8

"Logan. Congrats on the recognition." Nicholas kissed my cheek. The scent of his cologne was still as overpowering as the few times we'd been out together. In the beginning, the night would end in sex, but it hadn't taken long for the attraction to fizzle out.

"Nicholas, thank you." I squeezed his hand and stepped back. Around us, the yearly charity cocktail event was in full swing. Laughter and chatter filled the country club, a prelude to the evening affair. Low musical strains from the jazz band tucked into a corner resonated with a subtle lilt of sophistication. Fitting for the night.

After all, even a crime-infested town like Smoky Vale had its elite: the people least affected by the rampant, unchecked crime. The ones who lived behind tall walls and security systems. They wore their wealth like a suit of armor against the chaos that affected everyone else. A few nights of charitable deeds and they were satisfied they'd done their duty to the town.

Tomorrow they would appear in the Smoky Vale Star, who would focus more on who wore what rather than the purpose of the affair—to raise money to expand the burn unit. And although the donations should be private, the newspaper would publish who gave exactly how much.

Whatever it took to improve the medical facility in the town. God knew we needed it with how understaffed we were and the lack of resources.

"How have you been?" Nicholas asked. "It's been, what? Almost two years?"

"Something like that." Truth was, I hadn't given him another thought.

"Too bad I had to leave town when I did." He brushed imaginary lint from the shoulder of my jacket. "But now I'm back. There's no reason we can't pick up from where we left off. You're still single, aren't you?"

Bloom's face popped up in my mind. What did my relationship status have to do with him? He'd finally listened and stopped bothering me. He no longer showed up at the hospital unless he had to see Dr. Simms, and the one time I'd run into him, he hadn't followed me back to my office. Not that I would have had time for him with two new interns to train, a load of paperwork to complete, and the constant pressure to make money out of paper to meet all the expenses of our unit.

"Yes, I'm still single." I took a sip of my champagne. The bubbles prickled my nose. Nicholas was a handsome man, no doubt. Tall and lean with eyes that were an unusual mix of hazel and green, set against his russet hair. But the spark that had flared between us was long gone.

"Then can I count on seeing you later tonight? I've missed you, Logan. Every other man I've been with since you have paled in comparison."

"You're still a sweet talker."

"That's not an answer." He grabbed my hand. "Dance with me. Maybe then I can remind you of the chemistry we had."

"That chemistry is—" The world fell away and Nicholas along with it. Two young men just entered the room. James, dressed to kill in a silver dress and heels, was still no match for the boy next to him. Bloom looked stunning in a pair of tight black slacks, a long-sleeve black shirt, and a matching corset with purple detailing that cinched in his waist and emphasized his slender but well-built frame. His long hair had been tamed into a loose bun, with a few strands falling across his forehead, but he kept his piercings, and his eyeliner was heavily applied, as always.

Absolutely gorgeous. And I wasn't the only one who noticed, although the people could be discussing James's short dress that showed off his spectacular legs. But James in a dress was a common occurrence. Bloom, with all his claws retracted and in formal attire, wasn't a sight we were used to. The little spitfire looked more presentable for company than I'd ever seen him.

"Who is that?" Nicholas asked, his voice full of awe.

"Dr. Dehaney's date, it seems." Grimm wasn't with his boy, which meant James had taken Bloom as his plus-one. What were they up to? Bloom was already a force to reckon with. With James in tow, he spelled trouble with a capital T. Nothing good could come from this duo tonight.

"Damn, he's getting all the attention." Nicholas took my tie in his hand and tugged. "You aren't even looking at me anymore."

I couldn't. I couldn't take my eyes off Bloom. He was listening keenly to whatever James was saying. When had they become close friends? It made everything more suspicious.

What were they up to?

"He's not supposed to be here."

"You know him?"

"Yeah." I took another sip of my drink. James was introducing Bloom to Aaron Price, one of our colleagues. Nothing out of the ordinary, except Price was one of the few openly gay men at the hospital. I scoffed. Was that their strategy? To bring Bloom here tonight, flirt with a colleague of mine, and drive me to jealousy so I confessed my undying love for him?

