t the right fit for me and that I’m smart enough to know better and see what she says about that. ” I smirked when he flinched.

Because he should.

“You’re good at your job and I’m fine with a professional friendship, but even if I wasn’t involved with Ha-joon, I have no desire to have an association with you outside of work.

I’m sorry to be so blunt, but you are pushing the issue, and your comment last night that I haven’t been specific enough—I cannot be any more specific and firm than that. ”

“No,” he whispered, blinking at me as if he’d never seen me before. “No, you cannot, but—I don’t understand. We have—it’s not that I’m an Alpha.”

“No, you’re the type of Alpha that I don’t want in my personal life, Gerald.

” I sighed when I realized that wasn’t going to be enough.

“You need to be Alpha. You want to be deferred to. That’s the judgment.

You were disappointed with me that I sat with my friends yesterday instead of you.

Ha-joon would be disappointed he didn’t get to sit with me. ”

“That’s what—”

“That’s not what you felt, and if you are honest with yourself, you’ll see the difference.

” I studied him, sad when I saw genuine confusion and sadness in his aura.

“I’m an Alpha too. I can sense more than a normal vampire.

I can tell. I’m also not a pup. I don’t need guidance.

” I let out a slow breath. “I really don’t need the judgment. ”

“I understand,” he muttered. He waited until I was almost to the elevator. “I’m sorry, Ellie. I really didn’t—I didn’t think…”

“I’m glad to hear it.” I decided to be nice since he’d really helped me and the hospital out a lot. “Talk to Renee. She can get you on a better path and to accept where you’re at. She’s working miracles with me after all.”

I was glad when he didn’t hurry after me and left it alone.

I did text Ha-joon and let him know that I had a calm conversation with Gerald and made it clear that what he said was the truth. My Alpha was very, very, very happy to hear that.

And then he made me ridiculously happy that night.

Several fucking times.

Shit, why had I been avoiding him again?

I was an idiot. No, not really but… Yeah, maybe that too.

Now that we’d had time resettling after the board had been kicked to the curb and with the department heads being the new board, the next few weeks we were focused on the future of ASH.

We’d made a hospital-wide announcement that we were making appointments to listen to proposals and we were encouraging people to give them no matter their level.

And we meant it.

Every morning before most of the practices opened, we were gathered to listen to them with someone bringing in breakfast. There had already been a shocking one that everyone had dismissed because of who the appointment was with.

But I’d known he was a diligent worker, and if he had something to say, I would always listen.

And I was right. An industrial mopping robot might not have been revolutionary, but when a man from the maintenance staff who wasn’t even a manager had charts and numbers crunched… I was fucking impressed.

Plus, he was right. The value was there and the right move.

Our maintenance staff was stretched too thin and always responding to issues, so they never had time to handle their assigned cleaning responsibilities.

We were always calling outside cleaning teams and that was way more expensive than having our own people.

But some of the presentations were also some duds.

Duds to the point that their department heads were embarrassed. One even acknowledged that he should have checked what it was first before wasting all of our time and would do better in the future.

That was worth the dud meeting. A chastising where I didn’t even have to open my damn mouth was my perfect type. Seriously, that was amazing and a live example of how people should step up and stop leaving so much for me to handle.

Especially when Alan, Sean, Renee, and Carla were all very involved in presentations from their departments.

One Carla even rescheduled right in front of all of us saying it wasn’t ready yet and needed another week at least. She admitted that she didn’t think it would work with ASH, but that wasn’t her decision to make.

However, it was lazy in its current state, and if it was to be presented, she would let anyone in her department present shit.

Awesome. Really.

Alan had been in charge of the schedule and managing all of this while I’d been handling the fallout of the board being kicked to the curb. I appreciated it, but that was how I was surprised when Thursday morning Ha-joon walked in… And I’d had no idea.

It did explain why he hadn’t wanted to see me Wednesday night.

“Oh, so there wasn’t any pillow talk about this?” one of the department heads teased me.

Without even realizing I was going to, I launched the muffin in my hand at his head. I simply shrugged when he couldn’t hide his shock. “That was unnecessary and out of line. You know it was.”

“Especially when several people here are shocked and confused,” Ha-joon added. “So everyone here didn’t know.”

“You’re an ass,” I told the department head, glad when he held up his hands in surrender and apologized.

“I swear I thought all of us knew and it was the cutest secret we were keeping for your feelings.”

“Oh yeah, great job, asshat,” Alan drawled, cuffing him upside the head as he walked by.

“And no, I would never use my relationship with Ms. Reed for something like this,” Ha-joon said firmly before anyone else interjected.

“Some of these are ideas I’ve presented before to the hospital I worked at.

They were shot down and a couple I even understand why.

With work, some could be implemented here at ASH, and I’m open to them being a launching pad. ”

“He has ideas ,” Carla muttered under her breath and shot me an impressive look. “He’s the first to have multiple.”

“And they’re good,” Sean bragged. “But yes, I do agree they will need adjusting to fit with ASH. One I think will do well with Renee’s department.”

“I can’t see how,” she muttered, sounding annoyed. She sighed when the tension shot up in the room. “I apologize, Dr. Clark. I’m still shaking off the last proposal .”

“I said I was sorry,” one of the department heads bit out.