Wintertime Bad Boy: A Christmas Suspense Romance (Alphas Unboxed Book 3) Read online

  “Alex.” A familiar voice reaches my ears and I look up to see Lawrence approaching me. He looks tired and has blood on his shirt.

  “Hey,” I smile at him. “You okay?”

  “Better than him.” He gestures with his thumb toward the operating room.

  I wince. “Yeah.”

  “So, uh.” He looks nervous. “How’ve you been?”

  A wreck.

  “Great. How about you?”

  He’s kind of cute but he doesn’t get my motor running if I were to put it crudely. But he seems kind, sincere, someone who might make me feel secure in a relationship. Someone I might like to come home to. And isn’t that what we all want at the end of the day?

  “All right.” He shrugs. “My folks wanted me to fly out to New Jersey for Christmas. I’m still considering it.”

  “Oh, that sounds nice,” I murmur, lightly.

  “What about you?” he presses.

  I move my shoulders in what I hope looks like a casual shrug and not an abnormal movement. “I’m just—I have plans. Maybe. I haven’t decided yet.”

  “You’re not going home?”

  It’s an oddly invasive question but it’s also innocent enough so I shuffle the papers in front of me. “My parents passed away so no.”

  He flinches. “Sorry. That was rude.”

  I give him a small smile. “That’s all right.”

  He shoves his hands in his pockets and rocks on his heels. “You know.” His face is red now. How cute. “If you want, you can come to New Jersey for Christmas. I can show you around. I mean my family is loud and tend to ask too many questions, but you might have fun.”

  He peeks up at me, a hopeful look in his eyes, and I blink. “As sweet as that offer is, I really don’t think it’s appropriate, Lawrence. I mean, maybe if we were—”

  “We can go out a few times and you can decide then!” he blurts out.

  I had been going to say ‘better friends’ but he just took this into another direction.

  I want to say ‘no’ because it doesn’t feel fair to this sweet natured man that I start dating him while my feelings are all tangled up in another man whom I should despise. But I pause. Maybe this is the chance I need to get my life straight. I date a good man, and start thinking of settling down.

  Men like Damien tend to bruise your heart more than protect it. Besides, I might end up falling for Lawrence. Even as I smile at him, I feel like I’m being selfish, as if I’m using him.

  You’re just seeing whether this goes anywhere, I tell myself. Isn’t that the whole point of dating?

  “How about coffee this weekend?” I suggest. “I have Sunday off.”

  He beams at me.

  He really is handsome.

  “I’ll send you details,” he says, readily, looking like he’s on cloud nine. Then he pauses, “Or—Or you can send me details. It’s up to you. Whatever you want.”

  I chuckle. “I’ll leave the planning in your hands.”

  Mathilda eyes us from the corner and gives me a discreet thumbs up and my lips twitch.

  “So, Sunday, then?” Lawrence asks.

  I nod, feeling oddly guilty for some reason. I feel like I’m using him.

  I watch him leave and Mathilda sidles over. “Aren’t you supposed to look more happy? You just scored yourself a date with such a hunk.”

  “He is attractive,” I agree.

  My friend gives me a horrified look. “That man is sex on a stick.”

  “I guess he is,” I admit in a low voice. Not as hot as Damien though…

  “You’re going to have a good time with him, she says excitedly.

  “Do you want to date him yourself?” I tell her, an amused tone coloring my voice.

  “Hey, I have my fiancé and I’m covered.” She winks at me.

  I smile at her and I walk away.

  As I go about my work, I feel a little more relaxed. This is a good decision. It’s a smart decision. Lawrence is a decent man. He’s the kind of man I can probably see myself building a life with.

  But he’s not—

  I pinch myself, growling under my breath. I’m starting to give myself a headache.

  “God,” I grumble under my breath as I sort through the storage room. “One would think that being humiliated would teach you some self-respect but nooo.” I fold some sheets and put them away. “You’re so stupid.”

