CHAPTER 2 – OF STOLEN KISSES AND PATIENTS

ANAHERA

The sound of fist meeting jaw echoes through the room, shattering against the festive atmosphere.

The stranger stumbles back but he doesn’t go down. He may be as big as Dominik, but my brother is running on pure, unadulterated big-brother rage. He lunges again, grabbing the guy and shoving him hard.

He crashes into a high-end table, sending glasses shattering to the floor.

“Dominik!”

He’s far gone to even listen. “You touch her again, and I’ll kill you!” he roars.

The stranger chuckles. I whip my head to look at him. Does he have a death wish? How can he be laughing when Dom is about to take his head off?

“I just kissed her. Doesn’t that make me better than you?” he teases with a smirk.

Yup, the punch must have thrown him off balance. This hall is about to be painted red, everybody. Courtesy of this generous idiot.

Dominik’s face turns a shade of purple I’ve only seen during overtime playoffs. He raises his fist for another hit.

“Dominik, stop!” I scream, rushing forward.

Thankfully, three of Dom’s teammates tackle him before he can cause further damage. Two bouncers rush in from the side, grabbing the stranger who is now leaning heavily against the wall with one hand bringing a napkin to his lip.

“Let me go! I’m gonna end him!” Dominik is thrashing hard, spitting fury.

“Cool it, Dom. It’s over!” One of his teammates yells.

I’m shaking. I’m actually shaking now. I look at my brother for any signs of blood, and then very slowly, my gaze turns to the man who dared to kiss me.

He definitely must have asked Santa for a death wish with that thoughtless move he pulled.

The room is deadly silent now. The music and the laughter is dead, and so is the Christmas spirit. All eyes are bouncing between my brother and the man slumped on against the wall.

He’s straightening his coat. He winces, putting weight on his left leg and I see him grit his teeth. He has a limp.

Great. Now, he’s injured.

He lowers the napkin from his mouth and I see that there’s blood staining that corner that was just on mine. He runs a hand through his messy dark hair and slowly lifts his head.

He has the greenest eyes…wait, green eyes.

Piercing, familiar green eyes lock onto mine across the wreckage of the party and my blood turns to ice. Every ounce of sympathy I had for the stranger vanishes at once.

No, no, no. It can’t be.

I know those eyes. I know that arrogant tilt of the jaw. The history that hangs between his family and mine like a bad cloud. I remember it all.

It’s Noel Rautio.

My brother’s arch nemesis. The rival. The guy dominik hates more than losing. A bitter-acidic feeling blooms in my stomach, warring with the lingering sensation of his lips on mine.

As soon as he sees the horror on my face, the bastard smiles. He fucking gives me a bloody, crooked, infuriating smile that makes me want to walk up to him and bash his head in with my shoe.

He tilts his head to the side, ignoring the bouncers holding his arms, ignoring Dominik’s death threats, ignoring the hundreds of people watching. He only has eyes for me.

“Missed me?” he rasps.

***

“NOEL RAUTIO?!”

I almost cannot believe the words that jump out of my assignment envelope.

Everyone else gets reasonable patients and I get to work with Noel the fuck Rautio?! Of all people, Dr. Tiare chose to assign me to the green eyed boy from my old neighborhood who is now a famous hockey star?

That…that cocky son of a beezoos?

How can she do this to me?

“Is there a problem with your assignment, Ana?”

“Yes, the fuck there is,” I blurt out without thinking. A collective gasp resonates throughout the room and then silence. Tiare’s expression quickly puts me in check. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I was just…Noel? This has to be wrong.”

I watch my colleagues grab their envelopes, look through and bid us goodbye. They don’t seem to have a problem at all. Why does it have to be me?

This christmas holiday is supposed to be my moment to recoup and start the New year with a clear mind and renewed positivity. Tell me how being assigned to him is going to make that possible.

I’m about to be choked to death.

Tiare walks to her office and I follow her in a hot second. “If you have grievances, you should tender them to the Head of Physiotherapy.”

“Which is my Supervisor who, thanks be to God and the holiday spirits, is you.”

She doesn’t look impressed. “It’s just for a few weeks. What happened to wanting to make me proud and doing the best that you can? You’ve handled similar cases in the past and you did well. So what’s wrong?”

“It’s not that I can’t take him. It’s just– Dominik. He and Noel are not exactly besties. If Dominik finds out–”

“This is work, Anahera. You have to find a way to maintain the balance without disrupting workflow. That is the one thing I would not take.” She lifts her wrist and points to her watch. “I have a few minutes before my maternity leave begins and my husband comes to pick me. Is there anything else you want to say before you get dismissed?”

And out the window goes every chance of stopping this calamity from befalling me.

“No. That’s all.”

Back in my car, the realization hits. The man I have to touch, heal, and be alone with for weeks is the same man my brother almost murdered last night. This is a cruel joke.

How am I supposed to walk into Noel’s space with professionalism when I’ve already felt the rhythm of his heart against my palm?

Deep breaths, Anahera. Breathe or you’re going to faint.

If Dominik finds out about this arrangement, he’s going to be in handcuffs. And I’ll be the sister who sold out her brother for a paycheck–or worse, for a guy who represents everything we hate.