All or Nothing (2 page)

He didn’t even get her number, almost like he knew where he could find her. Of course now he knew where she lived. But still, it was an arrogant move on his part. Sadly, she had a soft spot for arrogant men.

Ben pushed back from his desk with a grumble. He hated paperwork, detested it was more apt. It was his Achilles heel so to speak, always waiting to the last minute, even forcing him to sit down and finish up the last few details of any mission during his years as a SEAL.

His job as Director of Security was no different. He left the necessary paperwork—that couldn’t be pushed off to his executive assistant—to the last minute.  But he was finally done and could make his rounds before leaving.

Stretching his legs in front of him before standing, he realized he had been at it longer than normal. A glance at his watch showed the rest of the office had left hours before.

He shoved his phone in his pocket, clipped the hospital radio back to his belt, and locked his office door behind him. Making his way down the hall, he noticed all the doors were locked and the lights off. Detouring toward the dispatcher’s office, he sent a final wave in the air and tapped his radio, signaling he was making his final rounds as usual, then went about his business.

He decided to swing by the wing housing the specialty doctors’ offices. Offices where patients were seen daily, appointments only. They would be locked up for the day, but there would usually be a doctor seen floating around working late. He wanted to make sure that was all that was going on.

Letting himself into the Orthopedic Department after seeing a light on, he quietly made his way down the hall toward the private offices. He knew who occupied every office that was in the building. He had studied the hospital blueprint enough and refreshed his memory often.

Heavy-handed clicking could be heard coming from Dr. Jack Reynolds’s office. He was working late as always. Ben leaned against the wall outside of the office, listening more to make sure it was Jack. The vibration of a cell phone, then silence as Jack most likely replied to the text. A deep sigh followed, and then the sound of Jack’s glasses being laid down on the desk. Another vibration of the phone, then a chuckle and a mumbled, “Only Cori.” Yep, definitely Jack.

Ben rounded the corner and watched Jack push back from his chair and rapidly jump up. “Geez, Ben, what the hell? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

He caught Jack’s nervous glance at his hand, resting inches away from the gun at his hip. It had been a reflex at Jack’s sudden movement. Dropping his hand, Ben laughed and seated himself calmly across from Jack’s desk. “Sorry about that. Just making my rounds.”

“What are you, a cat? How is it possible you never make a sound when you move?” Jack asked, disgruntled.

Ben snorted and eyed Jack’s big six-foot-five frame, three inches taller than himself. Jack had to be the least graceful person Ben knew. “Hardly. But you learn to move quietly when you’ve been in some of the situations I have.”

Jack returned to his seat and reached forward to grab the phone that was vibrating on his desk again. His eyes widened, along with a twitch of his lips and twin pops of red on his cheeks. Cori, no doubt, was sending her husband some messages to get him home. Ben watched while Jack replied and laid the phone back down. “Your wife trying to coax you home?” Ben asked knowingly.

Jack grunted and nodded.

“I’ll let you finish up then,” he said, standing. “Lock up behind you.”

Ben shook his head. Jack’s wife Cori was a little firecracker and always had been. She was well known in the hospital, constantly running around laughing and giggling, the total opposite of her husband, Jack. And he knew them personally, thanks to Cori’s relationship with Brooke Mathews, who was married to Lucas Mathews. Not only had he grown up with Lucas, but Lucas’s younger brother was the one now engaged to his baby sister, Kaitlin.

And thoughts of that engagement brought him back to his night in the bar, almost two weeks ago. It was tough to get Presley out of his mind. Of course he didn’t try very hard. She was a treat to look at, all long-legged like he enjoyed. But it was her attitude that drew him in. She was a tough one. He had no fear she could have easily held her own in the bar. He was serious when he said she didn’t need his help at all.

And when he brought her home, she had complete control at all times, even though he was a stranger to her. She didn’t need to know that he could have overpowered her within seconds. He wouldn’t have, and he tried hard to not let people see that side of him. But she had an air of confidence and strength, and that was a major turn-on.

After she handed his shirt back to him in the car, he’d walked her to her door—manners that had been ingrained in him by his parents, if not followed up by his years in the service. He wasn’t stupid. He could tell she was attracted to him, and he saw that she was waiting for him to make a move.

But he wasn’t one for doing the expected. She stood in front of him fumbling around for her keys, and he calmly watched her sigh when she found them, almost like she had given up on him. Then she turned her back to unlock the door. With one hand on the knob and a half a step into her apartment, she looked back at him and started to say goodbye. That was when he reached out and pulled her close.

Shaking his head at the memory, he grinned again. Her raspy voice, sexy smile and the feel of her body against his had been invading his thoughts more often than they should have.

Since that night, he had driven by her house three times. Each time he was disappointed to find she wasn’t home. Twice he’d driven by after work, at different hours, only to see no car in the slot in front of her house and the lights all out. The last time he drove by was a few days ago on a Sunday, midafternoon. Again, no car in the driveway.

