Forbidden Prescription: A Stepbrother Romance (6 page)

T
he best part
about agreeing to a date with James was that there was no awkwardness during the work day. As much as he wanted to give her all the good surgeries, he tried to be fair and distributed the good jobs and bad jobs in equal measure. Isabella could accept this, but she was still jealous when the other interns bragged about the cool stuff they did while she was changing catheters.

For the moment, Isabella and James had put their sexual adventures in the hospital on hold. The lack of sex was making Isabella long for the weekend. She tried to imagine his house and all the places they could do it. Having sex in a proper bed would be such a nice change for the pair.

On Friday night, James ran to catch up with Isabella as she walked to her car in the hospital parking lot.

“Hey,” he panted. “I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow night. Where do you live?”

She gave him her address and phone number. “It’s funny that we’ve been sleeping together and we never even exchanged numbers. Even one-night stands do it out of courtesy.”

James laughed. “Can I trust you to use this responsibly? I’m not going to be your booty call, am I?”

She rolled her eyes. “I should ask the same from you. I’ll see you tomorrow at seven. What are we doing?”

“That’s a surprise.”

Isabella didn’t like surprises. She liked to always be in control of the situation.

“Are there any foods that you will not eat?” he asked.

“Not really. Do you want me to choose a restaurant?”

“I’ve got it covered.”

“Can you at least tell me what to wear?”

“Something nice. Not too casual, but not super formal either. Does that help?”

“Hardly.”

“Do you want me to buy something for you to wear?”

“Absolutely not.”

“I’m sorry, I cannot divulge any more,” he said. “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night.”

When she got home, Isabella immediately tore through her closet looking for an outfit that matched his specifications. She tried on a variety of skirts and dresses and blouses, but nothing looked quite right.

Where could he possibly be taking her? She hoped that it was somewhere private, where no one from the hospital would see them. She also hoped that wherever they went, they wouldn’t have to socialize with others. Isabella wasn’t in the mood to meet any of his family or friends.

Even though she specified that she didn’t want him to spend a lot of money on this date, she had a feeling that he ignored that request.

As a young doctor, she knew that he must have some money. However, she knew that he had money to begin with. No one else his age dressed the way he did or looked down upon interns scrambling to fill up on free food. No one bought expensive gifts for girls they hardly knew when they still had student loans to pay. Most surgeons didn’t spend frivolously until they were well into middle age.

She finally settled on a strappy floral dress with a deep neckline and a modest circle skirt. Isabella had worn it just once before for her mother’s wedding a few years back. That was one of her more enjoyable weddings, as Isabella was old enough to spend the reception completely wasted at the bar.

Isabella pulled it from the back of her closet and tried it on. It still fit perfectly. The dress showed the right amount of skin and accentuated the right features, but still left a little to the imagination. It was the perfect mix of classy and sexy. James would love it.

Isabella woke up late the next morning, hoping some extra sleep would improve the dark circles under her eyes. She felt well rested, but she was nervous. She didn’t go on dates very often and was worried about doing something stupid. James was always so charming and clever, and she worried that she would be too boring for him. After all, the novelty of dating a future surgeon wasn’t a big deal to other surgeons. She couldn’t impress him with all of her knowledge because he knew way more than she did.

That, and an impressive job title only ever worked out for guys. In her experience, girls liked guys with impressive jobs, but guys didn’t like when girls made a lot more than them.

She spent Saturday morning reading, but she was having a hard time staying focused. Isabella hardly ever got nervous, but for some reason, thinking about the date made her insides clench up.

Instead of spending the rest of the day studying, Isabella decided to treat herself to a trip to the salon. She found a place that did blow outs and shelled out the $50 to get her hair styled. The stylist set her hair into loose, beachy waves that cascaded past her breasts. Her nails, which were always chewed, were filed into smooth ovals and painted a soft pink, and her toenails were done to match. She left the salon a few hours later with an added boost of confidence. James found her attractive regardless, but the pampering helped to relax her nerves.

Isabella felt incredibly sexy when she pulled on her dress and applied her makeup. Her skin was already tanned, so she applied a lightly tinted moisturizer, a coat of mascara, and a berry colored lip stain. She stood back to admire her handiwork. It was a very rare occurrence when she looked this put together.

When James met her at her front door, he was stunned into silence.

“You look amazing. Honestly, you look incredible.”

“You have to say that,” she said, waving him off.

“I made reservations at a restaurant, but I’m not sure I want to go anymore,” he said, softly laying a hand on her hip.

She playfully slapped his hand away. “I’m hungry. We can do that later.”

Isabella was thankful that the drive took them far away from their part of town. It lessened the chance of being spotted by an intern or a surgeon dashing out for a quick bite to eat.

