The Playboy Doctor Claims His Bride
The Playboy Doctor Claims His Bride
Janice Lynn
The Playboy Doctor Claims His Bride
Janice Lynn
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Table of Contents
Cover (#ua06b3b0f-430b-5c8b-8247-ab0a69e2ac8c)
Title Page (#ud6a53c66-d822-5451-8a5e-8379135066e2)
About the Author (#u1ea613ac-2bf2-5c5b-b27d-b3de1c3240bd)
Dedication (#u1f9eb5e1-80f3-5fb6-8433-d17cc7c2daa9)
CHAPTER ONE (#ueed4bf61-da44-55b3-a701-ce23c2b099c1)
CHAPTER TWO (#u8be22a44-8939-56a8-a8fe-ccdbd6a4740d)
CHAPTER THREE (#u8ff96983-dbb1-50a3-8262-eb6f3f067e1c)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Janice Lynn has a Masters in Nursing from Vanderbilt University, and works as a nurse practitioner in a family practice. She lives in the southern United States with her husband, their four children, their Jack Russellappropriately named Troubleand a lot of unnamed dust bunnies that have moved in since she started her writing career. To find out more about Janice and her writing, visit www.janicelynn.com
To my grandparents, Floyd & Janie Green
CHAPTER ONE
DR. KASEY CARMICHAEL typed clinical data into the medical record on the hypertensive patient shed just seen. When finished, she sent his prescriptions electronically to the in-house pharmacy of the Rivendell Medical Center.
Knocking on the open door, Dr. Jonathan Douglas stuck his blond head into the exam room. The pretty-boy doctor flashed baby blues and a row of pearly white teeth that had women swooning all over northern Kentucky. You got a minute?
Kasey shot a coolly professional smile at the physician shed worked with for two years.
Ill be right there. She hit Save and closed her patients file. Standing, she smoothed the crisp lines of the unbuttoned white lab coat she wore over her navy slacks and linen blouse.
She loved her job in the ambulatory clinic of the large multispecialty Rivendell Medical Center. Loved that it provided the opportunity to give back to the community, to help others the way shed once been helped.
Rivendells sheer size gave her the opportunity to achieve the professional and personal success she craved. Success that dangled within her reach.
When Dr. Herbert stepped down from the board, Kasey was a shoo-in to replace him. Everyone said so.
Smiling, she stepped into the clinics hallway to see what Dr. Douglas was up to this time. Although an excellent doctor, hed never held any appeal. Probably due to his tomcat ways reminding her of the men whod constantly come in and out of her childhood in the form of her mothers latest loser.
What can I do for you, Dr. Doug? Her voice stalled, stuck in her rapidly tightening throat. Her gaze froze on the man standing with her colleague.
The room spun.
Please let her be hallucinating.
Eric? Her one-and-only-ever one-night stand stared at her with similar shock. Her pulse hit a rapid, brain-frying boil. What? How? Why are you here? she sputtered.
Hello, Kasey. Quickly recovering from his surprise at seeing her, his dark eyes glistened as if hed stumbled upon the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A huge smile split his handsome face.
A smile that stole Kaseys ability to breathe just as it had on the night theyd met.
She took a step back, placed her hand on the door frame to steady her wobbly, turned-to-water legs.
What are you doing here? she asked again, feeling hazy.
Funny, I was just going to ask you the same thing, Eric answered in that smooth-as-silk voice that had whispered sweet praise to her two months ago. Recalling what else theyd done, Kasey struggled to remain on her feet. Her body threatened to slide to the floor in a gooey, deoxygenated pile of shocked, blue mush.
You two know each other? Dr. Douglas took a step back, his gaze flicking from Kasey to Eric.
Weve met. Erics eyes narrowed as he regarded her, a mixture of suspicion and pleasure in his eyes.
Ive never heard either of you mention the other, Dr. Douglas mused. For all his playboy ways, no one could accuse him of being slow on the uptake. No doubt her colleague had already worked out just how well she and Eric had known each other.
Probably because even though her brain was in embarrassed denial of Eric being here, her libido was dancing a happy jig of remembered pleasure.
Kasey wished the tiled floor would open up and swallow her. Anything to escape Erics predatory male look. Anything to escape Dr. Douglass knowing curiosity.
If word got out shed had a one-night stand, the news would hurt her chances of being asked to join the clinics medical board. The older board members would look unfavorably on a potential member behaving in such a feckless manner. Even if her lapse of judgment had been on the night of her mothers funeral.
Hadnt she learned how quickly one could lose everything they held dear following the gigantic mistake shed made with Randall Covington III? Oh, yeah, shed paid dearly for that error in judgment.
Now her only one-night stand stood in her workplace.
Panic clutched at her throat, rendering her speechless.
This wasnt really happening. History would not repeat itself. Not that shed had a one-night stand with Randall. No, shed given the bastard an entire year of her life. A whole wasted year where shed dreamed of them being the perfect couple, having the perfect life together. Boy, had she been wrong.
About them being a perfect couple at any rate. With or without a man in her life, she was going to have the perfect life. Shed set goals and worked long hours to make sure they came true.
When did you meet? Delight sparkled in Dr. Douglass blue eyes.
A few months ago. Erics gaze bored into Kasey. Was he waiting for her to acknowledge the night theyd spent together? Did he really think shed do that? Lord, she just wanted to forget that night had ever happened. Had spent two months trying to forget.
Unfortunately, forgetting the best sex shed ever had wasnt proving an easy task.
Images of that best sex flashed into her head like candid shots portraying the man standing before her in living color.
Hot, lurid, take-her-to-another-world best sex images.
Fire engulfed her face. She lifted her hand to fan the burn, realized what she was doing, and stopped.
You met Eric and didnt tell me? Jonathans dark blond brow arched.
This wasnt happening.
Kasey roped her uncooperative vocal cords into submission. Why would I mention wed met? He was just someone I met mere hours after laying my estrangedmother in the ground and I didnt know the two of you knew each other. Because he and I really didnt doa lot of in-depth talking.
Erics smile slipped. Why indeed?
She tried not to look at him, but an inner force compelled her. His chocolate eyes appeared thoughtful, as if he was trying to read her, to gauge how to take her response.
What would her sexy lover have said, done, had she still been in his bed when hed awakened?
Hello, shed been a one-night stand. No doubt he was grateful she hadnt made a scene, that she had slipped out in abject humiliation prior to him waking that morning.
She was humiliated. Shed been the one thing shed always sworn never to be. Easy. Like her mother.
Shed had one night of passion.
With a stranger.
A stranger shed met in a bar and later accompanied to his hotel. A stranger who now stood in her clinic making a sham of her memories by looking so much better than shed recalled.
Much to her abhorrence, she recalled way too much all too often.
God, he was gorgeous.
The strong, handsome planes of his face had surely been sculpted by a goddess intent on tempting mortal women with a glimpse of heaven. The sun had kissed his dark wavy hair with gold and his skin with a bronze hue.
At six-two or -three, he towered over her five-eight. Beneath his tailored suit, his shoulders stretched broadly, tapering into a trim waist and powerful, narrow hips. As hed been the night they met, he was so well dressed that if testosterone didnt ooze from every pore of his fine body shed think he must be gay. But in vivid and exquisite detail, she knew testosterone oozed.
An image of his naked body over hers, melted into hers, popped into her mind, short-circuiting her nerve endings.
Kasey swallowed. Just as shed done many times over the past two months, she forced memories of him from her mind.
Only how was she supposed to force him from her mind when he stood a few feet away, eyeing her as if hed like to push her into the exam room shed just stepped out of and pick up where theyd left off? Naked and tangled together with frantic desire. When her body was all too willing.
No. She didnt want him at her workplace.
Didnt want him anywhere near her.
She had a great life.
One that didnt need a complication of his magnitude. No pun intended.
This is interesting. As the silence continued, a grin lifted the corner of Dr. Douglass mouth. I call out my esteemed coworker to introduce her to my old university roomie, and theyve already met.
Dr. Douglas is who you were supposed to meet that night? Kasey asked, winced and slapped her hand over her mouth in the most giveaway oops motion a person could make.
Eric nodded, then turned to his old university roomie. I met Kasey on the night you got hung up here at the clinic. We shared a few drinks, a few dances.
A zillion amazing orgasms.
Heat slammed into Kaseys body.
Right, she agreed on a breathless note, averting her gaze to stare at a body mass index chart stuck on the wall. A few drinks and dances. No big deal.
Eric had been a big deal.
A very big deal.
She winced. What was wrong with her? She was at work. She wasnt supposed to be having a hot flush of sexual awareness.
That wasnt who she was. She was calm, cool, collected Dr. Kasey Carmichael.
Dr. Douglass bushy brows rose so high they brushed the stylishly tousled hair atop his head. You were in a bar? Had drinks? As in alcohol rather than a wheat-germ shake? A new light shone in his eyes as he looked at Kasey. Possibly for the first time ever he was seeing her as a woman rather than the uptight doctor he worked with. And you danced? Did I miss something? He drew his brows into a V. Like hell freezing over?
Squelching the urge to growl at him, Kasey took a deep, exasperated breath. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose to give her hands something to do.
Otherwise she might curl her fingers into a fist and punch his straight nose. I happen to like wheat-germ shakes and, of course, I dance.
Not well, but she could pull off the slow numbers she and Eric had swayed to without any problems. Usually too self-conscious to let herself relax, shed moved in rhythm to Erics lead. On the dance floor and in the bedroom. Hed been perfect. And something shed desperately tried to stop thinking about because Kasey was not like her mother.
In case you hadnt realized she kept her voice smooth, calm, professional, like she wasnt dying inside I am over the legal drinking age.
Dr. Douglas burst into laughter. Youve totally shattered my image of you, Kase. I didnt think you drank. Or hung out in bars. Or talked to men who werent paying you for their fifteen-minute appointment slot of your time. He placed his hands over his heart. Shattered, I tell you.
Her nerves grated at how he shortened her name. She glared.
Eric cleared his throat, calling their attention back to him.
Kasey turned to the man whod held her so tenderly on the night shed felt so alone. He looked perturbed.
Was he upset that hed run into his weepy bedmate whod practically ripped off his clothes? That his friend knew hed had drinks with the office wallflower who preferred wheat-germ shakes to cosmos?
Lord, she wanted out of here.
A cool blast of realization froze the blood chugging through Kaseys veins.
Why was Dr. Douglas introducing her to his old universitymate here at the medical clinic?
University mate.
Youre a doctor, arent you? Shed heard some benefactors son had been visiting the clinic that morning. A doctor. She held her breath, waiting for Erics answer.
The corner of his mouth lifted in an ironic twist. I did mention my profession on the night we met.
Had he? Shed been so upset when shed gone into the bar, upset and unable to face the realization that her mother, her last blood relative, had died.
Eric had been sitting on the bar stool next to the one shed plopped down on. She hadnt noticed him or anyone except the flashing neon beer advertisement behind the bar. Apparently hed noticed her, though. Hed been concerned and kept talking, trying to draw her into conversation. She couldnt recall much of what hed said while theyd sat there.
All shed been able to think about was that shed buried Betsy Carmichael that afternoon. That the woman whod given birth to her, made her childhood a living hell, had died. That she was alone in the world now that her only family was gone.
In reality shed felt alone a long time before her mother had drawn her last breath.
Youre who the administrator has been with today, arent you? Please say no. Please dont let him be thebigwig son of the clinics benefactor. Youre applying for a job here, arent you?
Applying for a job? Dr. Douglas burst out laughing. As if. Eric can write his ticket at this place.
Thats enough, Dr. Eric Matthews interrupted his friend. Hed rather not have his family connection to Rivendell Medical Center pointed out to the woman hed met two months ago. Had she known who he was? Used him in hopes of advancing her career at Rivendell?
He hadnt thought so but, hell, hed been wrong about women before.
