Healing the Doctor (BWWM Interracial Romance) (4 page)

***

An hour later, Hailey wasn’t smiling and neither was Greg. They had reached Tenaco but the last two hotels they’d stopped out didn’t have any vacant rooms. The Restland Hotel was slightly dingy and dark, and had only one room available.

“Are you sure you can’t accommodate both of us?” Greg asked again in his businesslike tone, which Hailey would’ve found pretty sexy if she wasn’t worn out from driving.

“Yes, I’m sure, sir. There is only one room available. It has twin beds if you’re willing to share?” he asked them with his eyebrow raised.

Greg clenched his jaw to swallow a biting reply. A fantastic, fun road trip with a beautiful woman had suddenly turned into a nightmare. He was pretty sure this was their only option if they wanted to stay in Tenaco. The pileup at the highway had forced all of the travelers to stop along their way, so their options were limited.

He glanced toward Hailey, and saw her staring at the ground. She was obviously very uncomfortable with the whole situation.

“Hey,” Greg said softly and Hailey looked up. “Do you think we should maybe keep driving? You could keep me awake,” he said, trying to make it sound like it was no big deal. “We can grab some coffee.”

“No, it’s okay. We should stay here.”

Greg stared straight into her eyes, and he felt like a pervert even though the situation wasn’t really his fault to begin with.

“Are you sure, Hailey? It’s really your call.”

Hailey’s heart thudded against her ribs. “It’s okay Greg, really. It’s not like I haven’t spent the night with you already. And this time I’m sober, that’s bound to be an improvement.” She laughed self-consciously and Greg grinned.

“Okay.”

Hailey and Greg walked behind the receptionist as he guided them. The corridors were dark and narrow but when he opened the door to the room, it was surprisingly spacious.

Two narrow twin beds lay two feet apart from one another. The white sheets covering them seemed to be clean and washed, although they were still crumpled up from the dryer. A large window was covered with blue curtains, which were pretty washed out, but they served their purpose.

Hailey laid her overnight bag on the floor and flicked on all the switches on the wall. “Well, that better,” she said and Greg turned to face her. Hailey’s eyes were shining with laughter at their predicament.

“Glad you came along with me, aren’t you?” he said and she burst out laughing.

***

Hailey lay on her side in a pair of shorts and a white tank top. Considering the very male and sexy presence in the room, she had kept her bra on underneath her tank top.

Hailey wondered if Greg was already asleep. It had been a long drive, and she should’ve been exhausted, but she wasn’t.

She was wide awake, her senses alive with the virility lying just a few feet away from her. Greg was stretched out on the other bed, wearing a blue T-shirt and a pair of jeans. His choice of jeans during the night hadn’t surprised her. Most men slept in their boxers, and Greg didn’t feel that was appropriate.

Greg opened his eyes and looked straight at Hailey’s still form on the bed. Her palms were pressed together, resting below her cheek. Mellow light from the alarm clock’s display hit her arm and accentuated the contours perfectly.

“Greg?” he heard her whisper, and a smile spread across his face in the dark.

“Yes?”

“Are you asleep?” she asked then chuckled at her own stupidity. “Oh, I guess not,” she added as Greg laughed.

“I can’t sleep,” he said.

“Yeah, neither can I,” Hailey replied and found the switch to the bedside lamp. It spilled light through the room, illuminating Greg’s face. “Hi,” she said smilingly, and Greg smiled back.

“Hey, Hailey. How’ve you been?”

Hailey sighed. “I wish I were drunk again, like the last time.”

“You’re adorable when you’re drunk,” Greg said unthinkingly, and saw her smile waver and her eyes turn shyly away from his face.

“I’m sure I made a complete fool of myself.”

“You were adorable, Hailey. I haven’t seen a cuter drunk girl. Trust me.”

Hailey chuckled. “And have you seen many, Dr. Walt?”

“I hate to admit it. But yes. I’ve been very popular since I grew this tall,” he said in mock pride.

Hailey laughed freely. “Oh, flattering ourselves are we?”

Greg smiled, his perfect white teeth straight and strong. Hailey had always been a sucker for sexy smiles, and Greg’s was the death of her.

“What are you thinking?” Greg asked.

Hailey watched how his blue eyes shone in the lamplight. His bicep was protruding, peeping out from below the sleeve of his shirt.

Hailey sighed, and pretended to concentrate on the bedspread. “Tell me something about yourself,” she said. She was trying to evade his question, at the same time silently hoping he would come clean about the picture she had found in his suitcase. If he didn’t tell her soon, she feared she would lose all respect for him.

Hailey liked Greg more than a little bit if she was honest to herself. But she knew there was no possibility with a married father of one.

“What do you want to know?”

Hailey stilled, knowing now was the time to ask him straight out. The way he had asked her the question, she felt like he was hoping he would ask her something along the lines of,
“Hey Greg. Are you married? Do you have a child?”

“I don’t know,” she said instead, her heart constricting. “Tell me anything. Surprise me.”

“Uh,” Greg said, lowering his gaze. “Let me think. You know I’m a neurosurgeon. You know where I work, where I live.”

Hailey broke off his sentence. “No, tell me about your personal life.”

Greg smiled, but she could see something cross his face that looked slightly like…fear? She couldn’t be sure.

His smile stayed in place, but suddenly it wasn’t the genuine, sweet, eyes crinkling and face lighting up kind. It seemed forced and fake.

“Are you okay, Greg?” she asked, and he nodded.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just thinking about work. I have to be there early in the morning. I won’t be able to make my appointment.”

