Healed (Real Men Crave Curves Book 6) Read online

  I was still in a daze from passing out, and the shockingly peaceful feelings that this stranger had brought about in me. I found myself shaking my head and smiling at him as my big secret tumbled from my lips as easily as if I was talking about the weather.

  “Oh, my name isn’t Crystal Johnson. And I hurt my shoulder running from the police.”

  Chapter Four

  Bryce

  When I heard the STAT page coming over the speakers, requesting my presence in the waiting room, I rushed out to find the beautiful young woman I’d spied out there earlier at Janice’s feet. She’d fainted dead away, and I hurried over to her side without waiting to hear what had happened.

  There was a burly male nurse crouched down next to her, and I could tell he was about to scoop her up into his arms and take her back to treatment. A surge of possessiveness instantly shot through me, and I reached out to grab him by the arm and pushed him away in one swift move.

  “Get back,” I growled at him. “This is my patient, dammit.”

  I watched as he stood up and backed away with his open hands held out toward me. I moved into his place and took the young woman’s hand into my own. I slid my fingers to her wrist and felt for a pulse as I looked up at Janice.

  “What the hell happened here?” I demanded and saw my hardboiled nurse’s eyes go wide with surprise at my sharp tone.

  “I came out to bring her back, just like you asked me to do, and when she stood up, she passed out before I could do a thing about it,” Janice replied with a shrug.

  “Well, shit,” I mumbled. I could tell she wasn’t happy about the whole situation. Hell, she’d made it clear enough with a blatant eye roll when I’d told her I wanted to see to the next patient on the list once we were done with the hand laceration, instead of going home the way we’d planned.

  “You wanted Crystal Johnson? Well, here she is,” Janice said, barely able to contain yet another roll of her eyes. “I’ll go grab a stretcher, so we can try and get out of here before I get too much older.”

  “Don’t bother yourself with that. Just go and get a room ready,” I replied in a clipped tone before scooping the incapacitated young woman up into my arms. “And Janice? Step on it, alright?”

  My nurse stared at me so hard that her eyes bugged out, and then she hustled off to do as I’d asked. I was sure the hospital rumor mill would be churning in overdrive before the night was through, but at that point, my main focus had been on the well-being of Crystal Johnson.

  Of course, that was before I knew who she really was or just what the hell I’d gotten myself into…

  Chapter Five

  Kayla

  Oh, sweet Jesus, I’ve really done it now…

  I’d just told the handsome doctor my real name and that I’m on the run. I can’t blame it on passing out or the pain. Or the fact that he’s the most appealing man I’ve been around in a long time. I’m just an idiot, that’s all, simple as that. An idiot that has no idea what she’s doing when it comes to dealing with criminal activity.

  Dr. Daniels looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. “Well, alright then. No more ‘Miss Johnson.’ But what should I call you?”

  My mind started racing as I tried to come up with a way to fix my mistake. I reached down deep, but I came up with nothing. I’m utterly exhausted, pretty sure that I’ve broken something, scared out of my mind, and I’ve painted myself into a corner with a slip of the tongue.

  I burst into tears. I couldn’t keep this up anymore. I just wanted to be back at a place in my life before I’d screwed myself over so badly. Back to a time when I felt good about who I was as a person, and I didn’t have any reason to run or hide.

  With my tear-streaked face in my trembling hands, I waited to hear the doctor call for security. I’d watched enough TV crime dramas to know he had to report any type of criminal activity or strange behavior like mine. It was all over, and in a strange way, I was relieved that I’d have to face the music.

  But there was no urgent phone call. Instead, there was the weight of a large hand on my knee, and I glanced up to see Dr. Daniels was still right there, looking at me with concern.

  “Your name, Miss? I’d really like to know what I should call you before I start your treatment.”

  I blinked the tears out of my eyes and stared at the handsome older man. He didn’t look like an angel, but that’s what he was turning out to be, it seemed. “Kayla,” I whispered. “My name is Kayla Henderson.”

