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  Without saying a word, their bodies entwined and grew increasingly heavy with need. He knew that in order to keep her on the edge, he had to break the spell. He had to leave her wanting more. Suddenly, he broke the kiss. He pulled away. She pouted her lips. Hopefully it wasn’t just the wine that had her craving more.

  “I’ve enjoyed tonight with you, Makenzie. It’s going to be strange and very difficult to have you upstairs when all I really want is to have you beside me, but I’m not going to rush this. I want to see you again. I’ll clean this up and then it’s goodnight, my girl.” He quickly kissed her cheek and started putting away the dishes and the pie. Makenzie, feeling dismissed, jumped off the counter and headed to the stairs. When she turned back to say goodnight, he was just watching her with the cutest grin on his face. He was confident he had just baited her and she was hooked.

  She sat in the bed and thought of him downstairs. She wondered if he was naked in his bed, thinking of her. She touched her lips, still swollen from their passionate kisses earlier. She closed her eyes and reminisced about how his lips felt on hers. How they tasted. How he made her feel.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The next morning, Makenzie awoke to the smell of coffee. Quickly dressing, she ran downstairs to see her gorgeous host, but he was nowhere to be found. She found hot coffee instead, with a mug and a note:

  Mak,

  Thought you might need this. Hope you rested well. Sorry that I’m not here to tell you good morning. Called in to work early, please call me when you get up. Code for garage is 2627. I enjoyed myself last night, hated to see it end.

  Ry

  She grinned, since she had enjoyed it, too. Her brain was telling her to back off and end it. Her heart was playing a different tune. It was going to be difficult to not see him again socially, but the risk was too complicated to ignore. She opted not to call him right away, because she needed time to think things through.

  ***

  Mak arrived back at her loft and her peaceful demeanor soon faded. When she opened her door, the ghosts of her past once again wrecked her calm facade. She double checked the locks, the closets, and confirmed the pistol that she kept hidden in the fake pocket of her specially crafted headboard was still there. It was tiresome to be looking over one’s shoulder all the time, she thought.

  Arriving at work, she saw a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers on her new desk. She just assumed they were a welcome from the hospital for her first day as Chief. Filtering through the stacks of journals, she was glad that she came in early. Hopefully she could get everything organized before her shift started that evening.

  Neck deep in clearing the stack of papers on her desk, Makenzie sighed when her phone beeped with a text. CRAP. She realized that she hadn’t been in touch with Ryler. Certain that he would be checking up on her, she reached into her purse to gather her phone. Her mind had been on the tasks of her new role and she had completely moved past the events of the morning. Scanning through her messages, she noticed it wasn’t Ryler contacting her, it was Jonathan.

  Jonathan: Are u at work today?

  Then it hit her, she had been so busy that she hadn’t even looked at the card with the flowers. Opening the envelope, she gasped. They were from Jonathan. The card read:

  To the sexiest new doc on the block. Congrats on your new position. Looking forward to Thurs.

  Ciao, Jonathan

  She responded to his text:

  Yes, thank u. The flowers are beautiful. Thank u for thinking of me today. Can’t wait.

  Hours passed as she continued to organize her office. The time came for her to relieve the ER doc on duty. She changed into scrubs and comfortable shoes, making her way around to the control desk for shift change. The ER was actually quiet and Dr. Jackson was clearing out his last patient.

  This unfortunately opened the window of opportunity for David and Veronica to find chatty time to get personal. Veronica looked over at David and made a face, then went for it. “So, who sent the flowers, or do I need to ask?” she asked, giving Makenzie a questioning glance.

  “Well, I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you. You see, it’s an ancient Chinese secret,” she sweetly taunted back. “How did you know about the flowers, anyway? They’re in my office. Did you see them?”

  “Doc, look, it’s all over the hospital. You know how these rumor things go. You’re a beautiful, single lady. It’s obvious that Ryler Buchanan has the hots for you. Not to mention that he’s been fishing for information about you. He’s been wearing us out with questions.” Veronica and David shared a look.

  The thought of him asking questions put Makenzie on high alert. She knew this would happen. She was certain that he’d already researched her on the internet and realized that before a year ago, Makenzie Holder never existed. How was she going to explain everything to him? It was just too dangerous.

  Time wasn’t on her side. Just then, the doors opened and Ryler entered, carrying something behind his back with one hand and a box in the other. The look on his face was of mischievousness, with a half-cocked smile. Veronica took the opportunity to make a smart-assed comment under her breath. “Look what the cat just dragged in. Somebody’s in love.”

  Makenzie gave her a look to shut her up while Ryler quickly approached the counter. “I brought the rest of the pie for dessert. I was hoping that things would be quiet so that we could go someplace and talk.” His voice low and almost in a whisper.

  David cleared his voice and piped in, “Sure, she has a new office. We’re quiet here, Mak, we’ll call if anything comes in.” He smiled really obnoxiously. She looked at both of them like she wanted to kill them.

