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  Seduction and Betrayal

  Seduction and Betrayal

  Daring Love Book Three

  Dawn Brower

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  About The Author

  Also by Dawn Brower

  Acknowledgments

  Excerpt: Unbridled Pursuit

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Excerpt: Sensual Games

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Excerpt: There You’ll Be

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Seduction and Betrayal © 2021 Dawn Brower

  Cover art by Victoria Miller

  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.

  Second chances can come when you least expect them. If one presents itself to you, don’t waste it. Embrace it, and be thankful for the generosity given. This book is for all the people that need a second chance, and the brave souls willing to allow them into their lives again.

  Prologue

  Lila Mooney pushed a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. It had fallen loose from the ponytail she’d pulled her thick dark locks into earlier that morning. She was nearly at the end of her shift at the hospital. Lila loved her job, but sometimes working in the pediatric ward broke her heart. All those little kids that came in… It could be difficult to watch them fight for their lives, but she considered it a privilege to be there to help them win their battles.

  “There you are,” a woman said. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  Great. Lila had to work hard not to frown when she glanced at the woman. She was the head nurse in her department and for some reason hated her. “Rhea,” she barely suppressed irritation from her tone. “What can I do for you?”

  Rhea pursed her lips radiating displeasure. Lila struggled under her scrutiny but kept calm. This wasn’t the first time the nurse had sought her out for some sort of reprimand and probably wouldn’t be the last. “Is it true you were seen in a compromising encounter with Dr. Ian Ellwood?”

  Her cheeks warmed as a blush she couldn’t stop overtook her. Nothing had actually happened, at least not the time Rhea referred to. Ian had asked her out on a date several times, and each time she refused. There was a chemistry between them and if she allowed herself to accept him in her life, she believed they could have something real…lasting. Lila didn’t trust anything could truly last. Her life had been one disappointment after another.

  “No,” she said, then carefully, in a neutral tone, continued, “I have done nothing inappropriate with Dr. Ian Ellwood.” He had kissed her once, and in a weak moment she had returned it. She had pulled away and immediately told him it could never happen again. That kiss…it hadn’t happened on hospital grounds. They had been at a nearby pub that a lot of the hospital workers frequented.

  Rhea smirked. “Then how do you explain this.”

  She held up her phone. The display had a picture of her and Ian. He was leaning down, and she was looking up at him. They were so close it looked as if he might kiss her. Lila couldn’t even pinpoint when it would have happened. She couldn’t go by her clothing or his…they were both in hospital scrubs. Something they wore often that days blurred together. It could easily be misconstrued, but the truth was…this happened often enough that it had become normal. They were that drawn to each other. He was a fourth-year resident, and on his way to becoming a surgical god. Ian was going places, and she would not be a part of his life. “I can’t,” she said, and shrugged. “I don’t recall what happened here. Do you know when it was taken? It might jog my memory.”

  Rhea shook her head. “I’m sorry, but that isn’t what I’m here for.” She sneered. “I am not the one that should give explanations. If you can’t give me anything to go on, I’m afraid I have no choice.”

  Lila froze. “What do you mean by that?” Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She didn’t like Rhea’s tone. It had been smug and patronizing.

  “The hospital’s policy is clear. The board set a no fraternizing rule for a reason. It’s clear you have broken it with your actions with Dr. Ellwood.”

  Lila closed her eyes and took a deep breath. That picture wasn’t evidence she had done anything wrong. She could fight it, but she wouldn’t. In the end she would lose, and she didn’t have it in her to battle for her job. Lila would go back home and find a job in Seattle. She never should have stayed this long, anyway. She didn’t belong there, and as long as Ian was there, she wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation. The attraction between them had already cost her too much. “You’re wrong,” Lila told her in an incensed tone. This time she didn’t hold back any of her emotions. She was done. “But I can see that it doesn’t matter. You are enjoying this too much to see the truth.” She shook her head in disgust. “Instead of seeking what really happened, you are making assumptions. Because that is what you want it to be, and I can’t fight that kind of discrimination.” She held her head high. “So, before you can get the upper hand and tell me I no longer have a job…” Lila grinned. “Fuck you, I quit.”

  Lila stormed away from her and went to her locker to clear it out. She kept little there, so it didn’t take long. After she shoved her change of clothes and shower supplies into her tote, she slammed the locker shut and exited the room. When she stepped out, she slammed into Ian.

  He caught her before she fell to the ground. “Easy there.” His grin was wide and welcoming. “I got you. Where are you rushing off to? I thought you were on shift for another couple of hours.”

  Her heart lurched. Lila swallowed hard. “Let me go.” Her tone was firm but soft. She couldn’t do this with him anymore.

