by Donna Fasano
The corners of her mouth pulled back in a smile. The idea might be a little far-fetched and much too romantic, since she and Dakota had known each other such a short amount of time, yet Grayson had still touched a tender place inside her.
Instantly, Dakota’s dark humor returned full force. “His mention of the legend was his way of prodding me.”
“What legend? What are you talking about?”
“Many Native American tribes have stories and legends that deal with finding one’s true love. Usually, they’re told for the benefit of the female. Sort of like the Cinderella story. Or the tale of the knight in shining armor.”
Lyssa remembered her own youth. Where she grew up, it was common knowledge that no knight, shining or otherwise, would ever show up for the rescue. So Lyssa had taken things into her own hands. And in doing so, she’d made a royal mess of her life!
“Well,” Dakota continued, “the legend of the Woman of the Heart is told for the benefit of the young men of the tribe. We’re told that each of us has a woman who was born just for us.”
Lyssa spoke softly as she recited the shaman’s words, “And he will know her. For she will touch his heart like no other.”
Warmth shot through her like a hot-tipped arrow. Gooseflesh rose on her arms, making her shiver. The notion was a lovely one. A little fanciful maybe, but terribly romantic nonetheless.
“It was what he tacked on at the end that upset me,” Dakota said. “The part about a man patiently waiting for his woman.”
“So your grandfather wasn’t referring to me.” She spoke slowly as she fit the pieces together. “You think he was being facetious. He was pointing out that I’m not the woman for you. That you should have waited for her rather than marry me.”
Disappointment washed through her. She’d thought Grayson had been so friendly toward her. So unconditionally welcoming. When the shaman had called her the woman of Dakota’s heart, Lyssa had taken that to mean that the old man thought she and his grandson were meant to be together—even though their union wasn’t based on love—and that had touched her. Deeply.
This whole train of thought was silly, really. She had gone into this knowing there was no emotion involved. Her eyes had been open to the fact that this would be a marriage of convenience… a platonic merger… a sleep-in-separate-rooms business agreement between herself and Dakota.
So why did she feel like crying now that she’d discovered that Grayson Makwa’s statements hadn’t been meant as she’d originally taken them?
It was clear that Dakota didn’t notice her disappointment. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts.
“I suppose Grandfather is disturbed that we rushed into getting married,” he said. “Obviously, he disapproves of what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. I’ve been divorced once. And I guess he sees you and I ending up the same way. I’m sure that’s why he said what he said.” After a moment, he blurted, “Well, he can disapprove all he wants. So can Mat, for that matter. The fact that they frown on what we’ve chosen to do means nothing to me.”
Funny, Lyssa thought, how she had chosen to focus on the beautiful and heartrending aspects of the ceremony performed by the shaman—the lovely legend and the warm reception into the Makwa family—while Dakota had focused only on his family’s disapproval.
He chose that moment to reach over and slide his fingers lightly over her thigh.
“We did what was right for us,” he said, his tone louder than it needed to be. “That’s all that matters.”
She knew his touch was meant solely as reassurance. He meant to support, encourage, spur faith in the decisions they had made. However, the manner in which her body responded to the heat of his palm as it penetrated the thin fabric of her skirt was nothing short of overwhelming.
The weight of his hand set her emotions churning. Her heart pounded. Something deep inside her sprouted to life, curling, swirling, growing.
She wasn’t completely naive. She’d been married. She’d felt sexual urges before. But the passion that Dakota sparked in her body, ignited in her blood, was so potent, so powerful that it swept all thought from her head.
She wanted him! In the most physical way possible. She wanted to taste his kiss. A real kiss. Not a sweet little peck like the one he’d given her at the ceremony. She wanted to feel his hands on her. She wanted to run her fingertips through his hair, experience the silky length of it against her skin. She wanted to touch his body.
Suddenly, it was absolutely impossible for her to draw a breath.