Still, hed really believed Kasey was different. Certainly the fact that hed awakened to an empty bed had been a new twist. Had she known why hed returned to Kentucky? Like so many from his past, had she seen him as a ticket to easy street?
Her eyes held dark shadows. Shed been startled to see him. No more so than hed been when hed looked up to meet his best friends boring, career-driven ice queen colleague.
Jonathan was a fool. Kasey was no ice queen. She was hot. His psyche had the scorch marks to prove it. His entire body caught fire just at being near her again, at memories of how their bodies had meshed together.
But Kasey wasnt happy to see him.
He honestly wasnt sure how he felt about seeing her. At least not at Rivendell Medical Center. Had he run into her in a social setting hed have been thrilled, but the last thing he needed was an involvement with someone at the clinic.
Hed come home a different man than the one whod left four years ago. He didnt engage in one-night stands or living for the moment. Hed changed. For the better. Or so hed thought.
His first night back in Rivendell, Kasey had reduced him to habits hed sworn were deeply buried in the past.
He wasnt a love-em-and-leave-em kind of guy anymore. Hadnt been for years. He sure wasnt going to be a loved-by-em-and-left-by-em kind of guy. Hell, no.
Dr. Kasey Carmichael had loved him and left him.
She didnt look the same as she had the night theyd met. Her shoulder-length brunette hair was pulled harshly away from her face. She wore trendy black-rimmed glasses. Her light makeup was impeccably dusted over her high cheekbones and wide green eyes, but not in a way to draw men to her. More of a shield against letting anyone see the real her. She looked like a woman downplaying her femininity to appear all business, to appear cold and unreachable.
But Eric had seen behind the mask. If she hadnt disappeared before hed awakened, hed have spent more time with her, gotten to know her. Why had she snuck out before dawn? Hed never had a woman leave him with no strings attached. Even the pickups from his youth had usually hinted at wanting money or jewelry or trips to fancy restaurants.
What did Kasey want?
Tell me, she prompted. Desperation shone in her eyes, but her voice sounded coolly professional, as if she was used to hiding her emotions. Tell me why youre here.
I met with Clive and several members of the board on the day after we met. Thats why I was in town that night.
She winced, causing the glasses to scoot up the bridge of her pert nose. Because?
His fingers itched to slip the heavy frames off her face. The glass didnt appear to be corrective, just distractive.
They offered me a position at the clinic. An oversimplification, but the truth.
Kasey closed her eyes, looking like she wanted to disappear. Was she really so horrified that theyd come face-to-face again?
She visibly shuddered, then opened pain-filled eyes. You knew who I was, didnt you? You knew I worked here. This was all a big joke to you.
Fathoms of hurt welled in her eyes. He didnt understand the depth of pain. Why would she think hed tricked her? Shed been the one to disappear without even a goodbye or thanks for a fun night. Besides, she was the one with everything to gain from sleeping with the son of the clinics primary stockholder.
Nothing between us was a joke. Not to me, he assured her, carefully choosing his words. I didnt know you worked here, Kasey. How could I? You never told me you were a doctor.
A couple of nurses stood just out of line of sight, trying to busy themselves but allowing curiosity to get the better of them. Eric sighed. Hed come home to take on his responsibilities, to be near his mother, not to immediately immerse the clinic in gossip about his personal life.
Is there somewhere we can talk in private?
No. Kasey shook her head, her eyes narrowed into accusatory slits. I dont want to talk to you, in private or otherwise. You arent supposed to be here. She enunciated each word with great emphasis. I dont want you here.
Had she audibly hissed at him, he wouldnt have been surprised. What did surprise him was her reaction to seeing him. He was the one who should be feeling betrayed. Shed given him the best sex of his life, left without a trace, and then showed up as an employee at his familys medical center. Why was she so upset?
He racked his brains, trying to recall what hed last said to her during the night. Kissing the top of her head and whispering that she was amazing didnt seem like something that would make her so prickly. Saying how beautiful she was, how special, how glad he was that shed sat beside him at the bar, nope, that shouldnt have agitated her, either.
Yes, shed been upset about something on the night theyd met. And, yes, had he been a true gentleman he would have driven her home and gotten her phone number, not carried her to his hotel room and made love to her over and over. But, hell, hed wanted her with an undeniable desperation and it had been a long time since hed been with anyone. A long time since hed wanted to be with anyone. Kissing Kasey, touching her, had felt right.
What happened that night? Jonathan asked, gawking at them, his lips twitching with laughter. Sounds like more than drinks and dancing.
Kasey shot Jonathan a lethal look. Dont you have a patient to see or something?
Right. Ill go see a patient. Jonathan nodded with a gleam in his eye that said hed grill Eric for the lowdown later.
We should talk, Eric said, still trying to figure out why she was in attack mode. Sure, shed left his bed without waking him, but shed enjoyed the night, had been willing, more than willing. Shed been interesting, funny, sweet and sexy when theyd talked in the bar. Besides the phenomenal sex, hed genuinely liked her. Hed planned to see her again, had been disappointed to wake, find her gone and realize he only knew her first name.
Having a woman use him hadnt been a new experience, but hed never been used in that particular way before.
This isnt the time or place for this conversation. Kasey took another step back, looked like she might take off, but didnt. Visibly, she pulled herself together, transforming before his eyes into a calm vision of cool professionalism. She stood with her shoulders high, regal. Only her expressive eyes betrayed the hint of inner turmoil.
I have patients to see, too. Expression pinched, Kasey reached up and pulled the stethoscope off her neck, fingering the tubing. It was unexpected to see you, Dr. Matthews.
She emphasized the word doctor, making it sound dirty, almost like an insult. Damn it, he had told her he was a doctor. He was more proud of his degree than anything else hed done in his sorry life.
She turned, took a step away from him.
His breath caught. He didnt want her to walk away. Have dinner with me.
She paused, then shook her head. That wouldnt be a good idea.
Why not? He hadnt consciously made the decision to ask her to dinner, but now that he had, he wanted her to say yes. Besides, they needed to talk about what had happened two months ago.
She hesitated, momentarily looking uncertain. Youre coming to work at Rivendell, arent you?
Now that he knew she was here, neither hell nor high water would keep him from Rivendell. A factor that shouldnt have any influence at all, but suddenly did. Yes.
She leveled him with the steely green gaze beneath her glasses. Thats why having dinner together isnt a good idea. Fraternizing with colleagues is not conducive to my career goals.
Battling a myriad of emotions, Eric watched her disappear into an exam room. At least this time hed been awake when she left.
Tell me everything. Jonathan pounced the moment the door closed behind Kasey. Where had he been hiding? Behind a plant?
I thought you were seeing a patient, Eric pointed out, leading his friend toward Jonathans private office. Besides, were in the hallway of the clinic where we work. Use some tact.
He closed Jonathans office door. I met Kasey two months ago, liked her and want to go out with her again.
And?
Theres nothing more to tell.
Not that he was willing to share. Not even with someone hed shared secrets with for years and who knew him better than anyone. Jonathan knew his darkest moments and had seen him through them. But some things were private. His night with Kasey fell into that category.
His friend leaned against his desk, arms crossed, expression confused. You really want to go out with the Ice Queen?
Dont call her that. Eric glared, feeling oddly defensive of the woman whod elicited strong emotions from the moment shed plopped down next to him looking as if her world had crashed. Why wouldnt I want to go out with Kasey? Shes a beautiful woman.
Jonathan looked flummoxed. Yeah, but
Shes intelligent, witty, has a great sense of humor and is a lot of fun to be around, Eric interrupted before Jonathan could say anything else. What was wrong with his friend? Hed been working with Kasey for heaven only knew how long and yet he hadnt noticed what a sexy misnomer she was? That she hid her passion behind too-tight hairstyles, dont-touch-me designer clothes and Im-smart-not-pretty glasses?
Are we talking about the same woman? Jonathan shook his head. Dont get me wrong. Kaseys a great coworkersteady, dependable, thoroughbut shes not your type. Too uptight and career oriented.
Those arent bad qualities youre describing, Eric pointed out.
She has her sights set on the top, pal. Shes made no secret that she wants a seat on the board and shes put in the long hours to make sure it happens, Jonathan warned, pretending to shiver. Plus, she gives off those subzero vibes. Could give a man permanent frostbite.
Frostbite? Eric had come closer to suffering heatstroke in Kaseys company than frostbite. Jonathan and apparently every other man in Kaseys life were blind fools.
Just so long as she didnt plan to use him as her stepping stone to the top, Eric had no problem with a career-minded woman. Particularly when that woman attracted him the way Kasey did.
Shes all business, rarely smiles, Jonathan continued, listing all the reasons he thought Kasey was wrong for Eric.
She didnt smile? Why did that make his chest hurt? Why did it make him want to do everything in his power to make her smile, and often? Just as hed done on the night theyd met.
Your loss, bud, because Ive seen her smile. She hadnt smiled at first. But before theyd left for his hotel shed laughed out loud several times. She has an amazing smile that makes a man automatically smile back.
He wanted to experience her smile again.
Jonathans gaze narrowed, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. I think youre suffering from brain freeze. Either that or you worked in that African desert for so long you cant handle hot anymore.
Eric grinned. Oh, he could handle hot all right. And he planned to.
Just as soon as he could convince Kasey.
CHAPTER TWO
ERIC leaned back in the expensive leather chair meant to impress guests invited into Rivendell Medical Centers administrators office. With its original wall prints, expensive furnishings and lush greenery, the office screamed success.
I know Dr. Douglas has already shown you around the ambulatory clinic, but would you like a tour of the rest of the facility prior to officially starting? the lanky man hed spent the morning with offered. I know you practically grew up at the center, but that was before we moved to the new location.
That had been three years ago while Eric had been in Africa as part of the medical mission team hed joined straight out of medical school. A lifetime ago. Eric didnt even feel like the same person whod once lived in Rivendell.
He wasnt the same person.
The entire building is state-of-the-art. The in-house referral system streamlines care with great efficiency. We have close to a hundred providers of various specialties on staff now. Clive gave Eric a grin. Your grandfather would be proud. I know your mother is.
His maternal grandfather would be proud of how far the clinic had come. The facility comprised a three-story building with multiple specialty departments, a fully equipped laboratory, radiology department, pharmacy and a same-day surgery wing that bore Erics grandfathers name.
His mother was proud of the clinic, too, but Eric refused to let thoughts of her into his mind. Hed barely been home a week and already she was trotting Kentucky debutantes in front of him at every opportunity.
Eric shook his head at his mothers matchmaking and at the administrator. Jonathan showed me around the center when I was here two months ago.
Just as it had then, the center felt right.
Like this was where he was meant to be despite years of adamant and rebellious denial of his heritage. Despite his mother thinking his move home meant he was ready to settle down and produce heirs.
If theres anything Rivendell can do to make your move smoother, let me know, Clive went on, no doubt in an effort to impress Lena Woolworths only child.
Actually Eric rocked back in the chair, eyeing the administrator through narrowed eyes. There is something.
Clives temple jumped with a nervous spasm. Oh?
Im going to work in the ambulatory clinic.
The mans unease faded into confused relief.
The ambulatory clinic? But Remembering who he was talking to, the administrator nodded. Of course. I should have realized youd want to work directly with Dr. Douglas.
Perhaps he should feel guilty for using his influence to change where hed be working at the last minute. Hadnt he sworn not to let moving home corrupt him? That hed remain true to the man hed grown into while thousands of miles away? But working in the ambulatory clinic appealed enough for him to ignore any doubts about his motives.
He had no doubts.
He wanted to be near Dr. Kasey Carmichael.
Whether or not wanting to be near her was a good thing remained to be seen.
Early that evening, Kasey finished seeing her afternoon patients and slouched into the comfy ergonomic chair at her desk.