  Dr. Daniels gave me a smile that lit up his face and made his amazing eyes sparkle. “It’s very nice to meet you, Kayla. How about we get started with some x-rays on that shoulder?”

  “You—I, well, I mean…”

  “We can talk about everything else later, alright? But for now, I’m going to take care of you, Kayla. Because it’s my job, and because I honestly can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.”

  He kept his hand on my knee and stared into my eyes for so long, I thought my heart would beat out of my chest. And I had to admit to myself that I liked it. A lot.

  Chapter Six

  Bryce

  As I waited for Kayla to come back from radiology, I thought about the shock I’d had to hide from my face when she’d ratted herself out. And how I didn’t give a damn about her past or any baggage she might be carrying.

  I might have just met her, but I already cared about her, and I’d be lying to myself if I tried to say it was only her health I had on my mind. I was in the middle of something I’d never experienced before—I was drawn to a stranger that was at least ten years younger, and it both thrilled and terrified me.

  I didn’t know what it was about Kayla that made her so special that I was willing to stick my neck out for her like this. I knew that I should report her being in my ER. But I couldn’t do it, plain and simple as that. I wouldn’t do it, no matter the consequences.

  I also knew what Janice would think of the situation, and that it was time to send her home, before she got any more involved in this than she was. I had no idea what Kayla had done that put her on the radar of law enforcement, but Janice had been good to me over the years, and I wanted to keep her out of whatever was going on.

  With a deep breath to calm myself, I put on my best poker face and made my way over to the nurse’s station. Janice was sitting at one of the computers, looking tired and put out, and I gave her my most winning smile, which caused her to give me her patented “he must be up to something” look.

  “Why don’t you go on home, Janice? I can handle this last case by myself, and you’ve been here long enough for one day.”

  My nurse cocked her eyebrow at me, and I steeled myself for a battle, but Janice surprised me by giving a sigh and nodding her head. I’d been prepared to force the issue, but she just told me to be careful and headed for the nurse’s lounge, tossing a wave over one shoulder as she went.

  Just then, my phone dinged with a new notification from radiology, letting me know that Kayla’s films were ready for review. I made my way over to the nearest computer and pulled them up, already pretty sure of what I’d find, and saw that I was right—her collar bone was fractured.

  I added a prescription to Kayla’s chart and asked another nurse that had just started her shift to grab me an arm sling from the supply room. And then I headed back to the exam room to wait for my intriguing new patient to return, keeping an ear out to make sure the orderly that was wheeling her around wasn’t getting too friendly with Kayla.

  I paced the small space and thought about how I’d never felt so protective of anyone before now, let alone a woman I’d just met. And I knew then and there I wouldn’t be leaving the hospital without her that night, no matter what she’d done to wind up here in the first place.

  Chapter Seven

  Kayla

  I don’t know what I expected to find when I was wheeled back into the curtained treatment room I’d left before being taken to get x-rays. But being greeted by the steady gaze of the handsome Dr. Daniels
was a pleasant surprise. I figured he’d be busy with his other patients and I’d have to wait alone until I was discharged.

  After that, I had no idea where I would go or what I would do. I just knew that staying in one place seemed like a good way to get caught. I was still in a fog from the shot of pain medication I’d had earlier, so my head was a jumble of hazy thoughts, most of which had to do with me making a run for another state.

  Maybe I’ll go to Florida and get a job waitressing at a beach bar. If my car holds out…

  All of that was cut off hard and fast when Dr. Daniels stalked over to the male orderly that had escorted me to radiology and pushed him out of the way with just the use of his powerful presence and a brusque “Thank you, I’ve got it from here.”

  I watched with wide eyes as the orderly scurried away and Dr. Daniels turned to me. He squatted down in front of the wheelchair I’d been forced to sit in, thanks to hospital policy, and looked me square in the face. The smoldering smile was gone, but his ocean blue eyes still twinkled, and I couldn’t help but feel as if I might swoon like a heroine in a cheesy movie.

