Seducing the Boss (The Pulse Series) (11 page)

“Do we have to give it a name?”

She laughed, despite her annoyance. Every word he said was textbook Kellan. It was one of the biggest reasons she’d never pursued anything with the man apart from friendship. He breezed through life, taking the path of least resistance when it came to relationships. And what made matters even worse was the fact that no woman had ever challenged him on that, had ever called him out for it.

“Yes. I want a name.” And then she pushed the buttons she knew would drive him over the edge. “I’ve refused to be a booty call, and I’ve turned down your offer for casual sex, so let’s pretend you’re respecting my wishes on that. Are we dating? Are you gunning to be my boyfriend? Are we working toward some sort of long-term committed relationship?”

Kellan managed—just barely—not to flinch as she threw all the words he hated at him. “It was just one weekend, Sara. Don’t you think it’s sort of soon to start putting labels like that on it?”

“You want to know what your problem is, Kellan?”

He grimaced. “I’d say no, but you’re going to tell me anyway, aren’t you?”

She flashed him an angry look. “You’ve never had to work for a damn thing in your life. Not your job and not your sex. Well, guess what? I’m not easy, and I’m never going to be a sure thing.”

He scowled. “I’ve never thought you were easy. Ever.”

“Do you want back in my bed, Kellan?”

Kellan didn’t answer immediately. The man was clever enough to sense a trap. She could almost feel sorry for him.

Almost.

“You know I do,” he admitted at last.

“Then you’re going to have to figure out what it takes to get there, and you’re going to have to work for it.”

He misunderstood her dare. Just as she expected he would.

When he leaned closer, clearly intent on kissing her again, she pressed her palm flat against his chest and pushed him back.

“I don’t mean seduction.”

He froze. “Sara—”

“Good night.”

Before he could respond, she opened her door, slid inside, and then shut it with just a touch too much force in Kellan’s shell-shocked face.

That expression was actually worth the niggling, empty ache between her thighs. No one had ever said no to him. He’d lived his life getting his way simply by flashing that charming smile. A little challenge would be good for him.

She just hoped, for her sake, he decided to take her up on the dare.

Chapter Eight

Kellan opened his eyes without looking at the clock. Why bother? He’d watched the damn thing tick off every single hour last night. The bright light creeping through the curtains told him the restless night had caught up to him somewhere during the wee hours. He’d overslept. Again.

For one brief second, he considered playing hooky and calling in sick to work. He never did that, primarily because he paid for it the next day in double the workload.

He’d spent the entire weekend holed up in his house, dodging Josh’s invitations while resenting the quiet and hating being alone. Now, however, the idea of having to talk to people, of running the risk of seeing Sara, was more than he could handle.

Tired and irritable, he figured it would probably be better for everyone if he just stayed burrowed away here today.

And maybe tomorrow.

He had played Sara’s words from Friday night over and over, trying to figure out how he could get what he wanted, give her what she wanted, and not be forced into a serious commitment. The idea of making her his girlfriend terrified him. She embodied every single thing he’d always tried to avoid when he chose his lovers.

So much for keeping things fucking light and fun.

The puzzle didn’t seem to have a solution. With any other woman, he would have walked away already, but that wasn’t possible here. And the worst part was Sara didn’t realize that he was rejecting her offer to protect her. Clearly she saw his actions as selfish, maybe even immature, but the truth was he’d rather cut off his left nut than hurt her. How could he promise her faithfulness and forever? His dad was head over heels in love with his mom, and even he couldn’t manage that.

Maybe it would be easier if he weren’t so drawn to her. Kellan wasn’t sure what the hell sort of chemistry was at play, but he’d never felt such an intense attraction to a woman before. Except she wouldn’t go for just sex. She wanted commitment.

Kellan was fucked six ways to Sunday.

No. He wasn’t giving up yet. She’d tried to take seduction off the table, but Kellan wasn’t going to let that happen. He could be very persuasive when he wanted to be, and Sara wasn’t completely immune to his charms. The way she’d responded to his kiss Friday night told him she wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her. When he considered her prior relationship with David, it occurred to him that she’d probably never been truly seduced by a lover, and she deserved that. Deserved roses and candlelight and silk sheets and being told how beautiful she was.

So, he’d lay on the charm, seduce the pants off her, and make sure she was so wrapped up in his sensual web it would be impossible for her to refuse a few more months in his bed.

He hoped to hell he could convince her.

Because she’s ripping my guts out.

With that goal in mind, work didn’t suddenly seem like such a bad prospect. Kellan called his secretary to tell her he was going to be late coming in.