Her office wasnt much larger than a broom closet, but shed been allowed to decorate the room to her taste. Shed gone with crisp white walls and black furniture. A vase of colorful Shasta daisies, looking so real people often reached out to touch a petal just to see, sat on the top of her bookshelf along with a model of a human kidney and a two-foot-tall skeleton shed nicknamed Bones.
She kept a vanilla-scented air freshener plugged in to drown out the antiseptic smell that permeated the rest of the clinic.
The room wasnt fancy, but at least she had a small private place to call her own.
Right now, she desperately needed privacy.
Eric was here. At the clinic.
Maybe hed work on a different floor and shed never see him. What kind of doctor was he anyway?
Dropping her face into her palms, she massaged her temples.
This couldnt be happening.
Just seeing Eric in the hallway had made her want to push him into a room and perform a thorough examination of all his many attributes, right down to taste-testing him from head to toe.
Which shocked her.
Shed never been adventurous sexually. She and Randall had shared a good enough sex life, but they hadnt been the stuff to burn down buildings.
One night with Eric and smoke still clouded her mind.
Intoxicating smoke that made her want to inhale deeply and give in to sweet fantasy.
Sweet? There hadnt been anything sweet about her fantasies. Hot, enthusiastic, sweaty, yes, but not sweet.
Kaseys fingers dug deeper into her scalp.
No way would she risk her career because of a man a second time. Not at Rivendell, where shed made her fresh start and the potential to achieve her lifelong dreams dangled in front of her like the proverbial carrot.
A knock sounded at her door and she looked up. Eric watched her.
Realizing she was massaging her temples in overtime, she dropped her hands to her desk and tapped the sleek black surface. Which was no less nervous appearing than her temple massaging. Taking a deep breath, she flattened her palms against the desk to stay their fidgety tapping.
I thought youd left. Brilliant conversation. Yet what did it matter? His family owned stock in the center. Could the situation be any more Randall-like? She needed to put Eric firmly in the past and keep him there.
If she remained steadfast, perhaps hed take a hint and leave her alone.
Which was what hed eventually do regardless. She was definitely like her mother in that regard. Men never stayed long. Shed thought Randall had been different. Steady, dependable Randall. But shed been wrong. Horribly wrong and just look what that mistake had cost her in the long run.
Not to mention that shed gone to Erics hotel room on the night theyd met. She didnt respect herself, how could she expect him to?
I did leave, Eric admitted. His gaze roved over her in melted chocolate temptation that made her libido growl in hungry response. I came back.
Why? Why did he have to look so wonderful in his black slacks, blue shirt and tie? Like something on the cover of a mens magazine. Hed taken off his suit jacket at some point since shed seen him earlier and his tie was loosened around his neck, making her want to walk over to him and straighten it.
Or perhaps she just wanted a reason to touch him?
You.
Me? As much as she thrilled at his answer, he had to stop. Shed made a mistake the night theyd met. One she could forgive due to her mothers death. But she couldnt justify a repeat of their amazing night.
His family held power over the medical center.
They were going to be coworkers.
If shed learned anything from her experience with Randall, shed learned not to mix personal stuff with ones job.
The consequences were too dire.
Seeing you today was an unexpected surprise. He stepped into her office, closed the door behind him, overwhelming the tiny room. Even Bones appeared to tremble in his presence. I enjoyed our night together.
What rabbit hole had she fallen into? Because he looked as if he wanted to touch her. As if hed like to push her against her desk, hike up her skirt and run his hands along her thighs, along her Kasey gulped. No!
At his startled look, she took a calming breath.
That night was Amazing, wonderful, just what shed needed. Embarrassing. She didnt behave like her mother. Not usually. She wasnt a woman driven by lust and she had no intention of becoming one. Shed worked too hard to make something of herself, to rise above her past, poverty and genetics. Nice, but we both know it was a one-night stand kind of thing.
One-night stand kind of thing?
He towered over her, not in a menacing way, but she fought the desire to lean as far away as possibleto ease the temptation of moving closer to those broad shoulders and talented hands.
Youre wrong, he continued, looking completely aware of her proximity dilemma and pleased by her reaction to him. That night wasnt a one-night stand. Far from it.
What would you call it? Besides the most humiliatingevent of my life? No, that would have been when Skymont Hospital had let her go over her relationship with Randall. Or perhaps when her mother had shown up drunk at her high school graduation ceremony. Either way, her night with Eric had been a mistake. Thats what she repeated in her head, not allowing her hormones a word in edgewise.
The beginning of something worth pursuing. His eyes bored into her, daring her to deny his claim. Unbidden, her gaze dropped to the strong set of his jaw, to his lips. That mouth had kissed her. All of her.
Stop. She closed her eyes, fighting memories of the tender kisses hed placed on her hair, her face, the way hed kissed away her tears. Memories of tenderness that had given way to passion. To urgent kisses. Our meeting that night was nothing more than a bad coincidence. We should forget it happened.
What you call a bad coincidence I call a stroke of good fortune. Just as I consider seeing you today good fortune.
His words were sweet to her ears, but what he was really saying was that he wanted sex again. Theyd slept together on the day theyd met. He wasnt interested in a real relationship with her. Just sex. Toe-curling, life-altering sex but, still, just sex.
He moved further into the office, crowding her personal space by coming around to her side of the desk and half sitting, half leaning against the corner. His closeness zapped her ability to breathe.
Why didnt you wake me before you left, Kasey?
Oh, God, why had he moved so close?
She shut her eyes, counted to ten, prayed for indifference to him. That night shouldnt have happened and wouldnt have under different circumstances.
Sad, but true.
Yes, it would have.
Spicy, sexy musk toyed with her senses. She squeezed her eyes more tightly closed because she worried that if she looked at him, shed have to touch. Absolutely have to.
Im sorry you got dragged into my bad day, she plunged on, needing to talk, needing to do anything that kept her from reaching out to run her finger over the cleft in his chin. I regret the entire evening.
You regret meeting me? He sounded as if he didnt believe her.
Knowing theyd be coworkers, she should regret having met him, but her heart ached at the thought of not having the comfort shed felt as shed drifted to sleep in his arms. At not experiencing the mind-shattering passion his kisses had evoked. Shed had a bad day. Hed made her feel better. No matter how much she should, she didnt regret them making love.
She couldnt tell him that.
Doing so would only make what she had to do more difficult.
Indifference. She needed indifference.
Yes, she choked out. I regret meeting you.
Open your eyes.
She forced her eyelids open, looked into his dark eyes and swallowed. Hard. Lord, he looked as if he really had been hurt that shed left him.
Now, say you regret meeting me and mean it. He shook his head when her lids automatically lowered. Dont close your eyes, Kasey. Look at me, and tell me you regret what we shared, because I dont believe you.
She wanted to scoot her chair toward the wall to put more distance between them, but she needed to make a strong stand. Her job, her peace of mind was at stake. She should push him off her desk, but didnt dare touch him. To do so would send her few functioning brain cells into sexual dementia.
Focus on your goals, Kasey. She gave herself a mental pep talk. Career, helping others, social status,being a valued member of society. A fling with acoworker robbed you of that once. Eric is a coworkerwith an influential family.
Is your ego so big you cant accept that I made a mistake in going to your hotel room? she accused, going on the attack. She had to destroy the chemistry between them. Because she had to deny it. She couldnt go through what shed gone through with Randall.
Somehow she suspected recovering from Eric would rob her of a lot more than Randalls decision she was good enough to sleep with but not good enough to give his last name to.
No, my ego isnt that big. He leaned across her desk, staring straight into her eyes, his breath caressing her lips. But I was there that night.
I remember. She hadnt meant to sound nostalgic, but her voice held a touch of longing she couldnt deny. She shook off the erotic memories and put on the flat affect shed perfected in the days following the fiasco with Randall. In the days before Skymont Hospital had let her go. I took advantage of you that night.
What? His forehead wrinkled in surprise.
She sighed. How much could she tell him without also admitting how much being near him affected her? Was this what her mother had battled every time a sexy man had come near? This overwhelming need to touch? To be touched?
If so, Kasey was grateful the first thirty years of her life had passed without her knowing such carnal craving.
Like I said, she began, wishing he werent so close, that she didnt feel every inch Betsy Carmichaels daughter, right down to the burst of pheromones dictating she forget everything except how this mans lips had felt against hers. I had a bad day.
Which doesnt explain how you used me.
She shrugged as nonchalantly as she could pull off when she couldnt breathe. Dont you get it? I didnt want to be alone. You were convenient. End of story.
A glimmer of anger shone in his eyes. Youre saying any man would have done?
If it meant not being alone that night? She called upon all her strength and lied through her teeth. Any man would have done.
He smoothly shifted to stand by the black leather chair wedged between her desk and the corner of the office. Genuine shock shone on his face. Would he realize she was oversimplifying the nights events? She couldnt give him that opportunity.
When I saw you with Dr. Douglas this morning Sitting forward, she continued her assault before he regrouped his thoughts, an assault directed as much at her libido as at Eric. I just wished youd go away. I dont do one-night stands. At least, I never had until that night. If Id known Id see you again, I never would have shared a drink with you, much less gone to your hotel room.
How horrible did that admission make her sound?
How much did it brand her Betsy Carmichaels daughter?
Was it even true? No. Eric had made her feel better, made her feel whole. She would have gone anywhere hed led.
What scared her was that even now, when she was thinking more logically about her mothers death, when she knew shed slept with a man similar to Randall, Eric still made her feel dazed, made her want to go where he led.
Then Im glad you didnt know wed see each other again. He crossed his arms, his fingers coming so close to touching her she imagined she could feel his body heat sear through her clothes. I enjoyed making love to you, Kasey.
I imagine so. She couldnt keep the snideness out of her voice. After all, shed just compared him to Randall and he was playboy Dr. Douglass friend. You should be grateful I left before you woke.
He leaned back, eyed her, his lips twisted with displeasure. Grateful that you used me for sex and left while I was asleep?
Was her face as red as it felt?
Most guys would be grateful to avoid an awkward morning after.
His gaze unwavering, he shrugged. Im not most guys.
Yes, shed noticed that about him.
The day we met wasnt a good day, she said for lack of knowing what else to say.
So youve said. Yet you havent said what was so bad. His voice held a gentle, concerned quality that made her want to squirm.
She didnt want him to be nice. She didnt want to like him, didnt want to believe in the light shining in his eyes that said she could trust him.
Whatever his game was, she wouldnt, couldnt, play along. Neither would she.
What happened to send you into that bar? Eric asked. Into my arms?
Her gaze dropped to the strong arms that had held her so securely. He sounded sincere. It would be so easy to give in, to lean on those broad shoulders.
She knew better, though. Randall had sounded sincere, had let her lean on his shoulders. Then hed jerked the carpet out from under her feet and trampled on her while she was down.
My life is none of your business.
Unfazed by her snappish comeback, Eric stared into her eyes. What if I want to make your life my business? What if I want to see you again because I wasnt grateful you left without waking me?
Was it even possible? She hadnt thought so, but what if?
Each and every time shed leaned on another person, shed fallen. Even if Eric hadnt been grateful shed left, eventually the attraction would fizzle and then where would she be? Stuck working with an ex. The good-ole-boy system had already driven home how they dealt with sticky situations.
She would not be forced to start over again.
Not even for a man as appealing as Eric.
Id say you were out of luck, because the night we met was a fluke and is never going to happen again. She liked her life in Rivendell too much to risk it.
Kasey, he began, pinning her beneath dark fire.
Stop right there, Dr. Matthews. She jumped from her seat, refusing to be trapped by his nearness. She held up her hand to ward him off. What happened between us was a mistake. I dont appreciate you coming to my office, pressuring me this way. Im not interested. End of story.
He paused, confusion flashing in his eyes. Not backing away, he stayed within inches of her face. Youre serious?
