Bound to Remember, a Paranormal Romance (Book 1 of the Spellbound Series) (3 page)

We continued to look busy for another thirty minutes on the PICU floor, partially to make sure Dylan was fine and so that I could figure out why I froze on my patient. I eventually gave up and figured that I was hungry. We rode the elevator in silence but as we walked toward the locker room I offered, “Let’s get breakfast, my treat. I mean, you did save my patient’s life."

"I would rather go home, but you can come to my house for breakfast. Believe it or not, I can cook," he offered, smiling.

"As tempting as a home-cooked meal sounds, I have to pass. I don't know you well enough to come to your house yet," I smiled back. "But maybe next time."

"Sure," he grinned as he walked into the locker room.

I went to find Dawn to say goodbye.

"So how did it go with Nurse Hero?" Dawn asked.

"You knew too?" I looked at her, confused.

"Yeah, who didn’t?" she laughed.

"How about me?" I raised my hand.

"That's because you don't have a life, dear.” She swung her arm around my neck as we walked back to the locker room. We entered just in time to catch a glimpse of Ben's perfect six-pack. "I give him until the end of the week," Dawn said.

"End of the week for what?" I asked, eyeing her.

"Before he sleeps with one of the nurses," she said bluntly.

"I doubt it. He's shy. Plus, he asked me out already." I turned toward my locker.

"What?" Dawn asked in her annoying high-pitched voice.

"Shhh! I declined. He wanted to make me breakfast this morning," I replied.

"I don't know what to say about that, but now I know you’re crazy," she shook her head.

"Shhh," I said.

"Why? He meets your rigorous list of requirements. So what’s the problem? He must live in a shitty part of town.”

"No, he lives in Pacific Heights," I pulled my scrubs off.

"Okay, honey, I’m going to check you into the psych ward. You are crazy," she said as I pulled my jeans on.

"Just leave it alone,” I commanded. “I did just meet the guy."

"I’ll remember that when he’s with some random nurse; he asked you out first," she said.

"Got it," I nodded as I tied my shoelace.

Ben chuckled as he walked up. "Hey, Toni thanks for a great tour. The offer still stands for breakfast," I wondered if he had heard our conversation. I turned to look at Dawn, whose eyes were now pleading with me to go.

"Okay, fine. Give me a minute," I answered.

"Really?" Ben and Dawn both said simultaneously, I just rolled my eyes.

"I’ll need to follow you," I pulled my motorcycle helmet out of my locker.

"I would never have taken you for a biker girl," he smiled.

"There’s a lot you don’t know about me," I winked and closed my locker. I stuck my tongue out at Dawn as I walked away.

"Have fun, T!" Dawn yelled as we walked out of the hospital and to the employee lot where my motorcycle was parked.

"So where did you park?" I asked, putting my helmet on as he sat down on the jet-black motorcycle next to mine. His dwarfed mine in size and probably in price.

"This is me," he grinned. I beamed at the possibility that this might just work out!

CHAPTER TWO

We didn’t have far to drive to Ben's friend’s Pacific Heights house. He opened the empty, one-car garage of the Victorian home for us to park in. I could see the sun beginning to rise as he closed the garage. I stood motionless in the dim light as he opened the door, that lead to a dark room. I could only see the updated vintage wood floors that lay in the doorway of the room we were entering.

"So your friend is your roommate?"

"No, my friends own the house, but they no longer live here, no one has for a while" he said, as he stepped into the shadowy kitchen. He ran his hand along the wall adjacent to the doorway, touching the light switch that was hidden in the darkness. The lights illuminated the room, making it alive. The smell of fresh paint filled the house; I wondered if everything had just been redone.

"So you live here alone?" I marveled as I looked around the modern kitchen that might have been featured on the Food Network. I ran my fingers along the shiny stainless steel countertop as I made my way around the kitchen. Ben stayed on the opposite side of the kitchen, keeping his distance from me. He slowly opened the refrigerator door, shielding the contents. I thought he might be ashamed of only having beer in there, so I didn’t make a big deal about it. I did make it a point to keep my jacket on, since his house was colder than the hospital.

"Can I walk around and give myself a tour?" I asked. Without waiting for an answer, I stepped into the next room as my voice echoed in the darkness.

"Sure; I will be down here cooking," he said as he walked around the kitchen, looking in various cabinets. I ran my hand against the wall until my fingertips touched the light switch. Thankfully, it lit up the empty dining room and the room next to it. I wandered through what would be a formal dining room, if it were furnished, and found myself in a large living room with a bay window and fireplace. The house had a cold feel to it, and not just the temperature but also the mood; maybe it was a guy thing
.
The living room had an enormous front door that didn’t look like it had been used in years. All the curtains were closed, so I couldn’t see the view, which I knew was pristine.
Why would someone who lives in a home with a view like this keep it hidden?

As I walked on, I noticed that the furniture, in the rooms that had any, was all from the fifties, restored to perfect condition, except for the larger-than-life flat-screen TV. Leave it to a single man to put a big TV in a formal living room. I made my way to the staircase that led to the bedrooms and flipped a light switch that lit up the stairway and hallway. I ran my hand along a wall that was painted a deep red, the only other contemporary thing I saw besides the kitchen in this house. The stairs creaked, reiterating the age of the home with each step.

