LINA
"What the hell are you doin', Lina?" Mia snapped the second she found out that I had been avoiding Donovan since the incident. "Why are you running away from him?"
I scoffed and crossed my arms, shaking my head. "I'm not running from anything or anyone, Mia."
"Really? 'Cause it sure as hell seems that way," Amanda chimed in. "Seriously. You're torturing yourself here."
"Why are you guys getting so defensive? So what if I'm avoiding him?"
"Oh, my god! Lina! Seriously, you're oblivious to your own damn feelings," Mia pointed out.
"I'm sorry, Lina, but I have to agree with them," Leslie finally said, catching me off guard. "You talk about Donovan all the time and you care about that...beast. Hasn't it bothered you why it seems hard to function nowadays without seeing him everyday?"
My arms fell and I downed the last of my IPA, nodding to the bartender to get me another. "I have no idea what you three are getting at. I needed time away from him, I needed to think. After everything that happened, I was really spooked and still upset at the fact that my father died that night, right in front of me. Yeah, sure, he was a piece of shit and wanted me dead but he was still my father."
"Please, quit with the lies, Lina. Be honest with us, why did you want to stop seeing him?" Leslie said, the three looking at me with pure curiosity.
"I don't know, dammit!" I snapped, sighing heavily. "The minute I saw him hurt on TV I rushed to his side, he gave me a place to stay during all of that--stuff and he wasn't afraid to pull the trigger for me, on my father. I don't know what I'm doing or what I'm feeling. It's like my high school sweetheart all over again but definitely more infuriating."
"You're in love!" the three cheered, only causing me to shush them.
"Shut up! I am not in love with a criminal."
"That's never bothered you before," Amanda said, wiggling her eyebrows at me. "Be truly honest, what do you feel towards him?"
* * * * *
"What do you feel towards him?"
What I feel? Attraction, maybe. Love? No, definitely no. There is just no way...no way.
"I would appreciate it if you could not let me bleed out, doctor," Donovan's nagging voice said, ripping me out of my thoughts and back to reality.
Stupid! Stupid!
My face heated unbelievably and I quickly finished patching him up and avoiding eye contact--any contact at all.
It's not like he can read my mind. What am I getting all clammy for?
"Are you still avoiding me?"
Without thinking, I spun around to stare him in the eye and he looked...different. It was like, suddenly, I was seeing him through different eyes and, for some reason, he looked incredible. I gulped audibly and laughed sheepishly, pushing my hair behind my ear and turning so the side of me faced him.
"Um--no, I mean--" I stopped mid-sentence and sighed heavily, facing him fully again. "I didn't mean to, avoid you I mean. I've just...I've just been busy with the clinic after being gone for so long."
"You didn't call Ethan to say you weren't coming in any of the days you missed," he pointed out, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and standing, too fast.
"Shit, Donovan! Don't stand up!" I screeched, rushing over to grab his arm as he fell, which, was such a bad idea.
In that moment I forgot just how much muscle mass was on this man, and, instead of catching him he fell back onto the bed, taking me with him. Now this was not a very good situation to be in right now. I landed completely on his extremely muscular chest and stared up at him the instant it happened, watching his face contort with pain.
"You didn't honestly think you'd be able to catch me, did you?" he asked, his eyes shut.
"It was worth a shot," I said breathlessly.
"You're digging into my wound, doc," he said hoarsely and I jumped off him the instant he said it, fixing my doctors coat and moving to the other side of the room to wash my hands.
I've just freaked myself out. There's no way I have a crush on that man. It's...not possible.
"Are you upset about your father?"
His question caused me to freeze for a moment. I stared down at my drenched hands and sighed, turning the faucet off and drying my hands. I turned around to look him in the eye, leaning on the counter.
"No," I admitted. "Not upset, just...relieved. I'm sure my mom could rest easily now and I won't have to wake up in fear."
He was silent, he sat there, staring at me so intensely. I felt uncomfortable under his stare and I looked away, pushing my hair out of my face and laughing sheepishly.
"Don't get me wrong, Donovan. I didn't distance myself from you because of what happened--" I began but stopped. "Well, sort of. But it wasn't because of what you did. It was just he entire situation. I watched your friends try to protect me, how that one guy--Leo--told the other two to shoot even though my father was going to kill him. Not just that but you and the rest of your...club--they all risked their lives--and for what?"
"None of my men were killed," he pointed out.
"But Leo's in a coma!" I snapped, my hands falling to my sides. "I-I...I just couldn't let anyone else get hurt because of me. I couldn't watch you get hurt because of something I brought upon you."
He remained silent, sitting there trying to process my words and when he opened his mouth to speak I raised my hand and stopped him.
"I just needed some space. I needed the space. I've had enough time to think," I told him, flashing him one of my smiles. "And now--I'm back."
He let out a defeated breath and rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "I wasn't worried about that. I was worried about how you'd react since you not only saw me kill a man but that man was also your father."
"He stopped being my father the instant he killed your father and brother," I said quickly. "I've spent enough time thinking, anyway. It'll be nice to get right back into my busy schedule again."
Yeah, I've had enough time to think and I've only realized something that scares me more than anything else.
I love him.