Doctor Wolf’s Human Nurse (Fated To The Wolf #9)

15. Abby

15

Abby

A bby closed the door behind him and headed to the shower. She mentally kicked herself in the ass for not asking him to stay with her.

I’m pretty sure he would have said “Yes.” We could have made love again and snuggled all night.

The tiny fear in the back of her mind that he might tell her “No” had kept her from asking him.

His kiss had made her knees weak, and she remembered how it felt when he touched her naked body. Abby closed her eyes and imagined that his hands were tracing the contours of her body as the hot water streamed over her. She could see his silvery gray eyes filled with the same passion and want that she felt.

Abby’s finger found the hard nub between her legs and leaned against the cool tiles as she pleasured herself, pretending that it was Sawyer touching her.

The heat built up inside of her and she exploded over her finger, her body trembling.

She grinned when it was over and told the imaginary Sawyer, “We have to stop meeting like this.”

However, as much as she tried to make light of the situation, she couldn’t help but wish he was next to her in bed, holding her while she drifted off.

The next morning, Abby and Georgia were taking a short break outside, breathing in the fresh air. They watched Brent hop in his new Lexus.

Georgia shook her head. “He’s been acting stranger and stranger lately.”

“What do you mean?”

“He shows up late for work at least once a week. Sometimes, after work, I see him talking to different people in the parking lot. He’s been taking longer lunches, too. Plus, he keeps getting all of these so-called inheritances and buys himself all kinds of new expensive ‘toys’.”

“What do you think he’s up to?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he’s simply having a mid-life crisis. I thought that was just a stereotype, until my dad went out and bought himself a Corvette. My mom just about lost her shit, and I was fairly certain we were going to have a missing person on our hands before too much longer.”

Abby laughed. “What happened?”

“The good news for Dad is that he wasn’t having an affair with his secretary since she is a lot older than he is and pretty scary. Mom let him keep the car as long as she could drive it, too. He agreed. Now she drives it more than he does. He’s stuck with her old SUV.”

“Is that karma?”

Georgia giggled and shook her head. “Nope. That’s Sheila.”

Laughing, they both went back inside.

When they had a minute, Abby pulled Sawyer aside and told him what Georgia had said, especially about him potentially meeting people in the parking lot after the clinic closed.

He patted her on the back. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll keep an eye out for that and take pictures if I see it.”

“I feel like the office gossip at best and a snitch at worst.”

“If it was ordinary titbits that get bandied about offices, I would agree with you. However, we have a serious situation going on and you, of all people, know how important it is that we prevent drugs from getting out on the streets.”

She nodded and walked away, not sure she felt any better about the situation.

Xyla texted her later. Do you want to hang out at Savvy’s place with everyone tomorrow? We’re going to have a girl’s day. Rory’s cook and housekeeper are going to join them. They are amazing women.

Abby thought about it and then replied, Sounds great. What should I bring?

Her phone buzzed with the answer. Yourself.

That evening she made some omelets and curled up on the couch with her book. The week’s events had taken their toll and she fell asleep. She woke up about three in the morning because her neck was stiff and she had to pee.

She hastily took care of her business and crawled into bed, thinking about Sawyer and feeling bad for all the stress he was under, before falling into a deep sleep. Throughout the night, he filled her dreams and she woke up tired, as though she really had spent the entire night having sex with the gorgeous man.

Everyone was already gathered by the time she arrived at Rory’s place. It was an incredibly warm day for being in the middle of winter, so they hung out in the backyard. The kids ran around, playing several games of tag and soccer.

“They will sleep well tonight,” Savvy said. “I hope.”

Beth held up an amulet for the women to admire. “Conner gave me this. He bought it from the Navajo reservation. It’s supposed to have protective magic. He got one for Taryn, too.”

“That’s so sweet,” Abby said.

“It’s very beautiful,” Savvy said. “Is that turquoise and silver?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, I’m afraid it’s Conner and the kids who need the protection from this virus going around.”

“Have you made any headway into some kind of potion or spell?” Abby asked.

Beth looked at her daughter, who was in the yard playing with the others. “No, but we’re working on it. I had to do a lot of talking to convince Taryn that she needed to take a break from her research and experimentation. She hasn’t been getting any sleep or rest because she wants to help.”

