The Girl Who Always Wins (Soulless Book 13) Read online

  “Before he shattered your skull on the floor? Before he choked you out? Before he broke your arm and put you back six months with doctor visits and physical therapy? I admire your dedication to your patients, but violence is unacceptable. I don’t care how much pain he’s in. I don’t care how long he’s been in pain. There is no justification for what he did. None.”

  “Well, I guess I have more empathy than you do.”

  His eyes flashed in rage. “He tried to hurt the woman I love. You’re right—I don’t have an ounce of empathy.”

  I shook my head and dropped my eyes to my folder.

  “Look at me.”

  I almost ignored the command, trying to be disobedient. But I caved and looked at him once more.

  He leaned over my desk, his hands planted on the surface. “Without Darin, the world wouldn’t be different. Nothing would change. But if you died…it would impact a lot of people. Future patients wouldn’t get the care that they needed. Scientific breakthroughs wouldn’t be made. You appreciate every life like it matters. But you need to appreciate your own just as much.” He pulled his hands back and turned away.

  “I’m still going to treat him.”

  He halted and took a deep breath before he turned back around.

  “And I could use some help.”

  “Couldn’t care less what happens to him.”

  “But I do. And the sooner I help him, the sooner he’s gone.”

  He drew in a deep breath, annoyance flashing over his face. He considered the request, his jaw tight, his hands making fists like he was about to fight someone. But then he released them and dropped himself into the armchair. “Let’s get this shit over with.”

  Dad sat across from me, the chessboard between us. He reached for his pawn and made his move. “I don’t know about this.”

  “Dad, come on.” I made my move.

  “I know him. He’ll be furious.”

  I shrugged. “He’s always furious.”

  “Daisy, this is different. We’re subjecting him to something that has already traumatized him.” He made his move.

  I made mine. “He’ll suck it up.”

  Dad paused to stare at me before he made another move. “I reached out to a few colleagues. Connected with a reproductive endocrinologist. We went to Harvard together. We were in the same class, but I doubt she remembers me. And then I connected with a physician here in Manhattan who specializes in blood disorders. Thought if we could team them up together, along with us, we might make some progress.”

  I grabbed my chess piece, but I held on to it instead of moving it. I stared at my dad, feeling the gratitude flooding my entire body like anesthesia. “Thank you.”

  Dad looked down as if he didn’t know what to say. “I have an empty lab we can use. Their time will also be compensated by the company as employees.”

  “So, they agreed?”

  “Not yet. But I’m sure they will.”

  “That’s great. I’m so excited.”

  “But this isn’t going to work without his cooperation. We need his specimens to test. Otherwise, we have nothing to do.”

  “I know. I’ll talk to him. Just want to wait a bit… We’re kinda butting heads right now.”

  Dad stared at me incredulously. “Already?”

  “Yeah, we do it a lot.”

  “I’ll say…”

  “A couple days ago at work, there was this incident, and we had a disagreement, so we aren’t really talking right now.” I knew it was just a fight, not something that reflected the health of our relationship. He was stubborn, and so was I.

  “What kind of incident?”

  “I had this really combative patient, and I left the room to give him space to cool off, but he followed me and attacked me.”

  The look on my dad’s face was maniacal. His eyes practically popped out of his head, and the red tint emerged instantly. His dark eyes became bullets, ready to kill the patient who dared to touch me.

  “But don’t worry. I totally kicked his ass. He didn’t even get a chance to touch me.”

  Dad immediately bowed his head into his hands and released the breath that he’d just sucked into his lungs. “Jesus fucking Christ…”

  “My training was instinct. I tore him down without even thinking twice about it.”

  He slowly dragged his hands down his face, still upset.

  I pulled out my phone. “I have the footage from the security cameras.”

  He grabbed it and turned it facedown and shook his head.

  “Dad, I’m fine.”

  “If I see his face, I’ll hunt him down and kill him. Literally.”

  I pulled the phone back into my pocket. “I believe you, so…better put this away.”

  His knuckles rested against his mouth and he looked down at the chessboard between us, but his mind was nowhere near the game. “This doesn’t explain the rift between you and Atlas.”

  “Well, I wanted to keep this guy as a patient. Atlas disagreed.”

  His eyes flicked up—and just the look showed that he held the same opinion.

  “He’s been everywhere else with no answers. If we don’t figure it out, no one will—”

  “Should have thought of that before he assaulted you.”

  “Dad, he didn’t assault me. I kicked his ass. Everyone keeps forgetting that part of the story.”

  “Doesn’t fucking matter.” He slammed his hand down. “This man should be ejected from the clinic and also thrown in jail. You should be pressing charges, Daisy.”

  “Dad, he’s in a lot of pain, and he’s frustrated—”

  “What kind of justification is that?”

  “Well, when Mom had cancer, you turned into a mega asshole, so there’s that.”

  He immediately winced at the insult, like a dog that just got smacked on the nose.

