by Robin Gianna
Then her heart jerkily started up again when she realized that Cameron was sobbing, tears streaking down her cheeks as she rested her head against Rafael’s broad shoulder, her hands clutching his scrub shirt. That his large hand gently stroking her damp hair back from her face was meant to comfort and soothe. Soft and beautiful Spanish words were coming from his beautifully shaped lips, and though Gabby’s knowledge of the language wasn’t as good as it should have been, she recognized them as words of praise and reassurance.
Oh. My. In her years as a midwife, working with doctors of all kinds, she’d seen many who were wonderful with patients. But this? This was something entirely new to her experience. This man was one lethal combination of excellent medical skill, patient care, and soothing empathy, with movie-star good looks on top of it all.
A sudden vision of his big, tanned hand pushing back her own hair, cupping her jaw before lowering those sensual lips to hers nearly stopped her breath. At that moment, he seemed to realize she’d come just inside the door and looked up. Still holding Cameron, patting her shoulder, his attention somehow seemed to be one hundred percent on Gabby as his eyes met hers. His lips curved in a slow smile, and his head inclined toward her ever so slightly in a subtle but obvious compliment. Giving her his respect and silent kudos that he thought she’d done a good job.
Somehow she managed to break that mesmerizing eye contact, breathe, and get her feet moving to the side of the bed. Her heart pounded hard in her ears, but thank heavens he couldn’t hear it. Could he?
She shook her head at herself and tried to keep her attention on just Cameron, but that was nearly impossible since her face was buried in Rafael’s neck, and she was hanging on to him like a barnacle to a rock. “I brought you a few different things to eat.” Other than Rafael. Gabby found herself momentarily distracted, wondering how, exactly, his neck smelled. Tasted. She’d bet pretty darned good on both counts. “Try a few, and if you think of something else you’d like to have, I’ll be happy to get it for you.”
Cameron slowly eased away from Rafael, her hands releasing his scrub shirt to swipe at the tears on her face. Rafael reached for a tissue to hand her and she gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you. Both of you. You’ve been just wonderful to me through all this, and I really, truly appreciate it.”
“It has been a privilege to be a part of it, Ms. Fontaine.” Rafael stood from his position by the bed. “I need to make a few notes and talk to the pediatrician about when we can see bebé. I’ll be right back.”
Gabby watched Cameron dig into her food with surprising gusto, considering how emotional she’d been a moment ago, and how she’d mostly picked at her food before then. “I’m glad you’re eating. It’ll help you get your strength back faster.”
“I’d thought I’d felt starved before, all the times I’d hardly eaten, trying to stay skinny to get into my costumes. But this time I’m honest to goodness famished!”
“Anything else you want, just let me know.”
“I want to see Skye.” She put the fork down and tears welled in her eyes again. “Rafael said he’d get me there as soon as possible.”
“I’m sure they’ll let you go to see her very soon. They know how important it is for a new mother to be with her baby.”
“I hope so.” Cameron sighed, and this time it sounded less worried and more dreamy. “Rafael’s the sweetest, isn’t he? Just wonderful. Gorgeous. Edible.”
Edible? Apparently, Gabby wasn’t the only one who’d had that passing thought. Then immediately had a vision of Cameron nibbling on the man’s sexy lips. Lips she couldn’t deny any woman would like a taste of.
Was Cameron planning on making a play for him once she was out of the hospital? Gabby had to wonder if he’d be more than happy to take the A-list actress up on anything she might offer. Then again, she’d just given birth, so they wouldn’t...
She drew herself up short and stuffed down those ridiculous and plain awful thoughts. What in the world would make her start thinking about the sex lives of either one was beyond her. She didn’t do relationships anymore. Sex either, and maybe that was why it had come to mind at all. It had been a long time and, hey, she was only human, right? What warm-blooded woman wouldn’t think about sex at least briefly when sharing the same air as Rafael Moreno?
Thankfully, the man entered the room at that moment, so she didn’t have to respond to Cameron’s comment. Or maybe she wasn’t thankful, because her wayward thoughts sent her gaze straight to his lips and, yes, she couldn’t deny they looked very edible indeed. She quickly moved her attention to the bronze color of his throat visible in the V of his scrubs, then on to the broad, powerful chest stretching his scrub shirt taut.
His eyes met hers with something unnerving glimmering in that startling green, and she had that can’t breathe feeling again. Lord, did he know, somehow, she’d been thinking about his nibble-worthy lips?
“Has our patient had a bite to eat?” he asked in a low, rumbling voice meant for Gabby’s ears only. Also meant to make women swoon, if the shivers currently skittering down Gabby’s spine were any indication.
“Um, yes.” Gabby cleared her throat. “Did NICU say she could see Skye now?”
“Sí. They’ve given us the green light, and transport is coming to get her as we speak.” He turned to smile at Cameron, speaking louder now. “Ready to see your beautiful girl now?”
“Yes, I’m so ready!” Cameron shoved aside her food. “Is she okay? Is she going to be fine?”
“Be prepared that she is in an incubator, being given extra-special care. So don’t be scared when you see that a few tubes are attached to her. The neonatal specialist will talk with you, but I can tell you she is optimistic.”
