Touch And Go - Aiden Bates Page 0,14
his cell, and without my own phone, I had no way of checking in on his Facebook or emailing him. My best plan was to get out and go over to his condo and confront him. But as I stepped outside with determination, my head spun, my chest tightened, and I had to sit down.
Fear bolted through me. I couldn’t shake the memory of Ben coming at me, fists clenched. Maybe I did need more rest to shake off the heebie-jeebies. But where? I had nowhere to go. I couldn’t very well go back to my apartment. Who knew what was waiting for me there? I couldn’t remember what the hell had happened immediately before I had to be pulled from the Potomac, so I couldn’t guess who or what was safe. Cue mild panic attack that had me on the bench in the sticky heat, counting my breaths.
I kept counting and tried to focus. My mind cleared. All I needed was information, some reassurance I was safe. But the only person who knew shit-all about what had happened to me would have to be Ben, but no guarantee he’d tell me the truth. Thanks to a ten-year age gap and major personality differences, we’d never been close. He’d never approved of me being out and proud, but at least he hadn’t disowned me. Any morsel of approval I managed to wriggle out of him was just a scrap I was supposed to be thankful for, but I was grateful he hadn’t cut me off completely, and deep down I think he really did still love his me. He just never said it…
Still, it was a mighty coincidence that I’d ended up on the wrong side of an emergency room again and only after I’d seen his spreadsheets… Although, before he’d ever arrived, I’d thought someone was watching me. Maybe my dip in the Potomac had something to do with that.
What I’d seen on Ben’s laptop had set off alarm bells, but it was probably all a misunderstanding. He’d caught me snooping. And been mad. Maybe he’d tried to explain. Ran out, and I ran after him. Tripped. Fallen a block forward into the river. I wasn’t that klutzy, but something. And that something couldn’t have been Ben. We were different and sometimes it caused friction, but he wouldn’t…try to kill me. But Someone had tried—and almost succeeded.
With my head in my hands, I rubbed my temples and tried to soothe the pain blooming there. A hand touched my shoulder and I jumped, and almost leaped again when I saw who it was. Dr. Dish’s dark blue eyes flashed over mine, and I smiled despite myself.
“What are you doing out here?” His voice was tight, and his brow furrowed. And even that was adorable.
“Waiting for a ride. What’re you doing here?”
“My shift starts soon.” He motioned to the hospital with his chin. His thick, square jaw masculine and delicious from my vantage point. “But seriously, what are you doing? You should be in bed.” He raised perfectly groomed, thick eyebrows and stared at me, like he was waiting for the truth. When I stared back, silent and guarding my secrets because I wasn’t sure what they were, he sighed and took a seat, so close that our knees touched. “You can trust me, you know.”
I scoffed. “Really? You know people who say, ‘you can trust me,’ are generally not trustworthy, right?”
“Should I say you can’t trust me?”
“Probably closer to the truth.”
He blinked and leaned back, and I grimaced at the tone of my own voice. Gruff. Angry. But…I’d just drowned and had no idea how it’d happened. Cranky didn’t seem so big a stretch. But then again…this guy had saved my life.
“Sorry.” I sniffed and looked at the ugly brown buildings at the other side of the parking lot.
“Look. If you need help—”
“I don’t.” The last thing I wanted to do was break down in front of him. And I was close enough without his soft gaze and his gentle voice.
“If you want help—”
Yeah. Another pamphlet maybe? “I’m good.” The guy was a doctor, what was he going to do? I needed a private detective or a bodyguard. Someone who could find out who was involved in my swim in the Potomac. He was expert at the patch-up but I needed the guy who could stop whatever this was from happening again.
My heart raced at the thought of the danger that I was in, and I winced as I pressed