Chapter 10

AJ could feel the muscles in his back, neck, and arms coil in protest. He was beginning to second guess his choice in careers. How would he and Katherine raise a family with their schedules? AJ felt his legs freeze as his heart seemed to be stunned into silence. Where had that thought come from? In his heart he knew he loved Katherine, but his mind hadn’t warmed up to the idea just yet. But he knew one thing—he needed to feel Katherine’s petite little body against his as he cradled her. He needed her in his arms, his lips on hers, and his excited member in her. He groaned at the thought of having her writhing beneath him, and his ego let out a triumphant chuckle. There wasn’t a time Katherine wasn’t on cloud nine when he was making love to her.

Right now, he was making his way to the on-call room he deemed as their special spot. According to Rose, Katherine was taking a nap in there. She had to be just as tired as he was. A grin crept to his lips as he thought of just how exhausted she would be when he was done with her in another half an hour. AJ reached for the doorknob. He had stopped looking around to check if someone would see him enter after his first month in the hospital. He had a reputation about on-call rooms, one he was not about to change any time soon. But he was definitely giving up his Lothario title for Katherine. It always used to leave a bad taste in his mouth, but AJ was proud to say that he was about to become an exclusive boyfriend.

For the second time in a span of a few minutes his legs failed him. AJ froze at the mouth of the open door staring at the golden blonde locks of Katherine, pouring over the bed. The sound of a sexually fulfilled moan assaulted his ears. Katherine’s head was hanging over the bed, as she faced the ceiling above her. For some reason Katherine was all AJ could see, not the guy on top of her.

He opened his mouth to speak, but only a strained squeak sounded out. He felt fingers curl around his heart and squeeze out blood, from the open cut left by the knife slicing through his chest. For a second, it seemed like he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, couldn’t talk. He didn’t even feel the hand on his bicep until it was pulling him out of the room. AJ’s view of Katherine was now blocked by wood as someone shut the door. He felt himself being led down the hall, feeling absolutely numb. Whatever his eyes had seen was being relayed to his mind but hadn’t yet reached his heart.

The cold gush of wind hit AJ in the face and with that he took a huge gasp of breath. It seemed like he needed that, because he came out of his trance, his eyes adjusting to the darkness as he looked around the parking lot. No sign of Katherine.

“I’m so sorry.” He heard a voice say. It took him a minute to realize that it belonged to Rose. “I wouldn’t have sent you in there if I’d known what they were doing.”

“What were they doing?” AJ asked in a barely audible voice.

He watched as Rose threw back her fiery head and let out an evil cackle. “Didn’t you see Lyle boning Katherine? Little Miss Prim-and-Proper likes getting it on in the on-call room like the rest of us.” AJ felt Rose’s hand creep up his chest and his gut clenched. “Right, baby? Maybe when they are done, we could take a turn.”

AJ grabbed her hand in his fist. He was just about to tell her that he was with Katherine exclusively. But according to what he had just seen, it seemed like Katherine had let go of that notion, and they were free to screw whoever they wanted. AJ had the urge to drop Rose to her knees and take her from behind, just to show her who the man was. But he realized that with all this anger, all the emotion he was trying to keep away from his heart, he would probably break her in half.

Instead, he put some of his old charm back. He caressed Rose’s cheek with the back of his hand. He dropped her hand and used it to grab her ass and pull her forcibly against his rock-hard body. “You know I would love to baby, but I’m exhausted. I need to put my head down for a while. Maybe later?”

“It’s a date.” AJ caught the evil gleam in Rose’s eyes before he turned and walked away. She had the look in her eyes as if she had pulled off the best con and had come out winning in the end. But AJ didn’t have time to decipher what was on her mind.

AJ felt like a zombie, lost on what to do. But when the sound of a siren rang in the air, he was relieved he would have something to do. This patient wasn’t going to die. He was determined enough just to make one aspect of his life turn out well that night.

* * * *

Katherine pulled her sweater around her. She had left the hospital immediately her senses had returned to her. How could she have let that disgusting man touch her? It didn’t matter how angry she was after overhearing the nurses snicker about AJ’s latest conquest. She shouldn’t have made such a stupid decision when she was so emotional.

Deep inside, she told herself that she was upset. Lyle had taken advantage of the state she was in. She was half aware of what was going on, the only thing ringing in her head was that AJ was with Rose.