Gabby noted that he stopped short of committing to the baby being fine, which was wise, considering how premature Skye was and the multiple wraps of the umbilical cord around her little neck. He moved to the bed to pat Cameron on the shoulder again, leaving his backside turned to Gabby’s view. A tight, prime backside that filled out his scrubs all too well. Not that she was looking.
“Well, what’s taking them so long to come get me so I can see her?”
Gabby hadn’t thought she’d ever welcome Cameron’s demanding tone, but this time she was glad to hear it. Far preferable to how upset and vulnerable-sounding she’d been earlier.
As if her imperious voice had commanded it, transport arrived seconds later. Gabby moved to help Cameron down from the bed into the wheelchair, but to her astonishment Rafael simply lifted their patient up and gently deposited her in it, as though she weighed little more than her newborn.
“Are you coming with me, Rafael?” Cameron asked, clutching his arm. Her blue eyes were wide and imploring, and her lips were quivering again. Gabby had spent a lot of hours with Cameron, and had a sneaking suspicion the woman was pulling out her acting skills.
Curious to see how Rafael would react, Gabby nonchalantly glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
“I will join you as soon as Gabriella and I finish up here.”
It must have been Cameron’s exhaustion that had her simply nodding instead of arguing. An evil part of Gabby that she hadn’t even known was inside her had her smiling, wondering how Cameron would react if she said, I’ll join you and Rafael as soon as possible too!
Then felt horribly guilty about that when Cameron reached for her hand, holding it until the transport guy had to stop wheeling her. “You’ve been so wonderful in every way, taking care of me and my little Skye long before she was born, and I’m so grateful. I hope you know that.”
“Oh, Cameron.” The sweet words touched her, especially coming from someone who’d seemed oblivious to many of Gabby’s ministrations throughout these long hours. “It’s been my pleasure and honor. And of course I’ll be checking on you and Skye while you’re still here at the clinic.”
&n
bsp; Cameron squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back just before the wheelchair moved on out of the room. She thought of the new mother seeing her baby again, touching her small body through the incubator ports, and knew exactly how overwhelming that maternal love felt. The only kind of forever love, no matter what the circumstances.
She turned to see Rafael Moreno studying her, his eyebrows twitched together questioningly. She wondered what he was seeing, and put on a bright smile. “Congratulations, Dr. Moreno! You dealt with everything very impressively. So scary that the cord was wrapped around her neck three times—I’ve rarely seen that. She pinked up fast, though, so I think you got it handled before she’d suffered any oxygen deprivation.”
“I hope so. We’ll see what the blood gases show.”
“Are you worried?” The man looked oddly serious, and Gabby wondered for a second if he’d seen something more alarming than she had.
“No. I agree with you that she looks remarkably good, considering everything. But I owe you an apology.”
“For what?” The intense way he was staring at her made her stomach feel strangely twisty and her skin warm and tingly. Hoping he wouldn’t notice, she tried for a joke. “Telling me I’m a lousy housekeeper?”
A slight smile alleviated some of the ultra-seriousness from his face. “Yes. And also that I implied you were incompetent.”
“Less of an implication than a statement, Dr. Moreno. I believe you said the condition of the room was obvious evidence you had to take control of my ward and care of my patient.”
“And I was wrong. Something that rarely happens.” His smile grew wider. “I have seen you are excellent at what you do, both with patient care and medical care. I was glad to have you working with me today, keeping me informed of the variables on the monitor, which had me looking for complications when baby’s head had barely crowned. Cameron and Skye have much to thank you for.”
“Well.” What was it about this man that sent her breathing haywire with a simple compliment? Or was it more the way those green eyes caught and held hers? “I appreciate you saying that. And I’ve seen you are an excellent doctor.”
And wasn’t standing there giving one another kudos beyond awkward? Gabby quickly turned to tidy the room. “I’d better get to that housekeeping before you report me to James,” she said lightly, hoping to get back the equilibrium he seemed to throw out of whack every time she was near him.
“What I will report to James is that you are exceptional at dealing with patients like Cameron Fontaine. He did well to hire someone like you for a clinic catering to the rich and famous.”
A club he doubtless belonged to very comfortably. “Thank you again. Likewise.” Fumbling with the equipment, she managed to drop the suture kit, and items skittered in every direction across the floor.
Lord. She crouched to gather everything, feeling like a teenager hanging out with the high school football star, utterly clumsy and tongue-tied. When would the man leave so she could finish and go home to finally get more than a couple of hours’ sleep? Maybe then her brain would function better around Rafael Moreno, instead of strangely short-circuiting.
Then she had a complete brain freeze when he crouched next to her, his thick shoulder bumping hers as he helped her to pick things up. “Do I make you feel nervous, Gabriella? If so, I’m sorry.”
The soft rumble of his voice drew her gaze to his. She couldn’t move as she stared at the closeness of his lips. At the sculpted cheekbones and jaw. At the interesting gold and brown flecks within the green staring back at her. As she breathed in the scent of him—a mix of masculinity and antiseptic soap that on him smelled so sexy, her mouth went dry.