Absolutely. Much better to deny the sexual chemistry between her and the fascinating man tempting her to throw caution to the wind. As much as shed once cared for Randall, hed never lifted her to the heights this man had in a single night. She might not recover a second time. Not professionally. Not emotionally.
Although Eric looked like he wanted to say more, he clamped his mouth closed and conveyed his displeasure via his tight facial expression.
Resuming his perch on her desk, he watched her for so long she fought to keep standing. His eyes gleamed a deep brown, threatening to burn her with their intensity if she showed the slightest sign of weakness.
His gaze scorched into her soul.
Finally, he gave a curt nod and left. Kaseys forehead crashed to her desk and she rolled her head back and forth against the hard, cold surface.
Eric was gone.
But hed be back.
Every workday, hed be back.
Just how was she going to stay steadfast when con fronted with Eric day in and day out?
CHAPTER THREE
A WEEK later, Eric winced at his twenty-year-old patients bright red skin. How long were you out in the sun?
My boyfriend works on a horse farm and we were out riding. I ended up sticking around and helping him most of the day. Last night I was miserable. I thought I was going to have to go to the emergency room, the young woman admitted, holding her body stiffly.
Ill be as easy as I can. He gently lifted her loose clothing away from her skin to peer at the burn. Did you have on sunscreen?
As impossible as it seemed, her face grew redder. No. I was working on my tan.
Id suggest you work on protecting your skin from permanent damage. A good SPF 30 sunscreen would have saved you a lot of trouble. He motioned toward her burn.
Oh, you dont have to worry. Ive learned my lesson. I plan to go buy the highest SPF in the store.
Eric shook his head. No need. SPF 30 provides all the protection you need. Once the sun is blocked, its blocked. Anything beyond just puts extra chemicals on your skin without any real extra protection.
He slipped on his stethoscope and listened to her heart sounds. Normal S1S2 with a regular rate and rhythm. No murmur. Lung sounds clear to auscultation.
Youre losing a lot of moisture through your burn. Make sure you drink a lot of water over the next few days. You want to stay hydrated.
He tapped the RX emblem on the computer screen and entered a prescription for burn cream. He sent the prescription to the pharmacy and printed out a patient education handout on skin care and sunburn.
His next patient was a thin older gentleman with soulful eyes and slumped shoulders. After less than thirty seconds, Eric realized Shane Bresdan needed more than a prescription refill.
The man took a deep breath, stared at his hands. My wife left.
Left?
Kapooie. Shes gone. Shanes tone was flat, as if he talked about the weather. But his eyes held a world of pain and his hands were clenched tightly in his lap.
Where did she go?
Sagging shoulders lifted then fell. Dont know. She just picked up and left while I was at work one day. Came home to a note saying she was gone and wouldnt be back.
And Eric thought he had female problems.
Were you having marital issues?
No more than normal. Shes never left before. Never even threatened to.
Poor man. After waking up in his hotel room alone two months ago, Eric wholeheartedly commiserated. Hed never had a woman walk out on him. He hadnt cared for the experience.
Hed thought he and Kasey had hit it off that night. They had. But whereas hed gone into the hotel room thinking they were starting something special, shed gone in thinking of the ending to her bad day.
Eric sighed. Thinking about Kasey was futile when she refused to acknowledge theyd shared anything more than a one-nighter. Was he really such a bad judge of women? Hadnt he learned to read who was sincere and who wasnt? Hed thought so, but perhaps not.
He turned back to his patient. How are you dealing with her leaving?
Unpacking his few personal belongings, going alongwith his mothers constant social demands because itmade her happy, and making her happy made himhappy, hanging out with Jonathan.
Which had worked until hed been confronted with the living breathing reminder of the woman whod bailed out on him.
Now he was discontented as hell.
Eric talked to Shane several more minutes, recommended counseling and an antidepressant. Shane denied suicidal ideas and agreed to return to the clinic for reevaluation. He scheduled a follow-up appointment for a weeks time.
Eric shook the mans hand and walked into the hallway with him.
His Kasey radar bleeped. Why was he so aware of a woman who wanted nothing to do with him? He should be grateful. He hadnt come home to start a relationship. Hed come home for his mother, because hed heard the need in her voice.
Unable to keep from looking at Kasey, he resigned himself to her reaction. Had four years out of the States really made such a difference in his social skills that hed gone from fighting off women to chasing after one who denied wanting anything more to do with him? Why didnt he believe her?
She wouldnt have taken off from his hotel room bed if shed wanted a relationship. Or would she? If shed known who he was, known theyd be colleagues when he eventually took his place at the clinic, would she have left to throw him off kilter? To leave him wanting more?
He caught her looking at him. Her big green eyes were soulful behind her glasses. Her lower lip was sucked in between her teeth. Her fingers tightly clutched her stethoscope.
Why was she pretending their chemistry didnt exist when it so obviously did?
His gaze roved over the woman standing a few feet away, staring at him with a deer-in-the-headlights expression.
Gold digger or not, he wanted Dr. Kasey Carmichael.
More than he remembered ever wanting a woman.
She wanted him, too.
With time, shed admit she wanted him.
How long has your back been hurting, Mr. Oliver? Kasey asked, making a notation on the sixty-year-olds electronic chart. Mr. Oliver came in every few months with a variety of complaints. Over the time shed been taking care of him, Kasey had grown fond of the older gentleman, who qualified to come to the ambulatory clinic through a special charity fund sponsored by the Rivendell Ladies Society.
Shoulders covered in dirty coveralls, he shrugged. On and off for years. Just something I live with, you know. With no insurance, I aint had much choice.
Pushing her professional, no-nonsense, black-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose, she nodded. Mr. Oliver worked two jobs, trying to support his family. Although his children were all grown, one of his daughters and her three children lived with them. They struggled to make ends meet on the best of days. When did your back get worse?
A couple of weeks ago. I was at work and lifted a car battery. Heard my back pop and then had to have Joe help me straighten. His weary eyes met hers. You know Joe. He and his wife come to see you. He drove me here today.
Joes a nice man. Kasey typed his response into the patient database. Have you ever had an X-ray of your spine?
His forehead wrinkled with thought. Nope. Had one on my shoulder once when I was younger, but thats it.
Kasey examined his back, running her fingers along his spine, noting the abnormal curvature and areas of spasm. Id like to order an X-ray of your lumbar and thoracic spine. Thats your low and middle back. Youve got some scoliosis thats probably congenital, meaning you were born with it, but Im concerned youve lost some vertebral height as well.
Whatever you say, Doc. He shifted uncomfortably on the exam table. Im not sure I can afford X-rays, though.
Theyre included in your visit today, she reminded him, glad that cost wouldnt keep Mr. Oliver from getting the care he needed. Yet another reason she volunteered with the Rivendell Ladies Society, a group of Kentucky women who gave back to their community. RLS was the social club, just what shed dreamed of belonging to while growing up. Kaseys reality had been more along the lines of Public Housing is Us.
Mr. Olivers brows lifted. The X-rays are included? I didnt realize.
She nodded, doing her best not to make the proud man feel uncomfortable. She understood he didnt like accepting charity. All too well she understood. Hadnt she once survived on others charity? Between her booze and her men, Betsy had had little time for her daughter.
No, Kasey wouldnt think of her mother.
To do that would lead to thinking of her death which led to thoughts of meeting Eric. She was having a difficult enough time not thinking of him.
What had his look in the hallway been about? Shed swear when he looked at her he saw right through to her soul. The sensation made her very uncomfortable.
Have you noticed any burning or tingling in your legs or feet? she asked her patient, refocusing on the issue at hand.
No burning, but my feet stay cold. Particularly on the left side. Mr. Oliver lifted the offending foot from the floor, rotating his ankle. She had him flex his foot toward his knee. No pain. Negative Homans sign.
She indicated for him to take off his shoes. He did so. She took out a sensory tine often used to measure diabetic neuropathy and asked him to tell her when she touched his foot with the bristlelike instrument.
Mr. Oliver had decreased sensation in three of his toes.
She pressed against each toe, closely watching how quickly the nail bed and flesh returned to pink. His capillary refill was within normal limits. Unfortunately, his great toenails bilaterally were yellow, thick and mal-shaped from a fungal infection. Shed check on pharmaceutical samples. If his liver enzymes came back okay, shed treat the fungus with an oral medication that would slowly clear the infection. With the decreased sensation, shed do all she could to protect his feet.
We may need to do an MRI scan, but Ill wait and see what the X-ray shows. She straightened, filled out an order slip and handed the paper to him. Take this to the radiology department. Its just beyond the elevators on the right. Ive also ordered a urinalysis and a few blood tests that you can stop back by the laboratory in the morning and have done. You need to fast, for at least eight hours before you have the blood drawn so I can check your cholesterol, too.
Okay. The man stared at the paper in his callused hands. Grease permanently blackened his nails, etched out each and every wrinkle, outlining the story of his life. Years of hard labor as a mechanic couldnt be washed away with soap and water. Thanks.
Kasey respected Mr. Oliver. Circumstances may have prevented him from having a better life, but he didnt expect handouts, didnt want a free ride.
Unlike her mother.
Despite their monumental differences, Kasey had mourned her mothers death, wished she could have felt more loss over the woman than over what might have been. She couldnt change the past. Her mother was gone and there was no longer hope that someday her mother might get her act together where they could have a real relationship. The relationship theyd had, however lacking, was all theyd ever have.
Kasey bit the inside of her lip to stop the new line of maternal thoughts heading her way. She forced her mother to the recesses of her mind and smiled at her patient.
When youre done getting the X-rays, stop by the pharmacy, which is one door down from the radiology department. Youll have two prescriptions waiting. One for an anti-inflammatory and one for a muscle relaxant. She told him what the generic prescriptions would cost. Dont forget to come back as soon as you can for the blood tests, preferably tomorrow. If your labs show anything requiring further treatment, Ill call you.
Gripping his front sheet, he left the exam room. Kasey headed to her office.
Sitting at her desk, she riffled through a stack of papers on her desk, ignoring an announcement of the addition of Dr. Eric Matthews to the ambulatory clinic of Rivendell Medical Center. Instead, she reviewed a cardiology consult letter on Bill Ridner. The words blurred before her eyes. Her mind was filled with the man who haunted her every thought.
The announcement had been sitting on her desk for a couple of days. Not that shed let herself read the postcard-sized message. She hadnt. Wouldnt. The less she exposed herself to Eric, the better. The less she knew about the man behind the gorgeous body and quick smile, the better.
An image of that gorgeous body, his passionate kisses while hed made love to herhad sex with her caused her to inhale sharply. Hed started at the clinic the day after his surprise arrival a week ago and was working directly with her. How was she supposed to ignore that? Ignore him?
Perhaps she should read the announcement just to learn about her enemy better.
Technically, as head of the ambulatory clinic, she was Erics superior, but time and again Clive Evans sought out Eric, as did several longtime board members. Had the clinic ever put so much effort into schmoozing a new physician?
The more attention Eric got, the more nervous Kasey became about who would take Herberts board position.
She rubbed her temple, massaging the dull throb that erupted any time she thought of Eric.
She had a permanent headache these days.
Okay, so I like him, she admitted to Bones, grimacing at the skeleton on her bookshelf. A lot.
Way more than she should since a relationship between them was impossible. Could she have picked a worse person to be attracted to? A man who not only was someone she worked with but a doctor who was likely vying for the same promotion she was and had strong family ties to the medical center. Why else would he keep having so many private conversations with the administrator and board members?
He was just like Randall. Rich, spoiled, used to getting what he wanted. When push came to shove, hed rise to the top, even if he had to step on her to do so. Shed do well to remember that.
Kasey massaged her temple with more vigor, wondering if shed worn the flesh away from her skull yet. Shed always massaged her temples when she got agitated. At the rate she was going, she was going to look like Bones.
.
.
