Marrying the Playboy Doctor

by Laura Iding

  As much as he loved his family, he didn’t really want to talk about them now. He watched as she took a sip of her wine, before placing the glass on the coffee table.

  He set his glass beside hers, realizing he wanted to change the subject to something more important. Like the two of them. “Kylie, you were right. I did overhear the conversation you had with Greenley that day in Ben’s hospital room.”

  She nodded, tilting her head to look at him thoughtfully. “I figured as much.”

  He pierced her with his gaze. “I didn’t like it when you told him you weren’t seeing anyone.”

  She raised a brow. “But we aren’t seeing each other.”

  “What do you call this?” he asked, lightly stroking her shoulder.

  “Ah—friends?” She tore her gaze from his, picked up her wineglass and then put it down without taking a sip.

  Her nervousness made him think he was on the right track. “Are you telling me you don’t feel a thing when I touch you like this?” He slid his hand along the side of her neck, cupping the back of her head and tugging her toward him.

  She shivered, but didn’t resist. His gaze focused on her moist lips, parting with anticipation as he leaned closer. With his mouth lingering a hair’s breadth above hers, he murmured, “Make no mistake, we are definitely seeing each other, Kylie.”

  He wanted to hear her admit it. Wanted her to meet him halfway, confirming that he wasn’t the only one who burned with unfulfilled need.

  It seemed like time froze, suspended indefinitely.

  “Yes,” she whispered, finally closing the gap between them and pressing her mouth against his.

  Her tentative caress was like a match being tossed into a pool of gasoline.

  He slanted his mouth on hers, deepening the kiss even as he pulled her closer. They were sitting on the edge of the sofa, half facing each other, but it wasn’t close enough for him.

  Go slow, go slow, he warned himself. But his body wasn’t listening to his brain. The exotic taste of her was like a narcotic—the more he had, the more he wanted. She returned his kiss with fervor, her fingers tightly gripping his cotton shirt. His body was on fire and he longed to tear away the barrier of their clothes so he could explore every curve, every valley unencumbered.

  When she pressed against him, his groin tightened painfully. Still drowning in her kiss, he smoothed his hand over her plush breast, feeling her taut, distended nipple through the soft cashmere of her purple sweater dress.

  She murmured a soft, sexy sound that he wanted to believe was encouragement. But just to be certain he lifted his head and gazed down at her parted lips and flushed face.

  “If we don’t slow down, this won’t end anytime soon,” he said. “I want you, Kylie. But I didn’t bring you here for this.”

  Her mouth curved into a sexy smile as one eyebrow lifted. “Oh, no? You could have fooled me.”

  Damn. He swallowed hard, wishing for eloquence. “What I’m trying to say is that I want you, but if you’re not ready to take this to the next step I’ll understand.” He thought it was very noble of him to give her an easy out, when every instinct in his body clamored with the need to carry her into his bedroom before she could think clearly and possibly change her mind.

  He didn’t want to stop.

  But he didn’t want to risk rushing her, or possibly hurting her even more. She’d been hurt too much in the past.

  “Seth.” He loved the way she said his name, in that soft, sultry voice. His stomach clenched. He feared her answer. At some level he suspected he could sway her decision by kissing her again, but he waited torturously, holding his breath. She lifted her hand to his cheek, her skin cool against his fevered skin. “I’m glad you brought me here. Because I want you, too.”

  Relief was dizzying. She wanted him. He had to force himself to go slow, to stand and draw her gently to her feet. He took her hand, kissed it slowly as he led her down the hall to his room.

  Incredibly, she didn’t hesitate when they approached his large bed. He wished he had words to tell her how special she was, how different this felt from anything he’d experienced before. She bent to reach for the hem of her sweater dress, intent on pulling it off, and he gently took the fabric from her fingers so he could do the honors. Beneath the dress she wore a matching purple lace bra and panties.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he told her. He quickly yanked off his shirt, but when she stepped forward, reaching for his belt buckle, he froze again.

