Nurse's Pregnancy Surprise
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Amy Ruttan
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CHAPTER ONE
“SHARON, THAT HANDSOME stranger is staring at you again.”
Sharon looked up from her book and glanced up to where her roommate at the medical conference she’d been attending was pointing. Her heart skipped a beat as she found him, sitting at the bar.
Everywhere she went this week she ran into him. He said his name was Gus, when they first met in the hotel elevator. She knew he was in the medical profession. This was a medical conference after all, and they were in several workshops together.
They always chatted, always compared notes after a workshop, and whenever she saw him she would feel a bubble of excitement inside her.
He was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
Sharon had to remind herself that she was at this conference for work and not pleasure, but when she saw him, Gus the stranger with the sparkling dark eyes, her insides melted just a bit.
He made her feel things and think of things that were totally out of character for her.
Angelina grinned and elbowed her. “I know you’re leaving tomorrow, but you should totally talk to him.”
“I have talked to him before,” Sharon replied, trying to tear her gaze away from his piercing blue eyes.
Angelina looked shocked. “What?”
“We’ve been in the same workshops. Infection control, postanesthesia care...another one about infections.”
Angelina wrinkled her nose. “I remember those workshops. Kind of gross.”
Sharon chuckled. “I thought you were a nurse?”
Angelina ignored her. “So, is he a doctor or a nurse?”
Sharon shrugged. “Not sure. The only thing I know is he’s from Latin America. Somewhere.”
“Did he tell you?” Angelina asked curiously.
“No, but we both figured out our Spanish accents are similar. Though his is more like my family’s than mine is. Mine is tainted by New York.” Sharon smiled at that. Although she hadn’t divulged she was from Argentina to him, she’d been born there, but her Spanish was a mix of United States and Tierra del Fuego where her mother’s family came from. Her father was Italian and she could speak that fairly well too.
When you traveled a lot, which she did for work, it was handy to know multiple languages.
Gus had been impressed when she mentioned that, but they didn’t go too deep into personal stuff. That wasn’t what she was here for.
What are you here for, then, besides work? He’s the first guy you’ve noticed in years. Maybe you should have some fun.
She shook that thought away.
Heat crept up her neck and she really hoped that the blush didn’t reach her cheeks. She had been planning to spend these last few days in Barcelona after this conference. She never really entertained the notion of a fling, but she had been feeling a bit lost lately.
She wanted some things in her life to change. She wanted to live a little.
A fling with a handsome stranger in Spain was definitely out of the ordinary.
As far as Sharon was concerned, Mr. Right was never coming, because she wasn’t looking for him. She didn’t believe in happily-ever-afters or love.
It’s not like she had to do anything tonight.
It might be nice to flirt with him one last time.
And Gus wasn’t a complete stranger. She knew his name. She knew he was smart, quiet and focused about medicine.
Things she appreciated and admired.
They didn’t need to get into specifics.
“So you know him. Go talk to him!” Angelina urged.
“I don’t know,” Sharon said.
Angelina rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. You told me you wanted a holiday fling once. Here’s your chance. Don’t be RPN Sharon Misasi tonight. Seduce him.”
Sharon snorted. “Seduce him? What’re you talking about? I can’t.”
“Sure you can. He clearly likes you, and what’s there not to like about him?”
Angelina was right. Gus was very easy on the eyes.
He was tall, athletic, with a dark brown mop of curls and a strong bronzed jaw. Though that wasn’t what did it for her the first time they met in that elevator. It was his eyes. His dark brown eyes not only sparkled, but when they settled on her it felt like she was the only one he could see. They mesmerized her, drew her in and made her blood heat with the promise of something more.
Every time she met his gaze he made her melt.
Just a little.
Every.
Single.
Time.
Yet there was something behind that facade of confidence, something sad that drew her to him. Like they shared something deep. She didn’t know what, but she couldn’t find out. No matter how good-looking or charming or appealing he was, she didn’t have time for relationships or the opposite sex. Her career was too important, which had been the main complaint of the couple of men she’d dated for a short time.
Besides, she’d seen the negative effects of loving someone so much and how it could shatter your whole world when that person was gone. It was devastating. Even to the point of abandoning your own child because they reminded you too much of your deceased partner.
Sharon sucked back the memories of her childhood that were threatening to cloud her mind.
Romance was not for her.
