Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I woke up to the sound of beeping machines and a warm hand on my shoulder. My eyes fluttered open, and there he was again — Dr. Ethan Black, leaning over me with a tight look on his face. My heart jumped. Not just from the fear, but from something else I couldn’t name.

“Easy, Lila,” he said, his deep voice cutting through the fog in my head. “You had a bad reaction to the pain meds. We’ve got it under control now.”

I tried to sit up, but pain shot through my ribs and leg. A soft groan slipped out of me. My body felt heavy, every curve of it exposed under the thin hospital gown. I could feel the softness of my belly, the weight of my breasts pressing against the fabric, the thickness of my thighs under the sheet. I hated how aware I was of it all right now, especially with him standing so close.

“Don’t move too fast,” he warned. He adjusted the pillow behind my head, and his fingers brushed my neck. The touch sent a spark down my spine. I shivered.

“What happened?” I whispered. My throat felt dry and rough.

“You crashed again after I left. Blood pressure dropped suddenly. But you’re stable.” His blue eyes locked on mine, intense and unreadable. He looked tired, like he hadn’t left the hospital all night. “I stayed to monitor you myself.”

My cheeks heated up. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to.” The words came out low, almost like he didn’t mean to say them out loud. He cleared his throat and checked the IV line in my arm. His hands were big and steady, but gentle when they touched my skin. “How are you feeling now? Any sharp pain?”

I shook my head slowly. “Just sore. Everywhere.” I glanced down at myself and tugged the sheet higher, trying to hide the way the gown rode up over my wide hips. “I must look a mess.”

Ethan paused. His gaze moved over me again — slow, like he was drinking in every detail. Not the clinical way a doctor should look. Something hotter. “You look beautiful,” he said quietly. “Strong. Alive. That’s what matters.”

Beautiful? The word hung in the air between us. No one had called me that in a long time, especially not a man who looked like him. Tall, muscular, with that sharp jaw and those piercing eyes that made my stomach flutter. I was used to guys glancing at my body once and then looking away. But Ethan kept looking.

I swallowed hard. “Thank you for saving me. Again.”

He pulled up the chair and sat down beside the bed. Close. Too close. I could smell his cologne mixed with the clean hospital scent. “Tell me about yourself, Lila. It helps patients recover when they talk.”

I let out a small laugh that hurt my ribs. “Not much to tell. I’m twenty-nine. Work as a nurse at a small clinic across town. Double shifts most days. Not much of a life outside that.”

He nodded, listening like every word mattered. “Family?”

“Mom’s Black, Dad’s White. They split when I was little. I bounce between both worlds but never feel like I fully fit in either.” I shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

Ethan’s eyes softened. One of his hands rested on the edge of the bed, fingers inches from mine. “You seem like someone who carries a lot on her own.”

Before I could reply, a nurse walked in with breakfast. She gave Ethan a surprised look but said nothing. After she left, he helped me sit up a little, adjusting the bed controls. His arm brushed against the side of my breast as he reached over. Heat rushed through me. I bit my lip, hoping he didn’t notice.

“Sorry,” he muttered, but he didn’t pull away fast. His eyes dropped to my chest for a second, then back to my face.

The tension in the room grew thick. I could feel my body responding to him even through the pain — a warm pull low in my belly. This was crazy. I barely knew the man, and here I was, lying in a hospital bed with a broken leg, getting turned on by my doctor.

“Dr. Black—”

“Ethan,” he corrected. “When we’re alone like this, call me Ethan.”

My heart raced. “Ethan… this is probably normal for you. Saving people. Having them look at you like you’re some kind of hero.”

He gave a small, tired smile. “Not like this. Not with you.”

The way he said it sent butterflies through me. I wanted to believe him, but the voices in my head were loud. The ex who told me I was too big to ride him properly. The dates who ghosted after seeing me naked. My soft belly. My thick thighs. My full curves that never seemed to be enough.

Yet Ethan kept staring like he wanted to touch more than just my wrist for a pulse check.

He stood up suddenly and checked his watch. “I have rounds soon, but I’ll come back after. We need to talk about your recovery plan. Physical therapy starts tomorrow.”

I nodded, trying to ignore the disappointment when he stepped toward the door.

Just before he left, he turned back. “Lila… I meant what I said. You’re beautiful. Every part of you.”

The door clicked shut behind him.

I lay there, breathing fast, my mind spinning. What was happening? This man had just pulled me back from the edge twice, and now he was looking at me like he wanted to devour me. My body ached for reasons that had nothing to do with the crash.

I closed my eyes, trying to rest.

But sleep didn’t last long.

A couple of hours later, the door opened again. I expected a nurse, but it was Ethan. This time he wasn’t in his white coat. Just dark scrubs that hugged his broad chest. He locked the door behind him with a soft click.

“I told them I needed to do a private check,” he said, voice low. His eyes burned as he walked to my bedside. “Lila, I can’t explain it… but from the moment I saw you in that car, something pulled me to you.”

My breath caught. “Ethan, this is—”

He sat on the edge of the bed, close enough that his thigh pressed against mine. One hand reached out and gently traced the curve of my cheek, then moved lower, brushing along my collarbone. “Tell me to stop and I will.”

I didn’t tell him to stop.

His fingers trailed down, lightly grazing the top of my breasts where the gown dipped low. Heat pooled between my legs. My nipples hardened under the thin fabric. He noticed. His jaw tightened with desire.

“You have no idea what you’re doing to me,” he whispered.

Just as he leaned in closer, the door handle rattled hard from the outside. Someone was trying to get in.

“Dr. Black?” a sharp voice called from the hallway. “We have an emergency. And the hospital director is looking for you right now.”

Ethan froze, his hand still on me. His eyes met mine, dark with want and frustration.

Then the beeping started again — my heart monitor going wild.

What the hell was happening between us?

And why did it feel like everything was about to explode?