Fair Game: A Football Romance (38 page)

“Blunt and to the point. I like that,” he says and winks at me—he winked! What kind of doctor winks at his patients? It’s right then that I realize I must look like total crap. My breath can’t smell that great either, and I just breathed all up in his face. Gross.

I must be imagining that this man is flirting with me. No way would anyone in their right mind be attracted to a pale, sick pregnant chick with morning dragon breath.

“You sound pretty crappy too. How did you sleep?” he asks.

“Try not at all. These people are crazy, running in and out of here every five minutes, and then there is the fact that I just found out I’m pregnant.”

“Hmm, I’ll speak to the nurses about clustering your cares better so you can get a few hours of sleep at a time. I’m afraid I can’t help you with the pregnancy issue, but I will say I think I’ll wait on the ultrasound until you’re feeling a little better.”

“Pregnancy?” I hear Mom say as she swings her legs around the side of her cot, slapping her feet on the floor.

“Who’s pregnant?” she says, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands.

“I’m so sorry, I assumed . . .” Dr. Kumar says.

“It’s okay, you actually just helped me out. I had no idea how I was going to bring it up to her. Dr. Kumar, this is my mother, Lilly. Mom, this is . . .”

“Dr. Kumar, yeah, yeah, I heard. Now what’s this about being pregnant? Is that true, Violet?”

“I’ll leave you two alone to talk. It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Washington,” he says to my mother, but she ignores him. Her focus is all on me. He may as well not be in the room.

“I’ll talk to the nurses and I’ll be back this afternoon to check on you again.”

“Thank you so much. If I’m asleep, don’t wake me,” I say and give him a half-ass smile because that’s all I can muster right now.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” And he’s gone, and I’m alone with my mother.

“What the hell is going on, Violet?” she says, getting up from her cot. She moves to the side of my bed, and I’m actually a little afraid of her. I start to cough and cough. I try to explain what’s going on, but I’ve been talking too much. I can’t breathe, and I start to panic, and I cough harder. I grab for her hand. Alarms start to go off and she’s yelling for a nurse, but they’re already coming through the door with Dr. Kumar hot on their heels.

“Violet, you need to calm down. Take deep breaths, okay? Like this.” Dr. Kumar holds my hands in his and demonstrates how he wants me to breathe, but I can’t. There’s just not enough air. I pull one of my hands free and try to yank the oxygen mask off my face. It’s restricting. I’m suffocating in this stupid piece of plastic.

“What’s wrong with her? What’s happening?” my mom yells.

“Mrs. Washington, you need to stay calm. Let us help her,” Dr. Kumar says to her.

“I . . . can’t . . . breathe . . .” I say, panting between each word. Dr. Kumar takes my hand away from the mask and I thrash, trying to get away from him while he replaces it, holding it over my mouth.

“Turn the O2 up to 100%, call RT stat, and get a breathing treatment going here, and push 2mg of Morphine.”

Dr. Kumar gives the nurses orders, but his eyes never leave mine.

“Violet, we’re helping you, but you need to keep the mask on. That’s oxygen. I know you feel trapped, but it’s helping you, I promise. I’m getting you a breathing treatment and something to help you relax. Deep breaths in and out, that’s a girl. You can do it.”

The longer he talks to me in that calm voice of his, the easier it is to breathe. I do my best to follow his instructions, but it feels like forever before the respiratory therapist arrives to start the breathing treatment. My arm where the IV is feels warm, and then my chest, and finally, I’m able to loosen my death grip on Dr. Kumar’s hands.

“There you go. You’re going to be okay now. Your airway was restricted and the coughing didn’t help, but you’re okay now.”

I nod. I’m scared to do anything more than that. I feel like if I talk, I’ll cough and if I cough, then that shit will happen again.

“I’m sorry, Vie, I didn’t mean to upset you, honey. Everything’s going to be okay, we’re going to get you better, and we will sort through all of this together. You’re not alone. I’m here for you.”

I’m relieved to hear she’s got my back on the whole pregnancy thing.

“We are going to keep a close eye on you now, Violet. I know I said I’d ask the nurses to let you rest, but that’s not an option right now. Are you feeling better? You look better. You have some color in your cheeks again,” he says, squeezing my hands.