  “Lila?” Confusion filled his tone. “What’s going on.”

  “Nothing,” she told him. It didn’t matter if they could have been something together. It never had. That one kiss, and the promise in it… She shook that thought away. In the hospital's hierarchy, she’d always lose. “And nothing ever will. I have to go.”

  She shoved past him and walked away. He jogged up to her. “Stop.”

  “No,” she replied. “I can’t.” Lila had to get out of the hospital and make plans to return home. The hospital where she’d helped so many kids win their battles had been the one where she’d lost everything. She couldn’t stay there.

  “I don’t understand.”

  Lila stopped at the elevator and pushed the down button, then when the doors swung open, she glanced at him. “I doubt you ever will either.”

  How could he? The good doctor would never have to face what she had. No one would make it their mission to make sure he’d be fired. They would always make it easier for him. How could he ever comprehend what it was like to be the one easily dismissed?

  Lila left the hospital and didn’t look back. The hospital was now her past, and she would look toward her future. One that didn’t include the likes of Dr. Ian Ellwood, or any man. She didn’t need someone in her life. Especially when it only brought heartache.

  Chapter 1

  Five years later…

  Lila wiped sweat from her b
row and leaned against the wall of the supply closet. She’d been working as an obstetrics nurse, sometimes a pediatric nurse, at a hospital in Seattle for a few years. It had been great right until the moment Ian Ellwood had been hired as an attending in the cardiothoracic wing of the hospital.

  She never believed he would leave the east coast hospital and relocate to a lesser-known hospital in Seattle. If she had bothered to learn more about him, she might not have made that assumption. Lila had done her best to keep her distance because he had been too much of a temptation for her. She had liked him. Too much for her own good…

  Lila would never admit that to him. She didn’t trust herself enough. Every decision she made hadn’t gone as she’d planned. She had wanted to leave Washington and never return, but when her career had failed, she’d run home to regroup. It had seemed like the best decision she had ever made. Until Ian had shown back up in her life.

  At least they didn’t work on the same floor, so they rarely crossed paths. He seemed to hate her now. When he wasn’t sneering at her, he was ignoring her. She didn’t know which she preferred. Both hurt more than she could ever have imagined. Lila was beginning to believe her biggest mistake of all was leaving him. It was too late for regrets. She’d made a choice, and she had to live with it.

  “Nurse Mooney,” Ian said as he stepped into the supply closet. His eyes were filled with hatred. “Shouldn’t you be taking care of Gabriel Miene? I ordered more tests.”

  She swallowed hard. “Someone from the lab should be up to draw his blood shortly. Imaging is delayed.”

  He glared at her. “And you have nothing else to do but hide in the supply closet?”

  “I was not hiding.” Why did this have to be so damned hard? Oh, that’s right… Because she’d closed a door between them, making it that way. “I came in here for some juice. Gabriel is thirsty.” She pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I stopped for a moment to take a breath. It’s been a grueling shift.”

  Wes Novak was there too… She’d gone to school with him and had one time had some fantasies about falling in love and marrying him one day. It hurt a little to see him too, but they were friends of sorts now. He was getting married soon too little Gabriel’s aunt. She was happy for Wes. He seemed to truly adore his fiancée, Vitoria Miene. She didn’t have any romantic feelings for Wes. He was just a fantasy she had as a young girl, and never really thought it would come true. Her troubles were nothing compared to those admitted to the hospital.

  Gabriel Miene might have a serious illness to fight, and she felt bad for him and his parents. It was sad when kids came in like him. He was a toddler. It hurt to see a child so young suffering. Hell, it hurt to see any child in pain. The little ones just struck differently.

  “Well, if you’re done with your little break, perhaps you should take Gabriel his juice.”

  “Are you going to always be this way with me?” she asked. Lila shouldn’t push him, but she was tired of arguing with him.

  “I don’t know what you mean.” He didn’t meet her gaze as he spoke.

  “Bullshit,” she said. “But if you want to take the cowardly way out, I’ll let you.” She recognized that maneuver. She’d made it often enough herself… “I’ll go see to Gabriel as you requested, and call imaging for an update.”

  She was tired of Ian, but she wouldn’t have to deal with him with any patient except Gabriel Miene. He was having trouble with his heart, and that was Ian’s specialty. Once he had a diagnosis, they would know how to proceed. Hopefully, it wasn’t what they believed and little Gabriel could go home soon. She opened the door to exit the supply closet but stopped when Ian called to her.

  “Lila,” Ian said her name so softly she almost didn’t hear it.

  “What?” she asked a little more waspish than she had intended.

  “I don’t know.” He cleared his throat. “To answer your question.” Ian sighed and shook his head. “It’s hard to let go of perceived grievances, but I’ll try.”