Hailey quieted. She was suddenly feeling sweaty, even though the air conditioning was working fine. She kicked the sheets off herself, and watched Greg’s face.

He was silently just gazing at her, and her heart slammed against her ribs.

This was so intimate, being in the same room in the middle of the night with him, concentrating on all the features of his face. His eyes darted from her face to her brown hair to her shoulders. Hailey could feel the warmth of his gaze. She felt alive and lost at the same time.

Hailey inhaled sharply, and Greg looked away.

“My mother was a general physician. She had brown hair, like yours. Her eyes were brown too.”

Hailey felt tears stinging her eyes. Something about the way he said it, made every single word feel like a wonderful compliment. His use of the past tense wasn’t lost on her though.

“What happened to her?”

Greg sighed. “She died at the age of fifty-five, five years ago.”

Hailey gave herself a moment to check the tears lodged in her throat.

“A drunk driver killed her. Hit and run. The police never found the driver. My mother was found about two hours after the accident, lying in the bushes. I was there…I saw her. There wasn’t a speck of blood on her beautiful face. She looked pristine, gorgeous, but she just wasn’t alive.”

Hailey blinked against the tears spilling for her eyes and pooling on the pillow. “I’m sorry,” she said shakily, and Greg remained silent.

“She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life,” he said and then tilted his head to look at her again. “She loved to laugh. You remind me of her, Hailey.”

***

Hailey bit her lip to keep it for trembling. She wanted to get out of bed and fling her arms around Greg’s neck. She wanted to inhale his scent, feel his skin beneath her fingers. She felt his pain, but she was mesmerized by his words. All she wanted at that moment was to throw her inhibitions and caution to the wind and slide in next to him.

She sniffled and Greg sat up. “I’m sorry. I just got carried away. Are you crying?”

To Greg’s complete surprise, Hailey flipped her dark, ebony legs off the side of the bed, and walked towards him. Bending over, she slid her arms around his neck and wrapped them tightly around his shoulders.

“I’m sorry. I really am sorry. I can’t even imagine what that would’ve been like. Losing your mother. I wish she was still alive and well.”

Greg went shock still in her arms.

***

Hailey’s hair was caressing his cheek, and the scent of fruity shampoo filled his senses.

Longing and naked lust flowed through his veins, and he rested his hand on her waist for a split second before she pulled away from him, sensibly putting a few feet between their bodies.

Hailey’s silhouette was gorgeous, accentuated tenfold by the barest light in the room. With her face devoid of any make up, she looked young and fresh. She looked like an angel.

She was staring at Greg’s lips, her chest rising and falling in rapid, deep breaths. Greg tried his damndest to glance away, not stare at her, and not fantasize about standing up that very moment and taking her soft lips against his.

Hailey inhaled sharply at the look of longing on his face. She could see his expression become harsh, almost dangerous. The sound of her indrawn breath snapped Greg out of his obsessive, insane thoughts, and he glanced away.

He was absolutely disgusted by himself. Hailey had hugged him briefly, and he had been ready to pounce on her with lust. Years of self-enforced celibacy were turning him into a sex-starved jerk.

Hailey slid back into bed shakily. She was fully aware of what had just passed between them. She wasn’t naive, and she had wanted desperately for him to take the first step. She wished he would close the distance between them right that moment and press his lips against hers.

With a harsh sigh, she closed her eyes tightly and willed herself to sleep. Greg tried to do the same.

Hailey’s mind was filled with the thoughts that Greg had a family, and she was well on her way to being a home-wrecker. Greg's mind however, was full of remorse and guilt, and pain. He felt emotionally connected to Hailey. She was so unaffected and real, he had never met anyone like her.

Even though they barely knew each other, she had trusted him enough to agree to this trip with him. Then she had laughed and joked with him, and cried for his pain.

She didn’t have a face plastered full of makeup. She was totally comfortable with her looks. She didn’t touch her hair every few seconds to check if it was in place. She let it fall around her shoulders in waves and curls. Her eyes were bright and honest.

Everything he saw in her was positive. He was drawn by her looks, and everything that came past her full, pink lips.

“We should sleep now,” Hailey whispered softly and Greg nodded.

Staring into Greg’s blue eyes, she reached for the lamp switch and flicked it off, shrouding the room in darkness.

Chapter Eight

“Rise and shine, gorgeous,” Greg said as he pushed the drapes apart. Hailey cringed and rubbed her eyes, smiling sleepily at the word gorgeous.

She was always puffy and swollen in the morning, and she knew her hair would be a mess. Suddenly, she was very, very self-conscious.

“Hey, get up quick. I ordered breakfast. I hope you like bacon and eggs. That’s all they had available, since it’s almost noon.”

“Yeah, give me a second,” she said, covering her face with her hands.

Greg chuckled. “Why are you covering your face?”

Hailey snickered in response and pushed her face into the pillow, her whole body shaking as she laughed.

“I’m sure I look terrible. Go away,” she said jokingly.

Greg sat down next to her shaking form and couldn’t wipe the grin off his face.

“Uh, you keep forgetting. I’ve seen you drunk, and then passed-out, and then mascara-covered in the morning, all puffy and everything.”

Hailey’s shriek of laughter made Greg chuckle. “Why are you so mean?” she cried and uncovered her face.

Greg’s breath caught. Her brown eyes were sparkling with mock anger, and she pushed him away, running to the bathroom and locking the door behind her.

Greg stared at the ground, still smiling, and knew that he just had to ask her out on a real date when he dropped her off.

He had so much fun with her. Every second she surprised him with her kindness, her personality, her contagious laughter. The fact that she was drop-dead gorgeous only added to the whole package.