Carina leaned forward to bump her forehead against his. “Ditto, my love.” This was it; the ultimate happiness she longed for. The man she loved for so long and the bonus gift in her arms. She wanted nothing else. Her joy was now complete.
TEMPTING THE ENEMY
The Medical Heart Throb Series 3
An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance
Andrea L. Smith
www.andreasmithbooks.com
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Copyright © 2020 by Andrea L. Smith
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CHAPTER ONE
“Pinch me again, please. I think I’m still dreaming.”
Dana-Marie Cole grinned and reached for her drink on the bar counter. “For the last time, Iz, this is happening. So, here’s to your last week as a single woman.” She raised the glass. “Cheers.”
Her best friend Isabel Delgado grinned and shimmied her shoulders as she clinked her glass with Dana’s. “Cheers.” She examined the rock on her left hand. “It’s so unreal, getting married to Luke.”
“Well, it’s real, and I’m taking some credit,” Dana said. “If I hadn’t left my phone that night, you wouldn’t have gone with Luke.”
Though three years had passed, she remembered like it was yesterday, getting home to more than a dozen missed calls from Isabel after she refused Dana’s warning and went dancing alone. Dana almost lost her mind with worry, thinking the worst had happened to her friend. But while she fretted, Isabel was safe and sound, getting her groove on.
Isabel sighed with a dreamy smile. “The craziest thing I’ve ever done, going home with a man I’d just met in the club. But that night was one of the best of my life…”
“Who would have thought? Sweet, innocent Isabel on a one-night stand? Though what you did afterwards wasn’t so innocent,” Dana said.
Isabel gave a wry smile before taking a sip of her drink. “Yeah, that wasn’t my finest moment; keeping our baby a secret from Luke. But it all worked out right?”
“Right.” Isabel’s pregnancy from her one-night encounter with Luke was a hell of a shock. What was even more shocking was Isabel’s decision to keep Luke out of the loop. For once, Dana refused to back Isabel. She couldn’t bear the thought of her godson not knowing his dad. But Dana’s constant nagging didn’t work on her stubborn friend and Isabel hid the baby bump until Luke found out. Though it made him livid that she kept the news from him, he stepped up to the plate at once.
Their relationship had a rocky start. Isabel loved Luke, but she didn’t trust that he wanted to settle down. Dana understood. Luke was a chick magnet with a heartbreaker’s good looks and bedroom prowess that would drive a woman mad—well, according to Isabel, anyway.
But even a blind man could see his love for Isabel. It would have been a mistake to let him go. She soon came to her senses, taking Dana’s you-better-get-that-man-before-its-too-late advice. Now, with their two-year-old, Connor, they were on their way to making it official, and Dana couldn’t be happier for her.
“Looking back, I probably wouldn’t have made it without you. You’re truly an exceptional friend, Dana,” Isabel said.
Their relationship began fifteen years ago, from the party central apartment they shared in undergraduate college. Physically, they were like oil and water, with Isabel’s olive skin tone and Latin curves contrasting with Dana’s creamy white complexion and slim figure. But they had many things in common, including an unlimited stubbornness and an unbreakable loyalty to each other.
They’d come a long way since those wild days in college. Isabel was now a mom, with a fiancé and a job as a senior radiologist at a trauma hospital in New Jersey, while Dana held a hard-earned spot among the most in-demand obstetricians in Trenton. As for husband and kids, well….
“You deserve this happiness,” she said to Isabel. And she meant it. Before meeting Luke, Isabel had almost hit rock bottom when she discovered her boyfriend Karim’s affair with another woman. Though it broke her heart, she moved on.
“So do you,” Isabel replied. “It’s time to find your prince charming and join the club.”
Dana snickered. “Or not.”
“Come on. Don’t you think it’s time? It’s been ten years, Dana.”
Biting her lower lip, Dana placed her cocktail on the bar counter. “I know.” Ten years. Ten long years since she’d been with a man. All because of the mental breakdown that came from walking in on Jamie, her boyfriend of seven years with another man.
Seeing their hardcore interaction was like a nightmare. She stood in the doorway of his bedroom, thinking, this is a dream… come on, Dana, wake up! But the scene kept prolonging before her.
She was so in love with Jamie, she would have forgiven him in a heartbeat, but what he wanted was a way out. While she had been planning for marriage and kids, he’d seen her as nothing more than a beard to keep him in the closet. But there was use in hiding anymore. He ended their relationship with a bouquet of her favorite flowers and a card that read, I’m sorry for hurting you, but I can’t live a lie anymore. I hope you find someone who truly deserves you.
It wasn’t enough. Not even close. Not after all their time together. Jamie was the man who took her virginity, the one who promised to love her forever. And now this…
It took years, heavy medication and constant therapy to get over what he’d done. She kept a wide distance from romance since then, and threw all her focus on her career. It seemed the safest thing to do. There was no way she could survive another heartbreak.
“So, what are you going to do about it?” Isabel asked.
