Bad Medicine: Bad Boys of the Bayou by Nicholas Erin

Author:Nicholas, Erin
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781952280382
Publisher: EN Fiction, Inc.
Published: 2022-08-18T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

It seemed to take him forever to get to her office. Brooke heard Nick’s voice even before he made it to her door. She stepped out of her office to find him halfway down the hall answering some question for Daisy.

She strode up to him, pushed him into the nearest exam room and shut the door behind her.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” He gave her a little grin as if he knew exactly what they were talking about.

“The flower garden that showed up five minutes ago.”

“Did you like them?”

“Well, yes, but…you can’t send me flowers,” she exclaimed.

“Evidently I can.” He propped his hip on the corner of the exam table and looked smug.

“What I mean is, it’s not a good idea. It will cause problems.”

“Like what?”

“People will talk. They’ll think we’re involved.”

“What’s wrong with that?” He frowned now.

“It will confirm their belief that I sleep with every guy who comes to town.”

“Brooke—”

“Seriously, Nick,” she said. “Thank you. They’re beautiful, but you can’t do stuff like that.” Which sucked, because she really liked them. She liked that he’d sent them. She liked the whole damned thing.

“Is that also a no to the date I haven’t even asked you out on yet?”

“It’s a—” She stopped as his words registered. “You were going to ask me out on a date?”

“Yes.”

“Really?” She couldn’t ignore the thumping of her heart. A date. With Nick. Dammit, why did he have to be so…tempting?

He smiled. “Really.”

“Why?”

He rolled his eyes. “Because I want to spend time with you.”

“But…we can’t.” She regretted those words almost more than any others she’d ever spoken. “My goal here is to show them that I can be a responsible, professional and respectable member of the community.”

“Pure and chaste, honest and true?”

She heard the sarcastic tone to the question, but she paused and considered the words. “Yes,” she said finally.

“That’s really too bad.”

She looked at him, admittedly suspicious. “Why did you send me flowers? You could have just asked me out and we could have had this conversation.”

“Have you ever gotten flowers before?” he asked.

“No.” How did he know that?

“Well, I think every woman should get flowers from an admirer at least once.”

“You’re an admirer?” she asked softly, touched in spite of herself.

He stepped close and looked down at her, a strangely gentle look in his eyes. “Yes, I’m an admirer.”

Her heart tripped and she was at a loss for words temporarily. He was an admirer. He’d sent her flowers. He’d wanted to ask her on a date.

So this is what this feels like.

She smiled. “Thanks, Nick.”

“Should I ask you for that date now?”

She hadn’t wanted anything so much in a very long time. Maybe not ever.

The sadness was surprisingly sharp. Brooke had to press her lips together to stop the trembling before she said, “No.”

She couldn’t believe she was turning Nick down. She had more willpower than she thought. But she had to get away from him before she threw her image and reputation to the wind.

She was at the door when he said, “If I really thought you didn’t want to, I’d stop asking.

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