Abby followed Beth’s gaze. “Wow. She’s only thirteen?”

Beth sighed. “Yeah. But, she’s well aware that she’s likely one of the most powerful witches in the world and she feels like it’s her obligation to do everything she can to help others.”

“You don’t see that kind of dedication in too many people these days, especially young teenagers,” Jade commented.

Just then, Taryn and the other younglings rushed up to the women and declared that they were absolutely starving and had to have a snack. They went inside and handed out sandwiches and chips to everyone.

After they ate, Taryn looked at Abby and asked, “Have you figured it out yet?”

“Figured what out?”

“About you and Sawyer?”

The room went silent and everyone’s head turned toward her, waiting for a reply.

Abby felt like a deer that had been caught in the headlights of an oncoming semi. Finally, she stammered out, “I’m working on it. I think that I’m falling in love with him, but I’m not completely sure.”

Taryn just smirked, grabbed a chocolate cupcake, and asked the kids if they were ready to go into the playroom and watch a movie.

“She’s direct, isn’t she?” Abby said.

Beth laughed. “Yes.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out and talking about relationships, the younglings, and life in general. Abby went back to her place with a huge smile, feeling relaxed.

She decided to hang out with Xyla at Howlers’ the next night. Jade and the other manager had asked for the night off, so Sean had to work.

Abby and Xyla were playing their second game of pool when Abby looked up and saw Sawyer walking in with a beautiful blond woman on his arm. They meandered toward a cozy table for two in a dark corner. He pulled the chair out for her, and she ran her hand down his arm as she sat down.

Her heart lurched and her stomach twisted into a knot as she watched the two of them interact with each other in a way that made them look like old lovers.

Sawyer and the woman leaned in close to each other, talking, separating only when the waitress approached to take their order. The woman continually touched his arm. She said something that made Sawyer laugh.

Jealousy exploded inside of her as the two of them continued to interact with each other.

“Why don’t you go over there and introduce yourself?” Xyla asked.

“And say what? I’m his nurse whom he just happened to fuck once and kiss a couple of times. It’s so nice to meet you.”

Xyla made a choking sound. “That’s not quite what I had in mind.”

Abby shook her head. “I’m not his girlfriend. As a matter of fact, we’re not even in any kind of romantic relationship and I have no claim on him. If he wants to see other women, then he can.”

“There could be an innocent explanation.”

“Him being on a date is innocent. Like I said, there are no strings between the two of us. However, I don’t think that I can hang out and keep watching this. If you’re okay, I’m going to head home.”

“Me, too.”

Abby tossed and turned all night long. Her heart hurt and even though she told herself a million times that she had no right to feel the way she did, she was devastated by seeing him out with another woman.

This was exactly why I knew that it was wrong to get involved with him. Something would happen and it would make the workplace awkward. How can I see him, knowing how I feel about him, and also realizing that he doesn’t feel the same?

The thought haunted her throughout the night and she woke up very tired and grouchy.

Sawyer was whistling when he walked in, and Abby figured that he must have gotten laid the night before. She tried to avoid him whenever she could without making it obvious.

Finally, at the end of the day, he cornered her. “Are you okay? You’ve been acting weird all day.”

“I’m fine.” Abby worked hard to keep the huff out of her voice.

“No, you aren’t. We can go grab some dinner and talk about it.”

“Don’t you have a date with that pretty blond woman you were with last night?”

Abby gasped as the words slipped out of her mouth. She hadn’t meant to say them.

Sawyer looked at her in shock for a minute and then laughed.

“No. I guess you were at Howlers’ last night. That was Vanessa and we used to work together for Doctors Without Borders. She was traveling through town and asked if I wanted to meet up with her. We hung out and talked about old times.”

Abby simply stared at him.

“She is a touchy-feely kind of person, but she’s like that with everyone. It’s just her way. She has a low, soft voice, so it’s hard to hear her in a noisy environment. There’s nothing between the two of us, I promise. You should have come over and joined us.”

Hesitating for a second to process what he said, she nodded, and relief flowed through her.

“Dinner sounds good,” Abby said.