Then it hit me, what I had just agreed to. I would be forced to watch as the two of them got more acquainted, and if Raven had it her way, things may get really hot really fast.
“I may need you to give him a little nudge for me.” I stared back at my friend, a girl I had known for longer than I could remember, and for the first time, I found myself disliking her.
That bothered me.
“Have you ever wanted something so bad, but you feel like it’s just out of your reach?” Yes, I did, but not until recently. “It’s time for him to stop playing and just let it happen. That, or it’s time for me to take what I want.”
Suddenly, the bottle of water I held in my hands no longer sounded appealing.
I opened my fridge and grabbed the chilled bottle of wine tucked safely in the back. Raven smiled when she saw what I had, like it was a celebration or something. She really had no clue that, without this wine, I may have had to tape her mouth shut to keep from killing her. If I had to hear one more thing about Mike and how she wanted to do unthinkable things to him, I may have wound up committing murder…or, at a minimum, assault.
I was struggling here, and she was clueless. But why would she ever consider that her intentions could be harmful to me? Why would anyone?
It was Mike we were talking about. The guy I’d grown up with and the guy I shouldn’t ever be seeing the way I was now.
He was off limits. Or, he should have been, at least.
Chapter Thirteen
Mike
“You look like shit.”
I looked up just as Maddison sat down in the chair opposite mine. I was on my second cup of coffee after a six-hour shift at the hospital and dreading my next three to four. Being low on the totem pole sucked ass, but I didn’t have much longer before I’d complete my residency. The experience the military had given me helped, but I still had a couple of years to go.
It’s the first time we’d seen one another since our exchange at the farm, and I didn’t want there to be any awkwardness between us. I loved Maddison. She was part of my life. Not having her around would be tough.
So we flirted, shared a quick touch that, I’d admit, I could still close my eyes and imagine as if it was happening all over again, but it didn’t have to change who we were when we were together.
“You coming or going?” I asked her as I leaned back in my chair and felt that familiar pain low in my back, the product of an old injury from landing wrong on a jump a few years back, for which I was still paying the price. It was one of the things that had persuaded me not to reenlist.
“I’m scheduled for a surgery in forty minutes.” The way her eyes lit up made me laugh. Maddison was an amazing girl. Always had been. She was so passionate about her work, family, and friends, and there was joy in her eyes whenever she talked about any of them, as if they were the most important things to her. “Dr. Milner and a bowel resection.” She lifted both hands up in front of her and did a little dance in her chair. Her nose crinkled up and her lips pushed out like a duck. Strange but definitely cute.
I wasn’t sure if she was being sarcastic about her excitement or if she truly was happy about the surgery she’d be taking part in.
“Yay?”
She froze in her chair, lowering her arms and leaning against the table, giving me a strange look. “You need a nap.” Laughter escaped her, and she leaned closer, placing one elbow on the table. Her pale-yellow scrubs bunched when she leaned forward even more, which, of course, triggered my attention. Mad had always been petite, just like her mother. Next to me, I looked like a giant. She had long, dark hair, almost black. It was just shy of hitting her waist and shiny, like silk. But the most mesmerizing, captivating feature about Maddison was her eyes; a warm, chocolate brown. The stark contrast against her dark her hair only made those eyes stand out even more.
I knew I shouldn’t look at Mad the way I was and had in the past week, but the harder I tried to ignore it, the more difficult it became. Our group was a massive mess of adopted, extended chaos, a “we now claim you” kind of family. I grew up with Maddison and thinking of her as a cousin was just imbedded in me, but lately, I’d been having a hard time keeping her in that “family” category.
“Hello?”
I shook my head, clearing my thoughts and realizing that Maddison had been talking. I had missed every word she’d said. “Hm?”
“You aren’t actually working with any breathing patients in your current condition, are you?” With one brow arched, she waited for my response.
“Smartass,” I mumbled, lifting my cup from the table and taking a sip. “What was it you were saying?”
“I asked if you and Raven are actually going to make this weekend’s meetup work out this time?” Maddison nibbled at the inside of her cheek, her lip scrunching up the way she did when she was uncomfortable or nervous. “She’s been bugging me to get you to call her to give her a shot. Says you’ve talked a few times but then it’s faded off from there.”
“Been busy.” It wasn’t a lie.
“I heard all about the challenge the
