“Completely derailed, I’d say.”
The man was exasperating. And gorgeous. He smelled so delicious she . . . She blinked, and realized how close they stood next to each other, her chest rising and falling in winded breaths. His nostrils flared.
Oh God. She knew that look. Desire?
“You’re pretty when you’re mad,” his deep voice uttered. “You have fire.”
She stumbled back a step, overcome by a sudden need to flee, and fell over the threshold just as the front door opened.
“Well, that’s a new one,” Sheldon said as he caught Sandi in his arms.
“I’m sorry.” Sandi struggled to right herself. “I tripped.”
“Is there something on the sidewalk?” Sheldon scanned the walkway, looking for the reason for her fall.
“Sandi just got a bit excited,” Doug offered, making her face heat more than it already did.
“Um, my shoes.” She tried redeeming herself.
“Women and their shoes. Come on in.” Sheldon took their coats, and while he was busy hanging them in the closet, Doug whispered next to her ear.
“Let’s try this. No arguments during the time we’re in Sheldon’s house.”
She shot a quick glance to him, then nodded her head in agreement.
“Sandi,” Regina called as she came out of the kitchen. “And Doug. You two come together?” She smiled with pleasure.
“No. I pulled in right behind her,” Doug answered. “Something smells delicious, Regina.”
Sandi remembered her brief bout with his cologne on the doorstep. Absolutely delicious. If Sheldon hadn’t opened the door, she might have embarrassed herself.
“Chicken cacciatore. Sheldon said it’s one of your favorites.”
“It is.” Doug gave Regina a blinding smile and butterflies swarmed in Sandi’s stomach. If he dared to turn that look on her, she’d be a goner. But the only fondness he aimed in her direction had been filled with mockery. Well, shit. If the guy didn’t like her, it made things easier. This date—which wasn’t a date at all—was going nowhere, so she could relax.
Easier said than done. Ten minutes at the dinner table changed her mind.
The cause of her jitters sat right across from her. He behaved like a perfect gentleman, with manners and conversation. But he talked to Sheldon and Regina, avoiding her. What happened to his suggestion they get along? But then, if he didn’t speak to her, there would be no chance of an argument.
A fork in her hand, she stared at her plate. Food tasted like grit in her mouth. Not very complimentary for Regina’s hard work.
Why didn’t he like her?
A dinner date didn’t smack of love or happily ever after. It wasn’t as if she was falling all over him. It was dinner at their friends’ house.
As Doug talked, his voice took on a hypnotizing effect. The man was so damn distracting, he oozed sex appeal. That darn curl hung just over his eye, looking so soft that her fingers itched to smooth it back from his handsome face.
Oh hell. Had she lost her mind?
She grabbed her glass, took a gulp of her wine, and immediately choked. Her face flamed, her lungs were on fire, and then she had to suffer the humiliation of having her back slapped heartily by Regina.
“Are you all right?”
“I’d be better if you’d stop pounding on me,” Sandi gasped. Her eyes darted to Doug, who stared at her in silence. Those dark eyes of his penetrated her with their depths, seeking her thoughts, and he smiled a slow mocking grin.
As if choking wasn’t embarrassing enough. She cringed. He’d caught her fantasizing about him. Maybe he thought she was a schemer, plotting ways to get her hooks into him. She glared back, telling him he was wrong. She didn’t need to strategize and plan to get a man’s attention—especially one she did not want.
Yeah. Right.
She turned to Sheldon, who’d placed his napkin at his mouth, probably to hide his amusement. He stared fixedly at his plate. When his gaze lifted to meet hers, she knew she was right. There was nothing she could do but take a deep breath and press her lips tightly together.
~ ~ ~
The last time Doug recalled being tongue-tied around a female, he’d been in Junior High. He was on a basketball court and the girl he had his eyes on, who lived in the house above him on the hill, walked by. Focused on her instead of the game, he’d missed a shot. The basketball rolled in her direction. She stopped and smiled, and like most teenage boys, his dick had leaped with lust.
She picked up the ball and came forward, her sexy walk and full lips tormenting him. When they stood face to face, his brain melted and he couldn’t speak.
His dick might as well have been in his mouth.
He had that same sinking feeling now. Though the meal on the table looked great, it didn’t look nearly as delicious as the woman sitting across from him. Dinner and a date. He didn’t mind the dinner, and he wouldn’t mind a date, especially when the woman was as beautiful as Sandi.
Deny it as much as he liked, Sandi attracted him, grabbed him right in the balls. He’d chalked it up to simple lust. He needed to get laid. But the pull she had on him took him by surprise. Her allure drew him in more than he’d expected. His balls had drawn tight, watching her lick her lips after a taste of wine, her tongue peeking out with a slow and sensual glide.
He wanted her.
The only problem with that? She wanted a cash cow.
The obvious solution was stay the hell away from her. Put as much distance between them as possible.
