A Stallion's Touch Read online

  Stepping out of the elevator, she pushed what some would call wishful thinking from her head. She walked toward the NICU, wanting to check on the twins. The duo was thriving, and she knew their stay was about to come to an end. When she arrived, a physical therapist was present, giving their parents instructions to help them continue to do well once they made it home.

  Jessica waved at her excitedly, calling out her name.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Tarah said. She moved to the young mother’s side.

  Jessica nuzzled one son against her chest, his bright eyes darting back at forth. “I’m glad you stopped by. We’re leaving tomorrow!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Dr. Harper has cleared both boys to leave.”

  Tarah nodded. “I heard. I was actually planning on being here to say goodbye.”

  “I really want to thank you. My husband and I owe you so much for everything you did. You and all the other doctors.”

  “We really appreciate that. It means a lot to us!”

  “So, we’ll see you tomorrow?” Jessica asked.

  Tarah’s head bobbed eagerly as she reached for the second twin, pulling the infant into her arms. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world.”

  Chapter 8

  Nicholas smiled when Tarah entered his room. She was humming softly to herself as she stopped to check his charts for any new notes since the last time she’d been there.

  It had been a good few months since his game-winning play, and Tarah had been there with him day in and day out as her time allowed. His friends, the coach, teammates and people he’d labeled casual acquaintances had visited as least once but not much more than that. The coach had delivered his winning ring and had assured him the team would be there to support him through his recovery. Nicholas had been grateful for the well wishes, but Tarah’s dedication to his recovery was endearing, and he found her friendship invaluable.

  Tarah was actually surprised to find him wide awake and alert, doing chin-ups on a utility bar that hung from the ceiling. “What’s all this?” she asked.

  “The physical therapy I asked for. Finally! A cutie named Maxine hooked me up.”

  Tarah smiled. “And Dr. Harper approved this?”

  “Dr. Stallion and his new friends in the orthopedic department pulled some strings.” Nicholas winked an eye. “I don’t think the good Dr. Harper has been told yet!”

  “So how’s it coming along?” Tarah asked a wide grin across her face.

  “I’m having a grand time learning how to do pull-ups!”

  “Those pull-ups are going to help you move from this bed to a wheelchair. It’s a step toward physical independence.”

  “About that. I was doing some research, and I ordered a few chairs I want to try. I’m having them delivered to your house, if that’s okay?”

  Tarah laughed. “Don’t you think you might be moving a little fast?”

  “Probably, but I have impulse control issues.”

  She shook her head. “You just like being a nuisance.”

  “That too!”

  She moved to the side of the bed and sat down beside him. He dropped his torso back against the mountain of pillows that supported him and reached for his cell phone. Before Tarah could blink, Nicholas had wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulled her close and taken a selfie.

  “Hey! Really!” Tarah exclaimed. “What was that for?”

  Nicholas laughed as he pushed buttons on his phone. “I’m posting a picture on my social media accounts. I need to get back in the game. Let my fans know I’m on the mend.”

  Tarah snatched his phone from his hand. She eyed the image of the two of them that he’d posted to his Instagram account. The caption read, The Girlfriend. It was not the most flattering image of her. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, her curls askew, wearing her green surgical scrubs.

  “This isn’t cute,” she said as she pushed the delete button.

  “Hey, that was a good shot! I looked great!”

  “If you’re going to point me out, no one will care how you look.” She pulled her thick hair into a high topknot, then pinched some color into her cheeks. Shifting her body closer against him, she held the phone at arm’s length, centered them both in the screen and ordered him to smile. She snapped one picture and then a second. Choosing the better of the two, she posted it to his social media sites before passing the device back to him.

  Nicholas laughed, reading her own caption. “Really? ‘The best girlfriend in the whole wide world’?”

  “You’d better believe it!” she said as she adjusted one of the pillows behind her head and back.

  He grinned while shaking his head. “So, how is your day going so far?”

  “It’s been good. I had three surgeries this morning, and I performed a spinal fusion earlier this afternoon.”

  “So you’re done for the day?”

  “For the most part. I still have one patient in recovery, and as long as his vitals are stable for the next hour, I’ll be able to release him to a room. Then I’ll be done. I just needed to get off my feet for a minute.”

  “You need to go get some rest. Take a few days off, just crawl into bed and read a good book or something. You haven’t taken a breather in months.”

  “I will. One day soon,” she mumbled as she pulled her legs up, crossing them at the ankle.

  Nicholas turned to stare at her. Her face was buried in a medical journal, focused on an article about electro studies on nerve regeneration. It was what he called serious reading, big words with too many letters and not enough pretty pictures. In the time it took her to blink she was completely lost in the text, everything around her fading into oblivion.