Did they think me gullible? That I could be swayed by such childish games?

Price touched Bloom's arm, and I held my breath. Here it comes. Bloom will punch him for sure.

Bloom hung on to every word Price was saying.

"Whoa, why that scowl?" Nicholas asked. "You keep looking at him like that, and I'll think you and he have something going on."

"Absurd." I tore my gaze away from Bloom. "He's just a kid."

"Doesn't look like a kid to me."

Dammit, he was right, and no matter how many times I told myself that, it was simply not true. Bloom looked more mature than he ever did. And he was behaving for a change. What the hell had James done to my Bloom?

Well, not my Bloom, but the Bloom I'd come to know. A vicious little monster who made me want to cuddle him to death. The Bloom who would wound himself to get my attention. Now he wouldn't even look at me.

"More champagne, sir?" a server, carrying a gleaming tray of glasses, asked.

"No, thank you." But I gave him my empty glass. Nicholas snagged one and downed it before the server could walk away.

"Come dance with me."

"Maybe later. I'm not in the mood to dance."

"Well, when you're interested, call me." He flounced off, but I didn't care. Not when my gaze wandered back to Bloom, who was still chatting with Price and laughing at something he'd said. An odd pang of jealousy surged through me. Bloom shouldn't be getting along with anyone. He was wild and unpredictable and had no filter.

No one else is supposed to want him.

Sucking in a deep breath, I turned my back to them. I couldn't allow such dark thoughts to fester. I should be happy he was paying attention to someone other than me.

"Hi, Dr. Collier, are you excited about tonight?"

My breath hitched, and I slowly turned to James. Two could play this game. I smiled. "It's good that the medical association acknowledges the work I've been doing at the hospital after all these years."

"And as your mentee, I am thrilled to present you with the award."

"I'm glad it's you, James. You're a gifted doctor, and one day I see you taking on this position."

"Really?" James's eyes lit up. "You believe I can one day fill your shoes?"

I dropped my gaze to his feet arched gracefully in strappy heels. His nails were painted a glossy midnight blue. "Not exactly my shoes, but you fill out yours very well. You've shown you're not afraid to handle tough cases and make even tougher decisions. I'm proud to be your mentor."

Color rushed into James's cheeks. "You've never praised me like this."

"It's about time, wouldn't you say?"

He let out a sigh. "Are you upset about something?"

"Now, why on earth would I be upset? You haven't done anything, have you?"

"I brought Bloom here."

"I see."

Seconds ticked by in which I waited for him to continue the conversation. I had nothing to say to him until he admitted the scheme he was trying to pull.

"I needed a plus-one," he said. "After last year's event, Grimm didn't want to come."

"You could have asked anyone else. You're not short of friends, and you know I don't want to be involved with him."

"Is that the reason you called me the other night to ask about him? Damn near ruined my game that night too."

"Oh, James, give it a rest already. Going one night without you climbing on top of Grimm isn't that big a problem."

"And neither is Bloom. All he wants is to get close to you."

"Is that why he's over there faking a laugh with Price?"

"Well, since he's into doctors and you won't give him the time of day, I promised him I would introduce him to another doctor. Where's better than a benefit where doctors will be in attendance? He's hitting it off with Price, see?"

I saw enough, all right. Bloom making a fool of himself, allowing Price to take him out onto the dance floor. Had he forgotten I"d stitched his leg up recently?

"You admit you're interested in Bloom, then? He's not so bad once you get to know him. I mean, how bad can he be?"

"You have no idea, do you?"

"His brothers are all reasonable, and they helped raise him."

I placed my hands on my hips. "Did he tell you he took a knife to his thigh just to get me to see him at the hospital and play doctor?"

"What?" James's eyes bulged wide. "He did that?"

"Yup. Now tell me again, James. Why do you insist on pushing an unstable boy into my life? Don't I have enough on my plate without being involved with someone I'm afraid will off themself for attention if I don't give it to them?"

"But…you won't even try? Can you honestly say it won't matter if Bloom is with someone else? Because your eyes have been following him across the room since we arrived."

"James, I already let you drag me into this biker mess when I didn't want to be involved."

