“Brianna, hello!” Dr. Emma Barnes came in with a bright smile. “I see in your file you had a…risky encounter?”
I chewed my lip. “Yeah, kind of. I got caught up in the heat of the moment and then I threw caution to the wind. I’ve never done that, ever.”
“He must be special.”
I opened my mouth to deny it but then closed it again. “He is but probably not in the way you think.”
She quirked a brow. “Well, we’ll test for the most common STDs, like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and herpes, but truly, try not to worry. Believe it or not, I have appointments like this every day. In fact, I’ve already had two just today.”
“You don’t understand,” I whispered. “He’s a rock star. Like a legit, bona fide rock star who’s probably slept with billions of women.”
Her bright blue eyes crinkled a little with sympathy. “We have quite a few of those here in Vegas, and several come to me. I don’t think STDs and such are as common these days as they were twenty years ago. HIV got people serious about condom use and while there are always exceptions, try not to worry unless we have a reason to.”
“You sound like my roommate,” I said, managing a little smile.
“Kiki’s a smart girl.”
I’d forgotten Dr. Barnes knew Kiki since she came here too.
We finished the exam and she sent me down the hall to get blood work done. I hated needles, but endured this once a year because preventive medicine was the best way to stay on top of things. Luckily, her nurses were quick and efficient, and I’d be ready to go in a few minutes.
I was walking in as a guy with sunglasses and a baseball cap was coming out.
“Oh, sorry!”
“Hey, Brianna.”
I stood frozen, staring. “Declan?”
“That’s me.”
Holy shit. We had the same doctor. And were probably here for the same reason.
Oh fuck.
And he’d called me Brianna instead of some version of venti whatchamacallit.
Damn.
I didn’t know why that bothered me so much, but it did.
“Take care,” he said, moving toward the exit.
“Miss Franklin?” The nurse was waiting for me.
I hesitated.
“Just one second, please,” I told her, before turning toward Declan. “Declan! Wait. Please.”
He paused, turning to look back at me.
“I…” I walked up to him and wasn’t sure what to say. “I, um, are you okay? I mean, you’re here…” I sounded like an idiot.
“Just a precaution.” He paused to take off his sunglasses and I nearly melted at the sight of his blue eyes. “You?”
“Same.” I swallowed.
“We got caught up in the heat of the moment, but I promise, I’m clean.” He looked incredibly sincere and suddenly I felt like an idiot for worrying so much.
“I hadn’t had sex with anyone in more than six months before you,” I whispered, looking around to make sure no one heard us. “So I’m clean too.”
“Well, this would be good news if we were going to see each other again, but since you’ve made it pretty clear you don’t want to, I have to get going.”
“I’m sorry!” I blurted out. “Please, can we talk? We keep running into each other, like fate is trying to tell me something, but I have to do my blood work. It should only take a few minutes and then we could meet somewhere. Can I buy you a cup of coffee and explain? Please?” I didn’t know why I felt the need to explain myself to him, but we kept finding each other despite my best efforts to walk away, and it felt important.
He took a breath, his eyes never leaving mine. “One last chance, venti macchiato.”
I smiled. “The diner over on Clemons? Do you know it? The best apple pie in Vegas.”
“I’ll be there.” He put his sunglasses on and walked out of the office.
* * *
I sat in my car outside the diner for five full minutes before walking in. I didn’t know what to say or even why I was here, but seeing him again today had been jarring. Not just because he made my heart beat faster and all my nether regions awaken with need, but because it felt like more than coincidence. I’d spent the last week waffling between self-flagellation for being so impulsive and introspection about why I didn’t do it more often.
And then Declan fell into my lap for the fourth time. Fate, the heavens, God, someone was trying to tell me something. Maybe Declan felt it too, but either way, I had to stop this stupid game we played where he came after me and then I ran away. I didn’t believe he was interested in something serious, and I wasn’t either, but we could be friends. And if we slept together again, I needed to be a grown-up about it instead of acting like sex was shameful.
As Kiki constantly reminded me, I was an adult and allowed to enjoy sex.
So I pulled up my figurative big-girl panties and walked inside.
He looked up at me with a smile.
“I wasn’t sure you were coming,” he said.
“I know.” I sat across from him. “I struggle with…this kind of thing.”
“What kind of thing? Coffee? I mean, you struggle with carrying coffee, but drinking it should be easier, no?” There was a teasing glint in his gorgeous blue eyes, and I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Yeah, I know.”
“I saw you pull up and then just sit out there in your car.”
I nodded. “I’m sorry. I was nervous.”
“Do I make you nervous?” he asked, surprise on his face.
“Kinda? It’s hard to explain.”
The waitress appeared and I ordered a soda.
“Coffee, please,” Declan told her. “And a burger.”
“A burger sounds good,” I said, nodding. “With extra cheese and bacon.”
“So why do I kinda make you nervous?” he asked once the waitress walked away.
“Because you’re…Bash, from Pretty Harts, and I’m…” My voice trailed off. “I’ve looked you up online. You’re amazing. Even a girl who doesn’t listen to much rock recognizes a talented musician and good music. And success. You probably date models and movie stars and I’m just—”
“Why do you keep talking about yourself in a negative light?” he interrupted quietly. “You’re beautiful. Sweet. You work hard. What’s wrong with any of that? Yeah, you’re a waitress, but so what? Thirteen years ago, right before I joined Pretty Harts, I was homeless.”
My mouth fell open. “You were?”
He nodded. “I don’t talk about it because it’s kind of embarrassing, but maybe I should. Shit happens. People have a run of bad luck and bam! You’ve lost it all. Granted, I didn’t have much to begin with, but there were a lot of bad times before I made the big-time. And believe it or not, there are bad times even when you have money.”
I nodded. “I guess that’s true.”
“So what is it about me, in particular, that makes you keep running away? The sex was pretty damn epic, if I do say so myself.” He paused. “Or was that it? Did I push you beyond your comfort zone?” His eyes met mine and I couldn’t help but squirm, just thinking about what we’d done together.