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Janice Lynn
The Playboy Doctor Claims His Bride
Janice Lynn
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Table of Contents
Cover (#ua06b3b0f-430b-5c8b-8247-ab0a69e2ac8c)
Title Page (#ud6a53c66-d822-5451-8a5e-8379135066e2)
About the Author (#u1ea613ac-2bf2-5c5b-b27d-b3de1c3240bd)
Dedication (#u1f9eb5e1-80f3-5fb6-8433-d17cc7c2daa9)
CHAPTER ONE (#ueed4bf61-da44-55b3-a701-ce23c2b099c1)
CHAPTER TWO (#u8be22a44-8939-56a8-a8fe-ccdbd6a4740d)
CHAPTER THREE (#u8ff96983-dbb1-50a3-8262-eb6f3f067e1c)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Janice Lynn has a Masters in Nursing from Vanderbilt University, and works as a nurse practitioner in a family practice. She lives in the southern United States with her husband, their four children, their Jack Russellappropriately named Troubleand a lot of unnamed dust bunnies that have moved in since she started her writing career. To find out more about Janice and her writing, visit www.janicelynn.com
To my grandparents, Floyd & Janie Green
CHAPTER ONE
DR. KASEY CARMICHAEL typed clinical data into the medical record on the hypertensive patient shed just seen. When finished, she sent his prescriptions electronically to the in-house pharmacy of the Rivendell Medical Center.
Knocking on the open door, Dr. Jonathan Douglas stuck his blond head into the exam room. The pretty-boy doctor flashed baby blues and a row of pearly white teeth that had women swooning all over northern Kentucky. You got a minute?
Kasey shot a coolly professional smile at the physician shed worked with for two years.
Ill be right there. She hit Save and closed her patients file. Standing, she smoothed the crisp lines of the unbuttoned white lab coat she wore over her navy slacks and linen blouse.
She loved her job in the ambulatory clinic of the large multispecialty Rivendell Medical Center. Loved that it provided the opportunity to give back to the community, to help others the way shed once been helped.
Rivendells sheer size gave her the opportunity to achieve the professional and personal success she craved. Success that dangled within her reach.
When Dr. Herbert stepped down from the board, Kasey was a shoo-in to replace him. Everyone said so.
Smiling, she stepped into the clinics hallway to see what Dr. Douglas was up to this time. Although an excellent doctor, hed never held any appeal. Probably due to his tomcat ways reminding her of the men whod constantly come in and out of her childhood in the form of her mothers latest loser.
What can I do for you, Dr. Doug? Her voice stalled, stuck in her rapidly tightening throat. Her gaze froze on the man standing with her colleague.
The room spun.
Please let her be hallucinating.
Eric? Her one-and-only-ever one-night stand stared at her with similar shock. Her pulse hit a rapid, brain-frying boil. What? How? Why are you here? she sputtered.
Hello, Kasey. Quickly recovering from his surprise at seeing her, his dark eyes glistened as if hed stumbled upon the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A huge smile split his handsome face.
A smile that stole Kaseys ability to breathe just as it had on the night theyd met.
She took a step back, placed her hand on the door frame to steady her wobbly, turned-to-water legs.
What are you doing here? she asked again, feeling hazy.
Funny, I was just going to ask you the same thing, Eric answered in that smooth-as-silk voice that had whispered sweet praise to her two months ago. Recalling what else theyd done, Kasey struggled to remain on her feet. Her body threatened to slide to the floor in a gooey, deoxygenated pile of shocked, blue mush.
You two know each other? Dr. Douglas took a step back, his gaze flicking from Kasey to Eric.
Weve met. Erics eyes narrowed as he regarded her, a mixture of suspicion and pleasure in his eyes.
Ive never heard either of you mention the other, Dr. Douglas mused. For all his playboy ways, no one could accuse him of being slow on the uptake. No doubt her colleague had already worked out just how well she and Eric had known each other.
Probably because even though her brain was in embarrassed denial of Eric being here, her libido was dancing a happy jig of remembered pleasure.
Kasey wished the tiled floor would open up and swallow her. Anything to escape Erics predatory male look. Anything to escape Dr. Douglass knowing curiosity.
If word got out shed had a one-night stand, the news would hurt her chances of being asked to join the clinics medical board. The older board members would look unfavorably on a potential member behaving in such a feckless manner. Even if her lapse of judgment had been on the night of her mothers funeral.
Hadnt she learned how quickly one could lose everything they held dear following the gigantic mistake shed made with Randall Covington III? Oh, yeah, shed paid dearly for that error in judgment.
Now her only one-night stand stood in her workplace.
Panic clutched at her throat, rendering her speechless.
This wasnt really happening. History would not repeat itself. Not that shed had a one-night stand with Randall. No, shed given the bastard an entire year of her life. A whole wasted year where shed dreamed of them being the perfect couple, having the perfect life together. Boy, had she been wrong.
About them being a perfect couple at any rate. With or without a man in her life, she was going to have the perfect life. Shed set goals and worked long hours to make sure they came true.
When did you meet? Delight sparkled in Dr. Douglass blue eyes.
A few months ago. Erics gaze bored into Kasey. Was he waiting for her to acknowledge the night theyd spent together? Did he really think shed do that? Lord, she just wanted to forget that night had ever happened. Had spent two months trying to forget.
Unfortunately, forgetting the best sex shed ever had wasnt proving an easy task.
Images of that best sex flashed into her head like candid shots portraying the man standing before her in living color.
Hot, lurid, take-her-to-another-world best sex images.
Fire engulfed her face. She lifted her hand to fan the burn, realized what she was doing, and stopped.
You met Eric and didnt tell me? Jonathans dark blond brow arched.
This wasnt happening.
Kasey roped her uncooperative vocal cords into submission. Why would I mention wed met? He was just someone I met mere hours after laying my estrangedmother in the ground and I didnt know the two of you knew each other. Because he and I really didnt doa lot of in-depth talking.
Erics smile slipped. Why indeed?
She tried not to look at him, but an inner force compelled her. His chocolate eyes appeared thoughtful, as if he was trying to read her, to gauge how to take her response.
What would her sexy lover have said, done, had she still been in his bed when hed awakened?
Hello, shed been a one-night stand. No doubt he was grateful she hadnt made a scene, that she had slipped out in abject humiliation prior to him waking that morning.
She was humiliated. Shed been the one thing shed always sworn never to be. Easy. Like her mother.
Shed had one night of passion.
With a stranger.
A stranger shed met in a bar and later accompanied to his hotel. A stranger who now stood in her clinic making a sham of her memories by looking so much better than shed recalled.
Much to her abhorrence, she recalled way too much all too often.
God, he was gorgeous.
The strong, handsome planes of his face had surely been sculpted by a goddess intent on tempting mortal women with a glimpse of heaven. The sun had kissed his dark wavy hair with gold and his skin with a bronze hue.
At six-two or -three, he towered over her five-eight. Beneath his tailored suit, his shoulders stretched broadly, tapering into a trim waist and powerful, narrow hips. As hed been the night they met, he was so well dressed that if testosterone didnt ooze from every pore of his fine body shed think he must be gay. But in vivid and exquisite detail, she knew testosterone oozed.
An image of his naked body over hers, melted into hers, popped into her mind, short-circuiting her nerve endings.
Kasey swallowed. Just as shed done many times over the past two months, she forced memories of him from her mind.
Only how was she supposed to force him from her mind when he stood a few feet away, eyeing her as if hed like to push her into the exam room shed just stepped out of and pick up where theyd left off? Naked and tangled together with frantic desire. When her body was all too willing.
No. She didnt want him at her workplace.
Didnt want him anywhere near her.
She had a great life.
One that didnt need a complication of his magnitude. No pun intended.
This is interesting. As the silence continued, a grin lifted the corner of Dr. Douglass mouth. I call out my esteemed coworker to introduce her to my old university roomie, and theyve already met.
Dr. Douglas is who you were supposed to meet that night? Kasey asked, winced and slapped her hand over her mouth in the most giveaway oops motion a person could make.
Eric nodded, then turned to his old university roomie. I met Kasey on the night you got hung up here at the clinic. We shared a few drinks, a few dances.
A zillion amazing orgasms.
Heat slammed into Kaseys body.
Right, she agreed on a breathless note, averting her gaze to stare at a body mass index chart stuck on the wall. A few drinks and dances. No big deal.
Eric had been a big deal.
A very big deal.
She winced. What was wrong with her? She was at work. She wasnt supposed to be having a hot flush of sexual awareness.
That wasnt who she was. She was calm, cool, collected Dr. Kasey Carmichael.
Dr. Douglass bushy brows rose so high they brushed the stylishly tousled hair atop his head. You were in a bar? Had drinks? As in alcohol rather than a wheat-germ shake? A new light shone in his eyes as he looked at Kasey. Possibly for the first time ever he was seeing her as a woman rather than the uptight doctor he worked with. And you danced? Did I miss something? He drew his brows into a V. Like hell freezing over?
Squelching the urge to growl at him, Kasey took a deep, exasperated breath. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose to give her hands something to do.
Otherwise she might curl her fingers into a fist and punch his straight nose. I happen to like wheat-germ shakes and, of course, I dance.
Not well, but she could pull off the slow numbers she and Eric had swayed to without any problems. Usually too self-conscious to let herself relax, shed moved in rhythm to Erics lead. On the dance floor and in the bedroom. Hed been perfect. And something shed desperately tried to stop thinking about because Kasey was not like her mother.
In case you hadnt realized she kept her voice smooth, calm, professional, like she wasnt dying inside I am over the legal drinking age.
Dr. Douglas burst into laughter. Youve totally shattered my image of you, Kase. I didnt think you drank. Or hung out in bars. Or talked to men who werent paying you for their fifteen-minute appointment slot of your time. He placed his hands over his heart. Shattered, I tell you.
Her nerves grated at how he shortened her name. She glared.
Eric cleared his throat, calling their attention back to him.
Kasey turned to the man whod held her so tenderly on the night shed felt so alone. He looked perturbed.
Was he upset that hed run into his weepy bedmate whod practically ripped off his clothes? That his friend knew hed had drinks with the office wallflower who preferred wheat-germ shakes to cosmos?
Lord, she wanted out of here.
A cool blast of realization froze the blood chugging through Kaseys veins.
Why was Dr. Douglas introducing her to his old universitymate here at the medical clinic?
University mate.
Youre a doctor, arent you? Shed heard some benefactors son had been visiting the clinic that morning. A doctor. She held her breath, waiting for Erics answer.
The corner of his mouth lifted in an ironic twist. I did mention my profession on the night we met.
Had he? Shed been so upset when shed gone into the bar, upset and unable to face the realization that her mother, her last blood relative, had died.
Eric had been sitting on the bar stool next to the one shed plopped down on. She hadnt noticed him or anyone except the flashing neon beer advertisement behind the bar. Apparently hed noticed her, though. Hed been concerned and kept talking, trying to draw her into conversation. She couldnt recall much of what hed said while theyd sat there.
All shed been able to think about was that shed buried Betsy Carmichael that afternoon. That the woman whod given birth to her, made her childhood a living hell, had died. That she was alone in the world now that her only family was gone.
In reality shed felt alone a long time before her mother had drawn her last breath.
Youre who the administrator has been with today, arent you? Please say no. Please dont let him be thebigwig son of the clinics benefactor. Youre applying for a job here, arent you?
Applying for a job? Dr. Douglas burst out laughing. As if. Eric can write his ticket at this place.
Thats enough, Dr. Eric Matthews interrupted his friend. Hed rather not have his family connection to Rivendell Medical Center pointed out to the woman hed met two months ago. Had she known who he was? Used him in hopes of advancing her career at Rivendell?
He hadnt thought so but, hell, hed been wrong about women before.
Still, hed really believed Kasey was different. Certainly the fact that hed awakened to an empty bed had been a new twist. Had she known why hed returned to Kentucky? Like so many from his past, had she seen him as a ticket to easy street?
