Cuff Me at Christmas Read online

  Cuff Me at Christmas

  Lark Avery

  Copyright © 2019 by Lark Avery

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  It was one night. One f*cking glorious night with Max Ransom-- arrogant asshole, brilliant MD and trusted colleague.

  Then I discovered the growly Scottish “heir to spare “ in my bed was the new Duke of Gylen.

  F*ck.

  It’s not 2019, not 1819. I’m a physician, New Yorker, and grown-ass woman. When Ransom disappeared off to his castle, I shouldered on running the emergency department of New York’s busiest hospital. I hardly ever thought about the filthy things his Scottish burr whispered to me that night. Or how my body ached for him.

  But now some psycho stalker threatens my life and I’m forced to accept help from the one man that I never thought I’d see again.

  Surely, I can survive Christmas in Scotland with Max Ransom, Duke of Gylen.

  All I have to do is keep my panties on.

  Oh f*ck. Who am I kidding?

  I’m in real trouble now.

  Contents

  1. Max

  2. Jess

  3. Max

  4. Jess

  5. Max

  6. Jess

  7. Max

  8. Jess

  9. Max

  Epilogue: One Year Later

  Christmas Quickie Sneak Peek

  Jack

  Diane

  Also by Lark Avery

  About the Author

  1

  Max

  There was one way to keep my cock out of trouble: avoid socializing with the female staff at Metropolitan Hospital.

  And it worked perfectly until last night.

  My golden rule--never fuck around in the workplace—has not been easy to follow. Being Dr. Max Ransom, I have plenty of temptation. I'm twenty-eight years old and six foot three. Most mornings, I run through Central Park before work. I have my father’s dark eyes and the small scar on my right cheekbone was put there by my brother years ago. Plus, there's my sizable inheritance, which makes my physician's salary from Metropolitan's emergency department look like my local coffee haunt's tip jar, and though my colleague, Dr. Jessica Bates, routinely accuses me of being an arrogant asshole, judging from the number of women who like my Scottish accent, that’s not a shortcoming.

  Tonight, I promised my former medical school roommates I'd join them to talk shit about hospital administration while we hit a few bars downtown. Lee and I waited out front on the sidewalk for Derek. Underneath me, the subway rumbled by and the grate we stood over sent up a whoosh of the exhaust. I wasn't a native New Yorker, but I loved that city like it was part of my soul.

  The fresh air, such as it was in Manhattan, was welcome after my fourteen-hour shift. It was warm for May. New York is like that in spring, it had been eighty degrees earlier that day. Tonight, the temperature had only dropped ten degrees and I wished I'd left my blazer in my staff locker.

  Catching a glance at myself in the reflection of the window next to me, my thick dark hair had a tendency to curl if given the slightest opportunity. I liked it cut short, so I didn't have to bother with it. I wore a hand-tailored jacket and a button-down dress shirt, but I skipped the tie. Faded jeans were my favorite attire when I wasn't wearing scrubs.

  Lee Sorenson was texting on his phone, trying to locate Derek. I left him to the task while I tipped my head back and savored being outside.

  Twilight in the city always fascinated me. It's like everyone in New York takes a deep breath while the street lights come on and the office buildings go black. When the skyscrapers light up against the darkening sky, a sense of anticipation radiates for the coming night.

  "He's on his way. Let's stop at La Salle's. There's a send-off for Dr. Mancuso." Lee didn't look up from his phone. He was a pediatric emergency medicine physician who looked like a Viking, was a complete nut about his vinyl LP collection, and loved gossip like an old woman.

  "Mancuso's retiring again?" I asked. Dr. Mancuso "retired" about once a year; after a few months away, she was back on the schedule.

  I couldn't imagine ever retiring. Working as a doctor in the emergency department in a busy New York hospital was all I had ever wanted. Still, I admired Mancuso as a colleague and mentor.

  “Do you ever read the staff emails?” Lee asked, still glued to his phone.

  "Never." As we exited the hospital, I signaled to Derek.

  Derek Chavez was a pathologist, and like me, New York was his adopted home. He had the compact build of a wrestler, a passion for running marathons, and loved a good dark beer. He was my best friend.

  “We’re stopping by La Salle’s first. After that, we’re heading downtown.” Lee had taken charge of our first stop that evening, which would be a brief visit Where we’d grab a beer, congratulate Mancuso, and then hit the door. We could be in and out in half an hour.

  La Salle's wasn't my kind of place, mostly because it was a few blocks from the hospital and, therefore, popular with staff after hours. I'd only been inside the below street level bar a few times briefly and recalled with a cringe the themed décor that borrowed heavily from the "Cheers" TV show.

  Inside, the bar was packed. This surprised me as, given Mancuso's history, there'd be another one of these for her next year.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  Derek looked at me with pity in his dark eyes. “You really have no idea?”

  "I don't." We squeezed our way to the bar and everyone we passed knew at least one of us. Most, knew us all.

  Great. The entire hospital had shown up. That was a testament to Dr. Mancuso. To me, it set my teeth on edge. I wanted to say my bit and get the hell out of here. I'd be happier wandering down in the blessed anonymity of Greenwich Village.