  “Here’s the deal, Kayla,” he said and leaned in to place his hands on the wheelchair’s armrests. “Your running days are over.”

  My skin went clammy as adrenaline shot through me. I was such an idiot for thinking he was different and might actually help me. I’d been fooled by him being handsome and kind, but of course, he would put his well-being before my own. Getting mixed up with someone like me could bring his medical career to an end, after all.

  I clenched my hands into fists and dug my nails into the tender skin of my palms. I needed to clear my head and figure out how to get the hell away from Pineview Memorial before Dr. Daniels could alert the authorities. I swallowed hard and tried to keep my expression neutral. I didn’t want to tip him off to my plan of bolting the second his back was turned.

  “Your collar bone is broken and you need to keep your arm in a sling until further notice,” Dr. Daniels continued. “You also need to be on pain medication for the foreseeable future. You won’t be able to drive or take care of yourself. Which is why you’re coming to stay with me.”

  I felt my jaw drop open. He wasn’t turning me in or holding me there for the cops. I felt relief wash over me in warm waves. But then reality came crashing down on top of me. I wasn’t in danger of being exposed anymore, but now I had a strange man telling me I was going home with him. I might be going from the frying pan to the fire—handsome doctor or not, I had no idea what this guy was like behind closed doors.

  My bad choice in men was what had gotten me here in the first place. There was no way I was making the same mistake again. I felt my spine straighten and I sat up taller in the wheelchair. I couldn’t deny I was drawn to this man, but there wasn’t a chance in hell I was putting myself totally in his hands.

  Remember what happened with Drake! Do you want to end up running away from yet another problem, thanks to yet another guy?

  Dr. Daniels just crouched there and watched me as I tried to clear my head and come up with an alternative to throwing myself at his mercy. But the cold, hard truth kept rearing its ugly head—I was in a bind and I needed help, and he was my last resort…

  Chapter Eight

  Bryce

  I watched Kayla’s face go from pure shock to iron-clad determination and then pained resignation. I didn’t say a word as she worked everything out in her head, but my heart went out to her in a way that I’d never experienced, and my desire to help her deepened. I couldn’t allow her to keep torturing herself. Not now, not ever.

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t take no for an answer, Kayla,” I said and rose to my feet. “You just wait here and I’ll streamline the discharge process, so you don’t have to worry about…well, anything. How’s that sound?”

  She nodded and I saw relief flash through her eyes before I turned and headed for the admin desk to take care of her paperwork. Pineview Memorial had a charitable foundation in place to help those without insurance get the medical care they needed, and I would just run Kayla’s visit through it.

  I figured if anyone needed a helping hand right then, it was the young woman with the broken collar bone and haunted eyes. Besides, I made monthly donations to the foundation, and I would make my next one larger than usual to help offset any funds she used.

  When I returned, I found Kayla on her feet and looking much more with it then the first time I’d caught sight of her in the waiting room. One of the nurses had been by to bring her a shoulder sling and pain pills, as I’d instructed, and I was pleased to see Kayla wasn’t looking so much like a caged animal anymore.

  Still, I knew I would have to go slow with her and stay on my toes. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her off and send her back out into the world with no hope or options of a better life. I knew I could help Kayla, and that was what I intended to do—once she filled me in on exactly what the hell was going on with her, of course.

  At the end of most of my shifts, I changed into jeans and a t-shirt before leaving the hospital, but I didn’t want to waste any time getting Kayla out of there, so I skipped the visit to the doctor’s lounge and simply held my arm out for her to take, so I could escort her safely out to the parking lot.

  For a moment, she just stared at me like I was a particularly strange species of bug, but then she gave her head an adorable little shake and looped her arm through mine. I reveled in the feeling of her soft, warm flesh pressed against me and gave her my most charming smile.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” I said as we moved down the hallway and out into the fresh evening air. “How do you feel about some good old-fashioned comfort food?”