  A chuckle from behind me makes me freeze and I look over my shoulder to see Carson standing there.

  My lips thin. “Why are you here?”

  He has his hands in his pockets. “Just checking up on you. The brat wouldn’t stop whining until I brought you these.”

  He holds out a box and I stare at it suspiciously. “You didn’t eat whatever is in there, did you?”

  “No.”

  But he averts his eyes and I narrow mine. “Really?”

  “Maybe just the strawberry ones.”

  I stare at him and then at the box, before asking,“Why are you really here, Carson? Aren’t you supposed to be staying away from me or something?”

  “Even the most faithful of dogs slips its leash sometimes,” he grins.

  “You’re not a dog,” I say, flatly.

  His eyes flicker before he says lightly, “Aren’t I?”

  “No,” I say, firmly wondering at that look in his eyes. “You’re a person. Kind of an asshole but decent enough.”

  His smile dims as if I’ve said something incomprehensible. And then he holds out the box again. “Aren’t you going to take this?”

  I slowly reach out and take the box. “Tell Matt thank you.”

  “The kid really likes you,” Carson says, his eyes on me.

  “He’s sweet.”

  “I like you, too.”

  I give him a wary look. “I don’t know how I feel about that. Should I be worried?”

  He lets out a bark of laughter before sobering up, his eyes glinting with that magical gleam that’s so unique to him. “Maybe. Just means that you’ll find me popping up every now and then.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugs.

  “If you start stalking me, I’ll mace you again,” I warn him lightly.

  He grins, that wild looking expression in which he bares his teeth. “You won’t get me next time.” Then he looks over his shoulder. “Where’s that other nurse?”

  I can’t help myself. “You mean the one you can’t stop drooling over?”

  He gives me an offended look. “She’s feisty. I like feisty. I’d take you but you’re the boss’s woman.”

  My grin fades. “No, I’m not. And you should stop saying that.”

  He scoffs. “You are. He’s just being stupid.”

  I take a step back, feeling oddly vulnerable. “Don’t be ridiculous. Damien said what he had to say to me and now we’re done.”

  Carson makes a sound of laughter. “You two are far from done. Once he’s done moping, he’ll come hunting for you.”

  I firm my chin. “No, he won’t. And we both know that. Besides, I’ve decided to see someone else.” When I witness Carson’s eyes widening, I continue on, foolishly, “In fact, I’m seeing him this Sunday.”

  Carson lets out a whistle. “Hoo boy, the boss isn’t going to like that.”

  “It’s none of his business,” I say sharply.

  Carson grins, saying in a sing-song voice, “Your little boyfriend’s in trouble.”

  I stiffen. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He leans against the doorjamb. “The boss doesn’t like sharing. And he’s already enforced a hands-off policy when it comes to you. He isn’t going to like that some little boy stole you from him.”

  Why that sends a thrill down my spine is something that I’ll need to examine in private. But anger also stirs in me and I step toward Carson, drilling my finger into his chest. “You’d better not stir up any trouble, Carson. I mean it. There’s nothing between me and Damien. And he made it very clear to me.” With an afterthought, I add, “And I already knew.”

  When he stares at me, I clarify, feeling a little dumb. “That there wasn’t anything happening between us. I already knew that. So he didn’t have to go out of his way to make it clear. Because I was aware.”

  His lips curve into a smile that spells trouble. “You’re babbling now. How interesting.”

  “Oh, shut up,” I grouch. “And go away.”

  He just laughs, and adds, “Fine. So where’s—”

  “Annie has a shift tomorrow afternoon. Didn’t you two have a date already?”

  His face softens in a way I could never have imagined it was possible. “Yeah. But she won’t pick up my calls.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t like you,” I smirk and when his face falls, I instantly feel bad, saying hastily, “Not that she said anything to me.” He looks at me, a mournful expression on his face, and I try to fix the situation. “She likes roses and chocolates.”

  He perks up immediately. “I can do roses and chocolates.”

  “She also likes action based anime.”