“Not a damn thing.” She lifted the cocktail glass once more as Carina Morales, the addition to their trio for the evening, dashed in while removing her coat.
“Sorry I’m late, guys.” She threw the coat across the back of the chair and waved to the bartender. “I need a drink, pronto. Eliana won’t let me be great.” Eliana was her eighteen-month-old daughter with her boyfriend, Dylan, Dana’s brother. “My first night out in months and she throws a tantrum. I’ve never been so relieved to see Gina and Mateo.” Mateo was her dad, and Gina was his second wife. Carina’s mom died in her early teens.
“As much as I love my niece, I’m glad you got out. It’s been a minute since we hung out like this,” Dana replied.
Her relationship with Carina was a little over two years, but their bond surpassed that time. Like Isabel, Carina had stunning Spanish features and gorgeous curves that turned men’s heads everywhere she went. But Carina had eyes for only one man, and Dana couldn’t ask for a better partner for her brother.
She had been rooting for them from the start, when Dylan did everything in his power to not fall for Carina. His reservations were wise, Dana thought, because her overprotective father, who had mob ties, wanted h
er to be with someone else. But Carina would stop at nothing to reel Dylan in until he succumbed. Despite Mateo’s attempts to come between their love, they made it.
“Well, guys… I have an announcement.” Carina grinned as the two women paused their drink to shoot her curious stares. She watched the bartender place her cocktail on the table, then raised the glass while flipping her left hand. “I’m engaged!”
“Oh, my God!” Isabel and Dana screamed at once. Dana reached for her hand and examined the gorgeous diamond. “This is stunning. When did this go down?”
“A week ago, during dinner with Mateo and Gina. It was so amazing, guys. Dylan asked daddy’s permission the day before and then he got down on one knee and I literally dropped my fork. I’ve been dying to break the news, but I wanted to wait until we were all together.”
“Oh, honey.” Isabel rose from her seat to hug her. Isabel and Carina hadn’t been friends for a long time, but the two women hit it off so naturally, it was as if they’d known each other since birth. “I’m so happy for you. Welcome to the club!”
“Thanks beau. Now, it’s time to help Dana earn her membership card.”
“Please, not you too,” Dana said, rolling her eyes. Carina shot Isabel a questioning glance and Isabel said, “I’ve been on her ass to start dating again.”
“It’s about time,” Carina said.
“That’s what I said!” Isabel returned to her seat and gave Dana a triumphant gleam. “See, I’m not the only one who thinks you need to end that drought.”
“It’s not a drought, it’s a decision.” One that had kept her sane all these years. She’d choose those lonely nights in bed over a broken heart anytime.
“Whatever it is, it’s not healthy. Ten years without sex? That’s ludicrous,” Isabel said.
“Hey, there’s nothing a man can do that my battery-operated boyfriends can’t.” Her convenient, reliable vibrators that got her off countless times without tiring. She didn’t have to worry about them leaving her for another woman—or man.
“Believe me, they can never take the place of a warm body.”
“Or a good, hard cock,” Isabel chimed in. The two women laughed.
Dana scoffed. “I’ll pass.”
“Like hell you will!” Isabel said. “Jamie did a terrible thing to you, but it’s unfair to take the punishment for his mess. He’s the one who should have a setback in his love life, not you.”
“Guys, there’s no setback. I made the choice to be alone and I have no regrets.”
“But don’t you want a relationship—a family—kids?” Carina asked.
“I already have a family. Besides, your kids are enough of a handful.” An affectionate smile crossed her face as she thought of Connor and Eliana. Just a few months apart, her godson and niece brought light to her life, but they also came with a combined energy that would send a lesser woman to the madhouse. No, she wasn’t in a hurry to reproduce. Not now, probably never.
“Ladies, I’m fine, ok? I’m living a golden life. I have a brilliant career, a magnificent home, friends and family who love me… that’s more than enough.”
“But you’re missing a healthy relationship,” Isabel said.
“There’s nothing missing. I date occasionally. I just don’t take them home.” She forced an incoming irritation away with a hand wave. “Can we change the subject?”
“No, we won’t,” Isabel said. “Dana, as much as you try to hide it, we know you want more than this. You keep brushing my concerns aside, but I’m not letting you do that tonight. No. Not when I’ve spent years taking your advice. It’s time for you to take mine and get back out there. You are missing out.”
“What she said,” Carina added.
Dana blew a breath. “Fine. I’ll do it.” If that was what it took to get them off her back then she was all in.
“Tonight.”
She shot Isabel a disbelieving glare. “Tonight? Oh, hell no.”
“Yes.” Isabel crossed her arms, a crafty expression brightening her features. “I dare you to approach the next single guy who enters that door and seduce his pants off.”
“You are out of your mind. I’m not doing that.”
“How about a wager?” Isabel said. “You get the guy; we pay you a thousand dollars—each.”
“Mhmm…” Dana cocked her head, thinking.
“If you don’t, you pay us a thousand dollars.”
“Each,” Carina added.
Dana scoffed. “You’re as crazy as a headless chicken, that’s for sure.”