Her eyes held dark shadows. Shed been startled to see him. No more so than hed been when hed looked up to meet his best friends boring, career-driven ice queen colleague.
Jonathan was a fool. Kasey was no ice queen. She was hot. His psyche had the scorch marks to prove it. His entire body caught fire just at being near her again, at memories of how their bodies had meshed together.
But Kasey wasnt happy to see him.
He honestly wasnt sure how he felt about seeing her. At least not at Rivendell Medical Center. Had he run into her in a social setting hed have been thrilled, but the last thing he needed was an involvement with someone at the clinic.
Hed come home a different man than the one whod left four years ago. He didnt engage in one-night stands or living for the moment. Hed changed. For the better. Or so hed thought.
His first night back in Rivendell, Kasey had reduced him to habits hed sworn were deeply buried in the past.
He wasnt a love-em-and-leave-em kind of guy anymore. Hadnt been for years. He sure wasnt going to be a loved-by-em-and-left-by-em kind of guy. Hell, no.
Dr. Kasey Carmichael had loved him and left him.
She didnt look the same as she had the night theyd met. Her shoulder-length brunette hair was pulled harshly away from her face. She wore trendy black-rimmed glasses. Her light makeup was impeccably dusted over her high cheekbones and wide green eyes, but not in a way to draw men to her. More of a shield against letting anyone see the real her. She looked like a woman downplaying her femininity to appear all business, to appear cold and unreachable.
But Eric had seen behind the mask. If she hadnt disappeared before hed awakened, hed have spent more time with her, gotten to know her. Why had she snuck out before dawn? Hed never had a woman leave him with no strings attached. Even the pickups from his youth had usually hinted at wanting money or jewelry or trips to fancy restaurants.
What did Kasey want?
Tell me, she prompted. Desperation shone in her eyes, but her voice sounded coolly professional, as if she was used to hiding her emotions. Tell me why youre here.
I met with Clive and several members of the board on the day after we met. Thats why I was in town that night.
She winced, causing the glasses to scoot up the bridge of her pert nose. Because?
His fingers itched to slip the heavy frames off her face. The glass didnt appear to be corrective, just distractive.
They offered me a position at the clinic. An oversimplification, but the truth.
Kasey closed her eyes, looking like she wanted to disappear. Was she really so horrified that theyd come face-to-face again?
She visibly shuddered, then opened pain-filled eyes. You knew who I was, didnt you? You knew I worked here. This was all a big joke to you.
Fathoms of hurt welled in her eyes. He didnt understand the depth of pain. Why would she think hed tricked her? Shed been the one to disappear without even a goodbye or thanks for a fun night. Besides, she was the one with everything to gain from sleeping with the son of the clinics primary stockholder.
Nothing between us was a joke. Not to me, he assured her, carefully choosing his words. I didnt know you worked here, Kasey. How could I? You never told me you were a doctor.
A couple of nurses stood just out of line of sight, trying to busy themselves but allowing curiosity to get the better of them. Eric sighed. Hed come home to take on his responsibilities, to be near his mother, not to immediately immerse the clinic in gossip about his personal life.
Is there somewhere we can talk in private?
No. Kasey shook her head, her eyes narrowed into accusatory slits. I dont want to talk to you, in private or otherwise. You arent supposed to be here. She enunciated each word with great emphasis. I dont want you here.
Had she audibly hissed at him, he wouldnt have been surprised. What did surprise him was her reaction to seeing him. He was the one who should be feeling betrayed. Shed given him the best sex of his life, left without a trace, and then showed up as an employee at his familys medical center. Why was she so upset?
He racked his brains, trying to recall what hed last said to her during the night. Kissing the top of her head and whispering that she was amazing didnt seem like something that would make her so prickly. Saying how beautiful she was, how special, how glad he was that shed sat beside him at the bar, nope, that shouldnt have agitated her, either.
Yes, shed been upset about something on the night theyd met. And, yes, had he been a true gentleman he would have driven her home and gotten her phone number, not carried her to his hotel room and made love to her over and over. But, hell, hed wanted her with an undeniable desperation and it had been a long time since hed been with anyone. A long time since hed wanted to be with anyone. Kissing Kasey, touching her, had felt right.
What happened that night? Jonathan asked, gawking at them, his lips twitching with laughter. Sounds like more than drinks and dancing.
Kasey shot Jonathan a lethal look. Dont you have a patient to see or something?
Right. Ill go see a patient. Jonathan nodded with a gleam in his eye that said hed grill Eric for the lowdown later.
We should talk, Eric said, still trying to figure out why she was in attack mode. Sure, shed left his bed without waking him, but shed enjoyed the night, had been willing, more than willing. Shed been interesting, funny, sweet and sexy when theyd talked in the bar. Besides the phenomenal sex, hed genuinely liked her. Hed planned to see her again, had been disappointed to wake, find her gone and realize he only knew her first name.
Having a woman use him hadnt been a new experience, but hed never been used in that particular way before.
This isnt the time or place for this conversation. Kasey took another step back, looked like she might take off, but didnt. Visibly, she pulled herself together, transforming before his eyes into a calm vision of cool professionalism. She stood with her shoulders high, regal. Only her expressive eyes betrayed the hint of inner turmoil.
I have patients to see, too. Expression pinched, Kasey reached up and pulled the stethoscope off her neck, fingering the tubing. It was unexpected to see you, Dr. Matthews.
She emphasized the word doctor, making it sound dirty, almost like an insult. Damn it, he had told her he was a doctor. He was more proud of his degree than anything else hed done in his sorry life.
She turned, took a step away from him.
His breath caught. He didnt want her to walk away. Have dinner with me.
She paused, then shook her head. That wouldnt be a good idea.
Why not? He hadnt consciously made the decision to ask her to dinner, but now that he had, he wanted her to say yes. Besides, they needed to talk about what had happened two months ago.
She hesitated, momentarily looking uncertain. Youre coming to work at Rivendell, arent you?
Now that he knew she was here, neither hell nor high water would keep him from Rivendell. A factor that shouldnt have any influence at all, but suddenly did. Yes.
She leveled him with the steely green gaze beneath her glasses. Thats why having dinner together isnt a good idea. Fraternizing with colleagues is not conducive to my career goals.
Battling a myriad of emotions, Eric watched her disappear into an exam room. At least this time hed been awake when she left.
Tell me everything. Jonathan pounced the moment the door closed behind Kasey. Where had he been hiding? Behind a plant?
I thought you were seeing a patient, Eric pointed out, leading his friend toward Jonathans private office. Besides, were in the hallway of the clinic where we work. Use some tact.
He closed Jonathans office door. I met Kasey two months ago, liked her and want to go out with her again.
And?
Theres nothing more to tell.
Not that he was willing to share. Not even with someone hed shared secrets with for years and who knew him better than anyone. Jonathan knew his darkest moments and had seen him through them. But some things were private. His night with Kasey fell into that category.
His friend leaned against his desk, arms crossed, expression confused. You really want to go out with the Ice Queen?
Dont call her that. Eric glared, feeling oddly defensive of the woman whod elicited strong emotions from the moment shed plopped down next to him looking as if her world had crashed. Why wouldnt I want to go out with Kasey? Shes a beautiful woman.
Jonathan looked flummoxed. Yeah, but
Shes intelligent, witty, has a great sense of humor and is a lot of fun to be around, Eric interrupted before Jonathan could say anything else. What was wrong with his friend? Hed been working with Kasey for heaven only knew how long and yet he hadnt noticed what a sexy misnomer she was? That she hid her passion behind too-tight hairstyles, dont-touch-me designer clothes and Im-smart-not-pretty glasses?
Are we talking about the same woman? Jonathan shook his head. Dont get me wrong. Kaseys a great coworkersteady, dependable, thoroughbut shes not your type. Too uptight and career oriented.
Those arent bad qualities youre describing, Eric pointed out.
She has her sights set on the top, pal. Shes made no secret that she wants a seat on the board and shes put in the long hours to make sure it happens, Jonathan warned, pretending to shiver. Plus, she gives off those subzero vibes. Could give a man permanent frostbite.
Frostbite? Eric had come closer to suffering heatstroke in Kaseys company than frostbite. Jonathan and apparently every other man in Kaseys life were blind fools.
Just so long as she didnt plan to use him as her stepping stone to the top, Eric had no problem with a career-minded woman. Particularly when that woman attracted him the way Kasey did.
Shes all business, rarely smiles, Jonathan continued, listing all the reasons he thought Kasey was wrong for Eric.
She didnt smile? Why did that make his chest hurt? Why did it make him want to do everything in his power to make her smile, and often? Just as hed done on the night theyd met.
Your loss, bud, because Ive seen her smile. She hadnt smiled at first. But before theyd left for his hotel shed laughed out loud several times. She has an amazing smile that makes a man automatically smile back.
He wanted to experience her smile again.
Jonathans gaze narrowed, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. I think youre suffering from brain freeze. Either that or you worked in that African desert for so long you cant handle hot anymore.
Eric grinned. Oh, he could handle hot all right. And he planned to.
Just as soon as he could convince Kasey.
CHAPTER TWO
ERIC leaned back in the expensive leather chair meant to impress guests invited into Rivendell Medical Centers administrators office. With its original wall prints, expensive furnishings and lush greenery, the office screamed success.
I know Dr. Douglas has already shown you around the ambulatory clinic, but would you like a tour of the rest of the facility prior to officially starting? the lanky man hed spent the morning with offered. I know you practically grew up at the center, but that was before we moved to the new location.
That had been three years ago while Eric had been in Africa as part of the medical mission team hed joined straight out of medical school. A lifetime ago. Eric didnt even feel like the same person whod once lived in Rivendell.
He wasnt the same person.
The entire building is state-of-the-art. The in-house referral system streamlines care with great efficiency. We have close to a hundred providers of various specialties on staff now. Clive gave Eric a grin. Your grandfather would be proud. I know your mother is.
His maternal grandfather would be proud of how far the clinic had come. The facility comprised a three-story building with multiple specialty departments, a fully equipped laboratory, radiology department, pharmacy and a same-day surgery wing that bore Erics grandfathers name.
His mother was proud of the clinic, too, but Eric refused to let thoughts of her into his mind. Hed barely been home a week and already she was trotting Kentucky debutantes in front of him at every opportunity.
Eric shook his head at his mothers matchmaking and at the administrator. Jonathan showed me around the center when I was here two months ago.
Just as it had then, the center felt right.
Like this was where he was meant to be despite years of adamant and rebellious denial of his heritage. Despite his mother thinking his move home meant he was ready to settle down and produce heirs.
If theres anything Rivendell can do to make your move smoother, let me know, Clive went on, no doubt in an effort to impress Lena Woolworths only child.
Actually Eric rocked back in the chair, eyeing the administrator through narrowed eyes. There is something.
Clives temple jumped with a nervous spasm. Oh?
Im going to work in the ambulatory clinic.
The mans unease faded into confused relief.
The ambulatory clinic? But Remembering who he was talking to, the administrator nodded. Of course. I should have realized youd want to work directly with Dr. Douglas.
Perhaps he should feel guilty for using his influence to change where hed be working at the last minute. Hadnt he sworn not to let moving home corrupt him? That hed remain true to the man hed grown into while thousands of miles away? But working in the ambulatory clinic appealed enough for him to ignore any doubts about his motives.
He had no doubts.
He wanted to be near Dr. Kasey Carmichael.
Whether or not wanting to be near her was a good thing remained to be seen.
Early that evening, Kasey finished seeing her afternoon patients and slouched into the comfy ergonomic chair at her desk.
Her office wasnt much larger than a broom closet, but shed been allowed to decorate the room to her taste. Shed gone with crisp white walls and black furniture. A vase of colorful Shasta daisies, looking so real people often reached out to touch a petal just to see, sat on the top of her bookshelf along with a model of a human kidney and a two-foot-tall skeleton shed nicknamed Bones.
