The Fake Mate(105)

I can’t believe there was a moment where I almost chose to live without this, without her—everything about my intentions before tonight feeling utterly stupid now. Her eyes are glazed and her smile is languid when I pull up to look at her, and my lips curl to match hers as she reaches to push damp hair away from my forehead.

“As far as groveling goes,” she says after a ragged breath. “It’s a start.”

“I’m prepared to spend an incredibly long time making it up to you,” I tell her seriously. “Multiple times a day, if I have to.”

She chuffs out a laugh. “Wow. Talk about sacrifice.”

“Sometimes they’re worth being made.”

She’s still smiling as she kisses me, and when I fall down to meet her, there is a slight tug at my knot that makes me wince, my breath catching.

“You’d better never do that again,” she says suddenly, and when I pull my head back, I can see worry in her eyes. “Don’t ever lie to me like that.”

That guilt surges through me again for having put it there. “Never.” My hand slides up her spine to cradle her head, ensuring she can look nowhere but my eyes and hoping she sees the sincerity there. “I’m not leaving you, Mackenzie. Never again. I was an idiot to think I could in the first place.” My forehead rests against hers. “I know you don’t believe in fate, but . . .” My lips press gently at the corner of her mouth, whispering, “I think I might.”

“I might be”—I hear her swallow—“coming around to the idea.”

I raise up, grinning. “Yeah?”

“Maybe,” she amends. “Just a little.”

“I can live with that.”

She looks serious again. “We’re going to the board tomorrow.”

“We are?”

“Yes. We’re going to make sure that son of a bitch doesn’t get away with any of this. I want him to fry, Noah.”

“Look at you,” I chuckle, combing my fingers through her hair. “Here I thought I was protecting you, but you’re the one protecting me.”

“Someone’s got to,” she deadpans. “I mean, you’re so fragile, after all.”

My lips twitch. “Am I.”

“Face it, Dr. Taylor,” she teases. “You need me to look after you.”

I’m not laughing now, my smile barely there and my eyes studying every inch of her face. “Yeah,” I tell her quietly. “Yeah, I think I do.”

Tomorrow will be a nightmare, and there’s no way of knowing what it will hold—but right now . . . right now, there is nothing but Mackenzie’s warmth and her soft sounds and her softer body that fits perfectly against mine. All of it makes one thing glaringly obvious, something that I should have figured out a lot sooner.

I am never letting this woman get away from me again.





27





Mackenzie





“So, you’re saying . . . you are not mated?”

Noah and I share a glance, and he nods at me with encouragement.

“No,” I answer, holding the gaze of the elderly board member. “We aren’t.”

Another man pipes up from across the table. “So you lied on the disclosure forms?”

“You didn’t exactly give me a lot of options,” Noah says irritably.

“Now, Dr. Taylor,” a graying woman cuts in. “There was never any talk of any disciplinary measures in regard to your designation, I need to make that clear. This facade was entirely unnecessary. And unethical, I feel.”

“No,” I retaliate angrily. “What’s unethical is the atmosphere of this facility. We all know the unsaid repercussions for someone like Noah. Never mind the fact that he’s the most qualified physician who any of you have ever employed, probably.”

“Now, Dr. Carter, that isn’t—”

“If you’re so tolerant, why ask for one’s designation at all during the hiring process?” I cross my arms. “How does that affect a person’s skill set?”

The first elder board member clicks his tongue. “Now, see here, it’s the responsibility of this board to ensure the safety of our staff, even if that means asking uncomfortable questions.”

“And has Noah ever once given this hospital any indication that he was dangerous in any way? Hasn’t he performed his duties with exemplary expertise?”

A few of the board members share a look. “That’s . . . true,” the older woman says. “Dr. Taylor has never given us any indication that he was in need of supervision.”

“Because he’s a damned good doctor,” I seethe.

“Mackenzie,” Noah warns gently, reaching for my hand.

I glance at him with my chest full of indignance, and he squeezes my hand, offering me a smile before he turns to the board. “The blame for omitting my status when I was hired falls entirely on me. As does the idea of presenting Dr. Carter as my mate to protect my job.”

“Noah, don’t—”

He cuts me another warning glance before continuing. “But nevertheless, I have fulfilled all the requirements of my position ten times over during my time here, and if given the opportunity, I would like to continue.”