Since Regina was determined to throw them together, what the hell was he supposed to do? Brood? Stare and dwell on his fantasies? He damn sure couldn’t act on them. He shouldn’t disrespect Regina by being discourteous at her table. But that little voice in his conscious kept nagging, telling him Sandi was not as sweet as she seemed.
As long as he was here, he should try to enjoy her company. He wished he could just go with it, let things happen. It was ridiculous to deny he wanted her. He could give in to lust, but he wanted more than a hot, short-term fling.
“As usual, Regina. Wonderful. I can’t eat another bite.” Sheldon’s voice snatched Doug from his musings.
“I don’t know how you do it, Sheldon,” Doug said folding his napkin and placing it beside his plate. “If I ate like this every night, I’d put on fifty pounds in no time and be taking naps at the office every day.
“I serve low calorie meals, too,” Regina quickly added. “I wanted to fix your favorite tonight.”
“I sincerely thank you. It was superb.”
Sheldon stood, saying, “Why don’t we go into the living room while the ladies clean up? I’ve got something to show you.”
Grateful for an excuse to leave the table, Doug shoved back his chair.
“Want a beer?” Sheldon asked.
“No thanks, the wine was enough.” He followed Sheldon, then slid into the comfort of a fine leather chair. The new smell was still potent, but welcome.
“What do you think so far?”
Christ. He had to put up with Regina’s matchmaking, but Sheldon too?
“It’s a lot slower pace here in Monterey,” Sheldon added.
What?
And then, “I hope you’ll give it a chance.”
Doug released his breath, realizing Sheldon meant the practice.
“I signed the contract, didn’t I?”
“Look, Doug. I know we haven’t talked about why you left Pittsburg—”
“I’m not going to talk about it now. Not with . . .” he glanced to the kitchen where the women were.
Following his gaze, Sheldon gave a nod. “Of course, I understand. I just wanted to say you look good. I’m glad you’re here.”
Exhaustion.
&nbs
p; He quickly stood. “I have to go. Tell Regina everything was delicious.” It wasn’t easy to accept weakness and he had no intention of discussing it. Before Sheldon could stop him, he strode to the hall.
Damn.
Sandi had beaten him to the closet.
“We should not leave together,” he said, surprising her.
She spun around, her eyes wide. “Why the devil would we leave together?”
“Let me rephrase that. I’ll leave, then in ten minutes, you’ll leave. That way, there will be no repeats of the argument on the front lawn.”
“Why would you bother to engage in an argument after ignoring me all through dinner?”
“What should I have done? Made you the center of attention?”
Her eyes glittered, shooting sparks at him. “I’ll leave first.”
The woman maddened him. “Must you debate everything?”
“If you remember, my car is behind yours.”
“No, it isn’t. I’m not about to argue that point, too.” He resisted the urge to rub his eyes in exasperation. “It appears we can’t go a moment without a quarrel.”
“I realize you don’t like this idea. I don’t either,” she hissed.
“What idea is that?”
“Regina’s persistence in setting us up.”
He scrunched his brows together in a scowl. “I’m not looking for a relationship.”
“Neither am I. Not with you, anyway.” She stuffed her arms into her coat. “Regina simply asked me to dinner. I will straighten her out on any silly notion she might have concerning the two of us.”
“I hope you’ll have the good manners to accept this when I say I don’t believe you.”
She reminded him of a little bandy rooster, sticking up its head, ready to strut off.
“You have barely been civil this evening, Dr. Baker. You do remember suggesting we not fight in Sheldon’s home. Your cynicism does not help.”
“Forgive me, Miss Jones, if I don’t care for a woman who thinks a doctor is a good catch and then sets out to make his life miserable.”
She took a deep breath, and her body shook as she fought for control. “Just the sort of opinion I’d expect from an egotistical man.”
He wanted to laugh. Almost. Seeing the fire in her eyes sparked off another emotion. Entirely sexual.
“You do not know me, Doctor Baker. I suggest you do not group me with those other women and keep your opinions to yourself.”
Fighting his desire, he leaned in, baring his teeth in a scornful grin. Being this close, her scent enchanted him. She stared, clearly flustered by his nearness. He towered over her by several inches. She edged away, and the wall met her back.
“Perhaps I should spell out one or two things. I have no interest in any woman, especially”—his gaze traveled slowly, deliberately taking his time, raking her from her face down to her heaving, full breasts, over her hips and leisurely back up again—“a pretty blonde who thinks she has an inside track by way of my partner.” He lowered his voice. “For the record, Miss Jones, you are quite beautiful. But I learned very quickly that beauty is only skin deep. As a doctor, I tend to look under the surface.”
She swallowed, drawing his attention to the delicate skin at her throat.
“If I thought it before, I know for sure, now.” Her voice shaky, but strong. “Next time you open your mouth about things you have no idea, maybe you should get rid of that chip on your shoulder. It is obvious you have a history with some woman. As for your assumption, I have no intention of replacing her.”
She flipped her scarf over one shoulder, whirled on her toes, and marched off.
A chip on my shoulder?
There’s no way you could replace her.
You, Miss Jones, with your beauty and fire, have a style all your own.
