Explosive Desire (Love With a Price Book 4) Read online

  EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2016 N.J. Young

  ISBN: 978-1-77339-065-9

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Karyn White

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  To all of the supportive people in my life who love and accept me just as I am.

  EXPLOSIVE DESIRE

  Love With a Price, 4

  N.J. Young

  Copyright © 2016

  Chapter One

  Watching the gentle sway of the blonde’s luscious ass was the best part of Luke’s day. Every morning at a quarter to ten, she walked the long stretch of sidewalk from the parking lot into the side hospital entrance reserved for employees. He didn’t know her name or in what capacity she even worked at the hospital. All he knew was that after watching her for two weeks, she’d begun showing up in his dreams each night. It was enough to make him wake up hard and aching every morning.

  As the door closed behind her, Luke let out a long sigh and turned back to supervising his crew—three men who were currently working on the framing for the new hospital edition. Two of them were hard at work. Kai, on the other hand, was busy watching the door where the hot blonde had just disappeared.

  “Mmm-mmm-mmm. I’d like to get my hands on that ass. What about you, Price?” Kai removed his hard hat and smoothed back his brown hair.

  Luke frowned. He had never gotten within ten feet of the blonde, much less talked to her. So he didn’t know why the hell he felt his ire rise knowing Johnson was watching her, too. It felt intrusive somehow. “Get back to work, Johnson. You’re my foreman. I don’t pay you to gawk at the hospital staff.”

  “You talking about the blonde?” Jason wiped sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. “What’s up with you two and the full-figured gals?”

  Luke snorted. “Full-figured, my ass. I like a woman who looks like a real woman. Not these chicks you go out with who have the bodies of a twelve-year-old boy.”

  Kai’s lip curled up in a smirk of agreement. “Seriously, Jason. How do you even fuck those sticks you go out with? Jesus, you could hurt yourself on those bony hips.”

  A grin spread across Jason’s face as he stood and stretched. “Trust me, the women I date are most definitely real, and they offer plenty of cushion for pushin’ if you know what I mean.” He reached down and adjusted his dick for emphasis, and Luke had to stifle an eye roll.

  He noticed Derek had stopped working and looked nervously among the three of them. Luke liked the new kid. Derek was big and put all those muscles to good use on the job, but he was damn skittish. And the last thing Luke needed was to be sued for some sort of sexual harassment. He shot a glance at Jason. “Don’t be crude, asshole.”

  Jason just chuckled and went back to working on the framing. “Hey, man, I forgot to tell you Sam came by. He wanted to know if you could meet him at ten-thirty instead of noon.”

  Luke looked at his watch and tried to control his annoyance. It was ten AM now. Sam Torrance was heading up the structural engineering aspect of the hospital project, and Luke had been expecting his call. “When did he come by?”

  Jason shrugged a shoulder. “I dunno. Right before you got here this morning.”

  Luke had to make a conscious effort to unclench his jaw. He really had to get Sam to start texting him. The older man only owned a cell phone because he pretty much had to for his business, but texting wasn’t anything he cared to bother with. It wouldn’t have been a big deal if Luke could rely on his crew to give him a damn message.

  He headed for the makeshift stairway to walk down from the second story scaffolding. “I better get going, then. You guys clear on what you’re supposed to do when you finish the framing?”

  “Yep, we’re on it, boss,” Derek answered. “Armin should be here anytime with the roofing supplies. We should be able to start on that right after lunch.”

  “Kiss-ass,” Kai mumbled good-naturedly as he went back to work.

  Luke bit back a laugh when Derek shot him the middle finger. Maybe the kid was learning after all.

  ****

  Harper Love slammed her locker shut and adjusted the nametag on her white coat. It was going to take her a while to get used to small town life. When she’d worked emergency in Kansas City, there was usually a trauma requiring her attention before she even had the chance to drop off her purse and put on her lab coat.

  Looking in the full-length mirror, she opted to pull her blonde waves back into a low ponytail. Even though it was only May, the summer heat and humidity were out in full force, which seemed to add tons of volume and frizz to her hair. She would cut it short, but she didn’t feel the need to try to tame a blonde afro every morning.

  When a few stray curls immediately escaped her hair tie, she gave up trying to tuck them in and turned to yank the door open. Patients dotted the hallway, and a few medical personnel rushed by on their way to their various destinations. Many of them smiled at her and nodded.

  The friendliness of the people in Oakville was also going to take some getting used to, but that was a good problem to have. Her mom had really been her only friend in Kansas City. Harper had been so focused on her career she’d never taken the time for much of a social life. Never felt like she fit in, really. But Oakville was different. People tried to draw her in, and she found herself with that familiar longing to be part of a group, part of a family.

  Two nurses were so engrossed in their conversation they didn’t seem to realize Harper had walked up to the nurse’s station. “…so freaking hot it should be illegal. I go outside at least three times a day just to drool.”

  Harper subtly cleared her throat.

  “Oh, Dr. Love. Good morning,” chirped Brandie, one of the perkiest and friendliest nurses she’d met so far in her time at the hospital. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?” The girl hopped up, grabbed a cup, and started pouring before Harper could answer. Brandie’s level of energy made Harper wonder if she was mainlining coffee in the nurse’s lounge.

