“I want to propose a toast to the most stubborn and arrogant man who walked this planet, and who better recover fast so he can kick everyone’s ass. To Steel.” Marcus raised his bottle of beer. Everyone joined in the toast.
Jake slipped his arm around Isabella’s waist and turned his gaze on the group, sipping on his beer. “Come on, tell us why someone like yourself chose to become a doctor?” Jake asked.
Everyone’s gaze landed on Elizabeth. Her friend’s cheeks darkened and she raised her hand to palm her face, as if embarrassed by her own reaction.
Ella watched the interplay and reaction to Jake, and wondered whether he could be the one.
“What do you mean?” Elizabeth asked.
“Well—you deal with sickness and death. Fucking depressing, if you ask me. I thought someone smart like you would be better suited to working as a teacher or a librarian perhaps.” Jake swallowed down the remainder of his beer and gripped his bottle.
“I didn’t always want to be a doctor. I was a freshman in middle school, and one day I came home and found my mom lying unconscious on the floor. My dad wasn’t around—it had always been just my mom and me. She more than made up for his absence. She taught me everything, especially how to cook, which she loved. I used to imagine when I grew up, I would be a chef at some swanky restaurant. Anyway, that day, I did all I could to wake her up, but I couldn’t. I called 911 and they walked me through what to do, to check her pulse and breathing, but it was too late. Afterward, I promised myself I would never feel so useless, and I wanted to learn how to save lives.” Her voice broke.
“Damn it, Jake.” Ella placed an arm around Elizabeth’s shoulder. She hadn’t known her friend’s story. The doctor kept to herself, but she knew how it felt to lose her parents suddenly. She had.
“Shit.” Jake crept to the doctor’s side. “I’m sorry. I’m an insensitive ass.”
Ella squeezed her friend’s shoulder as the others nodded and offered their condolences.
“How old were you?” Jake studied the doctor, not having left her side.
“Twelve.”
He cursed and twisted away, wiping his mouth with his hand.
“You’re quite something, Elizabeth Davies, and you can bet your mother is proud of the life you have made for yourself,” said Henry. “To Elizabeth,” he added, smiling at the doctor.
It was the first smile Ella observed in the quiet man and everyone raised their glass or bottle to toast before swigging down the alcohol. She hugged her friend.
“Does anyone have any funny stories to share?” Ella asked. Glancing around the room, her eyes fell on Marcus and Jake. The two confident men fist bumped and smirked, sharing an obvious private joke. They looked at home in each other’s company despite their intense and broody façade as they swigged their beers. Their fitted tops accentuated their strong physiques that demanded countless hours of rigorous training. Henry was slimmer by comparison, in his jeans, a white shirt, and a blue lounge jacket, swirling his beer.
Jake took center stage in the group. “Well, as you asked, princess, I have a good one about the boss.”
Marcus pinned his stare on his friend. “You better watch your mouth if you know what’s good for you, Gateway. Remember there are ladies present.”
Ella surmised Marcus wasn’t happy as he rarely used the nickname for Jake from their military days in private.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, we are way past that nonsense. Unless you’re embarrassed by what he has to say?”
Marcus’s dark, surly gaze zeroed in on her. A slow smile spread over his thin lips as the pulse in his neck beat fast. Fascinated and caught by his raw magnetism, she couldn’t look away.
“If that’s the case, sweetheart, how about we tell our friends how we met?”
Recalling their fiery beginning that resulted in her being in handcuffs most of the time, her cheeks heated. His touch unlocked a primitive, wild, and frantic need. She couldn’t resist.
“We don’t want to bore our guests,” she said sternly. Marcus marched to her side, coaxing her away from Elizabeth and into his arms. Surrounded by their friends, she couldn’t make a scene, even though he was. He wrapped one arm around her waist, drawing her against his chest and pressing in the small of her back. With his other hand, he tilted her chin up to meet his gaze.
“This little lady gave me hell like no other woman I have ever met. She fought me, ran away, tricked me, and tied me to a bed while she charged off on Jake’s bike. Hurtling into danger, unwilling to trust anyone, and like a feral animal, she clawed her way to survive. A tougher woman I have yet to meet.” He brushed his thumb over her lower lip.
At his heated words, her insides liquefied and melted, stealing her breath.
“Ella scared the crap out of me, and I did all I could to push her away. I didn’t want to admit the hold she had over me. I didn’t want to be committed. What the hell did that even mean? I had never shared my life, my thoughts, or fears with anyone. Until this spitfire made it impossible to walk away. To walk away would have destroyed me, and in turn, us. I promise you, Ella, I am still that man you fell in love with, even if at times it doesn’t seem like it.”
He lowered his voice and whispered, “You and Nate are my world.”
“Aw.” Elizabeth clasped her hands to her mouth.
“Shit, boss, you’ve gone soft.”
