by Ginna Gray
Then again, perhaps the idea hadn’t originated with Quinton at all. Perhaps someone had planted the seed in his mind.
“I see.” Leah stuffed the patient chart back into the pocket and shot Mike a lethal look. “May I speak to you outside for a moment?”
“Sure.” He rolled to his feet, giving Quinton a wink. “Be right back, sport.”
The instant they stepped into the hall and the door closed behind them, Leah spun around. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“Did what?”
“Oh, don’t you put on that innocent act with me, Mike McCall. You know exactly what I’m talking about. You—”
Two nurses walking by slanted curious glances their way, and Leah clamped her mouth shut. She gave the women a tight smile and waited until they had passed before hissing, “You had no business telling Quinton about last night.”
“Is that all?”
“Is that all! Listen, you—”
Another nurse stepped out of a room across the hall and an orderly got off the elevator and headed toward them.
“We can’t discuss this here.” Mike looked around, then grasped her elbow. “Come with me.”
“Wait! What do you think you’re doing?” Leah tried to pry his fingers from her arm, but they wouldn’t budge. He ignored her protests and her feeble attempt to hold back and hauled her down the corridor. She almost had to trot to keep up with his long stride.
“We can have a little privacy in here.” He opened a door at the end of the hall and hustled her into a small supply room filled with linens and soaps and patient hygiene kits.
The instant he closed the door Leah pulled her arm free and renewed her attack. “You had no right to tell my brother about last night. No right at all. Not only was it tacky and ungentlemanly, it was downright underhanded. If you think that you can—”
“Whoa, whoa. Let’s set the record straight here. The only thing I told Quinton about last night was that we had a nice dinner and a pleasant evening of conversation.”
Leah stared at him. “Th-that’s all?”
“That’s all.” He held up three fingers on his right hand. “Scout’s honor.”
“Oh, I see. Then why on earth was he...” She paused and slanted him an embarrassed look, her neck and face heating up again.
“Matchmaking?” Mike finished for her, and grinned when her color deepened. “Maybe because he’s a smart kid. He probably picked up the vibes.”
“What vibes? What’re you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the attraction between us.”
That gave her a start. As she met his warm gaze her nerves began to twang. Suddenly, she became aware of several things she hadn’t noticed before: how small the storage room was and how Mike’s broad-shouldered frame seemed to dominate the tiny space; how close together they were. How isolated.
“Don’t be absurd. There’s nothing between us.”
She knew by the gleam in his eyes and the hint of a smile on his lips that he was remembering their parting the night before. Her blush deepened, but she refused to back down. “Don’t look at me that way. I know what you’re thinking. But one kiss, particularly a stolen one, doesn’t constitute a romance. Or even an attraction.”
“True,” he conceded. “And I’d even agree with that in this case, except for one thing.” He paused and grinned, and she knew she was in trouble. “Last night when I kissed you, you kissed me back.”
“I did no such—”
“C’mon, Leah, don’t bother to deny it. I was there, remember. I know when a woman responds to my kisses. If that wasn’t passion, lady, you’ve got a funny way of showing indifference.”
“Well, you’re wrong. Although, given your reputation, it’s hardly surprising that you’d think so,” she snapped, using disdain to hide her panic. “From what I hear, you’ve dated every single female on the hospital staff.”
Mike grinned. “Not every single female. Just the good-looking ones. Hey, just kidding,” he added with a chuckle when she shot him a disgusted look. “Anyway, what did you expect? I had to do something while I was waiting for you to notice I was alive. C’mon, Leah, why don’t you just admit it? You’re as attracted to me as I am to you.”
She could never lie worth a fig, but she decided to give it her best shot anyway. “That’s not true. I...I...that is...
He ignored her sputtering. “Anyway, you know as well as I do that this thing between us didn’t just start last night. For weeks we’ve spent almost every evening together—”
“Visiting Quinton!”