  With a soft chuckle, he reached for the utility bar and went back to his efforts to pull himself up. Minutes later the sound of Tarah snoring vibrated through the room. Looking over his shoulder, Nicholas saw that she had drifted off to sleep, the medical journal having fallen into her lap. Her head hung down and to the side. Her mouth was parted just so, and he imagined that if she were left there uninterrupted long enough, drool would drip from her bottom lip. A loud snort slipped past her lips, and Nicholas couldn’t help but laugh. Even in her sleep, she brought a smile to his face.

  Allowing his torso to fall back again, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently pushing and prodding until she lay straighter and looked more comfortable, careful not to disturb her rest. It was reflex that moved her to curl her body closer to his, leaning her head into his side. The nearness of her made his heart race, and he couldn’t help but wish that things could be different for them. He brushed a stray curl from her face, his touch an easy caress. She was simply enchanting, and it amazed him that she didn’t seem to have a clue just how remarkable she was. He sighed softly as he allowed himself to settle against her, slipping into the warmth of her body heat.

  * * *

  Tarah woke with a start, the alarm on the activity tracker on her wrist vibrating against her skin. She rubbed her hand against her eyes as she threw her legs off the side of the bed and sat upright.

  Beside her Nicholas was sleeping soundly. He lay flat on his back, one arm thrown over his head. She had been lying against the other. His breathing was easy, his chest rising with each inhalation of air. Someone, probably his nurse, had cut off the bright lights in the room, leaving one fluorescent bulb on near the bathroom.

  After adjusting the bedcovers around him, she leaned in and pressed the whisper of a kiss against his forehead. She smiled down at him as he muttered something about sandbags and ice cream. He sometimes talked in his sleep, and most times it didn’t make an ounce of sense.

  Tarah tiptoed out, needing to make one last round to check on her patients. No one had paged her, so she was fairly confident that all was well, no problems having risen while she
slept. Being able to take that short power nap had done wonders for her. She headed out on her rounds with renewed vigor.

  An hour later, Tarah had checked in on all of her patients, confirming that meds had been ordered and everyone was resting comfortably. She had just wished the last patient well when she stumbled upon Dr. Harper. He was standing in wait at the nurses’ station, his eyes focused on a patient chart. When she spoke, greeting him politely, he shifted his attention in her direction.

  “Dr. Boudreaux, you’re still here?”

  “I’m actually done for the day. I just checked on my last patient and handed over my charts to Dr. Weinstein.”

  Dr. Harper nodded. “I’m sure you were happy to hear that I’ll be discharging your boyfriend.”

  Tarah’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

  “Yes, I told him earlier today. I’m surprised he didn’t say something to you.”

  Tarah smiled. “Actually, I was just headed up to see him now. You probably spoiled the surprise.”

  “My bad...” he said, a smirk pulling across his face. “I certainly didn’t mean to do that.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t,” Tarah said, clearly not meaning a word that had come out of her mouth. Because she was certain that if Nicholas had been trying to surprise her, Thaddeus Harper would have done anything and everything to burst both their bubbles.

  She turned abruptly, moving off in the other direction. Dr. Harper calling her name stopped her in her tracks.

  “Yes?”

  Dr. Harper smiled. He moved toward her until they were standing toe to toe. He gripped her shoulders with both hands. “Mr. Stallion is going to require a significant amount of attention once you get him home. If you find that handling him along with your responsibilities here at the hospital becomes problematic, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I want you to know that I’m here for you. I’m here to help.”

  She eyed the doctor for a moment as she tried to ascertain if he was being genuine, and then she nodded her head. Turning away from his grasp, she moved quickly down the hallway, as far from the man as she could get.

  * * *

  Nicholas looked up to find Tarah standing in the doorway of his room. Her gaze was narrowed, an attitude seeping from her stare. He looked around as though he were searching for someplace to run and hide if it became necessary.

  “What?” he questioned, trying to determine how scared he should be, because clearly she was not a happy woman.

  “When were you going to tell me?” Tarah asked, moving into the room and closing the door behind her.

  His head tilted as he eyed her, understanding washing over him. “I was trying to find the right moment.”

  “You needed a right moment to tell me you were coming home?”

  “About that... What had happened was...”

  She moved swiftly to his side. “About what? Dr. Harper is releasing you and you didn’t tell me. Do you know how I felt hearing it from him as he leered at me with that damn smug look on his face? Aargh!” she growled between clenched teeth. “One day smacking that smug look off his face is going to get me in some serious trouble!”

  “Yeah, that wouldn’t be good.”

  “Then I’m going to smack you!” she exclaimed.

  Nicholas chuckled softly.

  Tarah crossed her arms over her chest as she stared down at him. “You should have told me. There’s a ton of work that needs to be done to get the house ready. It’s a good thing I have the next few days off.”

  Nicholas sighed, warm breath floating past his lips. “I didn’t want you worrying about that. In fact, I told Nathaniel to find me a small apartment somewhere close to the hospital.”

  “Oh, no you did not!” Her hands fell to her hips, her head whipping from side to side.

