LOGINThis chapter took me FOREVER to write. Write, edit, clear, rewrite, edit again, question my entire existence, and then rewrite some more😭 I don't even know how many times I went back and forth with this chapter, but we made it! Please enjoy the fruits of my suffering😭❤️
Jason glanced around the room with a frown, then back at the startled woman in his bed. "This was still my room the last time I checked."Wasn't he supposed to be the drunk one with a splitting headache here?He watched as she took in the room, the horror on her face deepening by the second. Her gaze dropped to the duvet still clutched in her hands like a lifeline before she shoved it away as though it had burned her.Her gaze flicked over him, then away so quickly that Jason almost missed it. "This...""Guess I should be the one asking that question." Jason stepped closer to the bed and tossed her phone onto it. She stared at it for a moment before her gaze returned to him. "Is there a particular reason you're in... my bed?"The question must have come across as an accusation, because the horror on Anna's face quickly gave way to a scowl."I'm not here to seduce you, if that's what you're worried about," she snapped.Jason's frown deepened. "I never said—""I'm just going to leave."
Ouch.Anna wrinkled her nose as the smell of alcohol and cigarettes hit her again, stronger this time. Something beneath her groaned and moved, making Anna frown. She shifted her hand and felt warm skin over hard muscle.Was she lying on top of—Anna scrambled to her feet and hurried backward. She switched on her phone's flashlight, using it to find the wall switch. Jason raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sudden glare of light, mumbling unintelligibly. Anna stared at Jason Knight in shock. He was on the floor, shirtless and drunk, his phone beside him as he mumbled like a child.What in heaven's name was he doing on the floor?Unable to help it, she laughed softly, covering her mouth to muffle the sound."You really did trip and fall." Her laughter vanished as the words she'd just uttered registered. She hurried back to his side and dropped to her knees, her nose wrinkling at the smell. “Jason?”He stirred at the sound of her voice. "Turn that damn light off," he muttered.Reli
…What the hell just happened?Jason stood rooted to the spot in the kitchen long after Anna's footsteps disappeared upstairs. His body still hummed with the electric energy of her presence. Slowly, his hands lifted. The fingers that had held her chin, that had felt the frantic beat of her pulse beneath his thumb, trembled slightly. He clenched them into tight fists, his knuckles turning stark white as he tried to force his body back under control.His skin felt too tight, his clothes too suffocating. He reached up with a jerky, impatient movement, tugging the top buttons of his shirt loose, desperate for cool air against his flushed throat.The sound of someone clearing their throat at the door snapped him out of his daze. He glanced toward it to find the two staff members from earlier still standing there. He cleared his throat once and walked past them, heading upstairs.He needed a cold damn shower."Sir."He didn't stop.“Would you like me to have your dinner brought upstairs, sir
"Is that Leah you're speaking to?"Anna nodded, angling her phone a little toward Elena as she walked around to her side of the dining table."Hey girl." Elena waved at Leah, taking the chair beside Anna. "I thought you weren't speaking to us, huh?"Leah rolled her eyes through the screen. "I decided to be proactive about my... condition. And unfortunately, Anna here has a lot to say.""A lot to say?" Anna laughed. "You're the one who called me, Leah.""Because I know you'd have a lot to say.""You didn't even bring up 'your condition', I did. You said you just wanted to check in."Leah clicked her tongue. "Do you want to keep talking or not?""Threaten the moment you get exposed. Classic move." Elena laughed, and Anna joined her.Leah made a face at them before waving it off. "What were you saying, Annie, before the little parrot interrupted us?"Ivy and another staff member walked into the dining area, carrying trays of serving dishes and pitchers of water and juice. Anna waited as
Anna sank lower into the water, watching as Jason actually tugged off his tie, his eyes fixed on her the entire time."Shouldn't you still be at work? Or reading some textbook? Studying patient charts?"Anna gave him a sidelong look. "You're one to talk. Shouldn't you still be at that boring meeting of yours, playing golf, trading germs and pretending you're curing the world instead of bleeding it dry?"She could've sworn she saw the corner of his lips twitch. But then he pressed his lips together, clearing his throat right after as though he hadn't just almost cracked a smile."Someone sounds salty." He crouched beside the edge of the pool, tilting his head.Why was he not leaving?Anna pulled her lip between her teeth. She wasn't sure whether the heat in her cheeks was because of him or from being out in the sun for too long."This." He nodded toward her in the pool. "Gives me hope for the workaholic in you."Anna frowned. "I'm not a workaholic.""Sure you are." He threw the tie in
Anna stared up at Jason Knight, stupefied by the words she'd heard, unable to stop the heat rising to her cheeks. Her eyes traced the contour of his lips, following the slight lift at one corner.When had Jason started teasing her so casually again?"You seem distracted.""Mm." Anna's gaze lifted to meet his eyes. His dropped briefly to her lips and back up so quickly she thought she'd imagined it."Something on my lips?"Anna blinked. Oh Lord.That was when she noticed how close they were standing. She took a quick step back, her face practically on fire."I wasn't looking at your lips."The corner of Jason's mouth lifted higher. "I didn't say you were, did I?"Why was he coming closer?"I was just... just astounded that you'd think I'd want to have a private moment with you." She was rambling. She needed to keep her mouth shut or she'd be digging a bigger grave for herself."Astounded?" Jason chuckled, leaning in. His eyes gleamed with mischief. "Your face says otherwise right now."
Anna stared at the bottle of water in her hands, the coldness seeping into her skin, her lips pressed together into a slight frown. What did she want? Familiar walls. Predictability. A chance to regroup before facing whatever ‘this’ was becoming. She hadn't wanted to face him exhausted, raw, and
Anna's shift officially ended at seven. She stayed a few minutes longer handing over, signed out and walked to the door on fumes, her feet dragging. “Morning, Vegas.” She didn't need to look to know it was Dr. Pierce. Her ears picked up his familiar tone. “You sound bright.” He chuckled, hands
“What in God's name am I doing?” Anna muttered, staring at her reflection in her vanity mirror. Grabbing makeup wipes from the box on the table, she wiped the lipstick on her lips. It was bad enough she had styled her hair in a sleek low bun, applied mascara and lined her eyes. But she was for the
Jason's grip on Anna's wrist as he steered her to the hospital’s stairway was firm but careful. The stairwell door swung shut behind them, sealing with a muted thump, cutting off the noise from the hall.It was quiet—underused, as always. The fluorescent lights above were harsh and their footstep







