Read Online Nerves of Steel by C.J. Lyons - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: C.J. Lyons
Tags: Suspense
Ads: Link
her.
The scent of his cologne overwhelmed her. Drakkor Noir. Once upon a time she had painstakingly chosen it for him, hoped that he would like it, yearning to please. Now she inhaled its aroma and terror filled her, burning and choking.
The room seemed suddenly empty of oxygen, the walls moving in on her. She felt dwarfed, a scared rabbit caught fast in the hand of a giant. Cassie fought against the panic even more than she struggled against Richard's physical advances.
"Get off me, Richard. I swear I'll--" She clamped her lips shut, immediately realized her mistake. Don't agitate him. Don't fight back. It will only make things worse. Damn, when would she learn?
"You'll what?" he demanded. "Call the Medical Board? Afraid it'll be hard to play that card twice, Ella. Especially when I've had squeaky clean drug tests. Why can't you give me a chance?"
His leaned forward, his body pressing against hers, his erection obvious beneath the thin cotton scrubs. She knew what would come next. He would force her to her knees to finish arousing him, then he would take her on whatever surface was handy: the floor, the scrub sink, the gurney. It wouldn't matter to Richard. Not as long as he was in control.
Cassie wasn't about to let that happen. She'd wasted almost three years of her life on him. He wouldn't get another second.
She placed both hands against his chest and shoved him back. Finally, air to breathe that wasn't polluted by the smell of his cologne. She turned away, but he grabbed her wrist.
"Dammit, Ella. What we had meant something. You can't ignore it, pretend it never happened." He spun her back to face him. "One chance, is that too much to ask for?"
"Yes," she said. His eyes narrowed, and she knew her small act of defiance would cost her dearly. Richard was used to getting what he wanted out of life. Rehab hadn't changed that. His grip on her wrist tightened, and he raised her arm over her head, pinning her against the wall.
"You folks need anything?" came a voice from the doorway.
Richard jerked away. Cassie slumped against the wall, shaking the blood back into her numb hand. Drake, playing his role as an orderly, carried a stack of suture trays into the room. How much had he seen?
"Private conversation," Richard snapped.
"I'll just be a sec," Drake replied with an amiable grin. "They asked me to stock in here."
The two men stood staring at each other, neither fooled by the other's veneer of civilization.
While Richard was distracted, she sidled away from him, out of reach. She fought to slow her breathing, to regain any sense of the woman she'd thought she'd become since she'd left Richard. Who did she think she was fooling? No amount of Kempo lessons, no amount of time could repair the damage she'd done to herself when she allowed Richard into her life, her heart.
Richard glared at Drake, whose grin never wavered, then turned to Cassie. "We'll finish this later, Ella."
CHAPTER 12
As he watched the door close behind Hart's ex, Drake clenched the suture trays hard enough to leave indentations in the plastic. Hart and her personal problems were none of his business. Unless the ex had been hassling her about FX? Didn't sound like that from what he'd heard, but he might have missed something.
He set the trays down on the counter and opened the small refrigerator below. Stacks of bright blue chemical ice packs were arranged in the freezer door. He grabbed one and approached her. She stood against the far wall, her gaze darting from him to the exit, searching for an escape.
He cradled her wrist in his hand and saw the dusky imprint of finger marks marring her pale skin. She shuddered at his touch. Reflex. From what he'd seen, one born of long habit.
"Hold still," he told her. "Trust me, this helps." He raised his own arm, still reddened by her wrist-lock-from-hell and was surprised to see a faint blush of
The scent of his cologne overwhelmed her. Drakkor Noir. Once upon a time she had painstakingly chosen it for him, hoped that he would like it, yearning to please. Now she inhaled its aroma and terror filled her, burning and choking.
The room seemed suddenly empty of oxygen, the walls moving in on her. She felt dwarfed, a scared rabbit caught fast in the hand of a giant. Cassie fought against the panic even more than she struggled against Richard's physical advances.
"Get off me, Richard. I swear I'll--" She clamped her lips shut, immediately realized her mistake. Don't agitate him. Don't fight back. It will only make things worse. Damn, when would she learn?
"You'll what?" he demanded. "Call the Medical Board? Afraid it'll be hard to play that card twice, Ella. Especially when I've had squeaky clean drug tests. Why can't you give me a chance?"
His leaned forward, his body pressing against hers, his erection obvious beneath the thin cotton scrubs. She knew what would come next. He would force her to her knees to finish arousing him, then he would take her on whatever surface was handy: the floor, the scrub sink, the gurney. It wouldn't matter to Richard. Not as long as he was in control.
Cassie wasn't about to let that happen. She'd wasted almost three years of her life on him. He wouldn't get another second.
She placed both hands against his chest and shoved him back. Finally, air to breathe that wasn't polluted by the smell of his cologne. She turned away, but he grabbed her wrist.
"Dammit, Ella. What we had meant something. You can't ignore it, pretend it never happened." He spun her back to face him. "One chance, is that too much to ask for?"
"Yes," she said. His eyes narrowed, and she knew her small act of defiance would cost her dearly. Richard was used to getting what he wanted out of life. Rehab hadn't changed that. His grip on her wrist tightened, and he raised her arm over her head, pinning her against the wall.
"You folks need anything?" came a voice from the doorway.
Richard jerked away. Cassie slumped against the wall, shaking the blood back into her numb hand. Drake, playing his role as an orderly, carried a stack of suture trays into the room. How much had he seen?
"Private conversation," Richard snapped.
"I'll just be a sec," Drake replied with an amiable grin. "They asked me to stock in here."
The two men stood staring at each other, neither fooled by the other's veneer of civilization.
While Richard was distracted, she sidled away from him, out of reach. She fought to slow her breathing, to regain any sense of the woman she'd thought she'd become since she'd left Richard. Who did she think she was fooling? No amount of Kempo lessons, no amount of time could repair the damage she'd done to herself when she allowed Richard into her life, her heart.
Richard glared at Drake, whose grin never wavered, then turned to Cassie. "We'll finish this later, Ella."
CHAPTER 12
As he watched the door close behind Hart's ex, Drake clenched the suture trays hard enough to leave indentations in the plastic. Hart and her personal problems were none of his business. Unless the ex had been hassling her about FX? Didn't sound like that from what he'd heard, but he might have missed something.
He set the trays down on the counter and opened the small refrigerator below. Stacks of bright blue chemical ice packs were arranged in the freezer door. He grabbed one and approached her. She stood against the far wall, her gaze darting from him to the exit, searching for an escape.
He cradled her wrist in his hand and saw the dusky imprint of finger marks marring her pale skin. She shuddered at his touch. Reflex. From what he'd seen, one born of long habit.
"Hold still," he told her. "Trust me, this helps." He raised his own arm, still reddened by her wrist-lock-from-hell and was surprised to see a faint blush of
Similar Books