  “It’s—uh—been a long time for me,” she confessed. He sucked in a harsh breath as the backs of her fingers brushed against the skin of his lower abdomen as the buckle slid free. She opened his fly and then pushed the pants out of her way, sliding her hands up and over his bare chest. “I might be rusty,” she said, in a self-deprecating tone.

  “Never. You can’t possibly know how much I want you.” He cupped her face between his hands and lowered his head to gently kiss her, trying to reassure her when words failed him.

  She pressed her scantily clad body against him, her arms winding around his waist. Her skin was impossibly soft, and he nearly lost control right then and there when her hands slid beneath the waistband of his boxers, palming the curve of his derriere.

  He was aching for her, his erection begging for release. He lifted her up and took the few steps to place her on the bed. Breaking off from the kiss long enough to unclasp her bra and skim her panties off, he barely had time to appreciate how beautiful her breasts were, the taut nipples begging for his mouth, when her fingers fumbled with the waistband of his boxers.

  Shucking them off in a hurry, he had just enough sanity left to grab a condom from his pants pocket. Praying she wouldn’t be angry at how he’d carried them hopefully all night, he nearly swallowed his tongue when she took the packet and sheathed him herself.

  He followed her down onto the bed, covering her body with his. He wanted to touch her, to kiss her everywhere, but she was urging him on, saying his name between breathy kisses. He suckled her breast, testing the softness between her thighs, finding her cleft slick and moist with desire. When she opened her legs and lifted her hips he couldn’t hold off any longer.

  She cried his name when he plunged deep. For a heart-wrenching moment he buried his face against her breasts, struggling to breathe. Being with Kylie like this was so perfect, and the myriad of sensations was overwhelming. He didn’t want this to end too soon.

  But then she slid her hands down over his back, igniting small fires everywhere she touched. He pulled back and thrust again, finding a rhythm as old as time, and both of their bodies were completely in sync as they savored the experience, seeking pleasure.

  And when their release finally came, Seth realized it wasn’t just their bodies that were in sync, but their hearts and souls as well.

  He was falling in love with her.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  KYLIE tried to ease out from beneath Seth’s heavy arm draped across her waist, but he lifted his head, awakened by her movement.

  “I have to go,” she said regretfully. “I promised Elise I’d be home between midnight and twelve-thirty. I’m already late.”

  He levered upright, rubbing a hand over his chest. “I’ll take you home.”

  “Thanks.” Feeling extremely shy, which was crazy after the intimacy they’d shared, she found her discarded clothes and clutched the sweater dress in front of her, easing toward the bathroom. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

  She sensed his gaze on her as she disappeared into the adjoining bathroom, closing the door behind her. Sinking down onto the commode, she took a few minutes to pull herself together.

  Seth’s lovemaking had shattered her. Irrevocably changed her. She didn’t know what to do or how to act. She’d morphed from a woman avoiding the complications of a man to someone who wanted more.

  Everything. A future. A family.

  The type of security a man like Seth wouldn’t likely give her. Or any woman for that matter. No
matter how much he seemed to care about her and Ben, she couldn’t delude herself into thinking he was the type to settle down with a family, a minivan and two-point-five children.

  Taking several deep breaths, she calmed her racing heart, and then hastily washed up before pulling her clothes back on. Finger-combing her hair as best she could, she chastised herself in the mirror.

  “What? Did you really think you could casually sleep with a man without falling in love with him?” she asked her reflection.

  She closed her eyes and turned away. Fool. That was exactly what she’d thought.

  “Kylie?” Seth called her name, rapping on the door. “Are you all right in there?”

  Drawing one last deep breath, she pasted a smile on her face before opening the door. “Of course.”

  He’d already dressed, and for a moment she mourned the necessity of covering up his spectacular bare chest. Instead of pulling on his discarded shirt and pants, he’d chosen soft, worn blue jeans and a sweater. He looked great, no matter what he wore.