  I jockeyed my way to the bar. Dr. Mancuso perched on a barstool. She was a petite woman with the tight perm favored by grandmothers everywhere. Her smile widened when she saw me.

  “Max! This is an honor.” She held out her hand to me. “You never come to my retirement farewells.”

  Her hand was bony, and her cheekbones were more pronounced. She'd lost weight. Some time off would do her good. As a doctor, I couldn't help assessing everyone I met.

  "I know you don't like these things, so you better grab yourself a drink," she continued.

  I ordered a whiskey, then sat down when the seat next to her opened up.

  "I'm sorry that you're retiring, but you'll be back. I know your type." I had to lean close so that she could hear me over the noise. I sipped my whiskey.

  She smiled ruefully. "This time, it's going to stick."

  “You don’t look like the type to take up knitting.” I studied her amidst the chaos of the bar.

  For the first time ever, the word ‘frail’ came to mind. She was sick. Her recent weight loss gave her away.

  “Are you all right?” I asked.

  Dr. Mancuso sipped her white wine, then set it on the counter. "What gave me away?"

  "I was trained by a fantastic teacher." I pushed my drink away. The whiskey was overrated, plus this news gave me a sour stomach. Though we are trained to deal with bad news, it was never welcome. "What is it?" I asked.

  “Nothing that concerns you.” She patted my hand in a grandmotherly way.

  I was shocked. I’d never considered that my mentor probably was a grandmother. She didn’t wear a wedding ring. She’d never talked about a family or shown off any pictures to the staff. Whatever was going
on, must be serious indeed.

  I wanted to press her for her diagnosis, to know what the plan was, and ask how I could help.

  “I’m afraid I’ve been a poor tutor, Max.” Dr. Mancuso’s fingers smoothed the edges of her wrinkled cocktail napkin. “I was so busy teaching you about medicine, I never talked to you about life.”

  “If this is ‘the birds and the bees’ talk, you don’t have to worry. I’m all caught up.” I flashed her a grin.

  Sadness flitted across her face.

  “Work has been my identity my entire adult life. But there is more out there than work for people like us. Don’t be afraid to search for it.”

  My mind was spinning, and not from the drink. Mancuso was sick. Really sick, if she was giving me a life lecture. I wished we weren’t in such a public place so I could find out what was really going on.

  But my horror at this information, which she rather casually delivered, competed with someone at the corner of my eye trying to wedge into this conversation.

  Fuck off!

  I hoped they got my mental message.

  But it was too late.

  Mancuso’s eyes lit up.

  She spoke to the interloper over my shoulder. “Take my seat. I need to talk to Dr. Rodriguez.” She slid off her barstool as she lowered her voice to just an audible level. “You two are my star students.”

  Then she was swallowed up by the busy crowd.

  My mind churned. I wasn't surprised I was Mancuso's favorite, but I was surprised to learn I was one of two.

  Who was my competition?

  I turned to my left to size up the intruder and did a double-take.

  "Hi, Max." The voice was familiar, but in this setting, I was disoriented.

  Dr. Jessica Bates stood next to me.

  Bates. That was what I called her countless times a day.

  Bates hopped up on the vacated barstool.

  I'd only had a sip of a shitty drink after one fourteen-hour shift, but my brain felt mired in sludge.

  Of course, Bates would be Mancuso’s favorite. She was one hell of an emergency room physician.

  “Who is covering the unit?” I finally managed as a greeting. My fingers curled tight around my glass. I needed something to hold onto as my world tilted, sliding out of control.

  "Fitz wanted to work a double. He grumbled about alimony payments." Bates caught the bartender's eye quickly. "Can I get a glass of merlot?"

  Bates was five feet, two inches. At work, she wore a turtle neck under her scrubs, even if it was ninety degrees out. She wore expensive running shoes, which as far as I could tell, was her only indulgence, and thick-framed glasses. As always, her dark hair was coiled in a knot at the back of her head.

  She was smart as hell and despite her size, took no shit from anyone. Outside of Mancuso, she was the only other colleague that I truly respected.

  For the last year, we'd been working in the emergency room and in that time, I’d never thought of her in that way, or any way beyond her brains and talent. Hell, I'd even felt sorry for her once or twice because… well, she was plain.

  But at the moment, I’d have given anything to have that plain woman back.

  Bates had been replaced by Jess. She seared my eyeballs. Perched on the barstool beside mine, she wore a sleeveless little black dress with stilettos.

  My cock immediately stirred. She had a great ass with firm tits that made me think of ripe apples. My mouth watered as images of licking her from head to toe flitted through my brain.

  This was Dr. Jessica Bates.

  Her hair was loose and hung down her back. It stopped just short of that delectable ass. It was the kind of hair that would fall around her as she rode me.

  With an overly friendly smile, the bartender set a drink in front of her. “It’s on the house.” He winked.

  Hell no.

  "No need for that." I slapped my credit card on the bar with more force than was necessary.