  As she led her admirer around to her new office, the thought of the flowers flashed like a neon sign. Crap, how to get out of this one? She unlocked the door and Ryler followed her in, closing the door behind him. She closed her blinds to the hallway to give them more privacy. When she turned around, he presented her a beautiful bouquet of red roses. He looked toward the arrangement on her desk and knew that he was not her lone suitor, but still he planned to be the last man standing.

  “Thank you. They’re lovely. I owe you an explanation about last night and this morning,” Makenzie uttered nervously.

  He shushed her by putting his finger on her lips. He didn’t remove it quickly, rather stroked her lips back and forth several times. She felt her heart leap with anticipation, trying to run right out of her chest. He could feel her pulse with the hand that was resting on her neck and could see the rise and fall of her chest. He knew that his presence excited her.

  “I get it. No need to say anything. I enjoyed myself and it felt good to have you there with me. I do wish that you would’ve called me this morning. When I didn’t hear from you, I went home as soon as I could and made sure you got off okay. I just came by to say thank you for a lovely evening and bring you some dessert. Seems my mom made you another pie, one that you can share with your staff. I hope you all enjoy it.” He brushed her cheek with his thumb, and took a long hard look at her dark eyes before turning and moving towards the door.

  He turned to look at her over his shoulder. “Hey, if you’re not busy on Sunday, we have a co-ed softball game starting at three o’clock and then everyone’s coming to my house for burgers. No pressure, just call or text me on Sunday if you’re able to make it. See ya soon, Makenzie.” And just like that, he was gone.

  Makenzie took a seat at her desk and put her head down on her outstretched arms. How was she going to deal with Ryler Buchanan? She felt such a strong urge to be with him. He said and did all the right things. He was easy to be around and his touch, well, he had a touch that made her body overly sensitive and filled her mind with sexy cravings. She wanted to be with him, more and more. It hurt just then to see him walk away, feeling like the underdog.

  She opened the box and gasped. Inside the lid of the box he had written her a note:

  This is to share with your staff. I have some waiting at home for you to share w
ith only me. Giving you the last bite is like giving you my last breath and to taste it on your lips is like tasting heaven.

  Ry

  She couldn’t let the staff see the note, she had to hide the box. She returned to the control desk and told them she had a treat for everyone. She put the pie in the staff lounge for them to enjoy, minus a piece she saved for herself. The staff appeared like a swarm of ants and sat around chatting over how good it was. Makenzie enjoyed every single morsel of her piece, but as she ate she could only think about the night before and how sensual it was to share food with Ryler. She had to get him out of her head.

  Veronica and David both fished for the goods on her relationship with Ryler but she avoided their questions, just as she tried to avoid the thoughts of moving forward with future activities with him. The night was a rather slow one. She had to disappear to her office just to get away from all the attention. One by one, she cleared items from the stack on her desk. When she looked at the “pie box” in the trash, a painful tug forced a sting through her heart.

  Finally, the shift was over and she was able to change and head home. David was behind her on the way out to the parking lot.

  “Hey Mak, can I talk to you for a minute?”

  She stopped and gave him her undivided attention. “What’s up David?” As if she didn’t know the answer before she even asked.

  “I just thought you needed to know something about Ryler. When his wife Cyndi left him, it almost killed him. He hasn’t been the same since, that is, until you. He’s captivated by you, but if you aren’t interested or you’re seeing someone else, let him know. Don’t hurt him. He bleeds red, just like you do.”

  David didn’t give Makenzie time to reply. He turned and moved on to his car, leaving her standing alone in the parking lot. She found herself feeling alone and in the midst of a funnel cloud, the world just turning around her. She stood there trying to grip what David asked of her.

  After a few minutes, Makenzie got in her car and let her tears flow, finding release from all the tension that had been building. Why did everything have to be so hard?

  She was paralyzed and unable to move. Propped on the steering wheel, she saw the small family photograph that she kept tucked away. She missed them so much and needed to see them, talk to them, if only she could.

  She was alone. It was a life that she traded in order to live. Her sobs were uncontrollable at times as she spent the next hour in her car trying to come to a decision. She tucked the photograph of her sister and parents away in a safe spot and put the car in gear.

  Back at home, she changed into her running clothes and sought to clear her mind by pounding the pavement. She didn’t even keep up with how far she went, but the morning sun felt great on her back. When she returned to the apartment building, she saw Sarah in the lobby.

  “Hey Sarah, I haven’t seen you since Saturday night. I just wanted to say thanks for inviting me out, I had such a great time meeting everyone. What a fun group.”

  “We enjoyed having you join us. I understand from my brother that you two have a date on Thursday. I’m thrilled!” Sarah gave Makenzie a cheerful smile.

  “Yep, sure do. He’s picking me up here at seven. I forgot the name of the place he’s taking us to.” Makenzie was like a child when it came to surprises. She didn’t know the concept of patiently waiting.

  “He mentioned what he had in mind, but I’ll let him fill you in. That’s between you two. I try to stay out of his relationships. I’ve got to run, hope you join us again very soon! Bye, Makenzie!” She quickly retreated to her office.

  Something Sarah said caught Makenzie’s attention: relationships. She used it in a plural tense.