She kept a vanilla-scented air freshener plugged in to drown out the antiseptic smell that permeated the rest of the clinic.
The room wasnt fancy, but at least she had a small private place to call her own.
Right now, she desperately needed privacy.
Eric was here. At the clinic.
Maybe hed work on a different floor and shed never see him. What kind of doctor was he anyway?
Dropping her face into her palms, she massaged her temples.
This couldnt be happening.
Just seeing Eric in the hallway had made her want to push him into a room and perform a thorough examination of all his many attributes, right down to taste-testing him from head to toe.
Which shocked her.
Shed never been adventurous sexually. She and Randall had shared a good enough sex life, but they hadnt been the stuff to burn down buildings.
One night with Eric and smoke still clouded her mind.
Intoxicating smoke that made her want to inhale deeply and give in to sweet fantasy.
Sweet? There hadnt been anything sweet about her fantasies. Hot, enthusiastic, sweaty, yes, but not sweet.
Kaseys fingers dug deeper into her scalp.
No way would she risk her career because of a man a second time. Not at Rivendell, where shed made her fresh start and the potential to achieve her lifelong dreams dangled in front of her like the proverbial carrot.
A knock sounded at her door and she looked up. Eric watched her.
Realizing she was massaging her temples in overtime, she dropped her hands to her desk and tapped the sleek black surface. Which was no less nervous appearing than her temple massaging. Taking a deep breath, she flattened her palms against the desk to stay their fidgety tapping.
I thought youd left. Brilliant conversation. Yet what did it matter? His family owned stock in the center. Could the situation be any more Randall-like? She needed to put Eric firmly in the past and keep him there.
If she remained steadfast, perhaps hed take a hint and leave her alone.
Which was what hed eventually do regardless. She was definitely like her mother in that regard. Men never stayed long. Shed thought Randall had been different. Steady, dependable Randall. But shed been wrong. Horribly wrong and just look what that mistake had cost her in the long run.
Not to mention that shed gone to Erics hotel room on the night theyd met. She didnt respect herself, how could she expect him to?
I did leave, Eric admitted. His gaze roved over her in melted chocolate temptation that made her libido growl in hungry response. I came back.
Why? Why did he have to look so wonderful in his black slacks, blue shirt and tie? Like something on the cover of a mens magazine. Hed taken off his suit jacket at some point since shed seen him earlier and his tie was loosened around his neck, making her want to walk over to him and straighten it.
Or perhaps she just wanted a reason to touch him?
You.
Me? As much as she thrilled at his answer, he had to stop. Shed made a mistake the night theyd met. One she could forgive due to her mothers death. But she couldnt justify a repeat of their amazing night.
His family held power over the medical center.
They were going to be coworkers.
If shed learned anything from her experience with Randall, shed learned not to mix personal stuff with ones job.
The consequences were too dire.
Seeing you today was an unexpected surprise. He stepped into her office, closed the door behind him, overwhelming the tiny room. Even Bones appeared to tremble in his presence. I enjoyed our night together.
What rabbit hole had she fallen into? Because he looked as if he wanted to touch her. As if hed like to push her against her desk, hike up her skirt and run his hands along her thighs, along her Kasey gulped. No!
At his startled look, she took a calming breath.
That night was Amazing, wonderful, just what shed needed. Embarrassing. She didnt behave like her mother. Not usually. She wasnt a woman driven by lust and she had no intention of becoming one. Shed worked too hard to make something of herself, to rise above her past, poverty and genetics. Nice, but we both know it was a one-night stand kind of thing.
One-night stand kind of thing?
He towered over her, not in a menacing way, but she fought the desire to lean as far away as possibleto ease the temptation of moving closer to those broad shoulders and talented hands.
Youre wrong, he continued, looking completely aware of her proximity dilemma and pleased by her reaction to him. That night wasnt a one-night stand. Far from it.
What would you call it? Besides the most humiliatingevent of my life? No, that would have been when Skymont Hospital had let her go over her relationship with Randall. Or perhaps when her mother had shown up drunk at her high school graduation ceremony. Either way, her night with Eric had been a mistake. Thats what she repeated in her head, not allowing her hormones a word in edgewise.
The beginning of something worth pursuing. His eyes bored into her, daring her to deny his claim. Unbidden, her gaze dropped to the strong set of his jaw, to his lips. That mouth had kissed her. All of her.
Stop. She closed her eyes, fighting memories of the tender kisses hed placed on her hair, her face, the way hed kissed away her tears. Memories of tenderness that had given way to passion. To urgent kisses. Our meeting that night was nothing more than a bad coincidence. We should forget it happened.
What you call a bad coincidence I call a stroke of good fortune. Just as I consider seeing you today good fortune.
His words were sweet to her ears, but what he was really saying was that he wanted sex again. Theyd slept together on the day theyd met. He wasnt interested in a real relationship with her. Just sex. Toe-curling, life-altering sex but, still, just sex.
He moved further into the office, crowding her personal space by coming around to her side of the desk and half sitting, half leaning against the corner. His closeness zapped her ability to breathe.
Why didnt you wake me before you left, Kasey?
Oh, God, why had he moved so close?
She shut her eyes, counted to ten, prayed for indifference to him. That night shouldnt have happened and wouldnt have under different circumstances.
Sad, but true.
Yes, it would have.
Spicy, sexy musk toyed with her senses. She squeezed her eyes more tightly closed because she worried that if she looked at him, shed have to touch. Absolutely have to.
Im sorry you got dragged into my bad day, she plunged on, needing to talk, needing to do anything that kept her from reaching out to run her finger over the cleft in his chin. I regret the entire evening.
You regret meeting me? He sounded as if he didnt believe her.
Knowing theyd be coworkers, she should regret having met him, but her heart ached at the thought of not having the comfort shed felt as shed drifted to sleep in his arms. At not experiencing the mind-shattering passion his kisses had evoked. Shed had a bad day. Hed made her feel better. No matter how much she should, she didnt regret them making love.
She couldnt tell him that.
Doing so would only make what she had to do more difficult.
Indifference. She needed indifference.
Yes, she choked out. I regret meeting you.
Open your eyes.
She forced her eyelids open, looked into his dark eyes and swallowed. Hard. Lord, he looked as if he really had been hurt that shed left him.
Now, say you regret meeting me and mean it. He shook his head when her lids automatically lowered. Dont close your eyes, Kasey. Look at me, and tell me you regret what we shared, because I dont believe you.
She wanted to scoot her chair toward the wall to put more distance between them, but she needed to make a strong stand. Her job, her peace of mind was at stake. She should push him off her desk, but didnt dare touch him. To do so would send her few functioning brain cells into sexual dementia.
Focus on your goals, Kasey. She gave herself a mental pep talk. Career, helping others, social status,being a valued member of society. A fling with acoworker robbed you of that once. Eric is a coworkerwith an influential family.
Is your ego so big you cant accept that I made a mistake in going to your hotel room? she accused, going on the attack. She had to destroy the chemistry between them. Because she had to deny it. She couldnt go through what shed gone through with Randall.
Somehow she suspected recovering from Eric would rob her of a lot more than Randalls decision she was good enough to sleep with but not good enough to give his last name to.
No, my ego isnt that big. He leaned across her desk, staring straight into her eyes, his breath caressing her lips. But I was there that night.
I remember. She hadnt meant to sound nostalgic, but her voice held a touch of longing she couldnt deny. She shook off the erotic memories and put on the flat affect shed perfected in the days following the fiasco with Randall. In the days before Skymont Hospital had let her go. I took advantage of you that night.
What? His forehead wrinkled in surprise.
She sighed. How much could she tell him without also admitting how much being near him affected her? Was this what her mother had battled every time a sexy man had come near? This overwhelming need to touch? To be touched?
If so, Kasey was grateful the first thirty years of her life had passed without her knowing such carnal craving.
Like I said, she began, wishing he werent so close, that she didnt feel every inch Betsy Carmichaels daughter, right down to the burst of pheromones dictating she forget everything except how this mans lips had felt against hers. I had a bad day.
Which doesnt explain how you used me.
She shrugged as nonchalantly as she could pull off when she couldnt breathe. Dont you get it? I didnt want to be alone. You were convenient. End of story.
A glimmer of anger shone in his eyes. Youre saying any man would have done?
If it meant not being alone that night? She called upon all her strength and lied through her teeth. Any man would have done.
He smoothly shifted to stand by the black leather chair wedged between her desk and the corner of the office. Genuine shock shone on his face. Would he realize she was oversimplifying the nights events? She couldnt give him that opportunity.
When I saw you with Dr. Douglas this morning Sitting forward, she continued her assault before he regrouped his thoughts, an assault directed as much at her libido as at Eric. I just wished youd go away. I dont do one-night stands. At least, I never had until that night. If Id known Id see you again, I never would have shared a drink with you, much less gone to your hotel room.
How horrible did that admission make her sound?
How much did it brand her Betsy Carmichaels daughter?
Was it even true? No. Eric had made her feel better, made her feel whole. She would have gone anywhere hed led.
What scared her was that even now, when she was thinking more logically about her mothers death, when she knew shed slept with a man similar to Randall, Eric still made her feel dazed, made her want to go where he led.
Then Im glad you didnt know wed see each other again. He crossed his arms, his fingers coming so close to touching her she imagined she could feel his body heat sear through her clothes. I enjoyed making love to you, Kasey.
I imagine so. She couldnt keep the snideness out of her voice. After all, shed just compared him to Randall and he was playboy Dr. Douglass friend. You should be grateful I left before you woke.
He leaned back, eyed her, his lips twisted with displeasure. Grateful that you used me for sex and left while I was asleep?
Was her face as red as it felt?
Most guys would be grateful to avoid an awkward morning after.
His gaze unwavering, he shrugged. Im not most guys.
Yes, shed noticed that about him.
The day we met wasnt a good day, she said for lack of knowing what else to say.
So youve said. Yet you havent said what was so bad. His voice held a gentle, concerned quality that made her want to squirm.
She didnt want him to be nice. She didnt want to like him, didnt want to believe in the light shining in his eyes that said she could trust him.
Whatever his game was, she wouldnt, couldnt, play along. Neither would she.
What happened to send you into that bar? Eric asked. Into my arms?
Her gaze dropped to the strong arms that had held her so securely. He sounded sincere. It would be so easy to give in, to lean on those broad shoulders.
She knew better, though. Randall had sounded sincere, had let her lean on his shoulders. Then hed jerked the carpet out from under her feet and trampled on her while she was down.
My life is none of your business.
Unfazed by her snappish comeback, Eric stared into her eyes. What if I want to make your life my business? What if I want to see you again because I wasnt grateful you left without waking me?
Was it even possible? She hadnt thought so, but what if?
Each and every time shed leaned on another person, shed fallen. Even if Eric hadnt been grateful shed left, eventually the attraction would fizzle and then where would she be? Stuck working with an ex. The good-ole-boy system had already driven home how they dealt with sticky situations.
She would not be forced to start over again.
Not even for a man as appealing as Eric.
Id say you were out of luck, because the night we met was a fluke and is never going to happen again. She liked her life in Rivendell too much to risk it.
Kasey, he began, pinning her beneath dark fire.
Stop right there, Dr. Matthews. She jumped from her seat, refusing to be trapped by his nearness. She held up her hand to ward him off. What happened between us was a mistake. I dont appreciate you coming to my office, pressuring me this way. Im not interested. End of story.
He paused, confusion flashing in his eyes. Not backing away, he stayed within inches of her face. Youre serious?
Absolutely. Much better to deny the sexual chemistry between her and the fascinating man tempting her to throw caution to the wind. As much as shed once cared for Randall, hed never lifted her to the heights this man had in a single night. She might not recover a second time. Not professionally. Not emotionally.
