Page 156 of Toxic Temptation
Every time I push those questions away, they come flooding back, attached to memories: his hands on my skin, his mouthagainst mine, the feverish snarl in which he whispered my name in the dark.
The rush feels familiar—like those first few times in surgery. The thrill of holding a life in your hands. The indescribable high of knowing you have the power to save or destroy.
Except this time,I’mthe one on the operating table. My chest is splayed open, ribs cracked wide, heart exposed—and the prognosis doesn’t look good.
If I had to deliver the news to my family, I’d have to be honest:“I’m sorry. We did everything we could, but we couldn’t save her. She’s lost her heart. It belongs to Kovan Krayev now.”
I’m still staring at the pill when Waylen walks into the kitchen.
“Top o’ the mornin’, sister dearest.”
I jump, slamming my hand down to cover the evidence. “Uh, er, morning.”
He stops, studying my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You look guilty. What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything.” I hide my hand behind my back, aiming for casual and missing by a mile. “Last night was rough, that’s all.”
Super rough. And also super tender. And super long, and super thorough, and super multi-orga?—
“Rough how?”
I hide my face so he doesn’t see me blushing at the unwelcome sex flashbacks. “Jeremy basically fired me. Cut my hours and salary. He claims I’m overworked and making mistakes.”
Waylen’s face darkens. “That fucking bastard.”
I try to slip the pill into my pocket, but I miss entirely. It falls, rolls across the floor, and disappears under the cabinet.
Wonderful.
“Looking for something?” Waylen rounds the counter, peering at the spot on the floor where I’m staring in aghast horror.
“No. Just, uh… checking if the floor is clean.”
He stares at me with that worried expression I know too well. “You’re acting weird. What’s going on?”
“I’m fine. Just upset about work.”
“He can’t get away with this,” Waylen growls. “I should go over there and punch his fake teeth in.”
“Please don’t. He’s looking for any excuse to fire me completely, and I’m pretty sure that assault and battery would do the trick.”
Jaw still clenched, Waylen reaches for the coffee pot. “Remember when he used to come to our family dinners? Dad treated him like a son. It’s fucked that this is where we ended up.”
I shrug. I’ve never been more grateful for the chance to discuss Jeremy Fleming’s many flaws. “Dad saw potential in him. As a surgeon and as a person. He wouldn’t have mentored Jeremy if he didn’t believe in him.”
“People change,” mutters Way. “Usually for the worse.”
I decide to leave the pill where it fell. I’ll get a new one later. “Luka should be down soon,” I say. “He was brushing his teeth when I came downstairs.”
Waylen nods. “What are you planning to do today?”
Relive every moment of last night, probably.
“Haven’t decided yet.”
