CHAPTER FOUR

Jaden

Sweet, attentive, caring, and helpful. Who was this woman, and what did she do with Kahli? Actually, to be fair, being sweet was Kahli down to the ground. She was one of the most astute and considerate people I knew. Except recently, with me.

As I exited the bathroom, I saw she’d made up the pullout, and was in the kitchen wrapping sandwiches. She’d held them up and said, “I’m putting these in the fridge. Don’t forget to take them out in the morning so you’ll have decent food handy to keep you going during the day.”

If we were the “we” I wanted us to be, I would’ve gone into the kitchen and showed my appreciation by laying a deep, long kiss on her fantastic mouth. Instead, I’d said, “Thanks. Really.”

She sent me a genuine smile, then told me to, “Go to sleep. You need your rest. I’ll be super quiet. Promise.”

On the tip of my tongue was If you sleep with me, baby, I know I’ll rest well. Instead, I nodded, then waited until she went into the bedroom before turning out the light.

***

The night sky was coasting to dawn as I drove to the hospital, and by the time I got there, I’d eaten two of the best sandwiches of my life. I knew it was stupid, and I felt like a sap, but I tasted Kahli’s care and concern in every bite. She’d make six sandwiches, and the other four would go a long way to sustaining me throughout the day.

I couldn’t stop thinking about how she’d sat beside me and put her hand on my knee to comfort me, and I couldn’t help but wonder how could I miss something I never had. Yet, I did. I missed sleeping with her every night and waking up next to her every morning. I missed kissing her for no reason at all, and for the express purpose of getting her wet for me. I missed her laughter, her smiles, and her warmth. I wanted her to love me so bad I ached from it.

As much as I’d prefer to sit in the car a few more minutes and indulge in some of my favorite Kahli fantasies, I had to get inside. I tagged my bulging-with-sandwiches laptop case, and made my way to Axel.

Even though they’d been here all day yesterday and well into the night, at a few minutes before six in the morning, the Commander and his wife were posted up at the window looking into Axel’s room.

As I was raising my arm to salute, the Commander shook his head and held out his hand. As I took it, he said, “Thank you Dr. Schuyler. You and,” he lifted his chin in the direction of the room where Harley, gowned, gloved and masked, was standing next to Axel’s bed reading his charts on a tablet, “Dr. Weaver have helped my boy make it through the night. My wife,” he reached out with his other hand and grabbed hers, “and I appreciate your dedication. We know he’s not out of the woods, but with all of you working so hard to make sure he does, we have hope.”

“Hold onto that, sir. It’s what we’re doing too.”

He nodded, and I went to get a gown, gloves, and mask to confer with Harley before he headed home for a few hours.

***

A little after noon, I got a rare text from Kahli.

Hey. How’s Axel doing? Have you eaten any of the sandwiches yet?

Warmth surged through me, and I couldn’t help but smile.

He’s maintaining, and given the state of his injuries, that’s a good sign. And yeah, four so far. They’re great. I didn’t expect variety, so each has been a surprise.

And now I was chatting like a teenage girl. If Kal knew how easily she undid me, I might as well put a ring through my nose and hand her the lead rope.

I’m so glad he’s hanging in there. I can’t wait until he can talk to you. I bet his first words will be “thank you.” So, I made pasta primavera. It’s in the fridge along with a salad. There’s a fresh kalamata olive loaf from Con Pane in the paper bag next to the pan I left on the counter. Use the pan to heat up the pasta. If you nuke it, it’ll be rubbery.

Why was my wife sounding like my wife? My first thought was she was starting something with that asshat PhD dude, and this whole taking care of me thing was guilt-driven. But no. That wasn’t Kahli. She’d tell me. She’d hate doing it, but she’d tell me. That’s who she was.

I stared at her texts and decided she’d been moved by what happened to Axel, and since I was one of his doctors, she was tending to me on his behalf. Okay, yeah, that was a bit of a stretch, but I didn’t dare entertain the idea that she was doing anything for me other than out of the goodness in her heart. Something she’d do for anyone. If I allowed myself to believe she had feelings for me other than wanting to hit me with a baseball bat, I was dooming myself for disappointment.

But… How delicious it would be to have her doing anything for me out of love.

Impulsively—which I wasn’t in anything or with anyone in my life except Kahli—I decided to tease her.

Spoiling me?

No response. And now I felt like a fool.

Then those three stupid dots started rippling, and my stomach took a dive.

Flirting?

Okay. She wanted to play with me, I’d be more than happy to play.

And if I was?

More stupid rippling dots.

So it’s true.

What’s true?

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

My breath caught in my throat, and I had to remind myself I was a doctor and a Naval Officer. I couldn’t start hyperventilating outside my patient’s room.

But damn. It wasn’t a stretch to say Kahli was hinting she wanted into my heart. I had lay back. Not rush this. The last thing I was going to do was overwhelm her with all I felt for her.

Medically speaking, that’s physically impossible. However…

Axel moaned loud enough for me to hear him in the hall. Quickly, I shot off a text to Kal.

Gotta go. Axel needs me.

***

Kahli

“Shit.” I banged my phone against my knee.

Lissa glanced over, then asked, “What happened?”

“It was just getting good. He started flirting and was about to say something juicy, and then he cut me off.”

“No,” she said to the windshield drawing out the “O.” “He ditched?”

“Not really. His patient needed him so he told me he had to go.”

She made a pffft noise. “Not rubbing salt here, Kal, but when he’s at work, it’s not like he can duck into the copy room and pretend he’s busy when he’s fucking off and sexting you.”

“Duh. I know that, Liss.” I stuffed my phone into my backpack. “We have five minutes before we reach campus and I’m going to indulge in a quick but effective righteous sulk until the car stops.”

Lissa laughed. “So noted.”

“I mean, he was right there with me. I know he can be playful, and I was trying to draw that out of him. Keep it sexy light.”

“Sexy light?”

“Yeah. Flirty without being overtly suggestive.”

“In other words, teasing him.”

I grinned at her, and she must’ve felt it ’cause she turned her head for a quick moment. “Exactly.”

“Playing with fire, Kal.”

“I certainly hope so. I want all the fire he keeps bolted down in that gorgeous body of his.”

“Well, the upside is, you’re married to him. Any and all reactions you’re pushing for him to express will culminate in one of the rooms in your apartment.”

“I need to culminate in the worst way.”

She laughed. “I bet.”

“He walks around the apartment without his shirt on, and he’s commando under his sleep pants. Do you know what kind of torture I’ve been living with?”

“I’ve got eyes and a good imagination, Kal. Really, I feel your pain.” She pulled into the parking lot, parked, then turned to me. “Keep up the sexy light. I have a feeling the good doctor will be seeing to your culmination needs soon.”

She shut down the engine, and I opened the car door. Before I stepped out, I told her, “He better or I’ll be a scientific first: the only human to implode and explode at the same time.”