So why was Gus so different? Why did he make her want to take a chance? She wasn’t sure.
She wanted to find out though.
It would only be for one night. She’d be gone onto her next job and he’d move on as well.
Sharon stuffed her book into her purse and picked up her drink, with Angelina silently cheering her on. She trembled slightly as she made her way through the crowded hotel bar toward him.
He grinned when he saw her, those dark eyes sparkling. A dark curl on his bronzed forehead escaped between his fingers as he raked his hand through his thick hair.
“Gus?” she asked, hoping her voice didn’t crack with nerves.
“Hola, Sharon,” he replied, brightly.
“Yes.” She liked the way he said her name. It rolled off his tongue. “Mind if I join you?”
“No. Not at all.” He got up, pulling out the bar stool next to him. She caught a whiff of his cologne. It was a crisp, clean scent. Subtle, but still manly.
Warmth crept up her neck and she cleared her throat as she sat down. She turned her back to him to try to regain composure.
“Thank you,” she said, hoping her voice wasn’t shaking.
Why did he make her so nervous? What was it about him?
“So how are you enjoying Barcelona?” he asked.
“It’s great. But I haven’t seen much of it with work.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “What?”
She shrugged. “I’ve been busy.”
He nodded. “I do understand that. Work is my life too.”
“That sounds depressing, doesn’t it?”
He grinned. “It does rather.”
“So would you like to grab a drink?”
He turned and motioned to a waiter. “Yes, I like that.”
“Maybe we could not talk...” Sharon trailed off as she noticed the waiter coming toward them. He was sweating profusely. It was a warm day, but not hot enough to be that sweaty.
Gus seemed to notice too, because his gaze narrowed and he sat up straighter.
“Are you okay?” Sharon asked the waiter gently.
“I’m fine,” the waiter stated, but his balance was off and he was teetering to one side.
“I don’t think you’re fine, my friend,” Gus said, standing up.
“Señor...” The waiter winced and then stumbled over, collapsing.
Gus helped him down on the ground. Sharon crouched down.
“Is he okay?” she asked.
“I think he’s having a heart attack.” Gus went over the man’s vitals.
“You’re a doctor?” Sharon asked, calmly.
“Sí.” Gus frowned. “He’s not breathing.” He started compressions as she asked a nearby waiter to call an ambulance. Another staff member rushed over and gave her an AED device. She quickly began to work around Gus’s compressions.
“What do you do?” Gus asked, glancing up.
“I’m a registered nurse practitioner. I’ve worked many a triage.”
Gus nodded as he continued his CPR. “Excellent.”
He stopped compressions as Sharon hooked up the last of the electrodes to allow the AED to do its work. The device instructed her to shock the patient.
“Clear,” she stated, making sure no one was touching the patient.
The AED shocked him, then instructed on its screen for Gus to continue compressions.
They continued in this way until the waiter’s heart started and he was breathing again. The paramedics arrived and Gus and Sharon stepped back to let them do their work to transport the waiter to the hospital. The bar had been cleared out and shut down.
“It’s good he had a heart attack in a bar with a doctor,” Sharon remarked.
Gus nodded. “He was very fortunate. Not many are.”
“No,” she said, quietly.
“Should we go elsewhere for a drink?” he asked.
“Yes. Please.” She could definitely use a drink after the excitement.
Gus opened his mouth to say something further when his phone buzzed. He frowned and cursed under his breath at the message.
“Sharon, forgive me, but I have to run.”
Sharon was disappointed. “No problem.”
“How about dinner in an hour? I know a great place and it’s not far from here.”
“Dinner?” she asked.
“If you’re not busy.”
“I’m not.”
He grinned. “Great. Cafe Pacífica by the waterfront at eight o’clock.”
“Okay,” she said, nodding quickly.
He stepped closer to her. She pulled her cardigan tight around her and her heart began to race. He towered over her, which was strange as she was fairly tall herself at five foot nine.
“I’ll see you then,” he whispered huskily.
That dark promise laced in his voice made her weak in the knees—there was a part of her that was imagining all sorts of things in that simple answer.
It felt like he stood there for an eternity, before he stepped away from her and left the bar.
When he was gone, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves.
Gus made her nervous like no one had before. In a good way, but also in a way that scared her, because she was curious. She thought maybe she shouldn’t show up to dinner.
Go out to dinner with him.