Lyssa knew he was waiting for her to agree with him. He was looking for the same kind of encouragement and support that he’d just offered her. He needed to hear that she was on his side in this, that the two of them were a team. No matter what the rest of the world thought about what they were doing or their motivation for doing it.
But she couldn’t think, couldn’t speak. All she could do was sit there next to him, wanting him, needing him, all the while being taunted by that small frantic voice ringing through her brain.
Girl, it warned, you are in some deep trouble.
Chapter Four
“Come in,” Dakota called from his desk when he heard the knock on his office door.
Lyssa’s golden-brown eyes were smiling when she entered.
“Hi,” he said automatically. The mere sight of her had his shoulders relaxing, and he set aside his tablet.
“You’ve got a patient waiting in exam room one,” she told him.
“Thanks.” He was staring, he knew. But he couldn’t help it.
The afternoon sunlight spilling in from the solitary window gave her hair a honey glow. She wore it up at the office, but at home she wore it down. That’s how he liked it. Loose and free, tumbling soft around her shoulders.
Self-consciously, he glanced back down at the notes he’d been making on the patient’s file. He shouldn’t think about such things. However, over the past few days since they had married and Lyssa had moved in with him, those kinds of unbidden thoughts infiltrated his mind more and more frequently.
He realized she was still standing at the door. “I’ll be right there.”
Her luscious mouth pulled into a small grimace and her nose wrinkled across the bridge. Dakota was struck with the notion that she was just too delectable for decency.
“I think I’d better warn you.” Her voice lowered as if she was about to confide some secret that she didn’t want anyone else to hear. “It’s Desiree Washington.”
He groaned. His stomach knotted at the thought of dealing with the woman. “But she was just here last week. And she was healthy as a horse.”
Lyssa chuckled, and he would have loved to dive headfirst into the pleasant sound of it. But right now it seemed he had a problem to face.
“I believe,” she said lightly, “that Ms. Washington would be appalled by your analogy. However—” again her tone lowered conspiratorially “—she looks pretty healthy to me, too.” Laughter bubbled up from Lyssa’s throat again and she shook her head. “You’ve got to feel sorry for the poor woman. The only cure for her ‘illness’ would be a lustectomy.”
A bark of laughter erupted from him before he was able to contain it. “I’ve never performed that procedure.”
It was amazing that Lyssa seemed to be able to bring a ray of sunshine into a dismal situation. However, dread still lumped in his gut at the thought of going into the exam room.
Dakota was a competent doctor. An intelligent man. So why was it that the mere idea of dealing with the likes of Desiree Washington—or any other man-hungry woman—filled him with such alarm?
“Would you stop looking so defeated?”
Something in Lyssa’s tone had his eyes lifting to hers.
“You’ve got a plan?” he asked, hearing the hope that heavily laced the edges of his question. He didn’t care that he sounded desperate. He just wanted to stop feeling like a fat and juicy rabbit being pursued by ravenous wolves.
“Oh,” she said, her
gorgeous eyes twinkling with undisguised merriment, “I’ve got something better than a plan. I’ve got a wedding ring.”
She grinned, lifting her left hand and wiggling her fingers for Dakota’s benefit. He couldn’t help but return a cockeyed grin of his own.
“Come on,” she prompted, reaching out her hand to him. “It’s time to let Ms. Washington know that hunting season for Dakota Makwa is over.”
It was clear to Lyssa that, from the moment she and Dakota entered the exam room, the patient was thrown off kilter by the presence of the nurse. Lyssa immediately settled herself in a chair, laptop open and balanced on her knees, as she and the doctor had agreed to give the woman the benefit of the doubt just in case she might have a legitimate medical concern. However, it became apparent that the patient really was as healthy as that proverbial horse.
Desiree hemmed and hawed when Dakota asked her to describe her illness. She ended up talking about this and that, the general stresses of her life, never really detailing any viable symptoms, all the while shooting covert, yet telling, glances at Lyssa. If looks could kill, Lyssa highly suspected she’d have been a goner for sure.
