ONLY FOR ONE NIGHT

E

ittle louder than normal, with a

iled back at me, and h

North Manchester General, I had learned patience, and tonight I needed it. My

ecked her vitals. The moment I was done, she pi

bout the kind nurse who's been taking care of me."

ckly, and softened it with a smile. "I'm only doing m

so sad I almost apologised. "Is there a pr

r the air. "I just have an important trip to m

I had a date with Oliver tomorrow, and since it was Frida

er, and it had worked beautifully. We had even met in this very room, 216. I had just joined the hospital as a graduate intern when Oliver was brought in after a ghastly m

earlier, but he

ging out of my scrubs was always the best part of my day. I love my job, don't get me wrong, but i

la?" Irina called fro

th a grin, and headed

ngs: chicken, apples, eggs, bread. Then I stopped at the aisle with my favourite

lier; I was busy. Would you come home tonight? I s

hrugged it off. Back at my car, I dumped the groceri

for a whole week, and no one had bothered to fix it.

gs were burning. I punched in the pass

called as

ght my eye. A woman's purse was lying right beside them. I picked it up. It wasn't fa

pen. That was strange.

walked in on the bigg

E

ried Amelia Grace Bennett. She came into our lives with a sister I never asked for, Victoria Gra

y boyfriend, was worse than all of it. The pain was sharp and piercing

acked, coming out coarse, as i

lling up in my eyes. I knew I would burst into tears any second, so I turned and ran back to the livin

y legs betrayed me and froze

n his bedsheet, with a smirk on her face. She looked like

ease, I can explain.

ore the words could fi

having sex with my stepsister?" I shook my head. "Miss me with that bullshit

tormed out of

button and drove out of King Street with my tyr

f out tonight. I had been through too much drama and heartbreak in one evening. I went up and walked into the bar still in my jeans and crop top. It wa

r and waved at

Two shots of te

ke the right choice. I downed both shots in one go, then ordered two more. I los

ou're driving, and no one is t

nd handed it to the mixologist.

said, and sto

hen I bump

I raised my head and found a tall

is voice was a low baritone that se

eyes could have belonged to a Greek god. His biceps strained against a sky-blue shirt, with the sleeves rolled up and two buttons undone at the collar to reveal a

y way," he said, when

bumping into me," I blur

rom my head to my toes and back

and I don't hav

ind him. "Nathaniel, please escort the lady t

lked off, with another man following closely behind him. I watched him

with a sheepish smile, stagger

car. My red baby, always waiting for mummy. She was the most reliable fr

he car, opened the door,

you d

d congratulating itse

ially one his boss had handed over to him. I watched him walk

elds. My head was pounding. Why do people even drink alcohol if it

wearing an oversized shirt. My panties were still on, but my jeans and crop top were nowhere in sight. It was still

ether to open the door

s. The man

was wearing his shirt, the sky-blue one

," he said, before I could ask. "My housekeeper pu

to put me at ease.

t here?" I fi

ere too drunk to drive, or even to say your address properly, so I brought you here. Don't worry, you

ugh all of that," I said. "And

mbarrassed to say more. I really wa

h me," he said. "You

. The walls, the frames, the art, the lighting, everythin

of me as if he had prepared it in

p with the

y, and I knew it, but something about this man made me feel at peace. And something else in me wanted him, so badly

cup on t

ced it in the sink. "Are you

aid, withou

gs on the way here, and I can't seem to f

omething terrible? D

ever met," he said, cutting into my thoug

idn't mean it. I was drunk. I

e tilted his head. "Why have you been staring at me like you want to tea

. He noticed the tiny details. He was paying attention. I couldn't defend myself, and I c

urns me on," he wh

I said softly, looking

so much to my body without even touching it, and he had bee

s neck and dug my fingers into his hair as we kissed. He l

he asked, pulling

ing my lower lip a

s mouth. His lips travelled down my neck and lower, and I buried my hands in his hair, losing myself completely. His touch was slow and sure, like a man who knew ex

along. It seemed he wanted this just as much as I did. He took his time, and

hispered. "Good girl.

Oliver was good, and our compatibility had been great, but this was far more intense. When it was ov

ly, in the big bed beside the glass wall of the city. Twice in one night was far too much for a stranger I had just met, but I didn't care. My bo

Or so I

bed beside me was empty. For a moment I lay still, holding my breath and listening, waiti

phone in his hand. Everything about him had changed overnight. The man who had whispered i

d, without turning around. "They're cle

o my chest. "Is this where I'm supposed to thank you for

hed, but only for a second. H

night, Bella. Don'

d. "I never tol

e into his pocket and walked to the door.

, wearing his shirt, staring at the closed door. And it hit me, slowly and painfull