Page 43 of Her Paramedic (Men in Uniforms #3)

S late sat in the waiting room, scrolling on his phone while waiting for Talia.

There were a few other people in the waiting area.

Among them was an older woman; he would put her in her late fifties, and from the moment Talia had been taken to the back, she started winking at him.

At first, he thought it might have been a tick until she’d blown him a kiss and tried to gesture him over.

It was amusing, and it took everything he had not to laugh because he knew she’d think he was laughing at her when, in reality, he was laughing at the situation.

Their group liked to joke that Matteo was a magnet for older women, and recently, Slate felt it had rubbed off on him.

Just yesterday, a woman at the call they’d been dispatched to tried flirting with him while she was having a hard time breathing with an oxygen mask on her face.

She’d been almost seventy. Jonah had a field day with it, pointing out that older women needed love, too.

“You’re here with Ms. Adams?”

The voice pulled Slate from his thoughts, and he turned his attention to the dental assistant who had approached him.

“I am.”

“She’s almost finished. Here’s a care packet of everything she’ll need.

There’s extra gauze in there in case she needs it.

The anesthesia is going to make her tired for a bit, so it’s best if she sleeps when she gets home, and she should eat before taking any pain medication.

You can pull around to the side of the building to the pickup area, and we’ll walk her out in a few minutes. ”

“Thank you,” Slate responded, taking the bag from her.

He stood, slipping his phone into his pocket and heading out of the building.

He pulled the car around, and they walked Talia out several minutes later.

Slate got out of the car, opening the passenger door.

He thanked the assistant before helping Talia into the car and fastening her seat belt.

They’d barely left the parking lot before her soft, even breathing filled the car.

When they reached her house, he unlocked the front door before getting her out of the car. He’d just stepped over the threshold when her eyes opened. They sat heavy, glazed over.

“Hey, put me down,” she stated.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Slate responded.

“S’okay. I can walk.” She wiggled in his arms, and he set her on her feet, steadying her before closing the door. She took a step and swayed, almost stumbling, and he grabbed her, chuckling. It was adorable.

“Hey, buddy. Whatcha laughing at?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he responded, leaning down to kiss her. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away.

“No, no, no. You can’t kiss me. I have a boyfriend.”

Slate raised an amused eyebrow at her. “Baby, I am your boyfriend.”

Talia scrunched her nose momentarily. “Well damn. I did good.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle again. “I think that was me, baby, but sure. Come on. Let’s get you in the bed.”

He helped her down the hall and sat her on the bed when they entered her bedroom. Slate squatted and began untying her shoes.

“Since you’re my boyfriend, do you want to know a secret?” she asked, and he glanced up to find her with her eyes closed and swaying slightly.

“Sure, baby.”

“You love me; you just don’t know it yet.”

Slate paused for a second before continuing to take her shoes off. He then helped her lie down and pulled the blanket at the bottom of the bed over her.

“Do you want to know a secret?” he asked.

“Mhm,” she replied softly.

He stroked her cheek before placing a soft kiss on her lips. “I do know it.” And he did. He’d realized it when he’d seen her collapse, when he’d wanted to snap his cousin’s neck for being stupid.

Talia didn’t respond, but he hadn’t expected her to.

Her soft breathing let him know she’d fallen asleep.

Slate placed her shoes in the closet before exiting the bedroom.

He entered the living room and sat on the couch, her words echoing in his ears.

He was positive she wouldn’t remember what he said, but that only meant he’d have to tell her again when she could.

T hree hours later, Slate ventured into the bedroom for the second time since putting her to bed.

This time, he planned on waking her. He didn’t want to, but she needed to eat since she couldn’t before her appointment.

He was sure she was probably experiencing some discomfort, but she couldn’t take her medication until she had something on her stomach.

He sat on the side of the bed, stroking her cheek. She hadn’t changed positions since he laid her down, which told him she was in a deep sleep. He almost left her to sleep longer, but it meant she’d be up all night, and he knew she wouldn’t be too happy about it.

“Talia,” he called. It took a few more tries before her eyes fluttered open. This time, absent of the haze they had previously. “Hey, baby.”

“Hi,” she responded softly. “What time is it?”

“Almost two. Come on. I ordered you some food.”

She sat up slowly and stretched. “Okay, I’ll be in there in a minute.”

Slate kissed her forehead before exiting the bedroom. He’d already set up the food in the living room, wanting her to be comfortable while she ate. He entered the kitchen and grabbed drinks before taking a seat in the living room. Talia joined him a few minutes later, sitting beside him.

“Thanks, baby. I’m starving.”

“I thought you might be. After you eat, take some medicine if you need it,” he instructed.

Talia nodded, picking up the container of pasta. “I didn’t say anything embarrassing, did I?”

“Mm, no, you didn’t.”

“You promise?” she asked, turning to him.

“I promise. You were pretty adorable.”

Talia pursed her lips. “Which means it was probably embarrassing. What did I say?”

“You told me I couldn’t kiss you because you had a boyfriend.”

She laughed. “Well, I mean…at least you know, even legally drugged up, you don’t have to worry about any other man.”

“I’m never worried about them,” Slate responded.

“You don’t have a reason to be. Was that all?”

He thought about it momentarily, but decided not to tell her now. “Yeah, that was pretty much it.”

“Well, if that was all. I’ll take it.”

She leaned back against the couch, and Slate grabbed his food, doing the same. No, he wouldn’t bring it up yet, but he knew exactly when he would.

