Page 14 of Love Me (Charlotte Monarchs Hockey #1)

Bree

I haven’t been able to get Luke out of my head.

Though I’ve tapped on the simple “Had a great time with you” text he sent me a few hours after I left his condo on multiple occasions, I decided not to respond.

He served a purpose—a hot, no-strings-attached purpose.

I can’t even remember the last time I had a one-night stand. Probably in college.

A quick fling was exactly what I needed. There’s absolutely no reason to get too involved while on assignment in a city I could never see myself settling down in. Sure, Charlotte is cute, but it’s not home. Hell, it’s barely even a city, I think, chuckling to myself.

“What are you laughing at?” Summer, the nurse who’s training me, asks. She’s nine months pregnant and about to go on maternity leave. “Do you need me to repeat that?”

Shit. The last thing I need is this poor pregnant lady to think I’m not going to be able to take over from her when she’s gone. Daydreaming of sex with hockey players has already taken up too many hours of my life. Time to get back to business.

“Sorry, Summer. I totally heard you. Something funny just crossed my mind.”

“Your head has been in the clouds all day.” She starts to smile but suddenly grimaces.

“You okay?” I ask.

Tonya, another nurse in our unit, runs into the room. I make a mental note of her seemingly supersonic hearing. “That kid about to drop?” she asks.

“Just a small contraction. Nothing crazy. Get back to work,” Summer says, dismissing our concern.

Tonya turns halfway toward the door, then spins around and squints at me.

“Why does Tinkerbell have that dazed look in her eyes like she got some?” she asks.

I’d earned the nickname on my second day. While I’d like to believe it came from my positive attitude and constant smile, I’m sure it had more to do with the glitter specks that kept falling onto my shoulder from the cheap earrings I’d worn that day.

Summer’s head swivels toward me. Her eyes are wide when she asks, “Did you?”

Instead of answering, I gently push her out of the way with my shoulder and take hold of the keyboard and mouse. “This is where I input the notes. I press F3 to get there, right?”

“Yep. And to save—oh shit!” Summer whispers.

Liquid splashes onto the hem of my purple scrubs and then my shoes.

Summer is known for carrying a thirty-two-ounce water bottle with her at all times, so my first thought was she must’ve spilled it.

But we’re standing at the computer in a patient’s room, and I know she left her water at the nurse’s station.

When I look at her, all I see are her dark roots spidering into caramel highlights on the top of her head.

She’s bent over, inspecting the spill. Because she’s technically not on duty, Summer’s wearing a maxi skirt instead of the standard scrubs.

That’s when I realize it’s not regular old water—or even urine.

It’s amniotic fluid.

Summer’s water just broke all over the floor—and our feet.

“It’s time!” I cry out with glee, ignoring the liquid on my pants.

Everyone in our department has been waiting for Summer to go into labor. We even have a pool going on in the break room. She’s already a week past her due date and has only been coming into the hospital to train me.

Suddenly, someone touches my elbow, and a brusque voice says, “Is everything okay?”

I lift my eyes to the tall man hovering over me. What the hell is Luke doing here? In Jack Dellinger’s hospital room?

“Summer’s in labor,” I manage to squeak, remembering that my coworker is about to have a baby.

My heart jackrabbits in my chest, revved by surprise that the ridiculously attractive hockey player I had a one-night stand with is standing in front of me.

My gaze is immediately drawn to those full lips that have kissed every inch of my skin and then to the thick, dark hair I loved to grab.

Though his eyes are especially dreamy, it’s his rough, scratchy voice that makes me want to drag him into a utility closet for some seven-minutes-in-heaven action.

Luke’s eyes widen, and his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. He looks completely bewildered as he turns his attention to Summer. I know he wants to help, but he seems to be frozen. Can’t blame him.

“Hot damn!” Tonya yells, running into the room and bumping Luke to the side with a clean hip check to move him out of the way. “Today was my day. Pay up, ladies!”

Summer laughs and shakes her head. “Before you collect your winnings, can you please grab my phone so I can call Dan?”