  “Anime?” Carson repeats, confused.

  “Um, they’re Japanese cartoons. But she likes them. Maybe watch a few and you might have something in common.”

  Armed with all this new information, Carson looks satisfied. “I’ll win her over. I can watch cartoons for her.”

  I cough discreetly. “Uh, she doesn’t like it when you call them cartoons.”

  He bobs his head up and down. “What else?”

  I glance at my watch. “And I need to get going. As do you. So shoo.”

  I wave him off, holding the pastry box to my chest.

  He leaves through the window and I roll my eyes before peeking into the box. The pastries are of different shapes and sizes and a smile unfur
ls on my lips when I think of all the effort that probably went into making them.

  I hide the box in my locker before going about my work. With the surgeries successfully conducted, Dr. Greer is taking a breather in his office when I go to hand him the reports on the patients.

  He goes over them before nodding, “These are fine.”

  Then he puts them down and studies me. “When do you clock out?”

  “In another hour.”

  “Okay, good.” He nods, decisively. “I’ll drop you home.”

  I open my mouth to deny the offer but he gives me a stern look. “It’s really late. Why do you have to take a bus when I can just drop you off?”

  “Yes, Dad,” I mutter under my breath.

  “What was that?” He narrows his eyes.

  I look away. “Nothing.”

  I’m about to leave when I stop, and turn to look at him, studying his features. Dr. Greer stills, looking wary. “What?”

  I don’t know why I feel so restless. “Dr. Greer, do you consider us friends?”

  There’s an odd expression on his face before he slips the mask back into place. “Yes. Don’t you?”

  “I don’t know,” I say bluntly.

  He blinks and I continue. “I keep thinking, and don’t take this the wrong way, but I keep thinking that you want something from me or that you and I are on different pages on where we stand.”

  “Would it be so strange if we are?”

  “Why don’t you try and befriend the other nurses?” I counter.

  His face freezes before he shifts in his seat. “I know their names. Isn’t that enough?”

  No! I want to howl. You’re causing serious problems for me.

  But he’s genuinely nice to me so I try to make him understand. “It’s strange for a nurse to get along so well with a doctor.”

  Now he looks confused. “But you’re good friends with Dr. Grant.”

  I sigh, beginning to give up. “Yes. Yes, I am.”

  Either this man is dense or just stubborn.

  “I’ll meet you in the parking lot.”

  He just smiles at me.

  I've already explained to him once that it was him specifically whose friendship was wreaking havoc on my working relationships, but he hadn’t seemed to be able to follow. And it doesn’t really help when he sometimes tracks me down to have lunch together. We don’t talk about much in general unless he’s asking me questions about myself.

  The man is socially impaired, I sigh to myself.

  I’m careful not to let anyone see me walk to the parking lot. Last thing I need is another rumor circulating around.

  “What’s that?”

  I smile automatically at the box in my hand. “A friend gave me some homemade pastries. I didn’t know how much of a sweet tooth I had until recently.”

  He studies me before slowly opening the car door for me. “So you like sweets.”

  There’s a considering tone to his words and I shoot him a narrow eyed look. “I don’t like them all that much.”

  “But you just said—”

  Oh, God. I can’t have him buying me sweets now. I have a feeling he just might. Dr. Greer’s enthusiasm for this newfound friendship with me is akin to that of a five year olds. I bite my lower lip, before telling him, “I don’t want you to buy me sweets.”

  He doesn’t say anything, revving up the engine, and I raise my voice. “Dr. Greer! I mean it!”

  Finally he looks at me and there’s a downcast expression on his face. “I mean I wasn’t going to. But I do know some good dessert places.”

  Why does it feel like he’s determined to spoil me?

  He even started bringing an extra lunch with him when I told him that I liked his cooking. It took a long conversation with him to put an end to that.

  I rub my forehead. “Just, um, no sweets okay.”

  He’s wearing a strange expression on his face before I realize what it is.

  The man is pouting!