“That’s right. Nevertheless, we were together. We’ve gotten to know each other during those visits, grown comfortable with each other, laughed together, argued, learned that we have a lot in common and that we really like each other. And every night the sexual tension in that room has been thick enough to cut with a knife. I’m not surprised that Quinton sensed it.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but there was nothing she could say. He was right. She had been lying to herself, pretending that being with her brother was the only reason she looked forward to those nightly visits, telling herself that the odd, fizzy feeling she experienced in Mike’s presence was merely nerves and that the camaraderie that had developed between them meant nothing. She had admitted weeks ago that she was attracted to him, but she had deluded herself into believing that it was nothing more than an impersonal physical attraction, much like what she would experience toward a movie star or any other attractive man. But it was more than that. Much more.
That terrified her. Dear heaven, she couldn’t have those kind of feelings for Julia’s son. She simply couldn’t.
But she did.
Her shoulders sagged. “All right, I admit it. I do find you attractive. But that doesn’t mean I want to get involved with you.”
Mike cocked his head to one side and studied her. “Why not?”
The blunt question caught her off guard. She could not tell him the truth, and she found herself groping for an answer. “There are several reasons.”
“Name one.”
“Well, for one thing, I don’t have time.”
“C’mon, you have to do better than that. I’m a doctor, too, remember. Which makes it perfect. Who better to know and understand the kind of demands that are made on your time? Sweetheart, even doctors have to have a social life. Most of us manage to fall in love and get married and have families just like everybody else. So what are your other reasons?”
Married? Leah stared at him, a frisson of alarm and excitement zinging through her. Surely he was just speaking in generalities. The chance of a marriage between her and Mike was nil. Still, she couldn’t deny that the idea did appeal. Just the prospect of it brought a sweet tightness to her chest.
Realizing the drift of her thoughts, she hardened her resolve and tipped her chin at Mike.
“Then there’s Quinton—”
“Who is getting better by the day, and who is all for us getting together. Next reason?”
“My, uh, my parents are staying at my home. I can’t neglect them.”
“According to Quinton, they’re out on the town almost every night. I don’t think they would miss you. So what’s your next reason for not going out with me?”
Beginning to feel cornered, Leah blurted out the first thing that entered her mind. “Because your relationships never last.”
Mike’s eyebrows shot skyward. “That’s it? That’s why you’re so leery of me?”
“Yes,” she lied.
Actually, though Mike had dated a lot of women, he did not have a reputation as a womanizer. Quite the opposite. The women he had dated thought he was wonderful and had nothing but good things to say about him. That he had managed to remain friends with them all said a lot about his character.
At the moment, however, that was the best excuse Leah could come up with.
Mike stepped closer. The move and the look in his eyes caused Leah’s heart to give a little leap. She took a
quick step back and bumped into something solid. Moving nearer still, Mike braced his hands on either side of her, gripping the metal shelving at her back, effectively penning her in.
“Sweetheart, you have nothing to worry about. It’s true that I’ve dated a lot of women. I’m a healthy, normal male, and I don’t apologize for that. But I swear to you, none of those relationships was serious. None even came close. You can ask any of the women I dated and they will tell you that I was open with them, that I never made any promises or did anything to lead any one of them to believe that my feelings ran deeper than fondness and friendship.”
“I believe you. But I’m just not interested in that sort of casual relationship.”
“Neither am I. Not with you. Honey, what I feel for you is anything but casual,” he drawled with an ironic half smile. “Haven’t you figured that out yet? I’m crazy about you.”
“Mike!” His name came out a breathless exclamation. She stared up at him, her heart booming against her rib cage.
“I have been from the moment I met you two years ago.”
“Mike, you can’t be serious.”
“Oh, but I am,” he murmured. “Very serious.”
His head tipped to one side and began a slow descent toward hers. Beneath half-closed lids, his gaze zeroed in on her mouth, and in those pale-blue eyes burned a sensual fire that instantly set off a matching inferno deep in Leah’s belly.