“Nervous? No, of course not.”
“I think that’s a lie. That needs to change, though, as it looks like we’ll be working together for the foreseeable future. So we will have dinner together, and you can educate me more about how the clinic and the maternity ward run.” He dropped the items onto her tray, then gently stroked his fingertip beneath her eye. “See if you can get in a short nap before your shift ends. That’s at six, sí? I’ll be back here at seven.”
Before she could formulate a single response to his astonishing suggestion he was gone, leaving her to stare openmouthed after him. When she’d gathered her wits, she stood and studied herself in the mirror, twisting her lips as her finger slowly traced the skin he’d just touched. Nothing like being told, basically, that you looked like a baggy-eyed wreck.
A wreck completely unready for a dinner date with a prince.
CHAPTER FOUR
RAFAEL STUDIED THE woman sitting across from him, nearly smiling as he watched the gusto with which Gabriella attacked her meal. No Hollywood starlet starving herself here, or one of the many jet-setting socialites he knew who ate as little as possible to save their calories for a martini or three. Not that she wasn’t every bit as beautiful as those kinds of women, just harder working, spunky, and no-nonsense. Far more down to earth than the women he usually dated.
How had he never noticed the appeal of a woman like Gabriella?
“I trust that your dinner was tasty enough to overcome your doubts about sharing it with me?” he asked.
“I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m practically licking my fork, and it’s so yummy I’m not even embarrassed about that. So you know the answer is yes.”
“Good. James recommended this restaurant, and I’m happy it lives up to its billing. And also happy that I now know the best way to persuade you is through your stomach.”
“As opposed to your overbearing insults of the past?” The twinkle in her light brown eyes belied the words, which he hoped meant they’d sent their first impressions of one another into the past. “And the recent one too. And here I thought you were supposed to be a suave sophisticate with a vast knowledge of women.”
“What makes you think I’m not?”
“No smart man wanting a woman to go on a dinner date tells her she should take a nap first because she has bags under her eyes. Then at dinner implies she’s making a pig of herself.”
He had to laugh. “I apologize profusely if that was how my words came across. Even after several long days of work, you still look amazingly beautiful. And as for the pig part, if that is you, it’s now my favorite type of creature. Watching you take pleasure in your dinner has made mine that much more enjoyable.”
Even in the candlelight he could see her luminous skin turn pink, which was something else attractive about her. He couldn’t think of another woman he knew who would blush at a simple compliment.
“Thank you. For the dinner and the flattery. Both of which have me wondering why you invited me here tonight. What exactly are you wanting from me?”
What did he want from her? He’d thought it was simply a cordial working relationship, learning from her the nuances of how The Hollywood Hills Clinic worked. But her words suddenly had him thinking about something entirely different, and his body stirred with a surge of testosterone.
There had to be legions of men who reacted to her the same way. He had to wonder if she had a man in her life. If she didn’t that would be surprising, but perhaps he’d caught her between boyfriends. Except he couldn’t be “catching” her at all, since the whole reason he was in L.A. was to steer clear of women and keep his face out of the papers until the heat from his parents cooled off. Their attitudes annoyed the hell out of him, but he still cared about them. It was probably part of his duties as a son to avoid giving either one of them apoplexy.
“All I want is for us to work well together, the way we did with Cameron this afternoon. And to learn a little about the clinic from you.” He stuffed down the wayward thoughts pushing him to ask about her personal life and sent her a smile he hoped was blandly professional. “Tell me why you became a midwife and where you trained.”
“I’m from a family of
several generations of midwives, which isn’t as common here in the U.S. as in some other countries. I always knew that was what I wanted to do. Trained at a nursing school, then a midwifery program near Seattle, which is where I’m from.”
“And you came here after training?”
“No. I worked at a private midwifery unit there for quite a while. Came here two years ago.”
Was he imagining the shuttering of her eyes? That the relaxed smile on her face just moments ago had stiffened into something else? “Was it the appeal of working with famous people that drew you here?” He didn’t think so—she just didn’t seem like the type to care about that, but it wasn’t as though he really knew her.
“No. They’d approached me a few years before I came, then I...decided I wanted a change, and let them know I was available. How about you?” Her brown eyes held something—sadness maybe?—along with a clear determination to change the subject. “I have to admit it’s surprising to me that someone born a prince would decide to become a doctor.”
“Unless that prince is the second born. My parents saw my role within the kingdom as leading charity work, and while that’s worthwhile, I felt there were plenty of others who would happily take on that job. I wanted a career helping people in my own way, and my parents never understood that. Also, they got very annoyed the times I ducked out of various superficial royal duties.”
“What kind of royal duties?”
“Number one would be cutting a ribbon for the grand opening of a museum or concert hall or school. I was taught from a young age how to keep my scissors sharp.”
He was glad she laughed at his joke, but there was a nugget of truth to it. His parents couldn’t fathom why he’d become a doctor, and Gabriella no doubt wouldn’t be able to understand that attitude, since she was a medical professional too. God knew, he’d spent years trying to figure out why they disapproved of him and his choices, and he had finally given up worrying about it.