When he arrived at the hospital an hour later, he bypassed his office and headed directly for the emergency room. The more he thought about Sara, the more determined he was to set his plan in motion. He didn’t intend to keep doing this
should we, shouldn’t we
dance with her. They weren’t finished yet. Not by a long shot.

When he arrived in the ER, he was nearly run over by a gurney as an orderly pushed a patient to one of the examination rooms. Doctors and nurses were rushing by him, yelling out orders, EMTs ran to and from their rescue squads, and the waiting room was packed with people crying, looking around for anyone to offer them answers about their loved ones.

He grabbed Piper Dawson, an intern, as she rushed by. “What’s going on?”

“Multi-vehicle accident. Lots of injuries. A couple of fatalities. We’re in CODE. It’s a bad one.” That was all she said before she continued on her way.

There was nothing he could do. He wasn’t a doctor. Yet, he felt compelled to find Sara. To make sure she was okay.

He walked along the corridor, weaving his way around the gurneys and medical staff to get out of the way. As CEO of the hospital, no one questioned his presence there. Everyone was too focused on doing his or her job to pay him much attention. He peered into several exam rooms before he found Sara in the trauma room. He stood there for a few minutes, watching her work, amazed by her calmness, her poise.

When she caught him watching, she looked horrified. The response took him aback. She’d never minded his presence in the ER before. She said something to the doctor, who looked over his shoulder at him. Clearly he was a distraction for some reason, but Kellan couldn’t understand why.

He considered leaving, but before he did, Sara was there, pushing him away from the door. “You shouldn’t be here, Kellan.”

Her tone wasn’t angry. Instead, it was something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Why not?”

She froze at his question and then glanced back toward the room. “I thought you…”

Suddenly he understood. He looked into the room, forcing himself to see who was on the table.

Fuck.

“Dad.”

“Please, Kellan. Go to the waiting room. Or back to your office. I have to get in there.”

He nodded numbly. “I’m not leaving. Go do your job.”

She hesitated briefly.

“Please, Sara. He needs you.”

She rushed back into the room. Previously he’d been watching Sara’s movements, marveling at her skill. Now his gaze was locked solely on his father.

There was so much blood.

Another doctor pushed by him, entering the room. Then another nurse.

Kellan stood by the door, watching as everyone moved around the table where his father lay. Part of him was surprised by how calm he felt. How surreal the moment was. Everyone in the room was rushing, talking loudly, in constant action. Meanwhile, he felt as if he were underwater, moving in slow motion.

He rubbed his hands together. They were cold. He was cold.

Dammit. He wasn’t calm.

I’m in shock.

The numbness faded when he looked from the cardiac monitor to the defibrillator and back again. He didn’t need a medical degree to know what a flat line meant.

His mind drifted back to Thursday night. What was the last thing he’d said to his dad at the restaurant?

That insult. He’d insulted his father’s integrity and tossed his apology back in his face.

And now…

Kellan stared at the cardiac monitor, willing the thing to move. He watched the doctors and Sara fighting to save his dad. He needed more time. More time to tell his father he was sorry for being such a prick, sorry for letting him take the blame for Kellan’s shortcomings. God, he wanted to tell Dad he loved him.

Bile rose to his throat, and for a moment, he feared he’d be sick.

Then a miracle happened. The cardiac monitor beeped in time with the heart that started beating again. Kellan leaned against the wall when his knees went weak.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed before the door to the trauma room opened. An orderly was pushing his father out of the room, and the doctors followed.

Kellan glanced around for Sara who came out last. She reached out for him, and he fell into her open arms, wrapping himself around her and soaking up as much of her strength as he could.

“Where are they taking him?”

“Surgery. I’m afraid he’s not out of the woods yet.”

“He died in there.”

Sara nodded slowly. “You shouldn’t have stayed here, Kellan. God. You shouldn’t have had to see that.” Her voice cracked slightly. She was struggling as much as he was to keep it together.

“You saved him.”

“The doctors resuscitated him. Listen, I’m going to go get a status report from the surgeon for you. Okay? And then…” She hesitated.

“You need to come back here to help the others.”

“Yeah. I wish I could stay with you, but—”

He shook off her apology. “These people need you more than me. I’ll be fine, Sara.”

“I’ll find you after things settle down. I suspect your mother—”

“Oh my God. She’s probably in the waiting room going crazy. I need to tell her what’s happening.”

“Stay with her. She’ll need you. I’ll update you both as much as I can. Promise.”

“Thank you,” he whispered. If he’d been thinking clearly, he never would have cupped Sara’s cheeks, never would have leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. They were at work. He was her boss.

He was terrified of losing his dad, and so fucking grateful she’d been there to help, that he gave in to the instinct without thinking through the consequences.

Sara returned the kiss for a second and then gently pulled away. “You’re going to get us both fired.”

