Chapter 5

What the hell just happened here? I had the best night of my life and was hoping for more of the same for the rest of this day and even further along than that when Noah did a one-eighty on me. Something is deeply wrong with that man. I feel like throwing myself in the bed and letting all my tears flow until I can"t cry anymore, but I"m a lot stronger than that. That"s probably something Noah expects from me. Oh, right, Dr. Richards. As if.

I have a few texts from the girls excusing themselves from today's activities, but the one that has my attention is one from Julie. She"s someone I"m close to, more so than my other friends. I could use someone to discuss this and see if we can make heads or tails out of it. I message her back and we settle on a time to meet. I make some coffee and consider ordering room service for breakfast.

Turns out I"m too upset to eat. When I went to meet Julie, it turned out that she also had a forbidden encounter last night. We decide to take advantage of the few hours we have left in Vegas and do a little sightseeing, but my mind is stuck on Noah and the passionate night we shared. Stubborn man. Part of me understands that facing my father will not be easy. Who said life was easy, anyway?

Once I"m back at the hotel, I pack and join Julie on our flight back. Some of my friends left early, and another one is staying longer. I think this trip to Vegas was transformative for all of us. During the long flight back to New York, my thoughts never leave Noah and what could have been. Should I continue to pursue him, or should I just chalk it up to a one-night stand?

Noah is an important person in my life and in my career. Maybe it"s best if I let things stay as they are and move on. This time, I won"t make the same mistake of living my life as if work is everything that"s important. I"ll stop turning down all those invites I get from the other residents and live a little. I might not be able to forget about Noah Richards, but… I place my hand on my belly and sigh. There might be repercussions from our night together.

New York seems the same as I left it just a few days ago. I find myself in my apartment without knowing how I got there. I hate it when that happens. It"s like I"m missing a chunk of my life, and I don"t like it. I have tomorrow off from work, but that"s not such a good idea anymore. I"ll probably spend the whole day moping around about Noah. I could volunteer at that free clinic that I found the other day. I"ll go offer my services and see if I can help out in any way. I know. I know I should choose something that isn"t medicine-related, but that"s my go-to place.

I take a nap before heading to that clinic. They tell me they need references, my information as an intern at the hospital, and other such documents. Meanwhile, they let me do small but useful things like take patient"s vitals and help them with their paperwork. I"m grateful for the distraction, and my spirits are lifted quite a bit. This is where I can make a difference, and I plan on returning. By the end of the day, I'm tired but feeling fulfilled. I think I'm going to recruit some help from the other residents who are in the program with me.

Before going back to my apartment, I need to pick up Jax, my cat, from my friend Mary"s house. She"s one of the few people Jax gets along with, so she offers to watch him when I"m away. I missed his company all these days. I wonder if he"d like Noah. I berate myself for letting he who shall not be remembered into my thoughts ??and take a rideshare to Mary"s.

Getting Jax to leave is not an easy endeavor. He hissed at me! The nerve. But apparently, Mary adopted a kitten recently, and Jax is enamored of her. I told him we would visit and tucked him into his carrier. Once at home, he decides to ignore me, so I ignore him back. See if you can get your own food, you foolish cat. I found Jax as a kitten in an alley. He had one eye shut and the other halfway closed. There was no trace of his mama or any siblings. I took him to the vet, where the groomer declared he was an ugly cat. I didn"t think so. He is all black, and when the medicine took effect, and he opened his eyes, all I could see were emerald green eyes that were grateful I had helped him.

I think tonight I"ll be able to sleep better, with how tired I am. My dreams are filled with a strong older man whose presence overwhelms my senses, and in the morning, I can"t wait to go to the hospital to see if I can catch a glimpse of him.

"Front and center interns! Today, you"ll have the honor of shadowing none other than our prestigious Chief of Cardiology, Dr. Noah Richards. I"m sure you"ll learn a lot from him. Remember our meeting at the cafeteria at 2 pm. I"ll leave you with Dr. Richards."

The attending seems in awe of Noah as well as the rest of us. It fills me with a weird sense of pride that he"s so well respected in his field and this hospital. I keep to the back of the group, but Noah starts walking and we have no choice but to follow. The cases he walks us through are interesting, and he seems to have a deep relationship with every patient. I didn"t know he forged that type of bond with his patients. It"s not required for his part in their healing process.

Once we"re dismissed from his service, we go to the cafeteria to talk things out with the attending in charge of our group. Matt, one of the residents who"s asked me out several times, sits next to me like he usually does. This time, I give him what I think is a warm smile, and he seems surprised but delighted at the same time. There has been no real reason for me giving him the cold shoulder before. I just wasn"t interested in any type of relationship then. That has changed.

The energy is high all around me, with all the interns chattering around us, and Matt leans towards me.

"Hey, do you want to get a drink when we are done for the day? We could go to Joe"s on the corner."

"Sure, I"d like that, Matt."

I give him a smile, and when the group falls silent, I see Noah walking in with a colleague and a scowl on his face. He"s looking at me like I"ve committed a heinous crime. I do my best to ignore him, but his presence is like a huge magnet to me and my eyes. He sits at the far end of the cafeteria with his associate, but he sits in a way where he can keep frowning at me.