I raise my hand quickly. “I’m on it.”

Before I can take a step, Luke grabs my elbow again. His touch causes a shiver to move up my spine. He leans in, his lips almost brushing my ear as he says, “Shouldn’t we be rushing her somewhere?”

“She’s okay,” I assure him with a smile. “One of us will get her to labor and delivery.”

Luke watches with concern as Summer waddles out of the room. “How are you so calm? I feel like I’m going to puke.”

I put my hand on his shoulder, which brings his attention back to me. “She’s completely fine. I promise. Couldn’t have happened around more knowledgeable people. Well, except actual labor nurses,” I quip. It’s a lame healthcare professional joke, but Luke smiles, as well.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Then he looks down at my pants and shoes. “Can I get you a towel or something?”

Fire rushes to my cheeks. His question takes my mind back to this weekend, being sprawled out on his bed with my stomach covered in his come.

By the way Luke’s expression changes from worry to disgust, I doubt his question triggered the same memory. Which makes me want to flee.

“No. Thanks,” I stammer, shuffling backward out of the room to retrieve Summer’s phone as I’d promised. “I’m gonna get Harry to clean that up. And, um, hightail it to the ladies’.”

I nod toward the door before spinning around to focus on my mission.

Reaching over the counter, I pluck Summer’s cell off the desk and take it to the bathroom.

Before I enter, I realize that rinsing the bottom of my pants isn’t going to do any good.

I should have gone to my locker to get a new pair first. But if I turn around, I may run into Luke again, and it will be even more apparent that seeing him here has me flustered.

“Yo, Summer!” I say as I enter the bathroom. “I have your phone.”

Summer and Tonya are standing at the sink washing their hands. “Thanks, Bree,” she says. I hang on to it while she dries her hands, then pass it over. “Oh no! Look at your scrubs! Do you have another pair?”

“Yeah, I’m good. I always keep a couple clean sets in my locker.”

“Real stories of the oncology ward,” Tonya jokes. Summer and I both laugh and nod.

Being covered in bodily fluids isn’t new for me, so I’m not that concerned. We administer to cancer patients, and the reality is that we never know when we’ll get puked on. Though, I can honestly say, amniotic fluid is a first for me.

While Summer calls her husband, I pull a few paper towels from the dispenser on the wall and bend down to wipe off my shoes.

“Throw some glitter on that shit and get back to work!” Tonya teases me.

“Do you have any?” I ask. “The kids would get a kick out of me leaving a trail of pixie dust through their rooms and the halls.”

“Harry wouldn’t. He would be straight pissed.”

She’s right. It would not be awesome for Harry, the janitor on duty, to clean up. And I’d never make him. Glitter is the herpes of craft supplies. You think it’s gone, then it pops up randomly because it’s impossible to get rid of.

“And he’d know it was the new girl you guys call Tinkerbell, and I’d be banished back to Cali.” I toss the paper towel into the garbage and move to a sink to wash my hands.

“We’re not ready to banish you yet, Tinkerbell. Neither is Luke Daniels,” Summer says.

“I know that’s right!” Tonya agrees with a whoop.

“What?” I ask, looking at them in the mirror.

“Luke sure rushed to your side fast, didn’t he?” Tonya asks. “Old boy didn’t give a damn about the pregnant lady.”

“I actually think he elbowed me out of the way trying to get to Bree,” Summer continues the teasing.

Warmth rushes to my cheeks as I pull paper towels from the dispenser again. There was no way they could know that Luke and I hooked up last weekend. I hadn’t even told Mindy.

“You two are completely mental. Did anyone call L and D?” I ask in an attempt to change the subject to the more important matter at hand: Summer’s baby. Labor and delivery should be told that they have one of their own coming in.

Tonya holds the door open for us.

“She’s changing the subject,” Summer says as she slips back into the hallway. I follow behind her. “You know what that means.”

“Yes. It means I’m concerned about you.” I lead the charge to the nurse’s station. Time to get back to my patients, not admit I slept with Luke. Multiple times.