He grinned tiredly. Leave it to Sara to find a way to make him smile when his whole world was falling apart.

She darted off in the direction they’d taken his father, while Kellan made his way to the waiting room. As he expected, his mother was there, pacing the floor despite the crowd. Then he saw Josh sitting in a chair nearby. He gave his friend a grateful, tired smile.

His mother rushed up to him as he approached. “Kellan.”

He opened his arms, offering her the same comfort Sara had just provided for him. “He’s alive,” he said, though Kellan was still shaken by the image of that flat line. “They’re prepping him for surgery. Sara is with him right now. She’s promised to keep us updated.”

“Thank God she’s there. I just can’t believe…” Mom’s words were lost to crying. Her voice broke and the tears she’d obviously been holding back fell.

The rest of the day passed in a haze as he and his mother sat side-by-side, awaiting news on his father’s condition. Josh remained close as well, making calls to family members, getting them coffee and food, even though most of it went uneaten.

Despite the chaos in the emergency room, Sara still managed to give them hourly updates, offering words of support that bolstered his mother’s strength. As if she had some sort of sixth sense, Sara always appeared just when Mom was about to fall apart, and found a way to bring her back up.

Kellan spent the entire day observing the way the emergency room operated, the way the doctors and nurses interacted with the patients and their families. Given the high number of critically injured patients transported from the crash scene, the people who’d come in with less severe problems had to wait longer.

For months, Sara had tried to explain why patients had to be prioritized according to need in the ER. He’d argued with her, insisting on less patient interaction times and multitasking priority cases with minor ones to improve their wait time averages.

Now he was grateful no one had ever listened to his bullshit. His father’s life had been on the line, and the staff had thumbed their nose at his insane “ten to fifteen minutes per patient” regulation and done everything in their power to save him.

During their next meeting, he was going to tell the board to take their bottom line and shove it up their asses. He’d probably be fired for it, but he didn’t care. The hospital staff was there to protect the patients’ safety, their health. Not to ensure that everyone got a damn lollipop.

While he had caught glimpses of Sara at work throughout the years, he’d never had the opportunity to sit and watch her. She was a born nurse, a natural caregiver. Her competence, her experience and soothing manner, left everyone she spoke with calmer. He was struck by the visible difference he saw in the people Sara dealt with. Their whole bodies relaxed, and their anxiety lessened. She was incredible.

The surgery lasted nearly six hours, and when they brought his father out, they put him in ICU, his condition critical. Though his father would continue to sleep, Sara said they would allow his mother to go see him.

“Well, I think that’s my cue,” Josh said as he stood to leave. “Everything’s going to be just fine, Mrs. James.”

“You were a godsend today,” Mom said, kissing Josh on the cheek.

Then Josh turned, placing a hand on Kellan’s shoulder. “I’m a phone call away if you need anything, man.”

Kellan shook Josh’s hand tightly. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you did, Josh.”

Josh shrugged away the thanks. “You hang in there, okay?”

Kellan nodded as Josh turned to Sara and gave her a hug. He couldn’t hear what his friend whispered to her, but Sara laughed softly and returned the embrace.

Once Josh was gone, Sara walked with them to ICU, explaining his father’s injuries to his mother in a way that she could understand.

“Mr. James suffered splenic trauma, meaning his spleen was torn during the injury. It caused some serious internal bleeding. The doctor removed it.”

“He can live without his spleen, right?” Mom asked.

“Oh yes,” Sara reassured her. “Absolutely. Mr. James is a very strong man. I have no doubt he’ll pull through this.”

“Good.” Mom hugged Sara and thanked her for everything she’d done for her husband.

“I didn’t do anything,” Sara demurred. “It was all the doctors, the surgeons.”

“Then thank you for what you did for us.”

Kellan hung back as Mom went into his dad’s room. It was hard to believe the man in the bed was his larger-than-life father. For the first time ever, he looked small and fragile.

“Give it to me straight, Sara. What happened in that operating room?”

“Your father’s will to live is incredible. You have to believe he’ll be okay.”

“You said that to my mother. Now fill in the blanks.”

“They lost him on the table twice. Had to resuscitate him. He’s still not out of the woods.”

“Shit,” Kellan murmured, instantly sorry he had asked.

“That’s why he’s still listed as critical?” Kellan asked, unable to shake the image of that flat line on the machine. “If they removed the spleen, and he can survive without it—”

“The accident caused other injuries, including a broken rib that punctured his lung. There was a lot to repair,” Sara explained.

She reached out to take his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. “But I have a good feeling, Kellan. You get your bullheaded stubbornness from that man in there. He’s not ready to go, so he won’t.”