  “He’s not himself, okay? He was married, but then his illness drove them apart. He was active, had a social life, but then his symptoms completely took control of everything. He was a regular person like you and me. But people change when they’re experiencing chronic pain, day in and day out. Yes, his behavior was unacceptable, but that wouldn’t have happened if he weren’t under such physical and mental duress. Think about how much better the world would be if everyone could improve their physical and mental health. I promise you, the prisons wouldn’t be full, there wouldn’t be as many mass shootings, there wouldn’t be so much aggression and violence. If I don’t fix him, he might lose his temper with someone else and hurt them. I’m not just saving him—but every other person he interacts with. I can think of myself in this situation, but medicine is broader than just me. It’s a cog in the wheel of life. It has ripple effects. I have to see this through.”

  He stared and stared. There was a long stretch of silence, minutes passing, his eyes moving to the chessboard then to me again. He was at odds with himself, agreeing with everything I said but overwhelmed with his biological urge to protect me, to seek revenge against someone who meant me harm.

  “You know I’m right, Dad.”

  He took a breath and sighed.

  “Atlas basically had the same reaction as you. He wanted to discharge him from the clinic, but I refused to let that happen.”

  “Which was the right decision.”

  “He may be the boss of the clinic, but he’s not the boss of me.”

  “No.” He steadied his gaze on me. “Continuing to help the man—that was the right decision.”

  When I came home, I plopped down on the couch. So how long is this going to go on for? We’d barely said more than a few words to each other, and our nights were spent apart, not tangled up together in the sheets.

  His response was immediate. Until he’s discharged from the clinic.

  Well, that could take a while…

  Which is why I’m working on it now. Which is why I work on it all the time. Day and night.

  We should work on it together.

  No response.

 
I’m coming over.

  No.

  Too bad.

  I’ll come to you.

  I sent a bunch of eye-roll emojis. This better not be because you don’t want me to walk over at night.

  No response.

  Because I could kick your ass if I had to.

  Yes. Because unlike that piece of shit, I would never hurt you. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.

  Bring a bag.

  I’m not staying.

  But I miss you…a lot.

  No response.

  Please. Come on, you miss me too.

  Still nothing.

  You better bring something because I’m not letting you leave until morning.

  He responded, and for the first time since the attack, he was playful. Gonna kick my ass if I try?

  Yep.

  Like to see you try.

  You’re on, buddy.

  Buddy?

  Sorry…bad shit-talk.

  He sat across from me at the dining table, all work and no play. He’d brought his computer bag with all his papers, but he didn’t bring an overnight bag stuffed with clothes and a toothbrush.

  Looked like I’d have to tie him to my bed tonight.

  We ordered a pizza and ate it straight out of the box, spending most of the evening in silence.

  When he was focused, he was quiet, not using me or other colleagues as a sounding board. He liked to figure things out on his own, keep his thoughts to himself. But there was definitely some animosity coming from him since he was spending his time helping someone who didn’t deserve his brainpower.

  “A couple weeks ago, I went to this discussion about pain science.”

  He looked up from his work and stared at me.

  “If your nervous system is heightened by an injury, it remains sensitive, sending pain signals when it shouldn’t. Makes me wonder…”

  “That doesn’t explain why it’s everywhere on his body.”

  “Unless his body was so sensitive that it affected his CNS…”

  His eyes remained on mine, but they shifted and moved, like he was thinking it through. “There’s no injury.”

  “Maybe there was a long time ago. No one thought it was significant, so it’s not in his chart.”

  “Even if that’s true, there’s no treatment for that.”

  “Not true. We could give him the same medication we give to MS patients, something to fatigue his nervous system. But just knowing that’s what it is could dull his senses too, because they wouldn’t be so overreactive. And then there’s exercise, and judging by his weight and blood pressure, he’s getting none of that.”

  “Because he’s in too much pain to move.”

  “Exactly. I think we need to figure out what this initial injury is and then send him to physical therapy.”

  He gave a nod. “That might piss him off, though. That’s not a Hail Mary.”

  I shrugged. “He’s going to have to trust the process.”

  He leaned back in his chair, his arms crossing over his chest. “Based on his past behavior, I don’t see that as likely.”

  “We’ll get him the best physical therapist that will win him over.”

  As if that was enough for him, he closed his laptop.

  This case wasn’t quite over because I had to confirm that patient had had an injury at some point in the past. But for now, there was nothing more to do.

  With one elbow on the armrest, he stared at me, his fingers on his lips.

  “You didn’t bring an overnight bag.”

  “No. What are you going to do about it?”

  “Tie you to the bed with my panties.”

  All the muscles in his face immediately tightened, a flinch that overtook his entire body. His eyes were the only things that stayed the same.

  I left my chair and strutted away, heading to the bedroom.

  I knew he’d follow. There was no doubt in my mind.

  I opened my drawer and pulled out a couple of my colorful thongs and heard his footsteps against the hardwood as he entered my bedroom.

  I tossed the panties on the bed then turned to him.

  He tried to keep his distance, but his curiosity drew him closer. He eyed the panties on the duvet then returned his gaze to me.

  I grabbed him by the arm and shoved him.