  “I wish you could stay,” he murmured, drawing her close for another kiss. Her knees went weak as desire flickered to life at his touch. How did he do that?

  She forced herself to break off the kiss, no matter how much she would have liked to start all over again. “Me, too. But, Seth, I really do need to go home.”

  “I know.” He brushed a featherlight kiss on her forehead and stepped back, allowing her just enough room to slip past.

  He grabbed his car keys and they walked outside, back down to the parking garage. The night air was cool, and Seth cranked up the heat in Charlene when Kylie shivered, rubbing her hands over her arms.

  “I have to work this weekend, Kylie,” Seth told her as he drove out onto the street. “Night shift, too, which means I probably won’t get a chance to see you.”

  The regret in his tone sounded sincere, although the impish devil on her shoulder was jeering. See? Now that he’s gotten what he wanted, he’s lost interest.

  “That’s all right.” She forced a casual, lighthearted tone. “I have a training session scheduled for tomorrow anyway, and for several days during the week, too. We’re holding our quarterly educational update and I’m teaching everyone how to use the new hypothermia unit.”

  “Excellent. I can’t wait to see how this might impact our patient outcomes.”

  “Me, too.” She twisted the strap of her purse as he drove, but luckily the ride to her house didn’t take too long.

  “You won’t forget about our trip to Chicago next weekend, will you?” he asked, as he pulled into her driveway.

  She had forgotten, and now regretted agreeing to go. She could try to get out of the commitment, but the thought of disappointing Ben was too much to bear. “Of course not.”

  “Good.” He shifted the car into park and turned toward her. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

  “Me, too.” She sensed he was going to kiss her again, so she quickly unlatched her seat belt and opened the car door. “Good night, Seth. See you later.” She got out of the car and closed Charlene’s door before he could protest.

  As she walked into her house, she smoothed a hand over her dress, thankful the cashmere blend didn’t show wrinkles from the time it laid crumpled on the floor of Seth’s bedroom.

  She walked toward the living room, where she could hear the murmur of the television. “Elise? I’m home. How did everything go?”

  “Great, Ms. Germaine.” Elise flipped her cell phone shut when Kylie came into the room, but within a few seconds it buzzed in the teen’s hand. She glanced at the display, then back up at Kylie. “Ben’s a good kid. We made microwave popcorn and watched a movie.”

  Kylie nodded, having noticed the empty popcorn bowl sitting on the living room coffee table. She fished some money out of her purse, giving the teenager the going rate—not a bad way to earn money, an evening of talking on a cell phone and eating popcorn. “Thanks again, Elise. You can go home now.”

  Elise gave a distracted nod, opened her cell phone and said, “I’ll call you back, Tim,” before closing it again.

  Kylie had to grin. “Is Tim your boyfriend?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” Elise glanced at Kylie, and then gestured outside the front door. “Hey, it looks like your boyfriend is still out there.”

  What? “He’s not my boyfriend,” she protested automatically, realizing that Elise was right. Seth hadn’t driven off after she’d climbed out of his car.

  A flash of panic gripped her by the throat. Why was Seth still out there? Did he think she’d let him in so they could go for another round of fabulous sex?

  Would that be so bad? Yes, it would. Because she already cared about him. Too much.

  Before she could change her mind, she headed out the door, pretending it was normal to see Seth, leaning back against his car. “Would you do me a favor and drive Elise home?”

  His gaze bored into hers for a long moment, but then his dark gaze slid to where Elise was standing, waiting, and he nodded, as she’d hoped he would. “Sure.”

  “What a cool car!” Elise exclaimed as Seth opened the passenger door for her.

  “Thanks, Seth.” Kylie didn’t stick around, but hurried back inside. Elise only lived a way up the street, and she suspected Seth might try to come straight back. She intended to be in bed, with the house dark and quiet, before that happened.