“Crazy or not, you’re getting a date tonight,” Carina said.
“Or laid tonight,” Isabel chimed in.
Carina replied with a wicked grin. “Who knows, you could meet Mr. Right on a one-night stand, just like Isabel did.”
“I said no, and that’s final.”
Isabel tsk-tsked at Dana’s response and shook her head with amusement. “You’re a coward, and that’s final.”
Dana groaned, knowing a bait when she saw one but deciding to take it, anyway. “You guys are the worst.”
“Yet, you love us.” Isabel spun Dana’s seat, so she faced the door. “What do you say? Ready to dip your toes?”
“Fine. Anything to end your nagging and save my money.”
“Yaay.” Carina clapped her hands with a gleeful smile. “This should be fun.”
Dana leaned against the bar counter and watched the entrance with bated breath. Please, lord, let him be attractive, at least.
The overhead bell jingled as the door opened and a middle-aged man with receding hair entered. He dressed well, in a pair of slacks and a buttoned shirt that peeked from the coat that covered his slim shoulders. He scanned the room, then moved to an empty seat at the other end of the bar.
“No. A million times no,” Dana said as her friends looked at her expectantly.
“Come on. You agreed to this,” Carina said.
“We need some ground rules. Early to late thirties with a full head of hair—unless he shaved it all off. Attractive, athletic—”
“Rich and powerful?” Isabel cut in.
“Sure, add those to list,” Dana replied, not missing her best friend’s sarcastic tone.
“You’re impossible. But I’ll give you a pass on the first guy. But not for the next one. If you don’t approach him, we will.”
“Ok, ok. Damn it.” She whipped around again as the bell sounded, then sagged with relief when a couple walked in. Was it too much to ask that no other single men would enter? For once, she resented Isabel’s impulsiveness and Carina’s determination. All she wanted was a celebratory night with her best girls. Now she was on the verge of stepping outside her comfort zone.
“Another bullet dodged,” Carina said as Dana turned to the bar, hoping her prayer bore fruit.
“Mhmm… or not,” Isabel replied.
Dana whipped around as the couple cleared the doorway, revealing another man standing there. He removed his coat and looked around, just as the other man did before him. But unlike his predecessor, his presence attracted the lengthy stares of women—single and otherwise—in the room.
Their reaction did not surprise Dana. The olive-skinned newcomer stood at least six feet tall, with massive shoulders and strapping arms that pressured the sweater he wore. The fitted jeans seemed made for him, covering his well-defined thighs and long legs. His golden eyes, the fiery pairs that could melt a woman’s panties—they swept the room, no doubt having that effect on the women who stared at him. He brushed a lock of hair from his face and his thick lips spread in a knowing smirk as he surveyed his audience.
Please, lord, don’t let him look this way.
But her prayer went unanswered. His gaze came to rest on the corner of the bar where Dana and her friends sat. The smile disappeared at once, replaced by a frown that made him more appealing than before. She groaned inside as he cut his eyes and moved to a table at the other end.
Of all the nights… of all the men…
; “Oh, yummy,” Carina said. “Dana, he’s perfect.”
“This should be interesting…” Isabel said, her smile spreading.
“Oh, no, no, no. Iz. Don’t do this to me. You know I can’t do this, not with him.”
“Come on, Dana. We gave you a pass. You’re not getting another one.”
“Well, then, let’s revisit the first option. I’ll take my chances with the middle-aged man.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Carina asked, her eyes like saucers. “You want to pass on that hunk?”
“He’s not a hunk. He’s a jerk who almost ruined my career.” She reached for her glass and emptied its contents.
“Huh? What am I missing?” Carina asked Isabel.
“It’s a long story,” Isabel said. “I’ll tell you about it while she makes a move.”
“I’m not doing it, guys. I won’t make a fool of myself.”
“Come on, Dana. What could be more fun than seducing your old rival?”
Old rival? No. Nicholas Torres wasn’t a mere rival. Because of him, she had to suffer through a scandal that cost her the residency she’d worked so hard for, one that set back her career a whole year. She was almost blacklisted from the medical field and had to fight her way to success.
She’d done nothing to deserve his attack except earn the chief residency. Who cared if he had it in his sights since their first year? He should have been a graceful loser, but Nicholas turned out to be a hateful, jealous piece of crap who couldn’t bear knowing she’d bested him for once.
No. Nicholas was more than a rival; he was her worst enemy. A man who deserved the long-overdue humiliation he’d dealt to her.
Mhmm…
Dana leaned against the bar, a wild thought bringing a crafty smile to her lips.
What if this was a chance for payback? Seduce him to a quivering, lustful mess and leave him hanging? It wouldn’t come close to what he’d done to her, but it was a sure start…
Yes, she’d been out of practice for a minute, but she did not doubt her power to bring him to his knees. Nothing would satisfy her as much as getting him hot, giving him a taste then leaving him with a painful hard-on. Man, wouldn’t that be something!
Doctor Love: A Medical Romance Series (Medical Heart Throb Series) Page 15