  “You look like that stereotypical angry woman right now.”

  “You did not just say that!” Tarah’s eyes widened, her index finger waving in front of his face.

  “Are we fighting? Because you look like you’re ready to smack me, and I can’t run. Remember? Nonfunctioning legs?”

  “Aargh!” Tarah exclaimed, louder than the first time. “Are you really that kind of man? Really?”

  “What kind of man is that?”

  “The kind who makes decisions without talking it over with his partner! That kind of man.”

  He suddenly said haltingly, “Well...I... We... I didn’t...damn.”

  “Don’t cuss at me!” Tarah admonished.

  “I wasn’t... I...”

  She cut him off. “There is no reason for you to get an apartment. There is plenty of room at my house for you, and I’ll be there to help. You are not going to some apartment. I can’t believe you’d think I’d let that happen or you could just make that decision without talking to me about it!”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “You should be!” Tarah dropped down onto the bed beside him. “Don’t do it again.”

  The two sat in silence for a good few minutes. There was activity happening in the hallway outside his door that they both ignored as Nicholas reflected on their conversation and Tarah’s reaction.

  He reached for her hand and held it, entwining her fingers tightly between his own. “I really am sorry,” he said as he felt her finally relax into the moment. “But I thought it would be best for both of us. With my own apartment, I’d be close, but I wouldn’t be a burden to you. You’ve been such a great friend to me that I didn’t want to put anything else on you.”

  “That’s not your decision to make without talking to me first. We really need to work on our communication.”

  He chuckled softly. “Okay, then let’s talk.”

  There was another moment of pause as they sat staring at each other. Tarah finally broke the silence.

  “I care about you, Nicholas.”

  “I care about you, too. You’ve become my best friend.”

  She smiled. “But are we more than friends? I know we laugh and joke and tease each other, but how do you really feel about me? Am I a girl friend? Or am I your girlfriend?”

  He took a deep breath. “I wanted you to be my girlfriend, but with the accident and everything...well... I didn’t think...”

  She narrowed her gaze. “We’re not talking about your accident, or your legs, or any of that right now. What I need to hear is how you feel about me.”

  Nicholas shook his head. “But my legs and my medical problems are going to impact everything that will happen to us from this point forward. So you don’t get to ignore it no matter what I feel for you or what you feel for me. That is not how this is going to work, Tarah. I’m sorry.”

  “Fine. But you still haven’t answered my question. How do you feel about me?”

  Nicholas sat taller. His eyes dropped down as he played with her fingers, gently caressing each one slowly. “You have become the most important person in my life. I want you to be happy more than I want anything else in this world. Even more than I want functioning legs. That’s how much I care about you, Tarah.” He lifted his gaze to meet hers, their eyes locking tightly as they stared at each other.

  “Well, it took you long enough,” Tarah answered, unbridled joy shimmering in her tone.

  Nicholas continued. “And because I care about you so much, Tarah, I’m not going to let you just decide to become my caretaker and protector without knowing what you’re getting yourself into. There is no way I’m just going to let you throw your life away when I know you deserve better than what I have to offer you right now.”

  “Make no mistake, Nicholas Stallion, I am fully aware of what I’m getting myself into. I know your medical needs better than you do. And I also know that if I didn’t think you were worth whatever sacrifices we might have to make as a couple then I would have been upfront about t
hat from the beginning. I never saw being with you as throwing my life away, so you need to check yourself with that.”

  “So you do care about me like that?” Nicholas’s grin was miles wide.

  “You have to ask?”

  “No. I know you’re falling in love with me.”

  Tarah narrowed her gaze in his direction. “I thought I told you not to cuss at me!”

  “Who cussed?”

  “You said the L-word.”

  “You really do have commitment issues, don’t you?”

  Tarah laughed. “Not at all, because I’m very committed to you.”

  Nicholas smiled. “Really?”

  His eyes were dancing over her face, the look he was giving her like the sweetest caress. Tarah inched her body closer to his. She pressed a hand to his chest as she leaned in, her face just millimeters away. Something delightful gleamed from her stare, and he found himself falling headfirst into the wealth of it. Nicholas felt the air catch in his chest as he took a swift breath and held it. And then she kissed him, pressing her mouth sweetly against his.

  * * *

  Despite what many people thought they knew about her, Tarah had not had that many first kisses. In fact, she could count on one hand the number of first kisses she’d had in her lifetime and have fingers left over. Tarah had often come across fast and flighty, but the men she dated would probably attest to her being rather stingy with her treats.

  But kissing Nicholas felt like Christmas had come again and she’d gotten the biggest gift under the tree. She felt him snake an arm around her waist as he pulled her closer to him, his lips gliding like silk against hers. He tasted of chocolate pudding and peaches, the desserts he insisted on having with his dinner each night. His mouth was sweet and warm, and everything about that moment was as near perfect as she could begin to imagine a first kiss being.