As the guys placed their orders, Jace continued to stare at the beauty. A strange feeling rippled through his chest. The woman’s fierce conviction and support for a friend sparked his admiration. At times, she was a puzzle, and others, an open book.
It was common knowledge he was addicted to both.
Thanks to the past half-hour, he knew, without a doubt, tonight he’d dream about the enticing woman, and about licking ice cream off her curves with thorough precision.
Holly had had high hopes this would be her last week in Harland County—until the orthopedic surgeon announced Uncle Arthur had had a setback thanks to a fall he suffered during the night.
While her mom accompanied her uncle for an x-ray, Holly walked blindly down the hall, fighting a strong sense of panic. The building was full of doctors’ offices and labs, but what she really needed was some air. Her chest was tight, throat closing. She could feel her prized job slipping through her damn fingers.
This can’t be happening.
Sagging against the window at the end of the corridor, she gazed out at the sea of blue bonnets scattered around the grounds. Their beauty brought little solace today. “I can’t believe I’m going to be stuck here.”
“What’s wrong with here?”
Holly jumped and swung around at the sound of Jace’s voice. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people.” Hand over her thudding heart, she stared at the approaching man. “It’s impolite.”
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to offend you,” he said, coming to a stop in front of her, a walking advertisement for fluttering heartbeats in navy pants and charcoal sweater over a light blue, button-down shirt.
Her heart dutifully fluttered.
“My office is in there, remember?” He pointed to the door on her immediate left. “I was just coming back from lunch. Are you okay? You sounded a little distraught.”
She snorted, then sobered. “I guess I am a little.” She hadn’t even realized her footsteps had taken her toward his practice.
“What’s wrong? Is it your uncle?” He reached out to lightly touch her shoulder, and the warmth of his palm spread a tingly heat throughout her body.
It felt…nice.
“Yes, well, not completely.” Kind of like her. She wasn’t completely okay either. With her uncle issues. Her employment issues. Her Jace issues. “He apparently thought he was well enough to make a three a.m. bathroom run without waking my mother.”
“Ah hell.”
He released her and blew out a breath, then stared at her with those compassionate blue eyes of his. The one’s that saw right through the barriers and seared into her soul.
“You look like you could use a coffee. Come inside my office.”
She nodded and allowed him to usher her past his reception to his office in back. It had been too tiring a morning to keep him at bay and refuse his offer. Coffee was definitely in order. And since his waiting room had been empty, she didn’t feel too guilty taking up a little of his time. “Thanks. I hope I’m not keeping you from work, though.”
“No.” He shook his head and smiled. “My next appointment isn’t for another half-hour, so I’m all yours until then.”
Her pulse stuttered, and it took her a second to form a thought to reply. “Oh.”
Maybe she should’ve taken two seconds.
“How do you want your coffee?”
“Black.”
He opened his office door and waited for her to step inside before he nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
Holly let out a breath and glanced around the familiar room, taking a closer look. The bookcase behind his big desk was loaded with medical journals and matched the dark wood of his furniture. Two plush, brown leather arm chairs sat in front of his desk, and matched the couch along the back wall, big enough to sleep two. Floor to ceiling window’s lined the south wall, letting in a wonderful, natural light, while a dusty blue paint covered the other walls that housed a myriad of framed degrees, awards, and photos.
Like a moth to a flame, she drew closer, a combination of her obsession over photographs…and him. Several pictures showed the sexy man dressed in a suit, receiving awards, standing with his arm around two women she assumed were his mother and sister, going by the startling resemblance of dark hair and blue eyes. A few were of him in fatigues and in full battle gear with a bunch of soldiers.
Holly recognized Tanner and the volleyball guys, and Kade Dalton, whom she knew was Jace’s good friend. The comradery and kinship mirrored on their faces, and in one photo of just him and Kade, she saw more than she wanted.
Pain.
A shared pain. Their eyes were full of it, even though their mouths were turned up in a smile. Her heart clutched. Which wasn’t good. She didn’t want to feel anything for this man. It was bad enough a strong attraction simmered between them. At least she could try to fight that; hell, she had been ever since stepping foot in this very office with her uncle and mother all those months ago.
“Black coffee as ordered.”
She jumped and twisted to find Jace walking into the room, two cups in his hands. “Th-thanks.” Heat rushed into her face as if he’d caught her watching him strip naked.
Heat of a different kind rushed south with rapid force.
He glanced from her to the photos, then back before handing her a coffee. “My secretary insists I put them up there. Says it makes me more accessible to the patients.”
“I think she’s right.” She liked the middle-aged woman who ran the office. Linda was efficient and personable, with a good head for business. The fact she’d forced him to put his achievements on display, proved it. “I think this photo is my favorite.”
Sipping her drink, she enjoyed the warmth as it slid down her throat then pointed to a picture of the doctor wearing fatigues. He stood in a village with a little girl in his arms, a small boy hugging his legs, and a young couple holding another little boy. The smiles on their faces were so genuine, she felt their gratitude straight through the lens.
“That was during our last deployment.”