Chapter 6
The incident with Doug worried Sandi a little. Well, not so much worried, as she spent entirely too much time thinking about the condescending man. She’d taken a contract to a sweet lady at the retirement home this morning, and drove right by the place because she’d been preoccupied with Doug. She gripped her Starbucks latte and sipped. Where was Regina?
As usual, she rushed inside like a whirlwind. Regina only knew one speed: full throttle. The only hang-up with that was a lot of the time she didn’t see where she was headed and found out too late to change course. Still and all, she’d been Sandi’s best friend since grade school and all through college. Although Regina decided after only one semester that college life was not for her. She regretted that decision, and a year later she went back.
“So, tell me. What do you think?”
“Good morning to you, too.” Sandi was already wired, the coffee feeding her adrenaline, and she didn’t need Regina’s energy spiking her tension.
“Thanks for getting my coffee.” Regina took a sip. “Mmmm. God, I love their lattes. Now. What do you think of Dr. Baker?” She lowered her voice and wiggled her eyebrows as she said his name.
“He and I seem to rub each other the wrong way.”
“Is that why you rushed out of there last night? I thought you two hit it off, and you were just getting cold feet.”
“‘Hit’ might not be a word you should use. It gives me ideas of clobbering the haughty doctor.”
“Are you serious? Doug’s a great guy.”
“According to whom?”
“I saw you with your heads together at the closet. Doug was in your personal space. I figured you two were making plans.”
Sandi wanted to groan. “Don’t fix me up with anyone else, Regina. Promise me.” She reached across the table, covering Regina’s hand with hers.
“You have got to tell me what happened.” By Regina’s tone, she would hound Sandi until she answered.
“Nothing happened. He’s just arrogant . . . patronizing . . . rude . . .”
“Hot?”
A corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk. “Well there is that.” Definitely hot. As in HOT enough to burn. Then his words came back as clear as they had the night before.
I don’t care for a woman who thinks a doctor is a good catch and then sets out to make his life miserable.
“He knows it. He’s a jerk.” Sandi wondered why she’d bothered hiding Doug’s words from Regina.
“I don’t get it. Did something happen that I don’t know about?”
“Remember when we went to the hospital? You wanted me to get a peek at Doug. While you were trying to smooth things over with the head nurse, I accidentally bumped into him, having no idea it was the same guy you wanted to fix me up with. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. He showed me that sexy grin, even flirted a little.”
“I remember. I got so excited when I saw you two talking. You had that dreamy look, and I wanted to introduce you right away. Then you stammered like you’d lost your brain, or your tongue was too big for your mouth.”
“Don’t remind me. When I realized he was the same guy, I couldn’t believe my luck. I was ready for that blind date. But . . .”
“But what?”
“He changed. He stepped back and withdrew. His manner turned cold.”
“You know, I thought because I tried fixing you up, he might have been a little put-off the first time. But when he agreed to come to dinner again, I guessed whatever was bothering him that night, well, maybe it had gone.”
“Evidently not.”
“I believed the two of you would be perfect. I’m sorry. I know I talked you into this.”
“I figured he deserved another chance. I was looking forward to dinner. Now I hope I never see Dr. Baker again.”
Regina chewed on her fingernail. “He’s one of the nicest guys I know. Sheldon really thinks a lot of him.”
“He’s from Pittsburgh, right? Why did he come here?”
“I wondered about that, too. I asked Sheldon, but he acted like it was no big deal. Then he told me not to ask Doug any questions. I think it had something to do with a woman.”
“It usually does. But he doesn’t have to take his bad experience out on me.”
“What happened? What did he say to you?”
“I guess he thought I was after a rich doctor.” Regina glared, which meant answer the question. “He said something about ‘women who think a doctor is a good catch and then set out to make his life miserable.’”
“He what?” Regina gasped.
“Regina, forget it.”
“I will not forget it. I’ll speak to Sheldon. I’m on my way over to see him now.”
“God no. Don’t do that. Not at the office. I’ll never be able to show my face—”
Regina’s phone chirped, interrupting.
“It’s the bakery. Must be Lillian.” She swiped her finger across the screen. “Hello? Lillian, calm down. Mrs. Hamilton? What— All right. No, that’s fine. I’ll be right there.”
“What could possibly be that urgent at a bakery?”
Regina shook her head. “Mrs. Hamilton is demanding to see me.”
“Priscilla’s mom?”
“Yes. Naming her daughter Prissy tells you a lot about the woman’s consideration of other’s feelings.”
“Priscilla is getting married next month. You’re doing her cake?”
“Her mother has been in the shop every week demanding to taste a new flavor. I’m ready to go back to basic vanilla and chocolate after dealing with that woman.”
“Have you run out of flavors?”
“Yes. Weeks ago. The woman keeps insisting on things she finds on the internet.”
“She doesn’t seem the type to sit in a chair and use a search engine.”
“Priscilla. Poor girl. When she marries, she should leave the state, or her mama will kill that marriage.”
The Doctor's Bargain Page 5