With a sigh, he focused his mind back on his rounds. In the hallway now, he turned to make his way to the Pediatric Unit. He had a soft spot for the kids. Especially kids that were fighters. Anyone who fought with everything they had held a place of honor in Ben’s mind.

Rather than ride the elevator, he took the stairs and stopped at another floor first. He never had a set schedule for his rounds at the end of the day. Leave everyone guessing, he thought. He changed the days, his routes and his times constantly.

He didn’t need to make the rounds when he left each day. That was what the officers on duty where scheduled to do on each floor. But Ben liked to make his presence known. If he wasn’t willing to get his hands dirty, then he couldn’t expect his men to do it either.
Lead by example
had been something else he lived by.

Walking past the waiting room, he saw two people in recliners with blankets covering them while they watched TV. Visiting hours were over, but there were always a few parents who wouldn’t leave their child’s side. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t either, if it were his child.

Swiping his badge across the security panel, he let himself into the unit, walked past the nurses’ station and lifted his hand with a cheerful wave. They were used to seeing his face, along with his officers coming and going.

His step faltered when he heard a teenage voice saying, “Presley, just a few more minutes.” He made his way closer. How many people were named Presley? Though, it wasn’t a completely unheard of name.

“Sarah, you know your curfew,” the raspy voice replied with a trace of humor.

A smile lit up Ben’s face. Well, I’ll be damned, he thought. He walked a few more steps and stopped in the doorway, taking in the view of the backside from the body that had been occupying his dreams lately. Too bad the scrubs hid the magnificence underneath. But he remembered, just like he remembered everything.

The teenage cancer patient standing there talking to Presley froze and blushed, having noticed him standing in the doorway. He smiled softly back at her, which only caused her flush to deepen. Then he shifted his eyes to the other girl in the bed, who looked a bit sicker than her visiting friend, and his heart twisted a little in sympathy.

Presley, having noticed Sarah’s expression, whirled around and saw Ben standing there. Her own face revealed surprise—but for only a second—then recognition, followed by a touch of amusement in her eyes. “Ben.”

“Presley,” he said, nodding.

She turned back to Sarah briefly. “You know the rules. You need to be in your bed by eight each night.” She held her hand up firmly when Sarah attempted to talk. “I know Tiffany is nervous about tomorrow, and you’re being a great friend by giving her support, but you know the rules,” she repeated, no humor at all in her voice this time.

Tiffany, lying in the bed, looked over with tears in her eyes, and Ben’s heart twisted more. He heard Presley sigh and saw her weakening. “Let me see what I can do. If you promise to behave, I’ll look the other way,” she said, warning both girls.

“We promise,” Tiffany said, sniffling and wiping a tear from her face.

Presley turned back to Ben. “Was there something you wanted?” she asked with a raise of her eyebrow and the trace of humor back in her raspy voice.

He chuckled. “Just making my rounds. Interesting night so far. You knew, I’m assuming,” he said, challenging her on the fact she knew who he was all along. Her reaction to seeing him had been almost too normal.

“Yes, I did,” she replied without blinking an eye.

He nodded. No use questioning her any further, at least not now. “Now I know where to find you.”

She tilted her head to the side, adding a small twitch of her lips. “Now you do.”

He sent a half wave to the girls. “Have a good night, ladies.” Then turned and walked out of the room to finish his rounds.

He was several steps away when he heard Sarah say excitedly, “Oh my God, Presley, he is so hot.”

Followed by Presley’s raspy laugh. “Yes, he is, but don’t tell him I told you so.”

***

Presley made her way back to the nurses’ station, grinning. She knew Ben had been looking for her. Her nosey neighbor had informed her that the same black SUV that had dropped her off almost two weeks ago had driven by her apartment a few times since. She always hated that her neighbor watched everything so closely, but this time it came in handy.

Actually, she’d been waiting to cross paths with Ben again. He always showed up in her unit at one point or another, but not always during her shift. She figured if she bided her time, she would see him again.

Sarah was right—he was hot. And sexy as hell. She wasn’t stupid; she could hide her feelings and expression well, and knew how to do it, but she hadn’t hidden much with him. She was throwing out just enough to let him know she was interested. And so far it was working.

Interesting though, she never heard him approaching Tiffany’s room. Which was strange since he wore what looked like military-issued boots. Stealth-like—that was how he moved. No one ever saw him coming unless he wanted them to.

His predecessor, who retired a little over a year ago, never walked the hospital. No, the old director wore a suit and tie every day, and sat in his office watching the monitors and dictating what officers went where and when, or he spent his time in meetings. She knew this, because the officers stationed on her floor talked to the nurses. They hadn’t cared too much for the old director.