Oh, this woman was good. The smile she gifted Dakota was coy and enticing. Her fingers trailed up to toy with her hair often. And she had a way of dipping her chin so that she was forced to look up at him through lowered lashes. Desiree had the art of flirting down to a well-rehearsed science. No wonder Dakota had felt threatened by her. She clearly saw him as ready prey—and she’d come loaded with her best ammunition.
While watching the scene unfold, some strange emotions began to churn inside Lyssa. Protective feelings, that was certain. She’d expected those. Protecting Dakota from the likes of Desiree Washington was the very reason she was here. The very reason she’d married him. But something else was stewing in her gut, as well. Something she couldn’t quite put a name to.
Finally, Desiree turned her full attention on Lyssa, nailing her with a withering look as she huffed out a haughty sigh.
“My problem is very private,” the woman said. “I was hoping to see the doctor alone.” Then she turned pleading eyes on Dakota, batting them for good measure as she asked, “Do you think that would be possible?”
The nameless substance bubbling down deep rose up in Lyssa, inky and viscous. This woman needed taking down a peg or two, and Lyssa would have loved nothing more than to do just that. However, she remembered that treating people with dignity and respect was important to Dakota.
Oh, she planned on letting Desiree have it. She’d just have to choose her words with care, is all.
Everyone knew that bad-tasting medicine always went down easier with a bit of sugar, so Lyssa forced herself to smile sweetly as she informed Desiree, “We have a new policy in the office. A nurse will always be present while the doctor is with his patients. It’s a guideline being set in lots of medical offices these days. I’m sure you can understand. And it’s for everyone’s benefit, the patient’s as well as the doctor’s.”
With each sentence Lyssa spoke, Desiree’s spine seemed to grow straighter, her expression turning darker, her eyes narrowing.
Was that a challenge she saw reflected in the woman’s gaze? Lyssa wondered. Could it be possible that Desiree Washington was that dull-witted? Could she really believe that she could get to Dakota even after being told openly and plainly that it would no longer be possible for her to see the doctor alone in the office?
The questions stirred Lyssa’s ire. What she’d like to have done was smack some sense into Desiree’s foolish head. However, Lyssa forced another smile onto her mouth, this one filled with joy. She released a small ring of elated laughter.
“And I promise you,” Lyssa said with utter sincerity, “this new policy is based solely on our determination to give our patients the best and most professional care available. And the change has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Dr. Makwa and I were married this past weekend.”
Desiree’s face went pale and she stammered, “M-m-m—”
“Married!” Lyssa supplied, grinning now from ear to ear. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“B-but you’ve only been working in the office—”
“Such a short time, I know.” Lyssa’s gaze lit with excitement. This was too much fun. “Isn’t love just the most mysterious and amazing thing?”
Desiree took that moment to direct her attention to Dakota. So did Lyssa.
One look at the man and Lyssa knew she was in trouble. He was obviously bowled over by her performance. He stood there, his square jaw slightly slackened, his green eyes wide.
Oh, Lord above, if he was given the chance to speak, who knew what might come out of his mouth? Lyssa had to do something. Quick.
She stood, set the laptop onto the counter and moved over next to Dakota. She curled her fingers possessively over his forearm and then turned to look once again at Desiree. The woman seemed to be not only recouping from the news but also to be regrouping as well.
In that nanosecond, Lyssa became determined that Desiree was going to leave this office today knowing that Dakota was taken. That he was no longer available. To her or anyone else.
“We just couldn’t be happier,” Lyssa crooned. She tipped her face up to Dakota. “Could we, darling?”
He opened his mouth to speak, and she was overcome with sudden panic. In an attempt to keep him silent, she reached up on tiptoe and—
Kissed him!
She pressed her slightly parted lips to his, curled her fingers over his muscled shoulder, all the while frantic over how he’d react to her brazen behavior.
