Free Across the Miles (The Not So Bad Boys of Rock #1) by Rhonda James

glance at me before continuing. “However, I can’t stop you from choosing to fly; it’s just a medical recommendation. I’ll let you two discuss this, you are free to leave the hospital if you wish.” He shook both our hands and left the room. Brooke remained sitting on theedge of the table, staring ahead, as if shocked by the recent news.
    “Hey honey, you okay?” I prodded gently. I knew she probably found it strange that I kept referring to her as honey, but I couldn’t help myself, that endearment just fit her, it must have been the hair that led me to call her that. Yeah, that was all it was.
    Brooke~
    I don’t like confined spaces, and this machine is totally freaking me out. Steve left, and the assistant is in fitting me with a mirror over my eyes. I’m not sure how this is going to help my situation, but I resign to it and pray that this procedure is over quickly, and I can be off to the airport. The thought of leaving brings about two conflicting emotions, excitement and dread. I want to get back home to the familiarity and comfort of my apartment, but a part of me would like nothing more than to remain here for a while longer and spend more time getting to know this man that intrigues me. Something about him calls to the deepest part of my being, he calms me and excites me all at the same time. Maybe we can exchange phone numbers and become those people that have a long distance relationship getting to know one another via technology. Yeah, that sounds romantic. Get a grip girl, he’s just a man, you see hundreds of them on a weekly basis and never react this way. I’m sure that once I am home he will become nothing but a pleasant memory of this terrible vacation, and surely he will forget all about me once I am gone, after all, he has gobs of women seeking his attention on a regular basis. I’m sure that the only memory he will have of me is that I was an inconvenience, a needy inconvenience.
    Steve walked back into the testing room and spoke a few reassuring words to me, he is a nice man, and then I felt a hand on my ankle. I looked in the small mirror and saw his kind blue eyes staring back at me, his gaze never leaving mine. He’s here with me, by his own choice. Throughout the entire scan, he remained there, his hand protectively placed over my leg, stroking it absentmindedly and soothing me in the process. His presence made it possible for me to tolerate the small space, and before I knew it, the test was over and I was out of the tube.
    Steve came back into the room and started talking about my results, I only half listened, instead choosing to stare at Sebastian. His eyes were such a brilliant shade of blue, and I loved the way the little flecks of silver sparkled whenever he laughed. His hair looked soft and crazy, and I couldn’t help but fantasize about running my fingers through it, just once, to get a feel for it. Would that be weird? I didn’t see how it would be, considering that just last night he had run his fingers through mine while cleaning it up, surely that constituted as a legitimate excuse for me to return the favor.
    “Well, I’m sorry to do this to you but I am going to recommend that you avoid air travel for the next seven to ten days,” Steve reported; the next words he spoke were lost as I couldn’t wrap my head around what he had just told me. I couldn’t go home? What was I supposed to do now? I couldn’t stay here; I had to get back to work. Where would I stay? A hotel would be expensive for that many days, and I barely knew Sebastian. Surely that would be too much of an imposition. One night was awkward, maybe, but ten? No, I had to get home. Maybe I could drive, surely that would be acceptable.
    “Hey honey, are you okay?” Sebastian asked, his handon my shoulder. Why did my heart skip a beat when he used that endearment on me? Was it possible that I had feelings for him because he had come to my rescue? I knew it was common for women to want a man to be