But when Ben was brought in, there was wariness mixed in with uncertainty. No one knew what to make of the young ex-military man who dressed in jeans and boots and walked the rounds of the hospital, the same as his officers.

There had been several changes in staff, and the rumor going around was he wanted to make sure everyone was up to his standards. Since she never saw officers standing around, eating and drinking on shift, or flirting or lounging like they used to, she assumed he’d found his crew.

Either way, the hospital did feel safer. Not that it was unsafe before, at least not on her floor. But now there was an air of security around the floors, and that was a nice feeling.

“Presley?” She turned with a start when her shift supervisor called her name. “Tiffany is calling for you.”

“OK, thanks.” Presley returned to Tiffany’s room to see what mischief the girls might be getting in to, the thoughts of Ben and safety exiting her mind. More important matters waited for her.

Three days later, Ben was walking down the hall of the Pediatric wing doing his midafternoon rounds, when luck would have it, Presley walked off the elevator to start her shift. He hadn’t even planned it that way—at least he hadn’t
purposely
planned it that way.

There was no hesitation in her step when she noticed him, nor did she break stride when he turned his direction and walked alongside her. Silently, for over a minute, they made their way down the hallway, together, side by side, arms and legs moving at the same pace.

Admiration, plain and simple. She pretty much ignored him as if he wasn’t there at all. Two could play at that game. He liked a woman who was confident like that.

She pulled her badge out, flashed it in front of the automated doors, and was one step in when he called out, “Presley.” Pivoting on her heels with a little bounce in her step, her eyebrows raised, she held his stare, waiting for him to continue. “What time is your lunch break?”

With a smirk, she replied, “I’m pretty sure you can find that information out.” Then she turned back on her toes and walked the rest of the way into the ward, the automated doors shutting behind her.

Damn, he thought to himself with a laugh, as his heart knocked once in his chest.

***

“Presley,” her shift supervisor called out from behind the computer at the nurses’ station. “Why don’t you take your lunch now, then you can round the kids up when you get back. Visiting hours will be over by then.”

“Sure thing,” Presley said, turning around. Deciding to walk down to the common areas where the kids hung out, talked or played games, she’d give them their final warning. This time her steps did falter when she saw Ben standing in the doorway talking to one of the girls… who looked to be Sarah. And if the double spots of red on Sarah’s face were any indication, she loved every minute of the attention.

“Ben,” Presley said with a nod of her head. He nodded back, but when he didn’t move out of the doorway, she was forced to turn sideways so as to not brush up against him. “Excuse me,” she mumbled.

Taking a few steps into the room, and feeling the heat from Ben’s body behind her, she announced to the kids, “I’m going on break, everyone. When I’m done I expect this room put back to rights and everyone settled for the night.” When all she heard was groans, she added with a laugh, “Since I’m going on a later lunch than normal, you are actually getting an extra fifteen minutes, so no more complaints.”

She turned sideways past Ben again, started to walk away, and continued out of the automated doors with Ben next to her. “I see you figured out my break,” she said nonchalantly, having successfully ignored him while her co-workers were around.

His chest rumbled. “Yes, I did. And I even have food for both of us.”

She angled her head. “Really? How do you know I didn’t bring something with me to eat?”

“Did you?”

“No.” But that was beside the point.

“Follow me,” he said.

“Where are we going?” she asked frowning when he turned down a corridor she had never been in before.

“There are some offices back here not being used. We can have a bit of quiet.”

She shrugged. The quiet
would
be nice. A few more turns and he was unlocking and opening a small break room door. On the table were two Styrofoam containers.

He pulled out a seat for her, which momentarily surprised her. He obviously read the expression on her face. “What? My mother taught me manners. I thought I told you that already.”

Choosing to ignore his comment, which he had said in a mocking tone, she sat down and opened the container in front of her. A big juicy burger with fries—her mouth was salivating already. But she wasn’t ready to let him off the hook yet. She wasn’t that easy. “How do you know I’m not a vegetarian?” she asked seriously.

His eyes crinkled. “Are you?”

“No.” Again, beside the point. “Well, I appreciate the dinner. I’m starved. I’m pretty fussy about my burgers, but I’m hungry enough to not care.” She lifted the top bun to see what was on her burger, and her jaw dropped.

“Bacon, Swiss cheese, tomato and mustard,” he supplied while smothering a laugh. As if she couldn’t see her favorite toppings for herself.

“Lucky guess,” she said, refusing to be impressed.

He opened his own container, revealing a burger and fries also. Picking his up, he took a healthy bite. She shrugged and lifted hers, took a bite and then eyed the inside of it with speculation. “Medium rare, with just a little pink,” he said, this time not even trying to hide his smile.

She set her burger down and narrowed her eyes. “OK. I’m trying not to get creeped out here.”             

“As you so kindly pointed out, I can find out information when I need it.” He took another bite of his burger, chewed and swallowed while she continued to stare at him. “And in this case, I believe the source of my information is named Lucy?”