They pulled up to a restaurant just as the sun was setting. He opened the car door for her, then handed his keys to the valet.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to spend that much on me,” she scolded.

“You haven’t even seen a menu.”

“There’s a valet. I can put two and two together.”

He tried to defend himself. “I just really like the food here, and I thought you’d enjoy it too.”

She felt a little bad. He was trying really hard.

“I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s great,” she said.

They were seated in a cozy corner of the dark restaurant. Isabella used the light from the candle on the table to read the menu. She balked at the prices. Even for her, it was pricy.

“What are you getting?” she asked him.

“I’m getting the surf and turf,” he answered, snapping his menu shut. “I figured we could split a bottle of wine. What do you like?”

“Whatever,” she said, not wanting to say that she drank whatever was cheap and got the job done.

James noted her hesitancy with the menu. “Order whatever you want. If it bothers you that much, you can pay for the second date.”

“What makes you think there’s going to be a second date?”

He didn’t answer, and instead, waved the waiter over to take their orders. When the wine arrived at the table, James poured her a full glass.

“Hey, are you trying to get me drunk?” she asked.

“I thought it would help take the edge off. You seem nervous.”

“So do you.”

In response, he poured himself an equally large glass. “To a night away from the hospital,” he toasted, clinking his glass with hers.

They both took a long pull.

“So, what do we talk about?” she asked, breaking the silence.

“Ugh,” he crinkled his nose. “Things aren’t off to a good start if you have to ask for a conversation topic.”

“I don’t do this very often,” she said quickly.

“Really?” he said sarcastically. “I would have never guessed.”

“If you’re so popular,” she returned, “how many dates have you been on in the past year?”

He paused for a moment, silently counting. “Two. Three, if you count a double date.”

Isabella was surprised. For a man who was so handsome and confident, she figured he went on dates fairly regularly.

She took another drink. “I thought that number would be higher.”

“I’m not exactly boyfriend material to a lot of women. I work a lot of hours, and I’m not home a lot. At this rate, I’ll only be busier in a few years. I won’t have a ton of time to take care of kids, nor will I be available for hosting parties or attending benefits. My career comes first, and not a lot of women are okay with that. I understand that they want more out of a partner, but I can’t give that to them.”

“I have a similar problem,” she added. “Except no one wants to date me in the first place because my high-powered career will overshadow theirs.”

“Maybe we have a lot more in common than you think,” he said, taking a sip.

The wine had kicked in, and the two of them had loosened up since they first sat down. They ate their expensive seafood dinners, laughing and having a good time. It was fun spending time with James outside of work. At the hospital, there were always too many people around. At the restaurant, they ate together and didn’t have to worry about who was listening.

It was impossible to not talk about work, but it was fascinating for Isabella to hear stories about the doctors that she revered. She never would have imagined that Dr. Jensen went to medieval festivals in his free time, but it made so much sense when James told her about it. After much prying, she even got him to rank the interns in order of knowledge and ability. It was no surprise that she came first, because she was the best, but also because he was trying to impress her on their date.

After they ate, despite her protestations, he ordered the restaurant’s signature chocolate lava cake. He was really going all out for the date.

“Do you always eat like this?” she asked, licking chocolate sauce from her lips.

“Never,” he said, taking a bite. “I eat a lot of cafeteria food, so this is a special treat. Did you like it?”

She nodded. “You’re going to have to roll me out the door,” she joked.

When the bill came, he looked at it, purposefully emotionless. He quickly pulled out his credit card and returned it to the waiter.

“How much was it?” Isabella asked, finishing off the wine.

“Oh, I don’t remember.” He feigned ignorance.

“I don’t want you thinking that I owe you sex after that major expense,” she said half-jokingly.

He looked her in the eye. “You don’t owe me anything,” he said earnestly. “I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”

“I had fun, too,” she said.

They walked out to the car, and to his total surprise, she slipped her hand into his.

Before he started the car, he turned to face Isabella in her seat.

“I had a really nice time with you tonight.”

“Me too.”

He paused, trying to carefully choose his words. “I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but if you want, you can come back to my place. But I completely understand if you’d like me to take you home instead,” he added quickly. “You can have a drink at my place, and then I can take you back home.”

She grinned. It was funny seeing him all serious. “I’d like to see your place. I’ve always wondered how you live when you’re not at work.”

He started the car. “Then let’s find out.”

J
ames’s house
wasn’t as big as Isabella imagined it to be, but the inside was more decked out than she could even imagine. He had a massive big screen TV mounted on the wall in his living room, and a plush sectional couch that hardly looked used but probably cost a fortune. His kitchen had state-of-the-art appliances and cookware. The office was wall-to-wall bookshelves with a seating area with leather furniture by the fireplace. Isabella imagined that he smoked expensive cigars here with his old college roommates. It was a bachelor pad through and through.