  Her lips turned up in a genuine smile. “Brandie, you certainly don’t have to fetch me coffee … but I’ll take it anyway. I didn’t have time to stop by the Coffeehouse like I usually do.” She gave silent thanks to the gods of caffeine as Brandie handed her the cup. “So, are you going to tell me who’s so hot, it’s illegal?”

  Amanda, the second nurse sitting at the desk, blushed, and Harper almost felt guilty for eavesdropping until Brandie let out a whoop and leaned over the desk, seemingly anxious to share her bit of gossip. “Luke freaking Price, that’s who.”

  “Price…” That name sounded familiar. A lightbulb went on in her head. “Oh, wait a second. Price as in the Price Bar and Grill downtown? My neighbor works there.” She drove by the restaurant every day on her way into work but hadn’t stopped in yet. She would have sworn she could smell biscuits and gravy from her car when she passed by. They were taunting her. “My neighbor, Linzee. Red hair, pregnant. I was chatting with her the other morning, and she mentioned she was the head chef.”

  Brandie waved her hands dramatically. “Yes! And she’s amazing. Ethan Price owns the restaurant, which is totally delish, by the way. Luke’s his brother. H
e’s the only one of those Price boys left who’s still single.” The nurse’s brows knitted together. “Wait a second. Why was Linzee staying at her apartment and not at Foster’s?”

  Harper couldn’t help but snap her fingers in front of the girl’s face. “Focus. You were telling me about Luke. Besides, I am not starting any rumors.”

  Smoothing out the shirt of her pink scrubs, Brandie sit down in her chair. “You’re no fun.” She huffed out a sigh, but then grinned before jumping back into her story. “Luke is the oldest, and by far, the hottest. And he’s the only one who some lucky girl hasn’t snagged yet.”

  “Not for your lack of trying,” Amanda mumbled.

  Brandie’s brown eyes cut to Amanda. “It’s not like I’m chasing him. But what if I were? Amanda, he’s single.” She fanned her hands around as if motioning wildly would prove her point. “Single. And he’s got money! His father left all of the kids like a bazillion dollars! It’s no wonder the Price boys are dropping like flies. I have to act now.”

  “The only reason Luke’s left is because he’s so scary,” Amanda said with a little shiver.

  “Whatever!” Brandie gave a vehement shake of her head. “He is not scary. He’s just intense. That’s what makes him all the hotter. He’s all quiet and broody, dominant and forceful, but gentle and nice, too.” She made a clucking sound with her tongue. “He’s the biggest catch out of those Price boys if you ask me.”

  “How many of them are there, exactly?” Harper didn’t know why she was asking. Her love life was nonexistent. Besides, Brandie seemed to have already staked a claim.

  “Four of them.” Amanda decided to jump into the gossip. “Well, five, technically. Four boys and one girl. Luke’s the oldest. He’s the only boy that hasn’t fallen head over heels for someone in the last year. Him and his sister Becca are single. The rest have all been snatched up.”

  Brandie fanned herself while dramatically sniffling and dabbing away fake tears. “Such a shame. They’re dropping like flies.” She looked at Harper as if searching for agreement. “I figure it’s only a matter of time before someone grabs Luke. Something’s in the air for those Price boys. First Ethan, then Foster and Dylan. Luke just needs the right woman to take him down.” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down, and Harper had no doubt that Brandie had convinced herself that she was the woman this poor man needed.

  She shook her head and laughed. “Well, good luck with that, Brandie. I better get to work.”

  “Oh, just a second, Dr. Love.” Amanda hopped up from her chair and headed to the cubbies lining the wall behind the desk. “You have some mail.” She snatched a letter out of Harper’s cubby and turned to hand it to the doctor.

  A feeling of unease skittered up Harper’s spine as she reached out to take the familiar light blue envelope. “How could I have mail? I didn’t think it came until around noon.” She stared at the block handwriting on the front of the envelope. “And there’s no postmark.”

  Amanda plopped back down in her chair. “Yeah, it was with the inner office mail. It just came a few minutes ago.” When Harper said nothing, Amanda looked back and forth between her and Brandie. “Is something wrong?”

  Brandie chewed on her lip as she peered at the envelope. “Isn’t this the second one you’ve received this week?”

  Harper cleared her throat and slid her thumb beneath the lip of the envelope to rip it open. “It is. Someone has way too much free time on their hands.” She forced a laugh that sounded lame even to her own ears. This was the fifth note she’d received in three weeks. The letters started showing up shortly after she’d started at the hospital. Sometimes, they were in with the regular mail, and sometimes they were mixed in with the inner office mail. Harper had a feeling that whoever was sending the letters wanted to confuse her as to whether they were being sent by someone who worked at the hospital or an outsider.

  At first, she’d just thought it was someone who had an innocent crush, but each note she’d received had sounded more aggressive. She pulled out the light blue sheet of paper and unfolded it. Her eyes quickly scanned the page, and she winced.