"You did it because you love saving lives and see it as your duty. Maybe that's exactly the reason Bloom suits you. Maybe he needs you."

"What Bloom needs is a psychiatrist. I'm not one."

"As far as I know, he's seeing one, isn't he? You can't hold that against him. Think about it."

I had done nothing but think about it. Multiple times. The fact didn't change that I couldn't love anyone and drag them into my mess, least of all Bloom, who already fought against his demons. How selfish would I be to involve him in my uncertain life?

Ten years might have passed, but I didn't forget. I would never forget.

It took everything out of me to stay on the opposite side of where Bloom was. I didn't want to talk to him. Didn't want to be close to him. Didn't even want to look at him. Luckily, several board members had shown up, and I didn't waste the opportunity to speak to them about the abandoned wing they were dragging their feet on fixing. Their secretaries always fielded my calls, telling me they were conveniently not in office. Despite the sour faces, I needed to get my piece out, which was damn near difficult to do with Bloom dancing with Price.

When they announced the time for the awards, I couldn't decide if I was more relieved that Bloom had to stop dancing or that I could collect my prize and return home. Some prize when on days like these, I felt that my work had no effect on the hospital at all.

It was time to collect my award. James was all smiles as he took the stage. When he'd just started working at the hospital, dressing in feminine clothes had made the staff wary, but it hadn't taken him long to win them over the same way he had me.

"The first time I met this doctor, he reprimanded me," James said. "He was tough and had high expectations of my work from the moment I entered his department. For the past year and a half, I've had the privilege to work under his tutelage and have learned so much from him. To many, he might be cold and insensitive, but he's one of the best damn doctors we could ever find. He's invaluable to me and to this hospital, so it's with great honor that I present this award to none other than my mentor and friend, Dr. Logan Collier."

If James's entrance had been met by thunderous applause and chuckles, mine was heralded with a scattering of the same. Head held high, I walked up the stage. I was under no misconception of how the staff viewed me. Too strict. Too short tempered. Too selfish. I was fine with all that as long as I got my work done.

James held out the award to me. "You deserve this, Dr. Collier." He gave me a hug, and the crowd clapped louder as I accepted the award. The trophy was heavier than I'd anticipated. When I was first told about the honor, I didn't put much stock into it, but holding it in my hand now, it felt different.

My work mattered. Maybe there was such a thing as redemption after all.

"Thank you, James," I said into the microphone. "And be careful walking in those heels. I won't accept a sprained ankle as an excuse not to come to work tomorrow morning."

Laughter resonated through the audience as I squeezed James's shoulder. He stuck out his tongue and grinned. My god, he was right. We were almost two decades apart, but he was the first friend I'd had in years.

Unlike others, he didn't hate me because of my short temper. He didn't stay away because of my scowl. He didn't flinch because of my abrasive words. I'd thrown up all the walls I could when he started working at the hospital, but he'd wedged himself into my life anyway, refusing to leave me to my solitude.

Just like Bloom.

No, not like Bloom. The relationship I had with James was purely platonic. I didn't feel like running away whenever James got close. But I'd been avoiding Bloom all night.

I scanned the faces, searching for him. He wasn't where I'd last seen him, and I'd kept my eyes glued on him all night. Had he slipped out when I accepted the award?

"Dr. Collier, I know my dress is stealing your breath away, but you really should give your acceptance speech."

I jolted back to reality at James's teasing quip and the ensuing bout of laughter. Clearing my throat, I forced a smile while running my gaze over every seat. "Well, this is the right place for that, James. I'm sure we have a cardiologist in the house."

Several hands went up, to which I nodded. "I want to say I'm deeply honored to receive this award and to be recognized—" Price was also missing. Had the two of them gone off together? I swallowed the sudden bitterness while my lips stiffened into a thin line.

You chose to ignore him. He's none of your business.

To hell he wasn't!

"Thank you for this award, and I look forward to many more years serving at the hospital." I stepped away from the mic and hastily climbed off the stage. The clapping continued behind me as I darted through the crowd, weaving around guests and waitstaff, and rushed into the hallway.

Where could they have gone?