He took her back to the kitchen and made her a cocktail. She sipped it as he cracked open a craft beer.

“Do you want to go outside?” he asked.

“Sure.” She giggled, already feeling tipsy.

He started a fire in the center of the stone table and put on some soft music. The wind blew Isabella’s soft curls and sent a shiver down her spine.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“No, it’s perfect.”

She curled up next to him on the wicker loveseat, her drink in hand. They sat in silence for a moment, enjoying each other’s presence.

“It’s nice to finally have someone here to enjoy my home with.”

“It’s beautiful,” she gushed.

“Yeah,” he said wistfully, “But it gets lonely.”

Feeling the result of half of a bottle of wine and a cocktail, Isabella excused herself to go inside and use his restroom. Having a moment to herself, she did a little light snooping and took a minute to look at the pictures on his walls. He had several frames filled with a woman who could have been his mother at his college and medical school graduations. A man, who was probably his father, was featured in others, on a fishing trip, and one where he was beaming with pride after a soccer game. His parents were never in the same picture.

“Are those pictures of your parents in there?” she asked, returning to her seat outside.

“Yep, that’s them. They’re good people and have always been very supportive of my dreams.”

“For some reason, your dad looks really familiar.”

“I’m not sure why.” He laughed. “I guess he is a pretty generic looking middle aged man.”

“Are they still together?”

“Goodness, no. They divorced when I was really little. My mom married her current husband a few years later. My dad’s married several times since then.”

“Sounds like my mom. I’m starting to lose track of her husbands.”

“I know how that goes. I’ve given up on becoming close to my stepmothers. They never seem to last for long.”

“You’ve got to be the first person I’ve ever met who has experienced this too,” she said.

“Same,” he said, putting an arm around her. “One time, I made a comment to a classmate in passing that my dad was getting married during exams. He was shocked that I was missing it.”

“I know how that goes.” She laughed. “It doesn’t matter, though, because you’ll spend a few holidays with the new spouse, and then they’ll be gone.”

“What does your mom do?” he asked.

“She used to do some interior decorating. Now, she’s a career wife. What about your dad?”

“He’s an architect. Actually, my mom is too. They even had a business together. It was a nightmare when they had to split assets.”

She chuckled. “I bet. My dad was never really part of my life. I don’t really care, though. I’ve never been a very family-oriented person.”

“I’m fairly close with my parents,” he said. “It just gets hard to see them when I’m busy with work and they’re busy with their new lives.”

“Despite this, we both seem like we turned out to be fairly normal,” Isabella joked.

“Yeah, besides the fact that I choose women with logic instead of feelings and I have unrealistic expectations for my love interests.”

“And my ideal man is poor and cool with my never being around.”

“Maybe we are a little fucked up.” He smiled, leaning in closer to Isabella.

“Maybe we are,” she echoed, moving closer to James.

They kissed, gently at first, taking the time to enjoy the moment. He put his hand at the base of her head, pushing his face a little closer. He took in her scent, sweet and clean, like she just stepped out of the shower. She was effortlessly beautiful.

She pulled herself onto his lap, taking his face in both of her hands, kissing him harder. She parted her lips for his tongue to enter, intertwining them. She could feel him growing hard underneath her.

“Do you want to go inside?” she whispered.

He nodded, scooped her up, and carried her inside. James dropped her on his bed, and she slithered into his silky sheets.

“This is so much better than the on-call room’s bed.” She sighed. “This may even be the most comfortable bed I’ve ever been in.”

“I hope that means you’ll sleep in it more often,” he said, climbing onto the bed.

He unzipped her dress and she hastily undid the buttons on his shirt. She loved the way his skin felt against hers. He pulled off his pants and climbed under the covers.

There was no need to rush things in the privacy of James’s home, so for once, they took things slowly. He used his mouth to explore every inch of her body, and under the soft shadows from the hallway lights, she observed every curve and every muscle of his body.

James leaned over Isabella, touching her, and she closed her eyes and gave soft moans in return. He teased her, bringing her right to the brink of orgasm and then backing off.

“How are you doing this?” she asked. No one had ever made her feel this good with such little effort.

“I guess studying anatomy for so many years has finally paid off,” he said with a devilish grin.

“You’re too good,” she groaned. “Make me come.”

He obliged, entering her slowly. He alternated fast and slow movements, sending waves of pleasure through her body. They kissed gently as their bodies moved in synchronized rhythm.

The buildup was worth the wait. They came together, Isabella moaning loudly with no one to hear but James.

Afterward, they held each other, in no hurry to be anywhere but with each other. They kissed tenderly, and Isabella traced his toned chest and rippled abs with a finger.

“Honestly,” she sighed, still high from pleasure, “No one has ever made me feel that good.”

