Author’s Note: I just can’t get enough of Bryce Lahela … I am smitten! This is a follow up from my first Open Heart fic, Friendly Distance. I didn’t mean for this to turn out so long, but what can I say … he inspires me. 😘
This diverges slightly from canon, but it still fits in with the storyline in the book thus far. I hope you enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~
Blake’s eyes scanned her reflection in the mirror, almost not recognizing the woman staring back at her. She had been spending so much time at the hospital lately that she hadn’t even worn anything except her scrubs in almost a week. She smoothed the soft fabric of the snug low-cut black sweater over her slim waist, turning to the side to examine how it accentuated her curves with the skinny grey jeans she had on. Her long black hair fell over her shoulder, a foreign sensation since it had been thrown up in a messy bun every day for work. Satisfied that her outfit was casually sexy without looking like she tried too hard, she began adding the finishing touches to her makeup.
It was easy enough to pass off her extra effort into her appearance tonight as embracing a rare girls’ night out on the town, but if Blake was completely honest with herself there was another underlying reason. A reason with dark eyes she could drown in and a smile that could cause even a glacier to melt. The fact that she knew he would be at Donahue’s where they were headed just made it all the more easier to agree to Sienna’s suggested location.
The tension with Bryce had started on day one at Edenbrook, and Blake was unable to fight the instant attraction she felt for the playful, handsome surgical intern … despite her best efforts. At first every interaction, every wink and every smile made her nervous … she’d known guys like him before, the smooth-talking guys that were only after one thing and ended up breaking your heart after they got it. So she had resigned herself to keep it friendly and maintain some distance between them until he focused his attentions elsewhere. That plan quickly came crashing down in a burning heap of emotions when he’d finally let his walls down with her after a rough day on the job. That little glimpse of the man behind the mask, the fact that he’d trusted himself to be vulnerable with her even if just for a moment … that was enough to convince Blake that perhaps Bryce was worth taking a chance on.
The two weeks since then had been busy, both of them working constantly and having little time outside of the hospital to do much other than eat and sleep. They did manage to steal a moment here or there at work, grabbing a coffee together or flirting as they passed in the halls. But after two weeks with nothing other than casual encounters, Blake was starting to worry that perhaps she had misread the situation. Maybe Bryce only thought of her as a friend he could flirt with, someone to help pass the long hours at the hospital.
There was a faint knock at the door behind her. “Hey Blake, you almost ready?” Sienna leaned against door frame, her eyes sparkling mischievously as she examined her friend. “Wow, you look great … you do know I have a boyfriend, right?” She teased, arching a brow questioningly as she spoke.
Blake chuckled and shook her head. “Ha ha, very funny. You’re just not used to seeing me out of scrubs.” She finished her look with one last swipe of mauve lipstick, shrugged on her moto jacket and then stepped back to give herself one final look in the mirror. Not bad, she thought to herself before turning to face her friend with a devious smirk. “Alright, I’m ready. And I could really use a drink, Dr. Trinh.”
Sienna opened her arm to hook through her roommate’s with a wide grin. “Let’s grab Jackie and go get into some trouble tonight, Dr. Reyes.”
~~~
Donahue’s was already packed by the time the trio of women arrived, the patrons a mixture of Edenbrook staff stopping by for a post-shift drink and young professionals still lingering around after an extended happy hour. Fighting their way through the crowd, they quickly shouted their drink orders to the bartender before pushing their way towards an open table in the back. Settling into their booth, the three fell into a natural cadence of girl chat and medical shop talk.
“… so it turns out after a scan and a physical exam, this man’s abdominal pain was caused by eating a whole bag of sunflower seeds. With the shells on!” Sienna rehashed the details of a recent patient with vigor.
“What an idiot.” Jackie rolled her eyes.
“Oh my gosh!” Blake giggled. “I bet that hurt coming out.”
Sienna’s face scrunched into a grimace. “Tell me about it … I was the one who had to administer the enema.”
The other two women burst out into a fit of laughter, Jackie wrapping an arm around Sienna comfortingly in the booth beside her. As she raised a hand to her face to wipe the tears of laughter forming in the corners of her eyes, Blake glanced over to a group across the bar making their departure. The rowdy group of young frat-boy executives stumbled from their high-top bar table, causing quite a ruckus as they wrapped their arms around each other and shouted their farewells while they made their way to the exit. Blake watched the men with amusement, internally rolling her eyes, but as they cleared their table her attention fell on someone even more alluring.
Bryce stood with a group of two other surgical interns near the pool table with a beer in hand, his broad smile causing the butterflies to flutter in the pit of Blake’s stomach. She watched him intently while he reacted to another intern’s animated gestures, dropping his head in laughter and patting him on the shoulder in affirmation. When he lifted his head his gaze met hers across the room, his grin widening even further and his eyes sparkling cheerfully as he nodded to her acknowledgment. Blake flashed him her best smile, raising her pint into the air to ‘cheers’ him with a coy tilt of her head. Bryce’s eyes twinkled joyfully at her gesture, motioning to her that he’d be over in a minute.