  “That sounds great,” Kayla said with a grateful smile. “I’ve been sticking to snack foods recently, so something hot sounds amazing. But what about my car? I can’t just leave it in the parking lot here, can I? It’s not much, but it’s mine, and I don’t want anything to happen to it.”

  “Honey, I can assure you that it will be safe as can be right where it is,” I said and reached over to cover the hand she’d looped through my arm with my own. “And as far as I’m concerned, you can do anything you want from here on out.”

  Chapter Nine

  Kayla

  As I climbed into the passenger seat of the handsome doctor’s sports car, I couldn’t help but marvel at how much my life had changed in just one evening. I’d gone from being on the run to being a successful older man’s dinner date. I couldn’t stop myself from wrapping my arms around my upper body in a tight hug as we sped into the dark.

  There was a part of me that was worried I wasn’t being too smart by leaving the hospital with a virtual stranger. What would Dr. Daniels expect in return for taking care of me and my hospital bills? But another part of me was enjoying being whisked away like this too damn much to care.

  It’s just a meal together, after all, I reminded myself as we pulled into the parking lot of an all-night diner. If things go sideways, all I have to do is get back to the hospital, hop in my car, and take off. I’ll drive with one arm and deal with the pain if I have to…

  Comforted by that thought, I smiled and accepted his arm once more when he came around and opened the door for me. Delicious smells wafted to me on a breeze from the well-lit little diner, and I found myself moving towards it as if it was an oasis in the middle of a desert. I let everything other than the thought of some home-cooked food drift away as we made our way to the front door.

  After we’d been seated in a booth near the back by a kind, grandmotherly looking woman and had both ordered a Denver omelette with all the fixings, I leaned back and sighed. I hadn’t felt this right with the world in a long time. It really was the little things in life that mattered, just as my mother always used to say.

  “Thank you for this, Dr. Daniels,” I said. “It’s been a long time since I was able to just relax and enjoy a late-night breakfast like this.”

  “Call me Bryce,�
�� he insisted. “I feel like we’ve been through too much together already to not be on a first-name basis. Whether we’re using real names or ones that are totally made up.”

  I felt my cheeks flush at the mention of signing into the ER with a “borrowed” name. I had a feeling I knew what was coming next, and I did my best to steel myself against it. It made sense that Bryce would want to know my story and what was really going on with me, but that didn’t make telling it any easier.

  My eyes slid down to my lap, and I could feel the heavy heat of his gaze on my face. “I know you’re probably wondering about me…”

  Bryce cleared his throat and I looked up to find the waitress standing next to the booth with a plate in either hand. I thanked her as she slipped my omelette in front of me and closed my eyes for a moment, allowing myself to just enjoy the aroma and appreciate the meal I was about to eat.

  “Let’s dig in,” Bryce said and I looked up to find his gorgeous eyes sparkling mischievously. “Into the food first and then into you…”

  Chapter Ten

  Bryce

  I was dying to know more about Kayla, but I knew you got more bees with honey than vinegar, so I smiled at her and encouraged her to eat. I wanted her to be comfortable around me and feel as if she could truly open up. Truth be told, I was fascinated by her already, and I could wait a bit longer to get what I wanted.

  Hell, I’d waited all these years to find a woman like her. What was another half an hour or so, was the way I looked at it. But that didn’t stop me from watching her intently as we ate our omelettes. I couldn’t keep my eyes off those full lips of hers as she brought bite after bite to her mouth.

  I could feel my desire for her building, right there in the diner booth we were sharing, and I bit down on the inside of my lip to try and push my longing down. The last thing I wanted was to make her think she’d been rescued by some pervert that only wanted one thing from her. Especially not when I wanted so much more—everything she had to offer, as a matter of fact.