  Dr. Love,

  How many men are you spreading your legs for at that hospital? I don’t like it when you act like a whore. This needs to stop. Now.

  It wasn’t signed.

  “Dr. Love, are you okay?” Amanda’s voice sounded alarmed. “All the color just drained right out of your face.”

  Brandie snatched the paper out of Harper’s hands before the doctor could stop her. The nurse’s eyes hardened as she read it. “That’s it. I’m calling security.”

  “No, Brandie. That’s silly.” Harper grabbed the note from her and shoved it back in the matching envelope. “I can tell you there’s nothing security can even do about it. It’s a note. The person hasn’t threatened me.”

  Brandie crossed her arms over her breasts. “That sounds pretty damn close to a threat to me.”

  Rolling her eyes, Harper shoved the letter into the pocket of her lab coat. “Look, I’m too busy to get over-emotional about this. Trust me, Brandie. If we ignore this creep, he’ll get bored and stop sending these.” She nodded her head toward the big whiteboard on the wall behind the nurse’s station. “Now, what do I have this morning?”

  Brandie stood with her arms crossed, her mouth twisted in thought for several long seconds. Finally, she conceded and let out a sigh as she turned to the board. “Three in triage. Curtain one is waiting on you. One of the other nurses checked them in, but I think your first patient is a pregnant woman.”

  “Thanks, ladies,” she responded. Harper turned and made it about five steps down the hall before she bristled at the whispering of the two young nurses. She only hoped they didn’t spread the news of her secret admirer. The last thing she needed was to be at the center of high school gossip.

  It was hard for her to imagine she’d ever been as young as the two nurses. Not that she was old at thirty-two. Some days she felt like it, though. Work, work, work, a few hours of sleep, repeat. She breathed a long sigh. The main reason she’d left Kansas City was because the stress of the trauma unit had started getting to her. When she’d begun medical school, she’d hit the ground running. It seemed as though she’d lived the last ten years of her life on fast-forward.

  Stopping in front of the curtained beds, Harper grabbed the chart for curtain number one. She sat it down on the desk and flipped through it as she drank her coffee in four long gulps. Perusing the information, she made a mental assessment of the patient. Forty-year-old pregnant female, twenty weeks along, severe heartburn. Harper hoped it wasn’t more than indigestion, but she decided with the patient’s advanced maternal age, it might be a good idea to go ahead and call for an ultrasound.

  She made her way back to curtain one and pulled it aside. “Hi, Ms. Felton. I’m Dr. Love. I understand you’re—Linzee?” Harper looked down at the chart. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I didn’t put that together.”

  “Harper!” The redhead clapped her hands together. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here. If that twenty-something nurse said the words ‘advanced maternal age’ one more time, I was going to smack her.”

  A laugh bubbled up. “I promise not to say those words.” She put the chart down on the end of the bed and removed her stethoscope from her neck to double-check Linzee’s vitals. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”

  Linzee explained how she’d recently “popped” and hadn’t been able to sleep in the last week because her heartburn had become so severe. Even so, she seemed awfully happy, especially for a single mom.

  “Linzee, have you been eating anything out of the ordinary?”

  A blush crept up the woman’s face. “Uh, no, not really.”

  Bingo. Harper crossed her arms over her annoyingly large chest. “Now, Linzee, I’m your doctor. You need to tell me the truth.”

  “Linz!” The curtain was yanked aside, making Harper jump. A tall man with dark hair and startlingly blue eyes entered, gathering Linz
ee to him. “Sweetheart, are you okay? What happened?” He turned his gaze on her. “Doc, is she okay? Is the baby okay? Is something wrong? Oh, God. Linzee, why didn’t you call me?” His frantic hands slid over the redhead as if he were searching for some sort of injury.

  “Foster, I’m fine.” Linzee batted at his hand. “I just have some heartburn is all. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to freak out. How did you even know I was here anyway?”

  “Luke saw your car in the lot.” He cupped her face, studying her.

  Harper cleared her throat and couldn’t help but feel she was intruding. “Sir, I’m going to need you to wait outside while I’m with the patient.”

  The man’s eyes hardened as he turned to look at her. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving her.”

  “It’s okay, Harper,” Linzee said quickly. “I mean, doctor. I should call you doctor when you’re at the hospital. This is Foster.” Linzee grinned. “My baby daddy!” She wrapped an arm around the man’s waist, and he just smiled and shook his head. “What?” Linzee looked up at him. “You don’t like it when I say boyfriend.”

  “Boyfriend?” Harper was a bit surprised. True, she’d only been in town a short time, but her apartment was right next to Linzee’s. She’d seen the woman every day either before or after work for the last couple of weeks, and she’d never seen nor heard a man around. “I thought you were a single mom.”

  The man’s smile vanished, and he frowned. Harper was pretty darn sure he didn’t like her very much. “She’s far from a single mom.” He turned his gaze toward Linzee. “How do you know the doctor?”

  “She just moved in next door to my apartment.”

  “Your apartment?” He sighed, raking a hand through his dark hair. “Linzee, have you been staying at your apartment all week? I told you to stay at my house. I don’t like you going up and down the stairs of the apartment building.”