“Me neither,” James said. “I want you in my bed more often.”

“I can’t stay forever,” she cooed.

“I know. I’ll take you home.”

“Do I have to? What if I just sleep here and you drop me off in the morning?”

“Deal,” he said, smiling. “That would be perfect.”

He found her a spare toothbrush and a shirt to sleep in. He pulled on a soft college t-shirt.

He spooned her, and they both fell asleep within minutes.

In the morning, she woke up alone in James’s bed. She fanned a leg over to his side. It was still warm. He hadn’t been up for long.

She padded out to the kitchen to see James pour two cups of coffee.

“Morning,” he said. “What do you want for breakfast?”

“I’m a little hung over this morning,” she said. “I think I’ll skip breakfast if that’s okay with you.”

“Sure,” he said, handing her a bottle of ibuprofen. “But next time, I’m making my world-famous waffles.”

She smiled and washed the pills down with her hot coffee.

“If you want to get dressed, I can take you home now.”

“Yeah, I should probably be going.”

She slipped back into her wrinkled dress and gathered her long hair into a ponytail.

“I had a really good time last night,” James said as they drove the short journey to Isabella’s apartment. “I’m glad you gave me a chance.”

“I had fun too,” she said, wiping the stray mascara from under her eyes.

“Do you think,” he said hesitantly, “that you would want to do this again sometime?”

Isabella grinned and nodded. “Yeah,” she said shyly. “How about next weekend?”

“I can’t next weekend,” he said, looking disappointed. “I have to go to a conference out of town. Can we do this the next weekend?” he asked.

“Okay. This time, I’ll pay for dinner.”

“Deal.”

Before Isabella got out of the car, he grabbed her hand.

“Wait,” he said. “I need to tell you something.”

“Yes?” she asked, a little nervous about where this was going.

“I really like you. I know we’ve both got our issues, and we work together so things are complicated. But I want to be with you, Isabella. I want to try to make things work. Do you?”

“I can’t promise you that it’s going to end well,” she said after thinking for a moment. “But I’m willing to give it a shot.”

James was relieved. “Great,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Isabella gave him a quick peck on the cheek and retreated to her apartment. She ran a lukewarm bath, poured herself a glass of ginger ale, and soaked the excess wine from her system.

She was still dazed by the quick turn of events. One moment, she was accepting a date with her attending out of curiosity, and they next, she was agreeing to be his girlfriend, or at least that’s what she thought he meant. What started as some harmless fun turned into something serious. It scared Isabella.

She was also excited at the prospect of getting to spend much more time with James outside of work. At the hospital, they couldn’t talk about anything other than their patients, and they certainly couldn’t act like a couple. The other interns would raise hell so quickly.

It was a risk, but maybe it was one worth taking. For Isabella, friends were so hard to come by, and here was someone she meshed with so seamlessly. She knew she had to go for it before the opportunity was gone.

The next day was business as usual. The guys were bragging about the surgeries they were in the previous week, and Jordan was rolling her eyes at them.

“How was your weekend?” she asked Isabella.

“Pretty good,” she replied. “I mostly stayed home and studied.”

“Same,” Jordan said.

It was hard to lie to her friend when in reality, she desperately wanted to tell someone about her new relationship. That was just something she’d always wanted to share with a female friend. However, Isabella knew that it was best to keep this a secret for the time being.

“I have an announcement,” James said at the start of rounds. “Dr. Jensen is finishing up his study, so he will be leading you again, starting tomorrow.”

Isabella’s heart fell. She wanted to see James every day.

“I’ll still be filling in for him a few days here and there, so you won’t miss me too much,” he joked. “Okay, let’s get started.”

After Isabella answered his question on hysterectomies correctly, he sent her to surgery with a secret wink. Her stomach fluttered. It was a great surgery. She noted that she would have to thank him later.

At lunch, she met up with the interns. They had spent an awful morning in the ER and were tired and cranky. Jordan asked how surgery was, and Isabella went into full detail, gushing about how fascinating it was.

“If I fuck the boss, can I get in on surgeries too?” Martin mumbled under his breath. The other boys quietly snickered.

“What did you just say?” Isabella asked.

“That’s a messed up thing to say,” Jordan scolded.

Martin got up and stormed away.

“Don’t listen to them,” Jordan said. “He’s just jealous.”

“I know. I just don’t know why he said that,” Isabella said nervously.

“He’s an ass. Forget him.”

Isabella couldn’t forget it. Maybe she had made a mistake. It was bad enough that she was falling for a guy, but even worse that the guy was in charge. If she could not ensure his discretion, she wasn’t sure she wanted the hassle of the relationship.

She sent a quick text to James:

Let’s meet up after work. I want to talk.

Sure, everything okay?

7:00 at the coffee shop by my apartment?

Sounds good. See you then.