Our attending is giving us some instructions, but I can"t get myself to really listen. At my side, Matt keeps giving me glances and smiling at me. I didn"t know it would make him this happy to agree to go for drinks. Maybe I should ask the other women in the group about him and his reputation. I don"t like gossip, but I"d rather go in prepared for a date.

The afternoon passes in a flash and I talk to several of my colleagues about Matt. Sure enough, he"s a player, and I"m probably just a notch in his very long belt. There were no complaints, but if I wanted more than a one-night stand, I should look for someone else. I"ve already had that with Noah and don"t want a repeat. I go looking for Matt in the locker room to cancel, but I only manage to bump into Noah.

"Dr. Richards."

"Looking for loverboy?"

"Actually, I am. Have you seen him?"

"I need to talk to you in private."

"You"ve said enough, Dr. Richards."

He tries to grab me, but I"m faster and get away. It"s quitting time, so Matt is probably heading to the bar. I guess I can have one drink with him and let him down easily. Hopefully, he doesn"t get nasty about it. I change into my street clothes and walk over to Joe"s. When I open the door, I hear the music and the chattering all around. This place is mainly frequented by staff from the hospital.

I see Matt, and he waves me over. He"s already drinking a beer and looking rather smug. Not gonna happen, buddy. He doesn"t get up when I approach the table, so I just pull the chair back myself and get seated.

"Meghan! We finally made it here."

"What do you mean?"

"You"ve been playing hard to get. What changed?"

"My priorities. However, I"m sorry, I don"t think this is going anywhere."

He reaches for my hand and grabs me, a little too tight for comfort.

"Meghan, baby. Don"t make any harsh decisions right now. Have a couple of beers."

"Let me go, Matt."

"I don"t think so. The more I touch you, the more comfortable you"ll get with me."

"I said, let me go."

"You heard the lady." Says a strong, masculine voice that I know well. I don"t need his help, I was about to kick this guy"s ass, but as usual, Noah's presence fills me with warmth and desire.

"Mind your own business, old man."

I gasp at his insubordination. He must have had more beers before I came in because no one in their right mind would say that to their boss. Oh, and by the way, he hasn"t let go of me yet. Seeing this, Noah grabs him by the neck and pulls him out of his seat. Matt lets go of my hand and gives out a yelp.

"You don"t EVER touch a woman without her permission. Do you hear me?"

"Hey, she was asking for it."

At that, Noah gets red in the face and punches him hard enough to knock him out. I stand up but hesitate. Should I go to Matt? He was the one actually asking for this act of violence, and I don"t want him to think I like him. So I just grab my purse and get ready to leave.

"Thanks, Dr. Richards," I say politely before I turn to leave.

Noah just grabs my arm and walks out with me.

"Where"s your car?"

"Hey, pot calling the kettle black?. Let me go." I hesitate, "I have to go back to the hospital to get my backpack. And I don"t have a car, I take rideshares. I"m usually too tired to drive once I"m out of here."

He looks at where he"s grabbing me and blushes. Then lets me go. We walk side by side, the silence overwhelming. But I"ve got nothing to say unless he"s changed his mind. Noah waits for me to get my backpack, and then when I"m out of the dressing rooms, he pulls me into one of the rooms where the interns take naps. The room is empty, and he locks the door.

"What…"

Whatever he was going to say is forgotten once his lips are on mine. I don"t know how I"ve lived the past two days without fusing our bodies together. It"s like a natural extension of who we are. But wait. I pull us apart.

"Noah…"

"Do you want loverboy, is that it? Did what we had mean nothing to you?"

"How dare you! Being with you meant everything to me!"

"Then what the hell are you doing, Meghan?"

"You are the one that pushed me aside, Dr. Richards. I"m just trying to live my best life here."

"He just wanted to get into your pants. Another notch in his post. I heard him talking to some of his friends. He"s scum."

"Yes, I found that out after I accepted his invitation. I went there to let him down easy, but he had other ideas."

"Then you don"t want him?"

"Of course not. He"s a creep."

That"s all it takes for Noah to pull me into his arms and kiss the breath out of me. Before I know it, I"m being undressed by the most skillful cardiologist in this hospital, and I don"t mind one bit that his hands are all over me. I guess it depends on the one touching you. Once I"m naked, I reach for his pants and pull down his zipper. His bulge is just waiting to burst out of his boxers, and I pull those down, too.

He turns me so I"m facing the door, and places kisses on the base of my spine and then on my ass. He bites me, then smacks me softly. I let out a moan at that, and then I feel his member sliding up and down my pussy lips. I push my ass out to let him know how much I need him inside me, and suddenly he"s there, filling me. His thrusts are hard and fast. He"s like a wild man taking what belongs to him. And I do. I belong to him.

"You feel so good around my cock, Meg. Squeeze me, give me all you"ve got."

His words make me stop daydreaming and concentrate on the pleasure his cock is giving me. Every thrust pushes me up onto my tiptoes, and I grab the door for support. Then I feel Noah"s mouth on my neck. He"s probably trying to give me another hickey, the savage. It feels like heaven, and I"m almost on the edge when I feel his hand go to my pussy and start teasing my nub.

The pleasure is too intense, and I rupture with him all around me. I forget we"re at the hospital and scream my release. Noah helps me ride every last tremor, and then I feel the rush of warmth that his seed causes inside my womb. This man has marked me, and I don"t think there"s a way to escape that.