“So you see,” he whispered, “you don’t have anything to worry about.”
Leah tore her gaze away from those mesmerizing eyes, only to encounter that beautifully chiseled mouth, drawing slowly, inexorably, closer.
She trembled and pressed back against the metal shelving, torn between common sense and longing, and a deeper emotion she dared not put a name to.
Don’t just stand here. Stop him, she commanded herself. All you have to do is turn your head aside and say no. Mike is not the kind of man to force his attentions where they aren’t wanted. This is insane. Put an end to it now, while you still can.
Trembling, Leah looked at his slumberous eyes again, at that handsome face, flushed now with desire, and knew she was lost.
It had been so long since a man had looked at her with that kind of desire, so long since she had experienced this wonderful giddiness in the pit of her stomach, this knee-knocking, heart-pounding, breath-stealing anticipation. Actually, she had never felt quite this way before. The feelings Lyle’s kisses and caresses had elicited hadn’t even come close to what Mike made her feel with just a look..
With his mouth a mere inch from hers he paused, and his gaze locked with hers. He was giving her one last chance. Though his eyes blazed with hunger and heat, she knew it would take only the smallest gesture—a resisting hand on his chest, a shake of her head, a whispered no—and he would stop. The decision was hers.
There was no doubt in her mind what she should do—what she must do.
But it was already too late. In her heart she had known that all along. She tried. She tried with all her might to summon the strength to deny him, to deny them both, but intellect and conscience were no match for the yearning that consumed her. Trembling, she stared back into those crystal-blue eyes, unable to utter a sound.
Then her last chance slipped away.
As his lips settled over hers, her heart leaped with an almost unbearable excitement that squeezed her chest painfully. Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes fluttered shut. When he pulled her into his embrace the only resistance she offered was a moan.
Throwing caution and common sense to the wind, Leah melted against him, twining her arms around his neck and kissing him back with a hunger and passion that matched his own.
A distant voice of reason warned her that she was playing with fire, but caution was no match for the longing and the need that pulled at her. No matter what happened, no matter how ill-advised it was, she simply could not deny herself this.
It was crazy. Insanity. But she no longer cared. She had been too long without a man’s touch, and her feelings for Mike had grown too strong to ignore.
The kiss grew deeper, hotter. Leah lost all contact with reality. The world around her simply ceased to be. Nothing else existed—not Quinton; not Julia; not her father; not the hospital full of people, any one of whom could walk through the storeroom door at any moment. Nor did she spare a thought to how furious her stepmother would be if she ever found out that Leah was falling in love with her son. In those heady moments there was only Mike, and the exquisite pleasure of being in his arms.
Mindless with desire, they pressed closer, their bodies straining together, hands desperately roaming and clutching, mouths open and greedy. Insatiable. Their breathing grew labored, and small, urgent sounds issued from their throats.
A fever consumed Leah, burning from the core of her being, setting her on fire, pulsing through her veins. It was both pleasure and pain, a searing need so great she thought she would surely die of it.
Her response drew a low sound from Mike, rough and sensual and deliciously primitive. He widened his stance and pulled her closer still, his hands cupping her bottom, pressing her intimately against him, telling her without words the state of his arousal.
The fire in Leah’s belly burst into an inferno. She clung to Mike, lost in a blaze of passion.
“Oh, my! I’m so sorry. I didn’t know...that is...”
The feminine voice was a jolt of reality, sending shock zinging through Leah, making her jump. She tore her mouth from Mike’s and glanced over her shoulder, and her heart sank.
Standing just inside the doorway was none other than Nurse Hazel Peterson, the biggest gossip in the hospital. The gray-haired woman’s mouth was still agape, but her eyes were alight with avid interest.