His gaze settled on the photo, and she watched satisfaction and pure joy spread across his face. Breath caught in her throat. His whole demeanor, even his posture transformed. He stood taller; smile broadening, he lit up from within. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he continued to stare at the picture.
“We were passing through a village and ran across a group from Doctors Without Borders that needed some help. This family’s little girl is HIV positive. I had the privilege of educating them on little things they could do to help her live with the disease.”
His passion for the subject ruled his features and was so strong, she could feel it vibrating within him. Holly remained silent, sipped her coffee and listened as he told her about the village. She tried to comprehend the difference between him and her father. And ex-boyfriend. Jace seemed to truly care about people, whereas all her father cared about was money. And her ex about himself.
He turned and caught her staring at him. “What?” A grin tugged his lips. “You’re looking at me as if I’ve grown two heads.”
Two hearts, maybe. Or one big one the size of two. Was he for real? A gorgeous, compassionate doctor? He couldn’t be real.
Right?
She blinked and blindly pointed to another photo in an attempt to change the subject. “What about this one?”
His knowing gaze narrowed, but he cut her some slack and turned his attention to the picture. Then stilled.
It was only a minuscule movement, but she noticed, along with the tightening in his jaw and the way the light dimmed from his eyes.
“That was from this last deployment, too.”
She waited for him to elaborate about the photo with Kade, but after a few silent beats passed, she decided to nudge further, refusing to dissect why it mattered. “You lost someone.”
Another minuscule movement. A slight nod. “Sergeant Nylan. Shayla’s fiancé.”
Her chin shot up. “Oh. Amelia’s father
.” She’d wondered about him, but had never asked. It wasn’t any of her business, and if her friend had wanted to talk, she’d listen. If not, that was fine, too.
What wasn’t fine, was the dark expression on the handsome doctor’s face as he continued to stare at the photo, when just a few minutes ago, he could’ve lit the night. Even though she didn’t want to pester, she just couldn’t let him dwell in that dark place. “If it brings back a bad memory, why leave it up?”
For some reason, the thought of him being transported back to that moment over and over, bothered her more than it should. Which made no sense. Heck, they weren’t even technically friends. And yet, it did bother her, laying like a piece of lead in her stomach.
“I leave it up there to remind me I’m not infallible. That I can’t save everyone. That I’m…”
“Human,” she whispered, throat suddenly too tight to breath.
“Yeah.”
Once again, her mind tried to comprehend the man. A doctor. Who cared about people. She knew that was technically what doctors were supposed to do, but in her experience, it tipped the other way. Big time. In her experience, the title often meant more than the oath taken.
Doctor Jace Turner was human. And that made him so very dangerous. She liked humans. She liked him. Which was such a bad idea, because she wasn’t staying in Harland County.
So, why the hell was she leaning closer to the man who was leaning closer to her?
Because she was an idiot.
Holly drew back, then swiveled around and marched to the window, bringing her cup to her lips. Coffee was cold. She was hot. A hysterical giggle bubbled up her throat. No. She was in control. Time to switch the subject back to the reason she had accepted his offer in the first place.
Her uncle.
“The orthopedic surgeon said my uncle’s fall caused a setback. He’s being x-rayed now.” Her mom blamed herself for not helping. Her uncle blamed himself for not asking his sister for help, and Holly blamed the stars for not aligning in her plight to leave Texas.
She heard a small thunk and deduced it to be his empty cup hitting the bottom of his garbage can.
“What about you?” he asked, catching her off guard.
“Wh-what about me?”
“How’s your elbow? You never did stop by to see me.”
“It’s good. See?” She moved her arm all around to show him she was fine and pain free.
Guess it wasn’t good enough for him because he stepped close and began to examine her arm with two big, warm hands.
The heat of arousal flickered to life, and she fought back a tremor. “I kept it immobile like you said for two days. Not with the dish towel.” She laughed. “Tanner brought me a sling.”
“Of course he did.”
His voice was dry, and she longed to see his expression, but his head was down as he concentrated on her arm. “Looks like you got lucky. Just don’t try to push it.”
Not her style. Okay, yes, yes it was. But not when it came to health issues.
She downed the last of her cold coffee. “Don’t worry. I won’t. Unlike my uncle.”
He released her and met her gaze with a frown. “Is he in a lot of pain?”
“A little,” she replied. “His knee hurts, not his hip.”
“I’m sorry. I know you were hoping to leave this week.”
She nodded, but didn’t glance at him, uncaring if it was rude. It was safe, and that was more important.
“What will happen with your job?”
His voice was full of the compassion she knew she’d see shining in his eyes…if she chucked safe in the trash along with her empty coffee and turned to face him.
She didn’t. Just walked to the can, tossed the cup, and stared at the crumpled heap.
“It’s for a ski resort, right?”
Realizing he was waiting for a reply, she drew in a breath and shot from the hip. “Yeah, it is, and I don’t know what’s going to happen.” Her heart lurched at the thought. “They’ll probably give the position to whoever has been filling in for me.”
Saying it out loud increased the pain in her chest. And now her eyes were leaking. “Dammit.” She twisted her back to him and swiped at her wet cheeks. “Family comes first. It was just a stupid job.”
