Free Dark Kiss (The Two sides of me Book 1) by Amy Lynn Garcia

body reacts positively. My mind rejects anything more than friendship from a man. Evan has shattered the glass separating my fear and my heart, without even trying. Maybe that was the key, the slow progression of my introduction to him in his unconscious state. I was allowed to explore his physical presence with no fear of him, with no response or judgment from him. I don’t know how it happened but it has, so I plunge in feet first and admit my feelings….
    “It’s hard for me to leave you, it has been since the first time I lay eyes on you in that bed, so when I say try , I mean it takes a conscious effort to go.” So there it is, let’s see what he does with it. He’ll probably think I’m a needy, clingy nutcase. 
    Evan sits up, propping himself on one elbow letting go of my hand. Shit, that can’t be good, but it’s only for a moment, and then he reaches out with the same hand and tucks a long strand of hair behind my ear and feathers the back of his fingers down my cheek, resting his hand right above my breast.  My heart stops beating, I don’t think I’m breathing…. “I don’t want you to go, I don’t know what it is, I don’t know a thing about you, but I’m drawn to you. I realize you can’t hold vigil at my bedside, but I need you to come back today, soon if you can…. Please,” he says please like its foreign and painful, but he said it. BREATHE ; my heart is pounding with the lack of oxygen from all this holding of my breath. But he feels the same way, or at least it sounds like it. Relief spreads through my body, warm and comforting.
    “I’ll be back in and hour, one hour, I promise.”  I hold up one finger for emphasis. My experience as a nurse has taught me that giving a specific time that you will return can ease a patient’s anxiety. Wrinkling his brow and biting that sexy, full bottom lip for a long moment he finally concedes.
    “Ok, an hour- one, I don’t want that other nurse giving me a bed bath.”
    I smile wide and giggle, “Don’t worry, you won’t get a bath unless it’s from me.”
    “Ok, go! The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll come back to me.”
    “So now your pushing me out the door huh?” I tease, but his face darkens and I realize that must have not been the best choice of words.
    “I’m kidding, just kidding,” I reassure him.
    “I know, hurry up,” he commands, and I’m happy to comply. He moves his hand from above my breast down to my waist and nudges me to get up. I rise from the bed and slowly back out of the room cautiously like I’m backing away from a dangerous animal, through the door it clicks and I make a beeline for the elevator to avoid a new storm of questions from Callie.
    Leaving the hospital I feel like I’m emerging from a fog…the Evan fog… Checking my phone for the first time since I left the club last night, I see 14 missed calls and 10 texts, all from of the girls and most from Lilly. Where the hell did you go? Who woke up? Mia!!! Answer me !! And on and on- I shoot a quick group text back to them; I’m fine, don’t worry, it was a patient at work sorry, I’ll call you later. There, I pray that appeases Lily, I can’t talk about any of this right now, I don’t even know what the hell I’d say. Uh yea, this crazy gorgeous patient I’ve been flirting with while he’s been in a coma for 8 days woke up and decided he couldn’t live without me so I had to go… sounds insane to me! Checking around me for strangers while I walk to my car, a habit I’ve perfected after 10 years of looking over my shoulder, I press the unlock button and hop in quickly, lock the doors and hurry home. I’ve learned this anxiety stems from knowing one of my kidnappers is still out there…somewhere. Years of expensive therapy and that’s what I’ve gotten, yea…nice… The morning is brisk and my bare legs are covered with goose bumps when I finally unlock the door to my apartment. Shower…I really need to clean up; sitting in a hospital