Crush - Kelsie Rae
Marcy
I signed up to be a surrogate because the dating pool is that shallow. Besides, my uterus might as well get used before it starts to grow cobwebs, right? Go figure that fate would screw with me as soon as I check in at my first doctor's appointment.
It's official. I've hit a new rock bottom.
Now I'm stuck drooling over my obstetrician, Dr. Benjamin Bennett. The wounded widower knows how to play my heartstrings like a seasoned violinist.
I thought I'd be stuck lusting from afar, but it seems luck is on my side when I find him on a dating app.
Dr. Bennett is looking for a friend with benefits, and I'm more than ready to jump his bones.
What I don't expect however, is the man beneath the good looks. The longer I'm around him, the more I start to wonder if he'd ever be interested in pursuing something real, or if I'd always be lost in his wife's shadow.
Introduction
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the Everyday Heroes World!
I’m so excited you’ve picked up this book! Crush is a book based on the world I created in my USA Today bestselling Everyday Heroes Series. While I may be finished writing this series (for now), various authors have signed on to keep them going. They will be bringing you all-new stories in the world you know while allowing you to revisit the characters you love.
This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I allowed them to use the world I created and may have assisted in some of the plotting, I took no part in the writing or editing of the story. All praise can be directed their way.
I truly hope you enjoy Crush. If you’re interested in finding more authors who have written in the KB Worlds, you can visit www.kbworlds.com.
Thank you for supporting the writers in this project and me.
Happy Reading,
K. Bromberg
Prologue
Ben
My head is pounding as the sirens echo in the distance. They’re getting closer.
What the hell just happened?
Closing my eyes, I attempt to recount the last few minutes before the memory hits me like a truck.
Or a car for that matter.
I was driving. We were going to dinner when––
“Kate?” I croak. My desperation starts to surface as I piece together the severity of the situation.
The puff of smoke from the airbag swirls through the cabin and makes it almost impossible to see, but I have to get to her. Squinting, I open my mouth wide to pop the ringing in my ears, but it does nothing to silence the deafening sound.
“Kate?” I repeat, my panic rising as the silence begins to suffocate me. “Kate, talk to me.” As the smoke starts to dissipate, I find my wife slumped in the passenger seat, unconscious.
Coughing, I reach for her, but the seatbelt keeps me pinned in my seat. “Kate, baby, you okay?” My fingers tug at the strap against my chest, but it comes away coated with blood.
My blood.
I’m drenched in it.
The sirens grow louder before the screech of brakes grabs my attention.
“Kate, wake up, baby. You gotta wake up,” I plead. There’s so much blood.
Footsteps crunch outside the car before a bright light blinds me through the broken window.
“Ben?” the familiar voice murmurs.
Cocking my head toward the owner, I blink a few times before recognizing the stranger. “Grant?”
“Where’s the ambulance?” he yells to someone behind him. His voice is laced with an urgency that feels foreign. Grant is never scared. He’s calm and collected. Always has been for as long as I’ve known him. His head snaps back to me, and he starts to inspect the damage. But he doesn’t understand. The only thing that matters is my wife who’s unconscious in the passenger seat.
“Kate,” I cough as my head rolls forward. The darkness threatens to pull me under. Pressing my bloodstained hand to my face, I force my eyelids to stay open. “You gotta help Kate.”
His brows tug down in the middle of his forehead as he glances over to the passenger seat before the color drains from his face.
No. No, no, no!
Clearing his throat, Grant states, “We’re going to get you out of there, okay? But I’m going to need you to stay calm.”
“Fuck calm, Grant! Get her out of the car!” I struggle to break free from the restraints, but it’s no use.
“Malone!” a voice calls.
“Just a second!” Grant barks to his partner before dropping his voice low like he was trained to do in situations like this. Hell, I’m a doctor. I was trained to do