Here I am, thousands of miles from home, lusting over another freaking hockey player.

Like many women before me, I’m sure, being near Luke makes me want to fall to my knees in front of him.

Though I’m not looking for a relationship during my short time in Charlotte, seeing him again makes me realize I wouldn’t be opposed to an ongoing booty call.

It’s all hockey players have to give, anyway.

Another thing I’m not going to admit to Tonya and Summer. I don’t want the rumor mill to start during my second week here.

Instead of sticking around for more ribbing from the girls, I let Tonya help Summer and get back to work, realizing I’ll have to change my scrubs later.

An hour later, as I’m passing Jack Dellinger’s room again, Luke steps into the hallway, closing the door softly behind him. He reaches out and places his hand on my forearm. “How’s Summer?”

“Good. She’s already been admitted. Baby should be here soon,” I say, trying to ignore the rush of excitement from his touch. Looking at his long, thin fingers on my skin reminds me of when they were in me—and how talented he is with them.

“That’s awesome. Guess this was the best place for that to happen, eh?” A thicker accent came out with the “eh,” and it made me smile. Though I don’t know much about Luke or his background, I can tell he’s a Canadian boy.

“You didn’t tell me you worked here,” he says.

“It never really came up,” I respond. From our conversation on Saturday, he knew I was a nurse, but that was it. We didn’t get into too much other than that. “You are the last person I ever expected to see,” I say.

“I volunteer on this floor every week.”

My stomach flips at the thought of seeing him on a weekly basis.

I nod in response. He’s already got my attention, so his hand still resting on my arm has me at a loss for words.

“You never changed your pants.” Luke nods toward my scrubs.

“Excuse me?” I ask as heat rushes to my face. How does he know? My pants are almost dry.

Luke’s lips slide into a smile. “A pregnant woman’s water broke on you. I thought you were going to change your pants.”

“How do you know I didn’t?” I ask, trying to get the upper hand back.

“I don’t,” he says quickly. “I just noticed that they’re the same color.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t pay so much attention to my pants, Luke,” I tease him.

“Can’t help it. Your ass looks phenomenal in scrubs. And I know it looks even better without them.”

His comment leaves me momentarily speechless. I’m not shy, but I didn’t expect him to bring up our tryst in casual conversation. “Are you saying you’d like to hang out again?” I ask.

Luke takes a step closer to me. Though his chest is covered by a crisp button-down shirt, I can still remember the fantastic artwork over every rock-hard curve.

But I’m also hyperaware that we’re standing in the hallway of the hospital where I just began working.

The girls already teased me about Luke; I don’t need them to see this interaction and have people start talking.

And I certainly don’t want to be known as the nurse who screws the volunteers.

I’m not the type of person who gets off on creating drama in the workplace.

He leans in and whispers, “I’m saying I want to fuck you again.”

My breath speeds up, and the thought of having him inside me flashes through my mind. Instead, I push that thought away and plaster a professional smile on my face. “We can definitely arrange that, Luke.” Then I lower my voice and say, “I’ll text you.”

“Now how can I count on that?” he asks. “You never responded when I sent you a message.”

That catches me off guard. It’s a rare occasion when I’m so flustered that I can’t come up with a witty response. “I’ll text you,” I repeat firmly.

“Talk to you soon, Bree,” Luke whispers before he turns around.

On my way to see my next patient, I notice Luke stop to talk to two guys standing near the nurse’s station.

I wonder if they’re hockey-player volunteers, too.

I’ll have to ask Tonya once the pink flush leaves my cheeks.

She isn’t a quiet person, so if she saw me blushing around Luke, she’d know something was going on between us—or that I want something to go on between us.

Running into Luke made me giddy as a teenage girl. At the risk of sounding juvenile, I’m looking forward to all the future flirting opportunities. Nothing wrong with some sexy banter as long as we keep it on the down low.

Maybe my assignment in this sleepy little town won’t be so boring and uneventful after all.