“Hey, no, it’s not stupid,” he said, suddenly standing in front of her, warm hand on her shoulder while the other tipped her chin to force her to meet his understanding gaze. “Even I know how much the job means to you.”
“You do? How?”
“During your uncle’s last appointment, your mother told me how hard you worked for that promotion,” he replied.
The compassion softening his voice and gaze did funny things to her pulse.
“It’s not over until they say it is, and even then, you fight for it. You should never give up on your dreams, Holly. Never.”
She hiccupped. Her dreams? Hell, it had been so long since she indulged in something so…frivolous, as her father used to call it, she wasn’t sure how anymore.
He stilled, and bent at the knee to look her straight in the eyes. “This wasn’t your dream job?”
Her brain was having trouble connecting thoughts, thanks to the cells he was zapping with his electrifying touch. Little tingles raced down her arm and spine. Her mind was stuck on the fact her skin felt fused where they touched. And she liked it.
Dammit.
“Holly?”
“Yeah?” She blinked, but it didn’t help. He was so close she could smell his woodsy aftershave, mixed with man, and she had all she could do not to lean forward and inhale.
And maybe lick.
“What is your dream job?”
She shrugged. “I-I don’t know.” Her brain was still focused on the licking thing. She forced herself to speak. “When I was in high school, I had wanted to go to college to pursue photography.” She waited for his laugh, or snide remark about her impromptu photo shoot of him and the other shirtless guys playing volleyball, but he didn’t say a word, or crack a smile. He just stared at her with those incredible eyes that saw everything. “But, my father said it was impractical, and he wouldn’t help financially.”
“I’m sorry.”
His frown created three creases across his forehead, and she concentrated on them while she shrugged again. “My mom didn’t have any kind of money.” Not after putting my jerk father through school.
The kind woman had struggled to make ends meet most of their lives. Sure, her dad paid alimony and child support, but he’d gotten a great lawyer, so the payments were bare minimal. Her mother had eventually remarried a nice man. A blue-collar worker. The last thing Holly had wanted was to put the financial burden of college loans on them. They never had much money, but they were happy until the day he died.
“I knew I needed a good job to help pay for my brother’s college someday, so I decided to major in business and marketing. I figured that was a broad enough field to keep me employed for the rest of my life.”
“You shouldn’t have to settle. Ever.”
His thumb was tracing her lower lip now, and she was so totally on board with how wonderful it made her feel, all hot and toasty and so very alive. She found if she nodded, his thumb covered more of her lip.
He sucked in a breath before he cupped her face with both hands and stepped closer. The movements brought so much of his delicious body in contact with hers, she was on sensory overload. He was hot and hard, and she felt herself melting.
“Holly.” His voice was low and deliciously sexy.
Her mind had just enough juice left to send out a weak warning she needed to step back and refrain from lip-locking with the doc. But, her wires got crossed, and she ended up stepping forward instead.
Chapter Three
Twice in less than a week.
When Jace had offered Holly a cup of coffee, he hadn’t planned to get so close to the woman they’d share a breath. First at her job, and now at his. The woman killed his restraint. Every. Damn. Time.
<
br /> He couldn’t let go. Couldn’t step back, even though his mind insisted he gave the distance thing another shot. For the first time since he’d known her, she was open with him, allowing a glimpse of the real Holly Phillips. He liked what he saw. Not just the body melting into his, all soft and warm, but the heart visible in her open gaze.
She was a good woman who sacrificed for family, and felt the same crazy pull of attraction turning him inside out. Her heart raced and pulse beat erratic at the base of her throat, and when he backed her up against the desk, her hands reached out to palm his chest while her teeth sank into the plump of her lower lip. Need spiked a path straight to his groin. He wanted to bite and sooth and lick.
Every inch of her.
Her hair was silky soft under his hands, and she smelled as sweet as the desserts she concocted in her uncle’s shop. Erotic images from his dreams flashed through his mind, and heat spread out in tight formation to every zone in his body. This time, there would be no retreat.
He lowered his mouth, sharing another breath, giving her a chance to back away.
Hands, warm and a little desperate, tightened their hold on his chest as she lifted up on tiptoe in an open invitation.
Loud and clear. He got the message, and acting accordingly, he kissed her. The soft moan rumbling up her throat blazed through him like wildfire.
He knew it. For months, he’d wondered if she’d taste as incredible as his dreams.
Even better.
Her hands were in his hair now, holding him as if she was afraid he’d leave. Hell no. Not now that he’d finally gotten her where he’d wanted all these months. In his arms.
Jace deepened the kiss, opening his mouth on her wider, acquainting himself with her sweet taste, enjoying the soft little sounds coming from her throat, full of need and surprise.
He could feel her heart pounding hard in her chest. Or was that his? Didn’t matter. The mistrust and wariness were gone. She let him in. Pressed closer, held tighter, murmured his name against his lips, wanting more. Well hell, he had a lot more to give.
Warning bells clanged in his head. He was treading dangerous waters, in deep, deeper than he’d been in years. It didn’t matter. She felt incredible. Tasted amazing, and he ignored his brain.
Her Healing Cowboy (Harland County Series Book 5) Page 4