This was her chance at having a fling. A no-strings-attached night of passion. Something she could look back on fondly as a moment where she took a chance.
What harm could that do?
This was a big mistake. She wasn’t going to come.
Agustin wasn’t sure what had come over him.
Usually, he would casually date, but it never meant anything. He wasn’t interested in finding a happily-ever-after. He’d had that before.
Once was enough.
The idea of loving another as much as he loved his late wife was unfathomable, because the thought, the mere idea of the pain he felt when she died and he was powerless to do anything was something he never wanted to feel again.
It was why he’d left Buenos Aires and opened a practice in Ushuaia.
He’d put his whole past life behind him and started fresh.
Women he had affairs with, they were pretty, but he had nothing in common with them. Sharon was gorgeous, but there was something different about her. He had noticed that at the first workshop they attended together. He had ascertained she was American, but also sounded like she came from somewhere in Argentina, but he wasn’t one hundred percent sure.
He couldn’t help but wonder if she was from Argentina.
Like him.
Only he didn’t want to know. He tried to keep her at a distance, but it was hard. She was intelligent, smart, beautiful and sexy. She had long, soft, chestnut hair that was always pulled back and he pictured over and over again what it would be like to undo her hair and run it through his fingers.
He often thought of that when he saw her.
Actually, if truth be told, he often fantasized about that, and of kissing her luscious pink lips. It thrilled him when she would smile, her gray eyes focused on him and the hint of pink in her olive skin.
It had been a long time since he’d been so enticed, so enraptured by a woman. Not since his late wife, and that was ten years ago.
There was a passionate creature hiding under that prim and proper facade of Sharon’s. She was a mystery and despite everything, all the protections he put up to protect himself, he was drawn to her, and she didn’t seem to care one iota that he was flirting with her.
Which made him want to know her all the more.
You’re here on business. Not to flirt.
It had been a year since his late father had died and he’d stepped in to take care of his half sister. That was when his world changed again, and he was struggling.
This conference was supposed to be a quick trip to Spain. A medical conference to help boost his private luxury plastic surgery clinic back home in Tierra del Fuego. He wanted to make his clinic the premier spot for people to fly in and get surgery.
He hadn’t expected to run into an intoxicating woman at the same hotel—or to continue running into her.
He was glad she’d come over for a drink. It was bad timing when that poor waiter had a heart attack, but she had acted so quickly. They worked seamlessly in that moment. Two strangers. She’d kept her head and worked with him. That waiter had survived. Then he got a message from his half sister, who was hating the boarding school in Buenos Aires he’d sent her to and had banned her boyfriend Diego from visiting. Again.
Agustin was annoyed he couldn’t get to know Sharon in that moment, which was why he’d suggested dinner and he hoped she’d actually come. He wanted to do more than talk shop with her.
Although there was a part of him that didn’t want to get to know her either.
Still, he hoped she’d come.
He wasn’t sure if she would. Every time he heard a click of heels on the cobblestone or saw a tall woman with her hair color, his heart would catch.
Agustin kept hopeful but really, did he expect Sharon to actually show up? They were strangers in a foreign country.
“Hi,” she said, catching him off guard.
She stood beside the table in a pink dress, her long dark hair falling over one of her bare shoulders. She wore flats, which explained why she had snuck up on him.
She was absolutely stunning. It took his breath away for a moment.
Then he remembered his manners and stood. “You came.”
“I told you I would,” she responded sweetly, cocking her head to the side. “I don’t usually go back on my word.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” He pulled out the empty chair so she could sit down.
She sat down and his knuckles brushed the bare skin of her back. It sent a shiver of electricity through him, just that brush of his flesh against hers.
“I’m sorry if I’m late.”
“No. You’re not and it’s quite all right.”
He would’ve waited all night. Only he didn’t say that out loud. He was just glad that she was here. He took his seat across from her, just staring at her—it was hard not to in the moonlight.
“This is a beautiful little café,” she said. “You’ve been to Barcelona before?”
“Sí. Not for a few years. This place is one of my favorites.”
“I haven’t explored the city much.”
“How long have you been in Barcelona?” Agustin asked.
“Just the week. For the conference.”
“Same as me. Just a short trip for the conference,” he said.
“So we’re both here for the conference.” She smiled and dropped her head in her hand. “This is the most tedious conversation ever.”
He chuckled softly. “It’s utterly boring.”
