Warrior Reborn by KH LeMoyne Read Free Book Online Page B

you—Sanyu made his own leap.”
    He glanced at her, but she couldn’t trust herself to meet his eyes, so she looked back at Annie instead. “Good, we’re clear. Nothing more to talk about. Is there anything else you wanted?”
    “This issue of the testing is business. For the project, I respect your opinions and your input. I respect them outside of the project as well.”
    She closed her eyes and took a breath. When she spoke, she tried to keep her voice low, calm. “So, what do you want from me?”
    “What would I really like? The next time you get angry with me, I want you to trust me.” He held up his hand to hold her comment off. “Trust me enough to talk to me and hear me out.”
    She swallowed the hard lump in her throat along with her overwhelming sense of vulnerability. She couldn’t trust him. He knew it, so now he was bargaining for the benefit of the doubt. The man was incorrigible. “So sure I’m going to be mad at you again?”
    He turned his head and grinned. “I’m positive. You’re passionate and honest about your work and I’m a behind-the-scenes guy. It’s inevitable.”
    “Why do you care?”
    He rolled around and faced her, his shoulder against the glass and his face inches from her ear.
    “Because aside from the business aspect of our relationship, I’m enjoying getting to know you, Briet Hyden.”
    She was stunned. By his pronouncement, by the warmth of his breath on her skin, by the dimple and earnest look in his eyes, by her mind’s stubborn refusal to let the dream die.
    Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. When did she become so weak?
    He raised an eyebrow.
    “What?” She managed to squeak the word out.
    “This is where you’re supposed to promise to at least come and talk to me next time you’re pissed off at me.
    Her lips twitched. She couldn’t have controlled them if she’d tried. “Okay, I promise to give you a chance—just one—to vindicate yourself.”
    He smiled and turned back to watch Annie with her, his arm brushing against hers. “I promise not to lure you out on a limb and leave you there, I swear.”
     

 
     
     
    CHAPTER 7
     
    Jason leaned against the counter of the nurse’s station and waited for the young nursing assistant on the phone to finish with her call. She turned to him, held up a finger, granting him visibility to the name on her ID: Tasha King. Boy, was she young. Didn’t look more than nineteen, even though he knew she had to be at least twenty-two.
    He was starting to feel old.
    “…that’s correct. Yes. I’ll let Patrice know.” With a click to the button on the phone, she gave him her attention. “How may I help you?”
    “I’m Jason Ballard. Nurse Rasmerson left me a message she’d finished with the parent waivers I’d dropped off.” Jason gestured to an orange folder at the far right of her workstation.
    “Oh, yes. Sandy told me. She’s—”
    “Right here. This is the file with the forms for Dr. Arnault’s and Dr. Brisborne’s parent groups as well.” Sandy slid the folders onto the counter.
    “Thank you.” Jason flipped through each, mentally checking for a corresponding waiver from each parent against the master patient list in his head. “Problems with any of the parents?”
    “Nah, they’ll do anything to help the trial or the docs. The parents appreciate how much they do for them and want to reciprocate. Especially the parents of Dr. Hyden’s patients.”
    Such a commendation made Jason pause. He was very good at reading people. Sandy’s wide, friendly smile harbored no allusion to a come-on or sarcasm, only warm sincerity. Tasha’s head nodded right along with her.
    “The kids seem very comfortable with her,” Jason said, hoping to catch the women in a conversational mood. He’d noticed Annie Bremar’s quick response to Briet’s presence the day he’d talked to her in the hallway. Briet’s hand signal, the pictures the child held up, depicted an ease and confidence in their communication.
    “She’s