ink on the warrant for his arrest dries."
"I hate Nathan. In fact, I hate the entire Marks family. How could I have been so stupid?"
"Hey." He took her hand from her lap and held it, caressing the palm with his thumb. "We all make mistakes. Especially when it comes to love. Do you have any idea how many times I have kicked myself for leaving the hospital and not saying goodbye? I have dreamt of you every night for nearly a year. I also know what it feels like to have my heart broken."
"You do?"
Kaiden had turned to face her and now leaned back against the driver's side door. He released a heavy sigh. "Yes, I do. My ex-wife probably had more than one lover on the side during our marriage."
"I didn't know you were married. Is that why you didn't pursue anything between us when you were discharged?"
He nodded. "Exactly."
"Funny thing is if you hadn't taken off without a word when you were released, I never would have gotten serious with Nathan." Katie picked at an imaginary thread on her jeans. He watched her for a moment, mulling over her words in his mind before speaking again.
"So, what you are saying is that you felt the same way about me as I did about you?"
"That depends, how did you feel?"
"Like I wanted to get to know you better. Every time you touched me—to change a dressing, check a vital sign—I was afraid you would call for help from the way my heart raced. I'm surprised you couldn't hear the thumping in my chest. It's a wonder my blood pressure ever came up normal when you were around."
"Then I guess we felt the same way. I was afraid that I was breaking every rule of the Hippocratic Oath when I took care of you by enjoying it way too much." She offered a half smile but still didn't fully look him in the eye.
"I wish I had known. I'm no good at understanding women. That's what my ex always said. At our final appearance in divorce court, she said I deserve to be alone and that I would never find a woman that could put up with me the way she had put up with me." He remembered that day like it happened yesterday. The words had cut straight through his soul. "I had no idea that while I was loving her she was merely putting up with me."
"Nathan told me that no man would ever be able to stand being with me. I am not the kind of girl men want to…" her voice trailed off.
"That men want to…?" he prompted gently.
"Make love to," she whispered, her eyes closed. Kaiden watched as one tear fell from her left eye, traveled down her cheek and fell onto the leg of her jeans.
"All I've done for the last two days—several months actually—is think about making love to you."
Her head whipped up, shock in her lovely hazel eyes. He almost laughed out loud but caught himself. Laughing would absolutely be the worst thing he could do.
"Come on, Katie. After what keeps happening between us, you can't actually be surprised to hear that."
"I thought… well, I mean, it was… I was the one who keeps attacking you."
"In the elevator or bathroom maybe but I have done my fair share of the attacking." He offered up a grin. "Believe me, it was no hardship to have you on top of me in that elevator. If it was going down I was happy to have it happen with you right there."
Katie started giggling which soon lead to full on laughter. It became his turn to be confused.
"What's so funny?" he demanded.
"Gives new meaning to Love in an Elevator !" The lyrics of the Aerosmith song filled his head instantly and he joined her laughter.
"Yeah, I guess it does." They both broke out in a rendition of the chorus of the popular classic rock song, dissolving into another fit of laughter.
Katie finally leaned back against the truck seat and wiped the tears from her eyes. Happy tears, he thought to himself. Much better than the sad ones he had witnessed a few moments earlier. "We should probably get inside and take care of business."
"Yeah," Kaiden replied. "We probably should. We will continue this conversation later—maybe over
"I hate Nathan. In fact, I hate the entire Marks family. How could I have been so stupid?"
"Hey." He took her hand from her lap and held it, caressing the palm with his thumb. "We all make mistakes. Especially when it comes to love. Do you have any idea how many times I have kicked myself for leaving the hospital and not saying goodbye? I have dreamt of you every night for nearly a year. I also know what it feels like to have my heart broken."
"You do?"
Kaiden had turned to face her and now leaned back against the driver's side door. He released a heavy sigh. "Yes, I do. My ex-wife probably had more than one lover on the side during our marriage."
"I didn't know you were married. Is that why you didn't pursue anything between us when you were discharged?"
He nodded. "Exactly."
"Funny thing is if you hadn't taken off without a word when you were released, I never would have gotten serious with Nathan." Katie picked at an imaginary thread on her jeans. He watched her for a moment, mulling over her words in his mind before speaking again.
"So, what you are saying is that you felt the same way about me as I did about you?"
"That depends, how did you feel?"
"Like I wanted to get to know you better. Every time you touched me—to change a dressing, check a vital sign—I was afraid you would call for help from the way my heart raced. I'm surprised you couldn't hear the thumping in my chest. It's a wonder my blood pressure ever came up normal when you were around."
"Then I guess we felt the same way. I was afraid that I was breaking every rule of the Hippocratic Oath when I took care of you by enjoying it way too much." She offered a half smile but still didn't fully look him in the eye.
"I wish I had known. I'm no good at understanding women. That's what my ex always said. At our final appearance in divorce court, she said I deserve to be alone and that I would never find a woman that could put up with me the way she had put up with me." He remembered that day like it happened yesterday. The words had cut straight through his soul. "I had no idea that while I was loving her she was merely putting up with me."
"Nathan told me that no man would ever be able to stand being with me. I am not the kind of girl men want to…" her voice trailed off.
"That men want to…?" he prompted gently.
"Make love to," she whispered, her eyes closed. Kaiden watched as one tear fell from her left eye, traveled down her cheek and fell onto the leg of her jeans.
"All I've done for the last two days—several months actually—is think about making love to you."
Her head whipped up, shock in her lovely hazel eyes. He almost laughed out loud but caught himself. Laughing would absolutely be the worst thing he could do.
"Come on, Katie. After what keeps happening between us, you can't actually be surprised to hear that."
"I thought… well, I mean, it was… I was the one who keeps attacking you."
"In the elevator or bathroom maybe but I have done my fair share of the attacking." He offered up a grin. "Believe me, it was no hardship to have you on top of me in that elevator. If it was going down I was happy to have it happen with you right there."
Katie started giggling which soon lead to full on laughter. It became his turn to be confused.
"What's so funny?" he demanded.
"Gives new meaning to Love in an Elevator !" The lyrics of the Aerosmith song filled his head instantly and he joined her laughter.
"Yeah, I guess it does." They both broke out in a rendition of the chorus of the popular classic rock song, dissolving into another fit of laughter.
Katie finally leaned back against the truck seat and wiped the tears from her eyes. Happy tears, he thought to himself. Much better than the sad ones he had witnessed a few moments earlier. "We should probably get inside and take care of business."
"Yeah," Kaiden replied. "We probably should. We will continue this conversation later—maybe over
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