Sharon laughed. “I suppose so, but it’s not. I like work.”
“I believe we were talking about that before the waiter collapsed,” he said.
“How is he?” she asked, gently.
He admired her empathy. “Alive. You were brilliant.”
“Hardly. It’s what I’m used to. Besides, you’re the doctor.”
“I get it, but let’s not talk about our work anymore.”
“Good idea,” she agreed.
Work had been his life for far too long.
Except when his late wife had been alive. Then he had been able to find the balance, but when she died, he gave every moment he could to work, until he burned out.
His spine stiffened.
He didn’t want to discuss his late wife or think about her.
Not tonight.
Not here.
The waiter came over and Agustin ordered them some wine and tapas.
“I hope you don’t mind me ordering,” he said.
“No. It’s fine. You know what’s good. I’ll trust you.”
“Do you travel a lot?” he asked.
“Only for...” She blushed. “Work, which we agreed not to talk about.”
He smiled. “That’s right.”
Sharon was charming.
“I’ve often thought of taking some time off and visiting family I haven’t seen in a while.”
“Why don’t you?” he asked.
A pink blush tinged her cheeks. “I don’t know. I guess I really never just gave much thought to it.”
“Maybe you should. The soul needs time to rest.”
Her lips quirked in a smile. “Oh, I didn’t know you were so poetic.”
“Are you teasing me?”
“Perhaps.”
He grinned and leaned across the table. “I have layers of depth. If only you were staying long enough to get to know me.”
“Are you trying to blackmail me into staying, Gus?”
His eyes sparkled. “And if I was?”
“You don’t know me,” she said, the blush on her cheeks deepening. “I could be a monster.”
“Are you?”
She smiled, but didn’t say anything. The waiter came and poured them wine, then discreetly left. Sharon took a sip out of the wineglass. He was mesmerized by the way her lips parted and he really wished for that fraction of a second that he was that glass of wine and that her lips were on him.
“I seriously doubt that you’re a monster,” he said, breaking the spell that she was weaving over him.
“You doubt that?”
“I do. I would like to get to know you. Perhaps see more of you. You’re one of the most beautiful women I have seen in a long time.”
“You’re leaving soon too,” she said.
“True,” he remarked. “Still...it is the truth.”
“Beauty is skin-deep,” she said quietly.
“I know, but there’s something more I see in you.”
“Well, that may be...but unfortunately more is something I can’t give.”
Agustin understood that too, but he did want to get to know Sharon better and that did terrify him slightly. He didn’t want to open his heart to anyone else. Not after losing Luisa, his wife, and their unborn child—not after having his life shattered.
He didn’t trust the fates not to be cruel again.
Sharon was dangerous to every careful wall he put up to protect himself from ever being hurt again. Still, there was just something about her. Something he couldn’t keep away from. Perhaps he was a sucker for punishment.
Maybe he was just lonely?
He dismissed that thought.
“I understand,” he said, quickly. “I am not looking for a relationship either. Just...you were someone I wanted to get to know. I am attracted to you, Sharon. I can’t deny that.”
She seemed relieved. “I am attracted to you as well, Gus. It’s just...”
“Just what?” he asked.
A blush returned to her cheeks. “I’m not used to this. I’m not very good at this.”
He grinned. “Well, I am.”
She looked down, her hair sliding over her face in a sweet, endearing way. He longed to brush her hair away, touch her chin and drag her gaze back to him. He was surprised at how much he wanted to touch her all the time.
“Are you?” she whispered.
“Yes, so let’s enjoy this night together. No promises. No deep conversations. Let’s enjoy the city so when you leave Spain you’ll have more than just memories of work to remind you of this beautiful place.”
Sharon smiled, her eyes lighting up. “I like that. Yes. Let’s do that.”
They held up their wineglasses and cheered to their decision. A night of fun. He wanted to show her everything that Barcelona had to offer. For one night, he wasn’t going to think about how to protect his heart or how much he desired her.
Tonight was going to be about fun, and if a little romance happened along the way, then he wouldn’t be opposed to that.
He just couldn’t promise her forever, but it seemed like Sharon didn’t want that either, which was a relief.
Agustin secretly wanted a chance at forever again. There was a hole in his heart that longed for family, for love and forever, but he just couldn’t open his heart to that again.
He wouldn’t lose at love again.
So tonight would have to be enough.