  He fell back onto the bed, his body bouncing slightly against the mattress.

  I climbed on top of him and tied one wrist to the headboard, my panties strong enough to secure his wrist to the wood.

  He watched me, letting me do whatever I wanted.

  I tied the other then tested the security.

  Yep. He wasn’t going anywhere.

  Immobilized, he watched me yank down his bottoms and reveal the hard cock that gave him away. His shoes were removed, so he was naked from the waist down. He didn’t struggle against the bindings, allowed them to keep him in place.

  I stripped off my clothes, getting down to my thong.

  He watched me, his eyes falling into that deep intensity that I liked.

  I took my time with the last piece, bending over as I scooped it over my ass. The material fell to my ankles before I kicked them onto his chest.

  His hands immediately yanked on the bindings, but his wrists bounced back into place.

  I took my time climbing up his body, my palms pressing into his hard chest and rock-hard stomach. I lowered my ass to his crotch, letting my wet pussy press up against his dick.

  He immediately closed his eyes and moaned.

  I started to grind against him, lubricating his shaft with the wetness that was constantly between my legs whenever he was in the same room.

  Sometimes his wrists would yank against the elasticity of my underwear, but he surrendered a moment later, moaning as he lifted his hips, rubbing his dick through my wetness.

  My palms flattened against his chest, and I continued to rock my hips, torturing him with my arousal.

  He’d made me suffer these last few days. Now it was my turn to make him suffer.

  “Baby…” He pleaded with me with his eyes, his heavy breathing and flushed skin so sexy.

  “You want this pussy?”

  His intense eyes gave his answer.

  “Then you stay. All night. With me.”

  He gave an eager nod.

  “And next time, you bring a bag.”

  He continued to grind his hips against me, pressing his hard dick through my lips. “What if I never want to bring a bag again?”

  My hips stopped rocking. “Then it looks like you’re going to be tied to my bed until you change your mind.”

  “What if I don’t need a bag?”

  I stared at him, realizing I failed to understand his meaning.

  “Because all my stuff is already here.”

  My hips started rocking again, as did his. I stared, realizing what his intentions were. “This is moving really fast…”

  “Really? I don’t think it’s moving fast enough.”

  I arched my back and brought my face closer to his, seeing the intensity in his eyes take on a whole new light as he growled, “I don’t need years to know how I feel about you. And I don’t care about adhering to social timeliness either. I want you with me—always.”

  “I think you’re just saying this because your dick is about to explode.”

  “It’s definitely speeding it along.” He yanked his wrists against the panties, like he wanted to grab me and pull me close, to get the kiss from my lips that he craved. “Say yes, baby. Then fuck my brains out.”

  When there were no games, everything happened at the speed of a flash storm, sweeping across the land and crossing hundreds of miles within a day. That was exactly how this felt—like a sprint. Even with the hurdles in the way, we’d reached the finish line at record speed. It was fast, our relationship the length of a few months, but it felt right. I already knew I wanted to marry him someday. “Can we get a dog?”

  That smile was in my dreams, when I was wide awake and de
ad asleep. When he was truly happy, it reached his eyes, and that was exactly what it did now. Joy radiated through his body, like all he wanted in life was me.

  I guided him inside me then sank down, wrapping his length in my wet tightness, sheathing him all the way to the base.

  He closed his eyes and let out a sexy moan, a masculine ache mixed with his baritone. A deep breath expanded his chest, and he gave a slight shiver, like the pleasure trickled all the way down his spine from his brain.

  My hands planted against his chest, and I arched my back, rolling my hips as I took him over and over, my tits in his face.

  When he overcame how good it felt, he rocked his hips underneath me, sliding into my wetness every time I gave it. Sexy grunts filled my bedroom because he was overwhelmed with pleasure and unafraid to hide it. He showed me how much he wanted me—and that was so sexy. “Fuck, baby…”

  7

  Atlas

  Daisy walked into my office. “Guess what?”

  “You’re going to tie me to this chair with your thong.” Best sex I’d ever had. She was so good in bed, so passionate, so confident.

  “Psh. You wish.” She walked to my desk and placed her hands on her hips.

  “I do, actually.”

  “Well, maybe after everyone leaves.”

  I grinned. “Look forward to it.”

  “Anyway, enough about that.”

  There was never enough about that.

  “I called Darin and asked him about an injury. Said he injured his lower back a couple years ago. I reviewed his scans, and he’s got an unstable SI joint.”

  Sex left my mind when I focused on what she said. “And?”

  “I think he had an untreated injury, and then it set off his nervous system. It’s probably still inflamed, and he’s just learned to deal with it. So, I referred him to a physiatrist for a couple injections and then physical therapy.”

  My fingertips rubbed against my bottom lip, regarding her with a lens that I never used for anyone else. Her brilliance was her biggest turn-on for me, and her drive…damn. She never gave up—no matter what. She got frustrated like everyone else, but that never deterred her. When she set her mind to something, she did it. Never thought I’d meet someone smarter than me—and fall in love with them. “You’re the sexiest bitch in the world…you know that?”