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T alia gave Slate two more soft kisses before pulling away.

“You keep kissing me, and I won’t want to leave,” he told her.

“Maybe that’s my plan,” she responded. Or maybe it was her first time seeing him in his paramedic uniform, and while she wasn’t surprised by how good he looked in it, she hadn’t been prepared for it to turn her on. Yeah, she was definitely ovulating.

It was five-thirty in the morning, and since he’d stayed the previous night with her, he was leaving her house and heading straight to work.

Talia had gotten up to make him breakfast, and she damn near dropped the skillet when he walked in.

She made a mental note to have him fuck her in that uniform at some point.

“As much as I’d like to,” Slate started.

“I know,” she responded.

He was already using the vacation days he’d earned back on their trip at the end of the month. He’d been lucky that Carie could cover the Saturday he needed off to help Killian move since he was already off that Sunday.

“Text me when you make it to work,” Talia requested.

“I will. Go back to sleep, and make sure you take your medicine if you need it.”

“Trust me, I will not be trying to tough out any pain. I’m going to spend the day resting, since tomorrow is going to kick my ass.”

She’d rescheduled all her appointments for the day to tomorrow and Sunday, even though the shop was usually closed on the latter.

Slate gave her another kiss before leaving, and Talia watched him pull off before closing and locking the door.

She turned off the light in the kitchen and hallway before returning to her bedroom and climbing back into bed.

She grabbed the pillow from Slate’s side and buried her face in it.

It wasn’t long before she drifted back to sleep.

W hen Talia awoke the second time, it was to someone shaking her. She slowly opened her eyes and found her little sister sitting beside her on the bed.

“Hey,” Kaydence greeted.

“Hey. What time is it?”

“Almost one o’clock.”

Talia sat up. She hadn’t meant to sleep that long. She didn’t remember her alarm going off and assumed she slept through it.

“How do you feel?”

“I’m okay. It hasn’t been too bad.” There was a dull throb, but Talia knew she’d be fine once she ate and took her medication.

“I brought you lunch,” Kaydence informed.

“Thanks, KD. I’ll be right out.”

Her sister left her alone, and Talia went into her en suite to wash her face and brush her teeth.

Her eyes drifted to Slate’s cologne on the counter, and she made a mental note to make sure he got it the next time she saw him.

That would have been Sunday, but since she had to move some of her appointments, she knew it probably wouldn’t be until he got back from helping Killian move next weekend.

She entered her kitchen and found Kaydence at the bar, with sushi and boba tea sitting on top of it. Talia joined her.

“What time did Slate leave?”

“Five thirty. I told him to text me when he made it to work, but I was probably asleep again before he even got out of the city.” She made a mental note to check her phone after they finished eating. “Oh, did you and Axel like any of the houses you saw on Tuesday?”

“We did. Two of them, which only makes our decision harder, but I’m leaning towards adding the second one we saw on Tuesday to our shortlist. Nova has been showing us some great houses.”

“What are the specs of it?” Talia asked before popping a sushi roll into her mouth.

“It’s four bedrooms, three bathrooms. The kitchen is bigger than my current one, and the backyard is exactly what Axel wants. I’m pretty sure he fell in love with the yard alone,” Kaydence teased her husband, and Talia laughed.

“Yeah, he’ll love it until he has to mow it and do yard maintenance twice a month.”

“I honestly believe he’s looking forward to it.”

Talia took a drink of her boba. “So more bedrooms mean more niblings, right? I mean, you need to fill them—”

Kaydence cut her off by pushing some sushi into her mouth. “Eat your food,” she demanded with a playful glare, and Talia laughed around the mouthful. “You just wait. I’m going to bug you to the ends of the earth about niblings,” Kaydence threatened.

“You’ll have to wait a while for that.”

Kaydence shrugged. “I’m patient.” She paused. “You know, I was thinking the other day. That when Killian pops the question, because we all know he’s going to at some point, and then when Slate does, because, refer to the last statement, you and Journee will have the same last name.”

Talia shook her head at her little sister. “You are getting way ahead of yourself.”

“If you say so, but I can feel these things.”

“Can you now? Because you didn’t even know you were at your own wedding,” Talia teased.

Kaydence pursed her lips before rolling her eyes. “Well, we can’t always bat a thousand.”

Talia laughed as she picked up another roll, and they changed the conversation to their parents coming to visit during the summer while classes were out.

They typically came home mid-summer and then for Thanksgiving.

She and Kaydence usually went to see them at the beginning of the year, but since they’d stayed longer than usual to attend Kaydence’s wedding, they hadn’t gone that year.

Once they finished eating, Talia took some pain medicine before going to get her phone. Sure enough, she had a text from Slate.

Slate: I know you’re probably asleep, but I made it to work. Text me when you wake up. Call me if you need something.

Talia: You’re right. I was asleep. I slept longer than I meant to. I’m fine. Kaydence is here, and we had lunch together. I’ll call you when you get off.

Talia went into her living room and found her sister sitting on the couch, looking for a movie to watch. She sat down before laying her head in Kaydence’s lap.

“You still don’t know where Slate is taking you for your mini-vacation.”

“No, and I’ve resigned myself to not knowing.”

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy wherever it is.”

Talia nodded in agreement as her sister chose a movie before propping her feet up on the table and gently scratching Talia’s scalp. She was sure that if she had not just woken up, the action would have soon resulted in her falling asleep again.