Blake tried to maintain her attention on her girlfriends at the table, but the giddy butterflies churning in her stomach made it difficult to focus. Jackie was recounting her own tale of an entertaining patient when Dr. Lahela himself made his appearance. “Why hello, Ladies! You all look especially lovely this evening.” He gave both Jackie and Sienna a friendly nod of greeting before turning his gaze to Blake. She swallowed hard, trying her best to maintain a straight face despite the tension hanging in the air between them. There was no mistaking the flash of desire in his deep chocolate-colored eyes as he scanned her up and down before finally settling on her face. Blake hoped nobody noticed that she had forgotten to breathe for a moment when they locked eyes.
“Oh … it’s you.” Jackie spoke with a tone of mild disgust, one she didn’t even attempt to hide. “Don’t you scalpel jockeys normally hang out with the frat brothers by the games in the back?”
“Oh stop it Jackie!” Sienna elbowed her friend in the ribs with a scolding look. “Hey Bryce … do you want to join us for a bit?” She gestured toward the empty spot in the booth beside Blake.
“Well, I was kinda on my way out, I’ve got to be there early tomorrow for my shift but …” his eye flicked to meet Blake’s again, his brow arched and his lips quirked in that sexy smirk that drove her crazy. “If Dr. Reyes doesn’t mind if I sit with her … “
Blake met his challenging stare, her lips curled in a playful grin. “Of course Dr. Lahela … please join us.” She scooted farther into the booth leaving a space for him to sit.
“I guess one drink can’t hurt …” he agreed as he moved in beside her. His hand grazed hers as he braced himself to sit, innocent enough to any bystander but it sent a chill of excitement down her spine.
The now-foursome huddled around the table as the conversation, laughter and beer flowed far too easily. Bryce’s sarcastic humor added a welcome comedic edge to the group, and even Jackie was unable fight off a chuckle as he did a spot-on impression of Dr. Banerji. Although he showed no obvious signs of affection or preference towards Blake versus the other women, she definitely noticed him lingering a bit longer on her when he glanced around the table, his eyes darkening each time they met eyes.
“Well, I really should going … I have to be back at the hospital in … “ he glanced at his watch, muttering softly to himself as he calculated in his head, “4 hours and 36 minutes.”
He was met with dissenting responses as he drained the last of his beer. “Boo! Stay for another!” Whined Sienna.
“Sleep is for wusses … drink some coffee and man up.” Jackie chided him.
Only Blake gave him a soft smile, patting him on the shoulder as he set his glass down. “What they mean to say is they understand.” She gave her friends an aggressive glare, chuckling under her breath. “And if we didn’t all have the day off tomorrow we would have been home hours ago …”
“Speak for yourself …” Jackie muttered as she lifted her beer to her lips with a smirk. “The night is still young.”
Bryce laughed, then slid out of the booth and threw a wad of bills on the table for his drink. “It has been a pleasure, Ladies. Thanks for letting me crash girls’ night for a bit.” He nodded at each of them to say his farewell while he shrugged on his jacket. “Dr. Varma, Dr. Trinh … “ He stopped when he turned to Blake, an affectionate gleam in his stare. “Dr. Reyes.” He lingered for a moment, then turned around and was off.
Blake watched him slyly from the corner of her eye as he walked away, attempting not to be obvious … She shifted in the booth to find both of her girlfriends glaring at her with knowing looks. “What?” She asked innocently, but the blush that creeped into her cheeks told them she knew exactly what those looks were for.
“Come on, Blake … are you really not going to walk him out?” Sienna questioned.
“Seriously, you two were making googly eyes at each other all night. It about made me sick.” Jackie murmured with disdain, but the slight grin that upturned the corner of her mouth confirmed her approval of the match.
Blake pressed her hands against her face, the tinge of her embarrassment warming the sensitive skin of her palms. “Argh!” She groaned in frustration as she looked up. “Okay, I’m going … just, promise not to tease me when I get back!” She called as she pushed herself to standing, knowing very well that was a vain request. She heard them snickering as she started hustling towards the door, but their teasing was about the last thing on her mind at that moment. She just hoped she wasn’t too late.
Pushing her way through the heavy door, Blake scrambled onto the sidewalk in front of the bar. The cool night air tickled her cheeks as she looked to the left and then the right, spotting him almost at the corner scrolling through his phone. “Bryce!” She shouted, her heart thumping loudly in her chest when he lifted his head at her call and a look of surprise washed across his face. For a split second she worried she had made a mistake, but his expression quickly warmed into a soft grin putting her nerves at ease.
They walked towards each other, meeting halfway under the yellowish glow of a street lamp. Bryce maintained his usual cool exterior, his hands casually shoved in his pockets and his head cocked to the side. However Blake could sense the tenderness in his stare, an unspoken feeling that assured her she had made the right decision.