“Traitor,” she mumbled and continued to eat when he laughed out loud.

Several minutes passed in silence while they ate their meals. When Presley’s burger was gone and she was left to only pick at her fries, she asked, “Well, since you know so much about me, I guess I can ask you a few questions?”

He leaned back in his chair, relaxed, looking as handsome as ever. “Go ahead.” His burger was completely gone, along with most of his fries.

“OK, first question,” she said.

“There’s more than one?” he asked chuckling, finding more humor in this situation than she did.

“Sure, why not? So, question number one. What are you still doing here this late? I thought your office closed at five.”

“It does, but I work all sorts of hours. I like to be seen and let people know I’m here if they need me, even after hours.”

She’d heard that about him, but it was nice to hear the words come from his mouth. Not too many people put that amount of effort or sacrifice into their job. “OK, that night at the bar, what brought you there? I hadn’t seen you there before.”

“I was out for a drive and decided to stop in and have a beer. And I had been there one other time.”

Made sense. She still wasn’t getting anywhere with him really. But he seemed to be open to the conversation. “Why did you stop in for a beer? I mean, you looked like you were brooding or something?”

He raised his eyebrows at her, almost like he couldn’t believe she noticed that about him that night. Well, she had been watching him. He just didn’t know it. With a casual shrug, he answered, “I was drowning my sorrows.”

“Somehow I don’t believe you’re the type of guy to drown his sorrows,” she said, snatching a fry out of her container and popping it in her mouth.

He tilted his head to the side. “True. But I was that night. My sister Kaitlin had gotten engaged a few days before, and I had been stopped several times that day and asked if it was true. It put me in a mood, you could say.”

“You don’t like your sister’s fiancé?” she asked.

“It’s not that. It’s just she’s my baby sister. I don’t think anyone is good enough for her.”

She softened. That was sweet. She could see him looking out for his sister that way. “OK, next question.”

“You haven’t asked enough already?”

“No. Not yet. I don’t like sneaking around finding out about people. I’d rather ask them face-to-face for more personal information.”

He smirked. “Points for you.”

“So, that night at the bar. You were trying to put me at ease when you thought I didn’t know you—and I appreciated that, by the way. You said ‘I’m pretty well known in these parts; at least my family is.’ Why did you say that? I mean even a serial killer could be well known in these parts. That wouldn’t have been enough for me to let him take me home.”

“That’s good to know. That you don’t let strangers take you home.” His fries were gone, but he reached over and took a few of hers—and had to move his hand fast when she tried to slap it away. “Anyway, I was trying to reassure you, but you’re right, it shouldn’t have made a difference.”

“What I don’t get is why you’d think I would have known who your family was. Or you, for that matter.”

“Most people recognize my name, that’s all,” he said with another shrug.

She stopped for a minute, said his name in her head again and then all of a sudden light bulbs went off. “Ben Harper, as in Harper Investments?”

“That would be my father, yes,” he said indifferently.

“And your sister, Kaitlin, would that be the same Kaitlin Harper whose engagement was just announced to Ryan Mathews?” Holy cow, he wasn’t kidding when he said he was well known in this area. That meant that he was close to Lucas Mathews, the head of the Legal Department in the hospital.

“Yes. That’s my sister.” Her heart gave a little knock at the soft look that came into his eyes at the mention of his sister.

“And Harper Construction? Is that any relation to you?”

“My brothers, Alec and Phil.”

Okay, his family was rolling in it. And he kept some pretty tight friends if she remembered correctly. No wonder he had said what he had. “So why did you go into the service then?”

“What makes you think I did?” he asked.

“Please. You’ve got ex-military written all over you. So which branch? Has to be Navy or Marines.”

He smiled proudly. “Navy.”

“Let me guess, you were a SEAL, too.”

“Hoorah.”

She laughed. And wow, she just had a mental imagine of him in his uniform. Whoa, major turn-on.

She would have loved to sit there and talk to him more, and actually found she was having fun and relaxing, but her lunch break was over. She still didn’t find out why he went into the service. Another day then. “I need to get back now. Thanks again for lunch. Well, dinner actually, for you.”

“I’ll walk you back.” He picked up the remains of their dinner, stuffed it back in a bag and carried it out with him. “I meant to ask you. That girl, Tiffany, how did she make out with her surgery?”

She knew shock was written all over her face. She was touched that he remembered, and that he thought to ask. He got points for that, but she didn’t think he was asking for the points.

No, he looked like he truly wanted to know how she was doing. “She’s doing well. The surgery was a success and she’s in recovery mode. She should be up and about in a few more days. Then she and Sarah will be causing me more grief.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I think you enjoy them giving you grief, as much as they enjoy giving it to you.”

Damn, she wished he hadn’t figured her out so fast.