Page 36 of Resist Me Not (Bloody Desires #4)

TREY

I never told Walker that the flash drive the detective gave him was empty.

Fake. There was no footage, so nothing more for me to clean up beyond the body and any trail left behind that the detective was headed to Walker’s apartment before he “disappeared.” It was all a ruse, one last hail Mary to get Walker to cave, and he almost did.

Until he once again chose me.

There were a few loose ends. While Detective Clancy was working alone in keeping the closed case open and had no real backing for his assumptions, it didn’t look good that he disappeared while digging deeper into someone else’s disappearance, but I have been keeping a close eye on things.

For now, I’m not worried. There is no evidence and there never will be, and if anyone else comes poking around, I’ll take care of them too.

All that matters to me now is being here to surprise Walker and help him celebrate the end of his first week of his fellowship.

He is not expecting me. I left on Monday, and while we have talked every evening, I have been on assignment, working as quickly as possible to ensure I could return to my good boy on Friday with flowers and a night out planned to cater to his every whim.

After all, he deserves a redo for what happened on his birthday.

Trey: You’re done for the night?

Walker: Yep! I just have a few things to discuss with this new patient’s family and Dr. Aldrin, and I am getting as big and as greasy of a dinner as I can.

Good. Because that is exactly what I plan to treat him to.

Walker: I miss you.

The little addition makes me smile, and I peer around the corner from where I have been texting Walker.

I watch him slip his phone into his pocket as said patient, a little girl, and who I assume is her mother, meet up with Walker and his mentor at the rheumatology ward’s main desk.

They are clearly getting various tests and future visits scheduled but are in good spirits, whatever the girl’s condition may be.

I know that part of their good spirits is because of Walker and his naturally kind and nurturing nature.

How he drops to his knees to address the girl directly, not over her or ignoring her to only address the parent, endears them both even more to his bedside manner.

Soon after, they quickly part ways with everyone beaming professional smiles.

It is a… warm feeling that surges through me watching Walker at work, being the kind healer I know him to be. Warm and wonderful and still not at all fading, whether I am right here looking at Walker, or hundreds of miles away, unable to rid him from my mind.

He is my obsession. My fixation. My good boy.

But not only for now. He is to be a lasting partner and presence in my life, because I meant it when I said I love him.

I love him in every way I am capable of love, which means I am always, always going to do everything in my power to keep him in my life.

And woe to anyone who tries to take him from me.

As I am about to make my presence known and step out from around the corner, a different young patient and parent storm out of a nearby room, a father dragging his very young daughter by the elbow, and a frantic and embarrassed mother who follows, carrying an even younger child.

Walker notices and tries to assuage the enraged father.

I can’t make out what they discuss, what the issue might be, or which of the children is actually the patient.

But the roughness the man is using, the complete disregard for the frailty of his child cools the warmth caused by Walker’s presence.

I grip the stems of the roses in my hand too tightly, as I step around the corner, ready to act.

But I am not needed. Walker succeeds in calming the father, presumably fixing whatever had angered him, and swiftly ushers the family toward the elevators—which is when he looks over and sees me.

His eyes dart after the family and back to me in quick succession.

He is more observant than he gives himself credit or the darkness I am exuding is just that potent.

I approach and present him with the roses, which diminishes his brief look of worry.

“What are you doing here?” he asks as he accepts them.

They are Sweetness roses, cream colored with pinkish red tips to their petals, like they were dipped in paint.

Or something else red.

I do so enjoy the look of Walker in his scrubs and white coat, which I saw on Monday before we parted, but now he has had all week to settle into his skin and this next chapter of his life, with me ready to be there when his hard work ends.

He is also wearing my ring. Not on his left ring finger—not yet anyway—but a gift I gave him as a reminder of where his compass should always point.

To me.

“I finished my last city early so I could be here to take you out.” I nearly crush the roses between us in my eagerness to grip the back of his neck and pull him in for a kiss.

As relieved and settled as he had looked before—aside from that brief unfortunateness with the less than stellar father-figure—in the release of our kiss, Walker looks even more radiantly at peace.

Good. That is what I always want to be for him. Peace. Comfort. And indulgence when needed too.

“Unless of course you have other plans for tonight?” I ask with a hint of teasing.

“Doctor Hammond—oh!” Doctor Aldrin cuts herself off as she comes out from behind the main desk where Walker had been lingering and finds us still closely met. Another woman is with her. “We didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Laura!” Walker holds the roses to the side so he can one-arm hug this other woman and kiss her cheek. “What are you doing kicking around here again?”

“Don’t get too excited,” she answers. “I’m still over at Memorial, but a referral gave me an excuse to drop by. How was your first week? And who do we have here?” She effortlessly turned all attention back on me.

“Busy! But good. Good. Um, Laura—I mean, Doctor Dunham, Doctor Aldrin—this is my boyfriend, Trey Fisher.”

“A pleasure,” Doctor Aldrin greets me first. I can tell she is eager to be off for whatever task she has next, but she still takes a moment to peruse me and seems to find me adequate.

“You have a good weekend, Walker. Not all weeks will be this easy.” She means it playfully, given the wink she finishes with, and says her goodbyes with a nod.

“New boyfriend already, huh?” Doctor Dunham insinuates herself a little closer to us now that it is only us three.

She is not in doctor garb, since she is off the clock from another hospital, but dressed in a pencil skirt and blouse.

She has a bit of a busybody nature about her, but as I have said before, that isn’t a punishable offense on its own, so long as it is used in service to others.

Like how she seems to be trying to protect Walker. I appreciate that.

“Be nice,” Walker chides her. He then adds softer, “He is nothing like Curtis, trust me.”

Indeed.