I nod again and he releases my hands. I immediately miss the calming warmth they were providing. I wish he could just leave his hands here. I wish
he
would stay here, all of him. I don’t know if it’s the lack of oxygen to my brain or what, but I think I’m starting to crush on my doctor.

Chapter Seventeen

Major

Fuck Space

I have to restrain myself from blasting the little brat behind me with some serious drill instructor verbiage. If he kicks my seat one more time, I can’t be responsible for my actions. I thought taking a few days off would help my demeanor, but it’s aggravated it instead. How could I forget how much I hate flying? The closeness, the germs and smells mixing together, the recycled air and the disgusting miniature bathrooms . . . it gives me chills.

I’ve had enough. I place my hand on the back of my seat and turn around to look at the woman accompanying the little boy. Then I look directly into the eyes of the obnoxious little kicker.

“Stop. Kicking. My. Seat.”

The little shit gives me a defiant look, and I narrow my eyes and lift my lip in a silent growl. That’s all it takes. The kid sits back in his seat and crosses his arms over his chest. I glance at his mother, and she looks impressed. My work here is done. I turn around. The pocket on the back of the seat in front of me is stuffed with travel magazines and safety instruction cards. It’s a mess. I can’t help myself when I remove them all and organize them according to size and color. When they’re as close to perfect as they can be, I try to relax and look out the window until we land in San Diego.

After a long landing, I finally exit the airport and look for my car in the long-term parking lot. When I find it, I open the car door, slide in, and start the engine. I blast the air conditioning and lean my head back on the seat while I wait for the car to cool off. I’m in
her
town. Being in such close proximity to her is so tempting. I start having stalker thoughts about driving past her workplace and watching her come out of the building for lunch. I need to get a fucking grip. I sit up and exit the lot, fully intending to head toward Camp Pendleton.

But I don’t.

Twenty minutes later, I’m parked across the street from her office building doing exactly what I just told myself not to do. I give every woman who exits the building the once-over. I would probably know Violet if I saw her, but it’s been a while and I’m unsure of myself. Twice, I’ve had my hand on the door handle, ready to get out before I realized it wasn’t her.

I don’t know what I plan to say if I see her. Why the hell am I doing this again? Essentially, it’s because I’m a fucking selfish asshole who doesn’t care if I ruin her life as long as I get what I want. I’ve tried to stay away. Even if I hadn’t flown into San Diego today, it was just a matter of time before I came to her. She’s all I ever think about. Every day I’m away from her, I grow more pissed at myself for letting her go.

Sabrina was right. Fuck space. I shouldn’t deny myself this second chance. I need to take a leap off this jagged ledge of fear and talk to her. I have to know what made her run that morning three months ago. Was it something I did? Did I push her too far in bed with the rope? Did she realize how severe my OCD is and decide I wasn’t worth the trouble? There are probably a million reasons, but I never picked up any vibes of reservation. I was so surprised when her mother took their bags out of the back of my SUV that morning. I didn’t know how to make her stay. I didn’t know what to say. After driving a mile down the road, my head cleared and I realized she was better off without me. She still is.

This is ridiculous. She may not even leave for lunch, and I have a meeting I can’t miss this afternoon and a forty-five minute drive home. I’ll wait fifteen more minutes, no more.

It turns out I don’t have to wait any longer at all. When I look up, there she is, stepping out of the revolving door with a middle aged petite blonde. Time’s up. I get out of the car and move swiftly across the street, dodging traffic until I’m ten feet behind her on the sidewalk.

She’s got her mop of soft curls swept up in a ponytail that gently swings with her hips as she walks. The curve of her bare neck calls to me and my cock twitches. I’m jealous of her petite friend when they laugh and bump their hips together.

I want those hips to be mine. I want to dig my fingers into her flesh and press a kiss on the rise of each one. This woman has the power to mutate this hard ass Marine into a sloppy puddle of slush. She doesn’t have a clue the power she holds over me. I want to give her everything, take her everywhere, and learn everything there is to know about her. I have an uncontrollable urge to make her happy in any way possible. But first, I have to get her to sit down and talk to me.

