No Attachments by Tiffany King Page A

had set the rules for our relationship. Deciding to give it a rest, I climbed from the vehicle and headed toward the entrance of the hospital. Nathan's room was up on the third floor. When I reached his room, I paused outside his door when I heard him talking.
    " It was a dead end," I heard him say. I realized the silence that followed his comment meant he was on the phone. Feeling intrusive, I started to back away when his next comment stopped me in his tracks.
    " It could take several weeks. I'll backtrack to see if I can catch what I missed."
    Several more moments of silence followed before he harshly responded again. "You can certainly do that. I don't see them yielding any different results, but it's your money."
    More silence.
    "I think that's a wise decision. I'll call you in a few weeks when I have something solid to report," Nathan said.
    Pushing open his door, I was surprised to find him already dressed and sitting on the foot of his bed. His expression was sullen until he spotted me in the doorway. I felt bad that his boss was giving him a hard time.
    " Your boss being a douche?" I asked, indicating the phone in his hand.
    Nathan eyed me warily for a moment before sighing heav ily. "He's not pleased with the story I'm currently working on," he said, studying me intently.
    " Does that mean you're leaving?" I asked, acting like it didn't matter either way.
    He smiled at me , looking relieved. "Not on your life, sweetheart. He can suffer it out," he added with sudden steel in his voice.
    " Will he fire you?" I asked.
    " If he does, there are other jobs. I'm not worried," he said, sliding an arm around me and guiding me out of the room.
    " Don't you need to wait to be discharged?"
    " Already done. I could have gone home last night. I woke up around two feeling completely normal. Of course, the doctor kept me waiting until he made his rounds this morning."
    " Poor baby," I teased, pushing the down button for the elevator.
    " Damn straight," he growled, pulling me even closer once we stepped into the empty elevator. "I was left for hours with only thoughts of you to keep me entertained since the TV in my room was broken."
    " Is that a bad thing?" I asked as he turned me to face him.
    " Only in the aspect that the damn nurses felt they needed to check on me every hour. It doesn't bode well to be turned on while a nurse is hovering over you, asking how you feel."
    " I thought all guys had a thing for nurses," I joked, studying his lips that were inches away from mine.
    " They have nothing on you," he said, dropping his hot open lips on mine. I whimpered against them as all the desire I'd been holding at bay since the night before roared through me like a hungry lion. Lacing my fingers through his hair, I pulled his head closer to me, unable to get enough. Sensing my need, he lifted me up in his arms so my legs were firmly wrapped around his waist. I gasped as I felt his hardness pressed up against the part of me that was throbbing with need.
    " One of these days we're going to do this without any clothes," he whispered against my lips as the elevator dinged, announcing the arrival to our floor.
    " And maybe we can even involve a bed," I said, unlocking my legs from around his waist as the elevator doors slid open.
    Nathan groaned at my words as if he was in pain. "You're slowly killing me," he said, adjusting his pants.
    I couldn 't help giggling as he strolled beside me looking uncomfortable. "Fair play can be a bitch," he warned, lacing his fingers through mine.
    " Ooh, I'm shaking in my boots," I mocked.
    " Is that a challenge?" he asked with his eyes glinting with interest.
    " Bring it on, big boy."
    " Oh, it's on," he said, dragging me in for a hard kiss before helping me into his vehicle.
    I was smiling at his threat as he climbed behind the wheel. I enjoyed the obvious power I had over him and was relieved it wasn 't one-sided. "How about some lunch since I ripped you off at dinner last night?" he asked, backing out