  “I suppose that is all I can ask.”

  He laughed. It wasn’t one stemming from humor. It sounded a little sad… “I could ask you a lot, but I won’t. I think it might be time to let go of what could have been and move on. Besides, you don’t really owe me anything.” There was dejection in his eyes that made her stomach hurt to witness. She’d done that to him.

  “You’re right.” She nodded at him and then left him alone. Lila didn’t ask why he’d gone into the supply closet. Usually, a nurse would get anything a doctor needed. Perhaps she should have inquired and interrogated him the way he had her. Sometimes the best defense was a good offense. She never thought about those types of things until it was too late, though.

  He was right about his assessment. They should let go of what could have been between them. Lila really wished she could. When she closed her eyes at night, he sneaked into her dreams and tormented her with a future she would never have. She hadn’t been brave enough to reach out and hold on to it. He was also wrong about something though…

  Lila owed him an explanation. Maybe if she talked about it, she might be able to move on with her life. It might even help him to move on as well. Perhaps after this crisis with Gabriel was over with, she’d corner Ian and tell him everything. It wouldn’t be easy, but it might be cathartic.

  With that decision made, she went to Gabriel Miene’s room to give him his apple juice. It felt good to have a plan, even if it equally terrified her…

  Ian rubbed his hands over his face and sighed. That had been hard. He wanted to hate Lila, but the truth was he couldn’t. He’d fallen in love with her five years earlier and couldn’t shake those feelings no matter how hard he had tried. He would have fought for her if she hadn’t run away. He still didn’t understand what had happened.

  That one kiss they had shared…

  It had rocked him to his core. If they had been given more time, he truly believed they could have had something special between them. They hadn’t had that time though, and there was no getting it back. When he had first crossed paths with her in Seattle, he’d been floored. He never expected to see her again and had reacted badly. He snapped at her more than anything and he shouldn’t have. She’d hurt his feelings.

  Fuck.

  He had to let it go. When he told her that he had meant it. She didn’t deserve the way he had been treating her. He acted as if she had betrayed him, but she hadn’t. She had done what was right for her. He couldn’t, and shouldn’t, hold that against her. He was done being an ass.

  Ian stepped out of the supply closet. He had only gone in there to give himself a few brief moments to breathe. It killed him that a little boy might have a heart disease that could kill him. He needed those test results. His frustration had come out when he’d found Lila in there. He berated her for doing the same thing he’d been about to do.

  “Ian,” a woman called his name.

  He turned toward the sound and found Emma Novak-Lewis walking toward him. Ian had become close to her when she’d gone to work under his father at the Seattle Starlings football team. Emma’s husband was the second-string quarterback for the team. He smiled in greeting. “Hello.”

  She hugged him and stepped back. “I didn’t think we’d see each other again until the wedding.”

  “I’m still surprised that I was invited.”

  Emma frowned. “Why wouldn’t you be? You were instrumental in saving my husband and Wes.” She smiled. “Besides you are my friend. Even if Wes and Tori hadn’t invited you, I would have asked them to. You are good peeps.”

  “I think you are good peeps too,” he said, then grinned. “Are you here to see about Gabriel?”

  “I am,” she confessed. “I texted Wes and told him I was coming up. I don’t want to go into the room. Gabriel shouldn’t be disturbed any more than necessary.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “Wes should come out to talk to me soon.”

  “For an update?” Ian asked.

  “No,” she s
aid as she shook her head. “He’s texted all he knows. Has anything changed?”

  “I’m afraid not,” he told her. “We’re still waiting for some test results.” He spotted Lila walking out of Gabriel’s room. She headed toward the nurse’s station and picked up the phone. She was probably checking on those test results now. “I am praying it isn’t as serious as it seems.”

  “We all are,” Emma replied. “Colt wanted to come, but he’s still recovering from his injuries. He gets winded when he does too much.”

  “How is his physical therapy going?”

  Colt had been in a serious car accident several months earlier. He had almost died and had some serious heart trauma from the accident. “Good. He’s hopeful he can rejoin the team for training. I’m just glad he’s alive.” She swallowed hard. “I could have lost him just when I finally decided to stop fighting my feelings for him. I love him so much it hurts.”

  Ian envied that. He wanted to love someone and have them love him back. He thought he could have had that with Lila. He’d been so damned wrong. “I know,” he said quietly. “You two are lucky to have each other.”

  “We are,” she agreed.

  Wes stepped out of Gabriel’s room and headed over to them. He nodded at Ian. “Any news?”

  “No,” he told Wes. “Still waiting.”

  Wes turned to Emma. “Did you bring it?”

  She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small notebook. “Do you really need to do this now?”