How could AJ do that to her? But yet again how could she do that to him? She walked into the apartment and immediately she felt like she didn’t belong. She had betrayed AJ and her paranoia convinced her that everything around her was judging her, the chairs, paintings, and most of all the half empty mug of coffee AJ had left on the table when they had left for work that morning.

But what haunted her the most, is the memory of AJ making love to her, kissing her, and asking her if she could love him. AJ was supposed to be her first and her last, there wasn’t supposed to be an in-between. But she had let Lyle weasel his way into her pants and probably her future. She may never have AJ again. She dreaded the thought of Lyle being the last man who touched her, cringed at the possibility of AJ never making love to her. But there was no reason for AJ to know. No one had seen them, and she didn’t expect Lyle to climb to the top of the mountains and shout out what a slut she was.

Then fear crept into her, and she shivered. Lyle wanted to one up AJ. Taking out an ad in the newspaper announcing how he had taken AJ’s girl from him was exactly like something the louse would do. All thought froze and Katherine’s legs ran into her bedroom when she heard the lock turn. AJ was home.

“Katherine?” AJ called out.

The tone in his voice seemed normal, nothing to be worried about. She stepped out of the room; a fake smile pasted on her lips. “Yes.”

“Oh, I didn’t know if you would be home. I tried to find you in the hospital, but you weren’t there.” There was something in AJ’s eyes that Katherine had never seen before. Resolve, as if he had given himself over to something that he had been wrestling with. Almost like, he’d given up.

AJ took a step toward her, and she retreated. She wouldn’t let him kiss her, not while she still had Lyle’s stench on her.

“I’m going to take a shower.” She announced unceremoniously. But when Katherine was on the other side of the door, the nagging feeling that something had amiss overwhelmed her. AJ hadn’t attempted to join her. He hadn’t even asked. She cracked open the door and peeped at him. AJ was on the couch, his hands spread out, and his head hanging over. His eyes were closed, his fingers bawled into fists. Something was definitely wrong.

Katherine felt her spine stiffen as her heartbeat in a feverish pitter-patter. He knew. The overwhelming urge to confess pushed her forward. But she stopped, deciding to take that shower first. Maybe AJ would forgive her, and they would make love, to forget, to heal and to forgive.

* * * *

AJ had caught the look of evasion that Katherine had given him. She was like an agitated rabbit confined in a small space waiting for its next opportunity to take off. He hated to admit it, but it seared through him when she took a step back as he reached for her. She probably felt guilty, he thought. But she wasn’t sorry enough, his ego piped in. His pride would not allow him to be made a fool out off. And just to prove to Katherine and to Lyle that he was no one’s pansy he was going to straight back to the hospital to pick up Rose.

AJ groaned, his head hanging again. Why had he reached for her when this consuming rage burning inside him wanted to rip her head off? His heart had an answer for that. He’d reached for her because he could see the torment in her eyes. The way her shoulders drooped, her body cringed, as if she couldn’t get the millions of creepy crawlies off her skin. Her eyes were red and swollen showing her guilt and regret. Maybe Lyle had taken advantage of her.

“You are just an idiot!” AJ roared as he jumped to his feet. If she didn’t want to have sex with him, she could have stopped him. She grew up with three brothers; surely, they had taught her a thing or two about self-defense.

AJ grabbed his leather jacket—he was going to pick Rose up. He was going to make sure Lyle saw him, and even if it would kill him, he was going to have a good time. He opened the front door just as Katherine emerged from her room.

“AJ?”

Her blonde hair was wet. Her feet and legs bare. She was covered in his oversized T-shirt. The look of her shouted meekness, her eyes still red and swollen from crying. This was too much for her, for him. He needed to put them both out of their misery. He took a step to leave, and her hollow tone filled the air again, calling out his name.

How he wished she was under him, he was inside her, her lips were close to his ears, her hot breath scalding his neck as she said his name one more time. But that would never happen again, not while he still loved her.

AJ stepped out and shut the door, locking her sobs in with her. He couldn’t take it. His heart was finally beginning to feel the pain of her betrayal. He needed a drink, he needed Rose. AJ took out his phone and called the first number that came to mind. “Reno, I need you to keep me from doing something stupid.”