Protect Me (34 page)

Avery has been on me - again - about dating. I date. Okay, fine. I’ve dated. Not so much lately, especially since Carmen started here at the hospital and changed our entire scheduling format around for both the emergency and ambulance department that she oversees. Never mind that it might actually be a better system, which gives us the same amount of hours with more time off between days worked. I will never admit it out loud nor will I ever acknowledge it to her face.
 

Avery tried setting me up about two months ago with her part-timer, Sandra. Nice girl, really. She’s definitely cute with her dirty blond hair and blue eyes, but there just wasn’t that spark. That flare. That moment where you can’t wait another moment longer to taste her lips because the thought of waiting another second slowly kills you inside. At least not to the extent that Avery always talked about. We went to the movies and dinner a few times, but after a few dates, we both decided that friendship was all we’d ever have.
 

That hasn’t deterred my sister from name-dropping a few of the single ladies around towns every time she sees me. Why she thinks I need a woman in my life is beyond me. I am content and happy being single. A few dates every now and again to keep me sane, get
me out of the house, and keep the pipes from getting rusty, and I’m good. Work. That’s what I do. Twenty-four seven. My work is my life. I live, breathe, and thrive on the excitement of my job. It’s who I am.
 

As I lean against the wall across from Carmen’s office while she threatens whomever she’s speaking to on the phone within an inch of their life, I can’t help but acknowledge the stress of the job. EMT’s and paramedics have been dropping like flies lately - mostly because of Carmen’s iron fist - and I’ve been left to pick up the slack. I’ve worked more overtime already this past two months than I did total last year. Usually, I wouldn’t mind. But right now, I’m thinking that my weekend off will be a welcome reprieve.
 

Maybe I should call up one of the many names Avery has saved for me. Maybe I should enjoy female companionship over dinner. Maybe I should have a few drinks and flirt a little while shooting pool. Maybe I need to get laid.
 

The fact that I actually have to stop and think - hard - of the last woman I slept with is a little alarming. Unsettling. Perhaps I should head up to Jack’s Pub soon and see about taking care of that problem. Though that thought doesn’t sound too appetizing, either. I’ve never been a huge fan of casual sex. I’m more like Travis in that regards as opposed to my older two brothers. They were the Kings of Casual Sex. And kings, they are no more. They were dethroned by two bewitching Queens
named Erin and Lia.
 

Speaking of bewitching - or witching as may be the case right now - I hear Carmen’s terse voice raise to an octave that only dogs can hear moments before the phone slams down on the base. I’ll be surprised if maintenance isn’t bringing her up a brand new phone later today.
 

An uneasy feeling settles in my stomach. I feel like the piece of steak that the zookeeper chucks into the lion’s den. I’m not nervous or scared of being called into the boss’s office. I’m more worried that, eventually, I’m not going to be able to hold back my hostility towards this woman. I fear I’m not going to be able to bite my tongue and just let the words fly. Words that I won’t be able to take back. Words that will probably cost me my job.
 

I’m just settling in for a self-help, blood pressure calming pep talk when I hear the hard clickety clank of her heels on the tile floor. I stand up as straight as possible as if someone shoved a rod up my ass, shoulders square and hands firmly held behind my back. I plaster on my best hard as steel, cool as ice demeanor and wait for Carmen to open her office door.
 

When she finally swings her door open, she doesn’t notice me right away. Her dark eyes are casted downward, and she has a sad, distant look on her face, which leaves her vulnerable and exposed. She looks almost human.
 

I don’t say anything. I don’t move. Hell, I don’t even breathe. I’m taken aback by the sheer beauty of this woman. The delicate lines of her face. The softness in her brown eyes. The breathtaking way she lets her hard shell soften just a little when she thinks no one is watching. The way my traitorous body responds to her presence.
 

Carmen looks up at that moment and notices me for the first time. The hurt is evident in her eyes for only a few nanoseconds before her bitch exterior is slammed back into place like the slamming of the prison cell door. She stands up straight and the softness in her face evaporates into thin air. Cruella is back and she’s gunning for me.
 

How did I get so lucky?
 

Want more Will and Carmen?
 

Watch for the final book in the Rivers Edge series, Boss Me, in October 2015.
 

Can you believe we’re 4 full-length books and 1 novella into this series? It still blows my mind to think a year and a half ago, I was sitting down and talking to my best friend about writing Trust Me. I have THE best friend ever! Thank you, Holly, for your continual support and love.
 

Amanda, Taryn, Sandra and Joanne – thank you for your help in finding all of my typos and grammar errors!  I have the best Betas around because you guys are fans and believe in me. Thank you!
 

Emily, my editor and friend – I love you and thank you with my whole heart! We’ve come along way since riding our bikes while wearing big plastic eyeglasses and baggie shirts with knots tied on the sides.
 

Ginny Gallagher – Another beautiful cover! You blow me away every time, and I can’t wait to see what you come up with next!
 

Kelley at Smut Book Junkies – For your help in spreading the word about my books. Thank you!
 

Brenda – Thanks for not killing me when I’m being difficult. You’re a formatting goddess!
 

To my family and friends – I am who I am because of you all. Thank you for your support and encouragement, and most of all, love.
 

Lacey’s Ladies – I hope I never forget to show you every day how much I love and value you all! Your support and friendship is unwavering and invaluable. You make me smile every day, and this wouldn’t be the same without each of you!
 

And to my hubby (the Original Book Boyfriend) and our two beautiful children – Thank you for sharing me with so many others while I write, edit, proofread, pimp, email, post, and publish my dream. You are my heart and soul.
 

Until next time!
 

All my love,
 

Lacey
 

About the Author
 

Lacey Black is a Midwestern girl with a passion for reading, writing, and shopping. She carries her e-reader with her everywhere she goes so she never misses an opportunity to read a few pages. Always looking for a happily ever after, Lacey is passionate about contemporary romance novels and enjoys it further when you mix in a little suspense. She resides in a small town in Illinois with her husband, two children, and a chocolate lab. Lacey loves watching NASCAR races, shooting guns, and should only consume one mixed drink because she’s a lightweight.
 

Lacey’s debut novel, Trust Me, was released in August 2014.  It spent six weeks in the top 100 in contemporary romance on Amazon’s Top 100 Best Sellers for e-books. Fight Me, book 2 in the Rivers Edge series, released December 2014 and was another Best Seller in contemporary romance, as was Expect Me, book 3, which released in February 2015 and Promise Me: A Novella, released in April 2015.
 

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