  Jess raised an eyebrow at me. I knew that look.

  “I’d prefer you didn’t,” she said. Her lips were tinted a berry red. I’d never noticed her lower lip was a little fuller than the top and experienced an overwhelming urge to nip at it, tasting her.

  The bartender had already whisked my card away.

  “Too late.” I didn’t know where to look. Even above her neck disoriented me.

  "Thank you." She took a sip of her wine. "You're staring. Though for the record, you clean up pretty well too, you already knew that."

  With difficulty, I pulled my gaze away from her. It was then that I noticed I wasn't the only one drinking her appearance in. Lee and Derek had caught sight of us from across the bar. They were obviously checking her out. Thank God, her smoking hot body was hidden behind the bar.

  "I've never seen you out of scrubs." I cleared my throat and tried to remember that I was not a horny teenage boy. I was a twenty-eight-year-old man who never wanted for female companionship.

  Get a grip, Ransom.

  “It does feel like they are my second skin.” Her grey eyes studied me as she tilted her head to one side. I knew that look. She was calculating.

  I wouldn't admit it, but I suspected Jess was smarter than me. And honestly, I'm a pretty intelligent guy. I graduated top of my class from my Ivy League college and medical school. In the next month, my three-year residency program would end. I was already planning to stay in the emergency department and move to a staff position. I loved my work.

  Now I felt like I was the subject of an elaborate prank. I was standing here with a colleague that I deeply respected, had worked with for a year, and thought I knew.

  But I was wrong. This woman sitting next to me made my cock stand at attention. All I could think about was marching her to the back of the bar and fucking her against the wall in full view of the patrons.

  Meanwhile, Lee and Derek approached from opposite sides of the bar like two wolves on the hunt.

  I wanted to tear their eyes out. It was utterly illogical, but I knew without a doubt if one of them touched Jess I would kill either or both of them.

  "Hey, you two, we found a free table in the back. Want to join us?" Lee asked.

  Jess pivoted, facing my friends. “Looks like the peds ER and the pathology department has arrived in force. Derek, did you get my email about those lab results?”

  She and her tight little body were all business.

  Instead of dampening my desire, my cock hardened. At this rate, I’d be crawling out of the bar tonight.

  Derek held up his hand and groaned. "No work, please."

  Her body stiffened at the rebuke.

  With Jess turned around, I could see those two jackals had been leering at her ass. It was outlined by her dress. The deep vee of her bare skin was intensely erotic. I had the strongest desire to stroke my hand down her back. I longed to touch her supple skin and feel her vertebrae under my fingertips.

  I was going insane.

  This was Jessica Bates. When we first met, I'd pitied her for having the curves of a twelve-year-old boy.

  "Thanks for the invite but I'm here with Richard. I better get back. He'll be wondering where I wandered off too. See you guys tomorrow at work. Be sure to send me those lab results asap. I might write up an article on that case." When she turned toward me, her hem rode up, showing more of her slim thighs. She hopped off the barstool. "Thanks for the drink."

  I carried my crappy whiskey with me to the table the guys paid the waitress to hold. My brain churned furiously. Our new table happened to have a view of Jess and Richard.

  Richard was a psychiatrist who we often called in to consult on patients in our emergency room. The best thing I could say about him was that he was competent. I never gave him a second thought until now.

  How long had he and Jess been dating? Lee must know.

  What the fuck was wrong with me? Why should I care that my colleague showed up in a pretty dress?

  It was more than a dress, though. It was like the armor she'd been
wearing had been stripped away.

  I was seeing all of her.

  I knew her mind. Now I wanted to know the rest of her.

  “I don’t know what she sees in him.” I took a sip of my whiskey, wincing. I needed a better drink than this overpriced tourist shit.

  My eyes kept drifting back to Jess. It was like an irritant in my mind that I couldn’t smooth out. I prided myself on being an excellent observer. I picked up on details most of my colleagues missed.

  Yet, I’d been oblivious to this whole other part of Jess. Jesus, I needed a fuck.

  "It's his cock," Lee announced. He paused to order drinks for the three women two tables over. The blonde with an expensive dye job was eye-fucking me. When the waitress left, he continued. "I've seen him in the gym shower. He's hung like a bull."

  "Please, no." Derek groaned. "Now I have that image seared in my mind.”

  That was the last thing I wanted to hear.

  It didn't matter that an hour ago, I’d never thought of Jess outside of the hospital. Now I knew.

  Lee and Derek flirted with our neighbors, But that little dance didn't interest me at all tonight.

  Instead, I excused myself and headed for the restroom. I turned away from that door and found a space at the end of the hallway. I made a call, waited two minutes, then returned to the bar, just in time to see Richard heading for the exit.

  My body tingled with electricity.

  The night suddenly felt different. Important.

  I'd been alone with Jess plenty of times before, though I’d never experienced the kick of nervous energy coursing through my veins. Hell, we'd even slept in the same call room on bunk beds catching a few hours' sleep. I appreciated she didn't snore.

  Now, I approached Jess sitting alone, and all my usual bar banter surfaced.