Leah would have pulled from Mike’s embrace had he not held her tight. Cradling the back of her head in his hand, he pressed her hot face against his chest to shield her from Hazel’s curious stare. With what Leah thought was astonishing calm, he looked over her head at the nurse and replied, “Don’t worry about it, Hazel. No harm done.”
“I’m so sorry, Dr. McCall. Truly I am. If I’d known that you and Dr. Albright were in here—”
“It’s okay, Hazel. Really. Now, if you’ll just give us a minute, we’ll be out of your way.”
“Of course, Doctor,” she agreed pleasantly. But when she made no move to leave he gestured toward the hall.
“A private moment.”
“Oh! Yes, of course. How silly of me. I’ll, uh, I’ll just get the supplies I need—”
“Get them later, Nurse.”
“Oh. Certainly. Whatever you say, Doctor.”
She agreed readily enough, but the disappointment in her voice was evident. Clearly, Nurse Peterson had hoped to hang around and perhaps pick up more juicy tidbits to relate to her cronies. However, under Mike’s steady stare, she had no choice and reluctantly began to back out of the room.
“I’ll, uh, I’ll leave you two alone then and come back later for the supplies I needed. It’s not urgent that I get them now.”
Her chatter was a stalling tactic, but Mike wasn’t falling for it. “I thought not. Now, if you don’t mind...”
At the sound of the door finally clicking shut Leah groaned. “I don’t believe this. Hazel Peterson, of all people!”
A rumbling began in Mike chest. It took a few seconds for Leah to identify the sound, but when she did she jerked back as far as his encircling arms would let her and scowled.
“Mike McCall, don’t you dare laugh. If you do, so help me, I’ll smack you. This isn’t funny!”
“Sure it is.” He chuckled, unfazed by her threat. “C’mon, sweetheart. It isn’t the end of the world. Actually, I’m kinda glad it happened.” Grinning, he grasped her shoulders and bent and placed his forehead against hers. “Now you have to go out with me. By the end of the day Hazel will have told everyone who’ll listen that she caught Dr. McCall and Dr. Albright making out in the storage room.”
&nbs
p; “We were not making out,” she protested, blushing scarlet.
“Sure we were. And it was damned exciting, too. Hell, we nearly set the place on fire.” His eyes danced with wicked humor. “I’ll bet when old Hazel spotted us she was so envious her tongue was hanging out. Hell, she’s probably still panting.”
“You’re terrible.” Mike’s devilish humor was impossible to resist Leah did not feel in the least like laughing, but she could not keep a smile from twitching her lips.
“Hey, now. Cheer up,” he coaxed, seeing her worried look. “It’s not as tragic as all that. Hospital romances go on all the time.”
“Maybe. But none of them has ever involved me.”
“Well, it’s time one did.” He cupped her chin and tilted up her face until she was forced to meet his gaze. “I’ve shot down all your objections, so there’s no reason we can’t be together. Unless you can look me in the eye and honestly say that you just don’t want to be with me. That you don’t want to explore these feelings we have for each other.”
Leah felt like an insect struggling on a pin. No matter how she twisted and turned, there was no escape. She tried to do the intelligent thing and tell him that wasn’t what she wanted at all, but gazing up into those straightforward blue eyes, she could not summon the lie.
The trouble was, she did want to be with him.
After a while, her shoulders slumped. “No, I can’t tell you that.”
A gusty sigh of relief escaped Mike, and he pulled her back into his arms, holding her close against his chest. “You won’t regret it, sweetheart. I’ll never hurt you. You have my solemn promise on that.” He waited a beat, then asked, “Do you believe me?”
“Yes.”
She did believe him. Mike was the kind of man every woman dreamed of, dependable, caring, a delightful companion, and she had no doubt that he would be a wonderful lover. He was secure enough in his masculinity not to see her as a threat, as Lyle had done. Most important of all, he was a man of integrity.
Knowing that, however, only made Leah feel guiltier. Still, she could not give him up. Not yet.