I haven’t seen Violet dressed casually since the day we bumped into each other at Target. The events we attended that weekend were dress to impress occasions, but today, she’s a perfect combination of sexy and sweet, wearing a flowing lavender blouse with a pair of bright colored, wild patterned leggings. Her friend is dressed more conservatively in jeans and a short-sleeved cardigan and t-shirt, but I’ve heard Facebook fosters individuality and comfort as opposed to a more professional dress code. I can’t imagine going to work dressed that way.

There are a lot of people on the street today as I weave down the sidewalk trying to catch up with them. I’m walking directly behind Violet when her friend notices me. I smile and fall into step next to Violet. She turns to see who’s invading her space and stops short when I greet her. “Hello, Violet.”

Her skin pales, and for a moment, I worry that I may have to catch her when she passes out on the sidewalk. I step in front of her and introduce myself to her companion. “Hi, I’m sorry to interrupt. I’m Major Steele, a friend of Violet’s,” I say, reaching out to shake the woman’s hand.

God, I’ve missed those dark brown almond eyes. They’re just as full of life and expression as I remember, but something is different today. I can’t pinpoint it exactly, but if I had to, I’d say they have more sparkle, more purpose.

“Major?” she whispers while her friend shakes my hand and introduces herself as Marie.

“It’s nice to meet you, Marie,” I say and turn my attention back to Violet.

“I’m sorry for showing up unexpectedly like this, but I was in town and I’d like to talk to you if you have some time. It doesn’t have to be now. I can wait until you’re off work.”

She wraps her arms around her waist and I watch as the color begins to return to her cheeks.

“Ah, yes, sure. Marie and I are going to a deli down the street. You can join us for lunch if you want.” her voice is strangled, as if every word is difficult to speak.

I take a chance and reach to remove one of her hands from her torso. She doesn’t pull away, and in fact, she comfortably laces her fingers with mine. Her warmth spreads through my body like syrup over hotcakes until it settles in my chest.

“I would like to talk to you privately, if that’s all right with you.”

All three of us are silent for a moment, but Marie returns to the here and now first with a jolt.

“Oh, Violet, go ahead. I’ll run down and get our lunch. I’ll take it back up to the office and we can eat when you get back.”

I like Marie. She’s accommodating.

Violet lowers her head and takes a deep breath. A knot forms in my stomach, and I deflate internally. She’s going to turn me down.

A car on the street honks and startles her, bringing her focus back to me.

“Can we meet later instead? I want to talk too, but I don’t want to be rushed.”

“Yes, of course. Do you want me to pick you up when you’re finished here?”

She doesn’t want to be rushed. That could be good or bad. She may want to take her time letting me down easy. Or she might want to spend some time getting reacquainted. I’m leaning toward the latter, as she still hasn’t let go of my hand.

She looks at Marie, who is eying our joined hands.

“What time do you think we will be done, Marie?”

Marie snaps her eyes to Violet. “Oh, no later than six. You’re not allowed to stay any later than that anyway,” she says and quickly presses her lips together as if she’s accidentally told a secret.

“I’ll be here at eighteen-fifteen.” I squeeze her hand and lean in to kiss her on the cheek. Her skin is so damn soft against my lips. The familiar scent of lavender fills my nostrils as I linger longer than I should. Before prying myself away from her, I whisper in her ear, “You look beautiful today, Violet.” She gently pulls away and releases my hand.

I nod at her friend. “Nice to meet you, Marie. I’ll see you later, Violet.”

Her eyes meet mine for a second before she nods. I look both ways before jogging across the street toward my car, and when I’m behind the wheel, I make a U-turn and drive slowly alongside them. I roll down my window, and they both look at me as if I’m cuckoo for driving down the wrong side of the street against traffic.

“I’ve missed you, Target girl.”

“You’re going to get yourself killed,” she scolds with a smile on her full lips.

“I’ll see you at eighteen-fifteen.” I whip my SUV around into the correct lane just in time to miss an approaching car.

I glance in my rearview mirror and see Violet standing still on the sidewalk, clutching her chest. I didn’t mean to scare her, but I couldn’t drive away until she knew I’ve been missing her. For three long, torturous months, I’ve successfully avoided all contact with her. I’ve done every single thing possible to work her out of my system aside from having a one-night stand. Just the thought of touching another woman is repelling. If we can’t work this out, I could very well spend the rest of my life alone. There is no one else for me. Finding two great loves in one lifetime is simply too much luck for a man like me. It’s Violet or no one.