Free The Love She Craves: Selling Her Soul to Declan by Gemma Jenkins Page B

he wrote in May. I’m sure you’ve got the original stashed away at home, but I thought you’d like to have it with you.”
    “Thank you, Mrs. North. Thank you.”
    She held the paper over her heart as if she could feel Cody’s embrace by holding it there. The teacher patted Nyxie’s hand. “He loves you.”
     
    When Declan returned on his evening rounds, he was freshly showered and looked like he spent the rest of his time off sleeping. She felt bad he’d had to come back to the hospital to assist in Cody’s second operation when he was supposed to be off. He handed Nyxie a pair of ten dollar vouchers to the cafeteria so he wouldn’t have to worry about whether she would eat overnight.  He knew there was already a patient in the ER who needed surgery and he was scheduled to assist in a pair of procedures in the morning, so she shouldn’t expect to see him for at least twelve hours.
    Declan returned at lunchtime the following day with a pair of sandwiches and two cups of iced tea. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “A sub for my sub. I hope you like the Italian.” He handed her the foot long and took a six inch for himself.
    “We don’t eat out other than the free meals I get at the truck stop. Trust me; it’s all a treat to me.”
    “Good to know. Do you have any foods you don’t like?”
    She shook her head and grinned. “I don’t turn my nose up at much. Food in your belly is food in your belly.”
    “Yeah,” he said knowing she knew what it was like to be hungry. She still looked like she continued to go hungry if her gamin appearance was any indication.
    “Every time I eat, I want to share the food with the kids.”
    Nyxie unwrapped the large sandwich and peeked under the bun at the toppings. She doubted there was a veggie he didn’t have put on it. Picking up half, she gave it a sniff and coaxed a smile to her lips for his benefit. She opened her mouth and took a small bite not really feeling hungry.
    “I know,” he said. “I’m sure wherever Lotus and Reina are, they’re eating well.”
    She nodded, slowly chewing and swallowing past the lump in her throat.
    “Why is my sandwich twice as big as yours?”
    “I’m trying to get you into a healthy weight range. Both bags of chips are for you, also. If you can’t eat them, save them for a snack.”
    She blushed. “I’m sorry. I’ve always been skinny. I guess it’s my genetics.”
    Declan l ooked like he wanted to comment but kept it to himself. “I’ve got to get going before anyone starts to wonder where I am. I might have time to drive you to my house when I get a supper break if you want to use my spare bedroom.”
    “I want to stay with Cody.”
    “Okay. I’ll see you on my evening rounds.”
    “Thank you for the sandwich,” she said dropping her gaze to the floor.
    Declan stepped to the curtain, but turned around and came back to her. He leaned down and lightly kissed her mouth. “Yum, Italian Nyxie. I don’t know which sub taste better; the sandwich or you.”
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    8
     
     
     
     
    Dr. Emily Saunders stepped into her office after her nurse informed her Declan Stryker was waiting on her. He’d been the first resident she’d met when she moved to Lubbock and because he’d done his undergraduate studies here, he’d known his way around better than any of the other new residents. He’d graduated from medical school at Yale and had requested to come to Tech for his residency, a fact that baffled the A&M alum.
    “Declan, what on earth are you doing here?” the tall blonde OB/GYN resident asked. “The last time I looked, you had a penis not a uterus.”
    He raised a sardonic eyebrow. “You looked? Perv.”
    “I didn’t have to. You strut around like a man with a cannon and two bowling balls between his legs.”
    He laughed. “Remind me why we never dated?”
    She met his eyes and gave him a shrewd look. “Because you strut around like a man with a cannon and two