  I stare out the window. Why are these things happening to me, I bemoan.

  Since the roads are slick with snow, the drive home is slow. We sit together in silence until I finally say, “You were right.”

  “I usually am,” Dr. Greer says, in an arrogant yet friendly voice, “But about what?”

  I frown at him. “Was the first part really necessary?”

  He turns to look at me and grins. It’s the first time seeing him wearing such a boyish expression and my own lips twitch. However, I settle down. “About Damien.”

  The expression fades from his face and I see something akin to anger enter his eyes. “What did he do to you?”

  The fury in his eyes takes me aback. I had expected a sympathetic nod or an ‘I told you so’, not this level of bloodlust. It gives me some relief when the traffic light turns green and he has to pay attention to the road.

  “He didn’t do anything,” I say, my hands curling around the box. “He just used the same lines as you did and told me to stay away from him.”

  Now that I say it out loud, I feel the rejection loud and clear, and the wound on my heart throbs.

  “It’s not like I liked him anyway,” I mutter to myself but Dr. Greer overhears me.

  His voice is thin. “It sounds like you do.”

  “Well, I don’t.” I glare at him. “I already have another date for this weekend.”

  I should perhaps stop advertising that to every person who’s within earshot.

  “A date?” It’s like a glacier has suddenly entered the car with us. “With whom? Do I know him?’’

  Do you have to know him? I ask myself silently, wondering at this third degree.

  “You know Lawrence, the paramedic?” I tell him. “He’s been asking me out for a while and I finally said yes.” I look out the window at the half frozen landscape. Even the parked cars are covered in snow. “He’s a nice guy.”

  “I see.”

  His tone is hard and I wonder what’s crawled up his butt. He gets weird like this sometimes. I’ve learned to ignore it.

  I can’t seem to stop talking. “He invited me to spend Christmas with his family.” A chuckle escapes me. “Kind of sweet but I had to say no.”

  Dr. Greer stiffens and then asks, “So what will you do on Christmas?”

  I shrug. “I got a plastic Christmas tree. Maybe I’ll hang up some decorations and try my hand at cooking something for myself. I was thinking I could watch some horror movies.”

  “Horror movies? On Christmas?” He gives me a jolly look. “Not the most festive thing you can do.”

  I lean my head against the window. “What will you do?”

  He grows still. “Stay home. Maybe cook. Spend the day with my dog.”

  “You have a dog.” I perk up, interested.

  “Yeah, her name’s Al—Alissa.”

  “Alissa?” I repeat, wondering why he suddenly looks so flustered. “That’s a nice name.”

  His hands tighten on the steering wheel.

  “It is,” he replies, carefully.

  “So we both got nothing to do.” I grin.

  “Why do you look so happy?” he asks me in a wry tone.

  I laugh. “Sorry. It sounds childish but it kind of makes me happy that my Christmas isn’t the only one that will suck.”

  We’ve reached the front of my building by this point as I’m getting out, he says, suddenly, “Alex.”

  “Yeah?”

  He looks a little nervous. “If you want, I can drop by on Christmas. That is, if you don’t mind? This Christmas will be a little difficult for me to spend alone and I’d like to have a friend to spend it with.”

  He clearly expects me to say no and my heart goes out to him, and I smile, softly. “I’d like that. Bring Alissa too.”

  The smile on his face is brilliant, like that of a child’s and I wonder why it makes me happy to see him like that.

  But it also warms me up to think that I might end up making a good friend out of Dr. Greer.

  Chapter 10

  By the time Sunday approaches, I’ve had no more contact with Carson or Matt, or even Damien from that matter. The truth is that the words that Carson had spoken to me in the hospital, a part of me had hoped they were true, that Damien would fly into a jealous rage and come to me.

  On Sunday morning, I recall my thoughts from that evening and laugh.

  I laugh at the sheer absurdity of my line of thinking, of my strange attraction to Damien for no apparent reason. My laughter dies as I stare at the ceiling of my bedroom.