Doctor Dunham eyes me as if to imply she will be the judge of that and takes the bouquet from Walker. “Let me hold these for you so you can go get changed, and I’ll keep Trey company.”

Walker glances between us in trepidation. I am being vetted, clearly, but I don’t mind. It means she cares for him.

I nod my acquiescence. After all, Walker does need to change before we go.

“We’ll be fine,” I say. “Take your time. Our reservation isn’t until six, but if we arrive early, they’ll still let us in.”

“Reservation?”

“You’ll see.”

Walker’s trepidation remains somewhat, but he hurries off with a hastily spouted, “Two minutes!”

“Full disclosure?” Dunham barely waits for Walker to be out of sight. “His last boyfriend was not great. And he deserves great.”

“I agree.” She is handling the roses delicately enough, so I decide she can continue to hold them.

“I assure you, I want nothing more than to help Walker achieve greatness and to be something great myself to help him unwind when he needs that too. He is a singular individual to me, like no one I have ever met.” I look after where he disappeared, already missing him, which is a strange and yet welcome ache.

Doctor Dunham eyes me for a moment before answering, and really, she merely asks another question. “Profession?”

“Travel writer.”

“Wanderlust?”

“Only until Walker needs or summons me—to which I always answer.”

“Past relationships?”

“Fleeting and varied, but no one could hold a candle to Walker, and even so, none were left with complaints.” Aside from the one I killed, but she can’t complain either.

“Family?”

“Only my mother.”

“Close?”

“Very close.”

“Norman Bates close?”

“Appropriately close, and Walker has already met her.”

That gives some pause to my interrogation.

“You know, Walker and I aren’t especially close,” she admits.

“He’s often more the job than he has ever been eager for socializing.

He needs more in his life though, something besides just this.

He’s always seemed a bit like a lost puppy, oblivious in ways despite being exceedingly clever, and not often able to recognize what is and isn’t good for him.

He is good though. A real credit to our profession.

He deserves just as much good in his off hours.

I hope whatever he sees in you is right this time. ”

I answer honestly when I tell her, “So do I.”

Walker must have rushed to change and gather his things, because he comes barreling back toward us at a brisk pace, shoulder bag slung across him, hair mussed.

I can tell he was worried about leaving the two of us alone, but to me, he looks positively delectable with a slight flush to his cheeks, sweat on his brow, and a heave of his chest in faint panting.

Not concerning panting, but I am ever on the lookout for whether he might need his inhaler or help coming down from a panic attack.

I hope to help him avoid having any panic attacks in the future and will do everything I can to strive toward that.

He runs a hand through his hair when he reaches us, and I want to lick the drop of sweat sliding down from his temple. I resist and swipe it with my thumb instead before kissing his scar.

“Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” he huffs. “You two get through Laura’s very likely third degree okay?”

“I’d say so,” I answer and look to her for corroboration.

“For now,” she says, “but I’ve got my eye on you. If it’s necessary.”

“It isn’t,” Walker insists, but he’s smiling, taking her protectiveness in stride. “Even if I am usually a really bad judge of character, trust me…” He turns from her to look at me. “Trey is everything I want and need right now. Longer than right now if he’ll keep me around that long.”

In case you have forgotten, I have been carefully curating the way I say doctor , two syllables, purred in a husk from deep in my throat, so that it sounds almost identical to when I say his name in bed or when I call him my good boy .

I take the flowers from Doctor Dunham and tug Walker closer to me with my free hand in perfect tandem so I can whisper near his ear.

“Oh, believe me, doctor , I’m keeping you.”

Walker shudders, and I imagine he is very grateful to accept the bouquet again to help hide his erection, if the added flush to his cheeks is any indication. We say our goodbyes, and Walker ushers me toward the elevators as swiftly as he had that awful father and his floundering family.

He also not so subtly slips something into my blazer pocket.

I don’t look at whatever it is until we are in a car on our way to the restaurant.

It’s a slip of paper with a name and address written on it.

I glance at Walker, but his expression is neutral, eyes forward.

This is his little gift to me, like permission.

Maybe he knows that awful father is truly terrible, maybe he only knows enough that he wants me to investigate, but it is permission.

It’s… acceptance without a single word spoken to sway me against my nature.

I put the paper back in my pocket and reach over to take Walker’s hand.

His face brightens, and he smiles when our eyes meet.

“So, where are we going?” he asks, snuggling in closer against me and resting his head on my shoulder with the roses cradled in his arms. Their pleasant smell wafts up between us, a spicy sweetness almost like cloves.

“Don’t worry, I hear their Old Fashioneds are fabulous, but you can be the judge. Have you ever had a burger with fried mac n’ cheese sandwiched between the patties?”

Walker laughs. “Is this comfort food or prepping me for a coronary? You and all your unique restaurants to frequent are going to make me fat.”

“Nonsense. First, it is not only unique restaurants I frequent. After dinner, we are going to watch the sunset from the observatory.”

“We have an observatory?”

“It’s small, secluded above the city, and has a perfect view of both the cityscape and the stars beyond all that light pollution. A beautiful marriage in my mind.

“Second, you have been on your feet all week. You deserve comfort food. And besides, I wouldn’t want to lose an inch of you.” I wrap my arms around Walker’s middle to press my fingertips into the softness at his hips that first attracted me to the perfection of everything else.

He lifts his head from my shoulder and gently kisses me. “I wouldn’t want to lose an inch of you either,” he whispers, low and suggestive, before adding, “ Daddy .”

How wonderful, because until Walker first called me that I had honestly never felt so oddly whole. And now I get to remain whole all because he chose me rather than resisting all that I am.

It seems I was wrong, however, when I said I was the hero of this story. The real hero was always him.

“That’s my good boy,” I whisper back and kiss him deeper.