Although Eric looked like he wanted to say more, he clamped his mouth closed and conveyed his displeasure via his tight facial expression.
Resuming his perch on her desk, he watched her for so long she fought to keep standing. His eyes gleamed a deep brown, threatening to burn her with their intensity if she showed the slightest sign of weakness.
His gaze scorched into her soul.
Finally, he gave a curt nod and left. Kaseys forehead crashed to her desk and she rolled her head back and forth against the hard, cold surface.
Eric was gone.
But hed be back.
Every workday, hed be back.
Just how was she going to stay steadfast when con fronted with Eric day in and day out?
CHAPTER THREE
A WEEK later, Eric winced at his twenty-year-old patients bright red skin. How long were you out in the sun?
My boyfriend works on a horse farm and we were out riding. I ended up sticking around and helping him most of the day. Last night I was miserable. I thought I was going to have to go to the emergency room, the young woman admitted, holding her body stiffly.
Ill be as easy as I can. He gently lifted her loose clothing away from her skin to peer at the burn. Did you have on sunscreen?
As impossible as it seemed, her face grew redder. No. I was working on my tan.
Id suggest you work on protecting your skin from permanent damage. A good SPF 30 sunscreen would have saved you a lot of trouble. He motioned toward her burn.
Oh, you dont have to worry. Ive learned my lesson. I plan to go buy the highest SPF in the store.
Eric shook his head. No need. SPF 30 provides all the protection you need. Once the sun is blocked, its blocked. Anything beyond just puts extra chemicals on your skin without any real extra protection.
He slipped on his stethoscope and listened to her heart sounds. Normal S1S2 with a regular rate and rhythm. No murmur. Lung sounds clear to auscultation.
Youre losing a lot of moisture through your burn. Make sure you drink a lot of water over the next few days. You want to stay hydrated.
He tapped the RX emblem on the computer screen and entered a prescription for burn cream. He sent the prescription to the pharmacy and printed out a patient education handout on skin care and sunburn.
His next patient was a thin older gentleman with soulful eyes and slumped shoulders. After less than thirty seconds, Eric realized Shane Bresdan needed more than a prescription refill.
The man took a deep breath, stared at his hands. My wife left.
Left?
Kapooie. Shes gone. Shanes tone was flat, as if he talked about the weather. But his eyes held a world of pain and his hands were clenched tightly in his lap.
Where did she go?
Sagging shoulders lifted then fell. Dont know. She just picked up and left while I was at work one day. Came home to a note saying she was gone and wouldnt be back.
And Eric thought he had female problems.
Were you having marital issues?
No more than normal. Shes never left before. Never even threatened to.
Poor man. After waking up in his hotel room alone two months ago, Eric wholeheartedly commiserated. Hed never had a woman walk out on him. He hadnt cared for the experience.
Hed thought he and Kasey had hit it off that night. They had. But whereas hed gone into the hotel room thinking they were starting something special, shed gone in thinking of the ending to her bad day.
Eric sighed. Thinking about Kasey was futile when she refused to acknowledge theyd shared anything more than a one-nighter. Was he really such a bad judge of women? Hadnt he learned to read who was sincere and who wasnt? Hed thought so, but perhaps not.
He turned back to his patient. How are you dealing with her leaving?
Unpacking his few personal belongings, going alongwith his mothers constant social demands because itmade her happy, and making her happy made himhappy, hanging out with Jonathan.
Which had worked until hed been confronted with the living breathing reminder of the woman whod bailed out on him.
Now he was discontented as hell.
Eric talked to Shane several more minutes, recommended counseling and an antidepressant. Shane denied suicidal ideas and agreed to return to the clinic for reevaluation. He scheduled a follow-up appointment for a weeks time.
Eric shook the mans hand and walked into the hallway with him.
His Kasey radar bleeped. Why was he so aware of a woman who wanted nothing to do with him? He should be grateful. He hadnt come home to start a relationship. Hed come home for his mother, because hed heard the need in her voice.
Unable to keep from looking at Kasey, he resigned himself to her reaction. Had four years out of the States really made such a difference in his social skills that hed gone from fighting off women to chasing after one who denied wanting anything more to do with him? Why didnt he believe her?
She wouldnt have taken off from his hotel room bed if shed wanted a relationship. Or would she? If shed known who he was, known theyd be colleagues when he eventually took his place at the clinic, would she have left to throw him off kilter? To leave him wanting more?
He caught her looking at him. Her big green eyes were soulful behind her glasses. Her lower lip was sucked in between her teeth. Her fingers tightly clutched her stethoscope.
Why was she pretending their chemistry didnt exist when it so obviously did?
His gaze roved over the woman standing a few feet away, staring at him with a deer-in-the-headlights expression.
Gold digger or not, he wanted Dr. Kasey Carmichael.
More than he remembered ever wanting a woman.
She wanted him, too.
With time, shed admit she wanted him.
How long has your back been hurting, Mr. Oliver? Kasey asked, making a notation on the sixty-year-olds electronic chart. Mr. Oliver came in every few months with a variety of complaints. Over the time shed been taking care of him, Kasey had grown fond of the older gentleman, who qualified to come to the ambulatory clinic through a special charity fund sponsored by the Rivendell Ladies Society.
Shoulders covered in dirty coveralls, he shrugged. On and off for years. Just something I live with, you know. With no insurance, I aint had much choice.
Pushing her professional, no-nonsense, black-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose, she nodded. Mr. Oliver worked two jobs, trying to support his family. Although his children were all grown, one of his daughters and her three children lived with them. They struggled to make ends meet on the best of days. When did your back get worse?
A couple of weeks ago. I was at work and lifted a car battery. Heard my back pop and then had to have Joe help me straighten. His weary eyes met hers. You know Joe. He and his wife come to see you. He drove me here today.
Joes a nice man. Kasey typed his response into the patient database. Have you ever had an X-ray of your spine?
His forehead wrinkled with thought. Nope. Had one on my shoulder once when I was younger, but thats it.
Kasey examined his back, running her fingers along his spine, noting the abnormal curvature and areas of spasm. Id like to order an X-ray of your lumbar and thoracic spine. Thats your low and middle back. Youve got some scoliosis thats probably congenital, meaning you were born with it, but Im concerned youve lost some vertebral height as well.
Whatever you say, Doc. He shifted uncomfortably on the exam table. Im not sure I can afford X-rays, though.
Theyre included in your visit today, she reminded him, glad that cost wouldnt keep Mr. Oliver from getting the care he needed. Yet another reason she volunteered with the Rivendell Ladies Society, a group of Kentucky women who gave back to their community. RLS was the social club, just what shed dreamed of belonging to while growing up. Kaseys reality had been more along the lines of Public Housing is Us.
Mr. Olivers brows lifted. The X-rays are included? I didnt realize.
She nodded, doing her best not to make the proud man feel uncomfortable. She understood he didnt like accepting charity. All too well she understood. Hadnt she once survived on others charity? Between her booze and her men, Betsy had had little time for her daughter.
No, Kasey wouldnt think of her mother.
To do that would lead to thinking of her death which led to thoughts of meeting Eric. She was having a difficult enough time not thinking of him.
What had his look in the hallway been about? Shed swear when he looked at her he saw right through to her soul. The sensation made her very uncomfortable.
Have you noticed any burning or tingling in your legs or feet? she asked her patient, refocusing on the issue at hand.
No burning, but my feet stay cold. Particularly on the left side. Mr. Oliver lifted the offending foot from the floor, rotating his ankle. She had him flex his foot toward his knee. No pain. Negative Homans sign.
She indicated for him to take off his shoes. He did so. She took out a sensory tine often used to measure diabetic neuropathy and asked him to tell her when she touched his foot with the bristlelike instrument.
Mr. Oliver had decreased sensation in three of his toes.
She pressed against each toe, closely watching how quickly the nail bed and flesh returned to pink. His capillary refill was within normal limits. Unfortunately, his great toenails bilaterally were yellow, thick and mal-shaped from a fungal infection. Shed check on pharmaceutical samples. If his liver enzymes came back okay, shed treat the fungus with an oral medication that would slowly clear the infection. With the decreased sensation, shed do all she could to protect his feet.
We may need to do an MRI scan, but Ill wait and see what the X-ray shows. She straightened, filled out an order slip and handed the paper to him. Take this to the radiology department. Its just beyond the elevators on the right. Ive also ordered a urinalysis and a few blood tests that you can stop back by the laboratory in the morning and have done. You need to fast, for at least eight hours before you have the blood drawn so I can check your cholesterol, too.
Okay. The man stared at the paper in his callused hands. Grease permanently blackened his nails, etched out each and every wrinkle, outlining the story of his life. Years of hard labor as a mechanic couldnt be washed away with soap and water. Thanks.
Kasey respected Mr. Oliver. Circumstances may have prevented him from having a better life, but he didnt expect handouts, didnt want a free ride.
Unlike her mother.
Despite their monumental differences, Kasey had mourned her mothers death, wished she could have felt more loss over the woman than over what might have been. She couldnt change the past. Her mother was gone and there was no longer hope that someday her mother might get her act together where they could have a real relationship. The relationship theyd had, however lacking, was all theyd ever have.
Kasey bit the inside of her lip to stop the new line of maternal thoughts heading her way. She forced her mother to the recesses of her mind and smiled at her patient.
When youre done getting the X-rays, stop by the pharmacy, which is one door down from the radiology department. Youll have two prescriptions waiting. One for an anti-inflammatory and one for a muscle relaxant. She told him what the generic prescriptions would cost. Dont forget to come back as soon as you can for the blood tests, preferably tomorrow. If your labs show anything requiring further treatment, Ill call you.
Gripping his front sheet, he left the exam room. Kasey headed to her office.
Sitting at her desk, she riffled through a stack of papers on her desk, ignoring an announcement of the addition of Dr. Eric Matthews to the ambulatory clinic of Rivendell Medical Center. Instead, she reviewed a cardiology consult letter on Bill Ridner. The words blurred before her eyes. Her mind was filled with the man who haunted her every thought.
The announcement had been sitting on her desk for a couple of days. Not that shed let herself read the postcard-sized message. She hadnt. Wouldnt. The less she exposed herself to Eric, the better. The less she knew about the man behind the gorgeous body and quick smile, the better.
An image of that gorgeous body, his passionate kisses while hed made love to herhad sex with her caused her to inhale sharply. Hed started at the clinic the day after his surprise arrival a week ago and was working directly with her. How was she supposed to ignore that? Ignore him?
Perhaps she should read the announcement just to learn about her enemy better.
Technically, as head of the ambulatory clinic, she was Erics superior, but time and again Clive Evans sought out Eric, as did several longtime board members. Had the clinic ever put so much effort into schmoozing a new physician?
The more attention Eric got, the more nervous Kasey became about who would take Herberts board position.
She rubbed her temple, massaging the dull throb that erupted any time she thought of Eric.
She had a permanent headache these days.
Okay, so I like him, she admitted to Bones, grimacing at the skeleton on her bookshelf. A lot.
Way more than she should since a relationship between them was impossible. Could she have picked a worse person to be attracted to? A man who not only was someone she worked with but a doctor who was likely vying for the same promotion she was and had strong family ties to the medical center. Why else would he keep having so many private conversations with the administrator and board members?
He was just like Randall. Rich, spoiled, used to getting what he wanted. When push came to shove, hed rise to the top, even if he had to step on her to do so. Shed do well to remember that.
Kasey massaged her temple with more vigor, wondering if shed worn the flesh away from her skull yet. Shed always massaged her temples when she got agitated. At the rate she was going, she was going to look like Bones.
.
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Janice Lynn
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
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О книге: The Playboy Doctor Claims His Bride, электронная книга автора Janice Lynn на английском языке, в жанре современные любовные романы