  Makenzie had no room to judge, especially with Ryler and even her old ghost. She was extremely curious if Jonathan was a player. Despite the fact that he was gorgeous, she just had a good time with him and the entire group. She was definitely attracted to him as well, and that delicious kiss definitely created a nice spark.

  Grabbing a few hours for a nap, she awoke feeling refreshed. The laptop was calling her name, and she had an uncontrollable desire to perform more research on both guys. The next couple of hours was consumed studying articles and photos of both of them. It seemed that each of them had been involved in quite a bit within the community and there were photographs of them with so many different women. Jonathan was definitely photographed the most, but much of it had to do with the family business.

  The men were so different. She shook her head and closed the laptop. The nonsense had to stop, it was pure mental torment, and it was self-inflicted even, which was worse.

  She packed her bag and drove over to the gym to get a good workout in with a boxing bag and a self-defense class. She had mastered the class some time ago, but there was nothing like her Krav Maga classes. They reminded her of scenes from a movie she had watched several years ago where this woman played the wife of a horrible man who beat her, but she eventually got even, after she trained in self-defense. That’s why Makenzie decided to learn self-defense. She knew if the day ever came where she had to defend herself, she could, and definitely would.

  The workout definitely helped to relieve tension. She took some time to rest while she sat on the bench and watched some of the other students. She heard one of the instructors speaking with a new student she hadn’t seen there before.

  The girl found the training grueling and told the coach she had to take a break. She sat down on the bench beside Makenzie and began to cry.

  Makenzie watched her for a bit before she finally reached her arm around her, embracing her. “The first time is the worst. Next time will be easier, and each time you’ll get just a little bit better at it. It’s like with anything, you always get to look back at where you came from, but you don’t always get to see where you’re going. One of these days, you’ll be grateful you took this course and stuck with it.”

  Makenzie was curious who she was trying harder to convince, herself or the girl.

  “Thank you. Sounds like it was hard for you too, but I’ve watched you and you have this stuff down with no problem,” she uttered through her tears.

  “Yes, but it wasn’t always that way and just so you know, I’ve had tears just like you. I’m Makenzie, by the way.”

  The young woman began to calm down and relax a bit. Makenzie wanted to try and coax her in to continuing.

  “Sorry, my name is Rachel Taylor. Thanks for talking to me, Makenzie.”

  “Nice to meet you, Rachel. Look, watch the coach working with the other student. They’re new at this like you. I’ve learned a lot from watching.”

  “I wish that I’d known this stuff a year ago, I might’ve been able to save my friend from being beaten by her boyfriend until she was in a coma. I have to do this for her. Will you help me with some of the tricks?”

  “Oh sweetie, first of all, I’m really sorry for your friend. I hope she’s okay. Secondly, there are no tricks to this course, it’s pure hard work, but you can do it. Take your time and don’t let the frustrations get to you. And finally, do this for yourself. Your reason is a good one, but you have to do this for yourself or it will never work. Now let’s go to the mat and rumble at bit, shall we?”

  Rachel and Makenzie spent time going through practice sessions with the coach and using each other as stand-ins.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The next few days flew by for Makenzie. Her new role at work required her to go in early for medical staff meetings and executive staff meetings. She was happy that she had accepted the position, and it suited her.

  It was Thursday morning already. Things had been quiet on the Ryler front. She hadn’t heard from him since Monday when he brought the flowers and the pie, although her thoughts drifted to him often. She actually missed seeing him.

  While out for a run, she decided that she couldn’t stay away from the softball game on Sunday. She loved playing ball and hadn’t enjoyed it in quite some time. When she returned to the loft, she sent
him a text, saying yes to the ball game and asking for the location. The day progressed, but she didn’t hear back from him, but she figured he was really busy.

  Primping for her date with Jonathan, she couldn’t keep the smile from her face. It was exciting to have such a sexy date coming to pick her up. She stood in her closet for the better part of half an hour trying to decide on what to wear. She mixed and matched, trying to find the perfect outfit. Not knowing what they were doing was hindering. Finally, she cracked. She sent Jonathan a text:

  Curiosity is killing me. At least tell me what I should wear?

  He responded:

  Clothes

  Makenzie responded:

  Hmm,maybe.

  Okay, so he wasn’t playing along. Fine, she would make a decision. She chose a very tight, black pencil skirt, leopard print silk tank, and black stilettos. The skirt would certainly get his attention.

  Jonathan sent her a text when he arrived at the lobby and she made her way down to join him. His eyes lit up when he took a look at her.

  “You’re simply stunning, Makenzie. Any guy would be drooling to have you on his arm tonight.” He kissed her hand before winding it in his arm as he led her to his car. It wasn’t the Range Rover. Instead, he had a Black Ferrari, the door held by the valet. Makenzie just stood and looked at the car. Finally sinking down into the seat, she waited for him to slide into the driver’s seat. As they sped away, she enjoyed the way he moved the car in and out of traffic on the toll way.

  “What do you do, walk out to your garage and go, ‘Eenie, meenie, miney, mo, this is what I am driving today?’” she asked with a taunting smirk.