  For several tense minutes she lay in her bed, waiting for Seth to knock at the front door. After a good twenty minutes of lying stiff as a board, she slowly relaxed.

  Seth must have gotten her silent message, because he didn’t return.

  Seth didn’t understand what had happened, but clearly Kylie was avoiding him.

  She’d claimed she would be busy teaching classes, but no matter what time of the day he called—morning, noon or night—she didn’t pick up. He’d already left three messages without any response.

  What had happened? Their evening out had been great, and the food good. The stolen hours at his condo afterward had been even better. He hadn’t rushed her, had given her plenty of time to say no.

  She’d come right out and admitted she wanted him, too.

  So why the brush-off?

  His frustration translated into a foul mood—one he tried to hide without much success. Once again, he wasn’t used to this sort of reaction from a woman after a date. Especially after making love. Usually they were all over him—clingy to the point of making him claustrophobic.

  At the very least they returned his freaking phone calls!

  As the week wore on he became more and more short-tempered. On Thursday evening—almost a whole week since their night together—she finally returned his call.

  “Hi, Seth.”

  “Kylie.” Now that he had her on the phone he struggled with what to say. Should he demand an explanation as to why she was avoiding him? Or play it cool? This gnawing uncertainty as to how to approach a woman was new to him.

  And he didn’t like it.

  “I’m glad you called,” he said at last. “I wanted to finalize our plans for the weekend.”

  “Sure. What time would you like us to be ready?”

  When she didn’t immediately tell him she’d changed her mind about going, as he’d feared, he breathed a little easier. So far, so good. He cleared his throat. “I thought we’d meet at three-thirty and drive into Milwaukee to get something to eat before taking the six-thirty train down to Chicago.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Ben is totally excited about this trip.”

  Just Ben? Was that why she hadn’t called off their plans? Because she didn’t want to disappoint her son? If he knew one thing about Kylie, it was that she’d always put her son’s needs before her own.

  Always.

  “How has your week been?” he asked, trying not to assume the worst because he hadn’t heard from her in so long.

  “Busy. I finished all the training sessions this week,” she admitted. “You’ll be glad to know our hypo
thermia protocol is officially in use.”

  “That’s good news.” Seth couldn’t help thinking about how far his relationship with Kylie had come since that first day they’d met just a few weeks ago. She’d been so adamant about not sharing a meal with him, and now they’d progressed to making love.

  But relationships were new territory for him. He didn’t understand why things weren’t going as well as they should. He felt as if Kylie were slipping away.

  He didn’t want to lose her.

  His fingers tightened on the phone, and he wished he could see the expression on her face, gauge the unspoken emotion in her pretty green eyes. “Kylie, I’ve missed you this past week. Very much.”

  There was a brief pause. “I missed you, too,” she finally admitted in a soft voice. “But honestly, I really have been busy, Seth. Ben needed all sorts of new clothes for school, not to mention a boatload of school supplies. Between Ben and the quarterly training sessions I didn’t have a single minute to spare.”

  “I understand.” He relaxed a bit, realizing maybe her lack of response had been justified. She was a single mother. Between working and having sole responsibility for Ben he understood she didn’t have a lot of extra time on her hands.

  Had his father felt this same frustration upon meeting his mother, whose time had been taken up by not just one but three kids?

  “I promise you’ll have a relaxing weekend,” he assured her. “I’ll see you Saturday at three-thirty, okay?”

  “Right. Saturday at three-thirty. We’ll both be ready.”

  Seth hung up the phone, barely glancing at his pager vibrating madly on his waist.

  He’d see Kylie on Saturday.

  But they wouldn’t be alone. Ben would be with them.

  Thinking about how much Ben would love attending the game made him grin, yet at the same time he couldn’t help wishing for more time to be alone with Kylie.

  Because somehow he didn’t think stealing a few hours together at night in his hotel room while Ben was sleeping in her room was going to be an option.