“I was hoping you’d come find me.” He stated plainly, with a hint of his usual cockiness.
Blake arched her brow in question. “Oh really? Then why didn’t you just ask, Dr. Lahela?”
“I wanted you to come to me on your own terms … I didn’t want to rush you into something you didn’t want.” His eyes sparkled in the dim light, daring her to give in to the unspoken thing between them.
My terms, Blake mulled the concept over in her mind, a satisfied grin on her lips as she plotted her next move. Inching closer, she held her breath as she peered up through her lashes into his eyes. She slid her hands up the rough woolen fabric of his jacket until her palms rested atop his shoulders, the feel of his firm muscles beneath igniting a heat deep inside her. “That is such a chivalrous thing to do, Doctor.” She teased, her voice low and her face only inches away from his now.
His eyes dropped to her lips as he reached one arm around her waist to grip her lower back, gently pulling her closer. “Well, I have been called a gentleman once or twice.” He murmured with a smug smirk, his eyes darkening more each second their bodies pressed together. “Although I prefer to save my efforts for-“
Blake cut him off mid sentence as she surged forward, capturing his lips with hers and twining her fingers in his hair. Bryce released a surprised moan, but quickly returned the kiss and responded by wrapping the other arm around her waist to pull her flush against him. She could feel the warmth of his body against hers as their mouths moved together in dance that was all their own. She swore she could kiss him forever, only pulling away finally to allow them a chance to catch their breaths. Standing together on the sidewalk they gripped each other tightly as if they never wanted to let go, staring into each other’s eyes and communicating all the things that words could not say.
Bryce’s eyes flickered between Blake’s, studying her closely with such disbelief as he raised a hand to her face. He grazed his thumb lightly along her cheek, admiring the way she closed her eyes to savor his touch, then cupped her face in his palm. When he spoke his voice was just a whisper, more vulnerable and honest than she had ever heard before. “What are you doing to me, Reyes?”
His words sent a pang of emotion straight to her heart, a timid smile curling at her lips. “Saving you from yourself, Dr. Lahela.” She teased him softly, running her fingers through his hair before gripping him at the nape of his neck. “Has anyone ever told you talk too much?”
He laughed out loud, his head falling back as the resonating sound echoed from his throat. “Only my mother, my friends, and every other person that knows me well enough to give me a hard time.” His eyes twinkled mischievously as he tilted her chin up with one finger, bringing his lips desperately close to hers. She could feel his warm breath flutter across the sensitive skin as he whispered. “But you’re the first one to give me a good reason to stop.”
Bryce felt Blake’s chuckle vibrating against his smirking lips as he pressed them to hers again, this time taking his time to memorize this perfect moment. He kissed her slowly, relishing the feel of her soft full lips gliding against his. He inhaled deeply, her soft floral perfume invigorating his senses. He slid his hands down her sides, noticing how her muscles quivered beneath his-
HONK HONK! The pair jumped in place, separating quickly at the loud noise of the car parked in the road beside them. Bryce observed the vehicle and groaned out loud, turning back to her with an apologetic look. “So … my Dryvve is here.”
“Well at least we gave him a show.” Blake giggled, trying to fight the crimson flush on her cheeks as she waved at the driver who was staring them down.
“I should go. Work … “ Bryce mumbled, although the expression on his face told a different story.
“Yes, you need to go.” Blake gave him a warm smile, leaning in to place a quick kiss to his cheek. “Have a good day at work tomorrow. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”
“Okay …” She heard his voice drift away as she turned to walk back inside.
She made it about three steps before she felt the firm grip on her forearm. “Reyes!” He called to her, twirling her in place to face him before cupping her face in both of his broad hands and crashing his mouth against hers in a bruising kiss.
All sense of time and place drifted away as they lost themselves in each other again, their bodies wrapped so tightly and their breath mingling together in perfect harmony. Blake felt dizzy in his arms, her body arching against him with need as they- HONK!
Bryce gently pulled away, a satisfied smirk spread across his handsome features. “Something to remember me by.” He took a step back towards the car, his eyes looking her up and down one last time appreciatively. “I can’t have you going back in there looking that good and risk you running off with someone else.” He gave her a cheeky grin, causing her to laugh out loud in response.
Blake shook her head in amusement. “What is this? You’re staking a claim on me already?”
Bryce leaned down to open his car door, then stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her before stepping inside. “Damn right I am.” He grinned as he heard Blake inhale sharply in surprise, just as he had hoped she would. “Night, Reyes.” With one last playful wink, he swooped into the back seat of the car and was gone.
Blake stood there watching the car as it drove off, her body still buzzing and her mind a flurry of emotions. Somehow tonight had turned out nothing like she had expected yet had been everything she had wanted. And if what she’d seen of Bryce so far was true, the same could be said of him.
But maybe that was exactly what she needed.
END