He tasted fiery sweet, and current zipped through her entire body. Heat flushed across every inch of her skin. His hands splayed on her back and she soon found herself pulled up tight against him.
The warm scent of him enveloped her like a soft and sensual cloak, and she relaxed into the delicious haze that danced and swirled around them. She was light-headed and woozy. Blood whooshed through her ears at such a rate that she became deaf to the sounds of the outside world. She felt isolated, as if she and Dakota were the only two people on earth.
The errant thought moaned through her mind that she didn’t want this moment to end… ever. But the kiss had to end. Because they weren’t the only two people on earth. They weren’t even the only two people in the small examination room.
When the two of them parted, Lyssa was aware of the dull jab of sadness that cut through her. Had that soft and contented sigh really been uttered from her lips?
She paused a moment, attempting to regain her equilibrium, and then she lifted her gaze to his. The expression in his moss-green eyes, in the honed angles of his handsome face, was unreadable. One breathless heartbeat passed. Then a second. And a third.
Lyssa’s hazy brain cleared like a morning fog burned off by the rising sun. The sound of paper crinkling behind her made Lyssa’s eyes widen a bit. Desiree Washington remained seated on the exam table, shifting, and clearly disgusted with the newlyweds’ display of affection.
Spinning to face the woman, Lyssa hoped the smile on her face didn’t slip out of position. But her knees felt weak and she wasn’t sure she could stand on her own for very long.
Desiree’s mouth flattened into a straight slash. Disapproval evident in the tight muscles of her face. “I don’t like this new policy change,” she said, putting ugly emphasis on the last two words. She slid herself off the table. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to find myself a new doctor.”
Losing Dakota a patient hadn’t been Lyssa’s intention, but she’d be lying if she said she would be sorry to see the last of the woman.
“If you’ll let our office know the name of your new physician,” Lyssa offered, “we’ll forward your records right away.”
The woman’s expression contracted with contempt, but she picked up her purse and left without saying another word to either of them.
Alone with Dakota, Lyssa’s legs grew shakier. In fact, they seemed to be turning to
gelatinous rubber. She couldn’t look at him, and awkwardness pulsed in the close confines of the small room. Finally, she garnered enough nerve to lift her eyes to his. His sexy mouth was cocked into a grin that was so charming Lyssa felt the urge to curl her toes right through the soles of her shoes.
“You called me darling.”
Mortification solidified in her stomach and she groaned. “I know. It sounded so hokey, didn’t it?”
Dakota’s shoulder lifted and then fell. “I don’t know about hokey, but that little pet name—and that kiss—sure did the trick with Desiree. You’re quite the actress, Lyssa.”
Something strange twinkled in his eyes, and she didn’t know whether to feel embarrassed or pleased.
Hesitantly, she found herself saying, “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“Oh, no,” he rushed to cut her off. “Don’t you dare be sorry.” He picked up the laptop she’d set on the counter and tucked it beneath his arm. “This turned out to be a pretty enjoyable afternoon. So enjoyable, in fact, that I’m sort of looking forward to having some of my other man-hunting patients come in for a visit.”
He slipped out the door then, leaving her all alone.
Her emotions were in a jumble as she tried to decipher all that had happened, all that her boss—her husband—had said. All that he’d implied.
Her knees continued to tremble, and Lyssa was forced to ease herself down into the chair. She hadn’t planned on being unable to contain her desire for Dakota. And she certainly hadn’t imagined that he might desire her.
“Silly woman,” she whispered aloud.
He didn’t desire her. How could he? She was round as a basketball with this baby. She was running from a bad relationship. Hiding from an ex-husband she feared. How could a man find any of that desirable?
But she couldn’t get out of her mind the image of that sensuous grin on Dakota’s face. Of that suggestive glitter in his green eyes.
And all she could do was sit there, gulp in head-clearing air, and wonder.
~oOo~