The first bedroom on my right was a large white room. The little furniture it contained was also white; the bedding was white, as well as the walls, and everything about this room felt serene. I walked over to the window, hoping to see the view I’d missed downstairs, but the perfectly tailored white curtains kept the sunlight from spilling in. In fact, the blackout electronic blinds prevented me from seeing outside.

A door led to a Jack and Jill bathroom with a motion-sensor light. The white tiled floor, tub, and sink continued the theme of the bedroom. The opposite end of the bathroom opened into a dim office/library. There were books everywhere, and a small wooden desk in the center of the room that held a laptop and hundreds of papers, most resembling bills. I closed the bathroom door and made my way across the dim room to an open door that ended in a small hallway. At the end of it was the last room, which I assumed belonged to Ben.

The light of the hallway didn’t reach that end and his room was completely black. I strolled into the empty darkness and my nose recognized the scent of a man’s cologne coming from it. I stepped into the threshold of the doorway and ran my hand along the rooms inside wall, feeling for the light switch. After a failed attempt to find it, I turned to make my way to the lit end of the hallway and found Ben silently standing behind me. I gasped as my hand covered my chest. Why hadn’t I heard him come up the stairs? Being so near to him made my heart beat faster.

"The light is on the other side of the room."

"How can you see to the other side of the room to turn it on?" I asked as he vanished into the blackness.

"I think I know my way around the house,” he said as a dim, bedside lamp came on. I realized that my hand still covered my chest when he looked confused by my pose. I straightened up and looked around the room. As I slowly entered, I saw the only furnishings were a bed and two nightstands with lamps. The furniture was black, along with the bedding and the walls.
I guess they’re into monochrome themes.

"Black walls and sheets," I teased as I passed the side of the bed where he was standing. I headed for the open door to the right of him that appeared to lead to a bathroom.

"I have been working the night shift for as long as I can remember and I need to sleep in the daytime, so, yeah, black walls." He walked closely behind me as I flicked the bathroom light on. My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open as I took in the marble countertop, shower, and Jacuzzi tub.

"You have an amazing bathroom." The space was immaculate and looked like it was rarely used. He smiled and tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Uh, thanks. I came to let you know that your breakfast is ready." He smiled; obviously proud, that he’d made breakfast.

"Great! I'm starved."

"Me too." He flicked the switch off in the bathroom, leaving me in darkness, and took my hand. He guided me into the lighted part of the hallway before releasing me. I followed him down the stairs, across the living room, and into the kitchen. As the aroma of delicious food made my stomach growl loudly, I noticed there was only one plate of food. Embarrassed, I put my hands over my belly and crossed to the bar stools in the kitchen.

"I’m sorry, I thought you said you were eating too, but you didn't make a plate. Are we sharing?" I asked, confused.

"Well, I am, but I cannot eat before I go to sleep. So I just drink, uh . . . tomato juice." He sat on one of the three stainless steel bar stools. I sat next to him and gazed hungrily at my plate of perfect pancakes. If Martha Stewart could have seen these, she would’ve been jealous. I poured the warm syrup on the pancakes and picked up the fork and knife to cut my first bite. Then his words registered on my brain.

"Tomato juice? Is that a Bloody Mary?" He smiled at my question, which told me everything.

"That is the perfect name," he said, and took a big gulp from his drink. I was less concerned with his choice of drinks than I was with fully enjoying pancakes that would’ve made every chef on the Food Network envious.

"These are the best pancakes I have ever tasted." I barely looked up as I pleasured my taste buds.

"So what did you think of the house?" He watched me inhale my meal. I turned my head to answer him as he gulped the rest of his cocktail.

"It's beautiful. I mean, I don’t understand the retro look of the living room, but I like the color theme upstairs. Oh, and I understand the curtains and blinds, being a night owl myself.”

“
I am glad you do.”

“
Do you have any more of the Bloody Mary?" I asked, just as he coughed and choked on the last sip of his drink.

"Uh — no, sorry but I do not," he said with a guilty look on his face.

"That’s good, because I need to go home soon anyway. So your friend that I remind you of, was she your girlfriend?" Then I realized it might be too personal, but since he was staring. . . .

"Joanna? No, she was a best friend to me; she is the reason I became a nurse." He stood and went to the other side of the bar. For some reason that name seemed familiar to me. Maybe I had a patient or something with that name. I just brushed it off. I guessed that my question made him unease because he stayed on the other side of the kitchen.

"She would be proud of you, Nurse Hero," I said, smiling and pointing at him with my fork.

“
Thank you, Toni,” he smiled with his deep dimples showing.

"You’re welcome; and as much as I want to finish these pancakes, I can't eat another bite." I stood up from the bar stool to stretch.

"You do not have to leave just yet, do you?" he frowned.

"Well, I have to get up in eight hours to work, so yeah; but thanks for breakfast," I said, picking up my plate with a smile that I hoped would say “Don’t worry, you will see me tonight
.”
I had reached the sink when I felt him at my side. He moved too quickly for my eyes to see him and to quite for me to hear him. Confusion overcame me at his swift movement.

"How — stop doing that; it scares me." He didn’t answer, just nodded and took my plate from my hand and put it under the tap.