Falling for the Billionaire Doc

by Amy Ruttan

  She’d never before experienced this kind of pleasure with someone.

  All consuming.

  It had burned her blood until she’d erupted into a ball of flames, melting in his arms. At first, when he had taken her in his arms when she was cold, she had felt exposed and vulnerable, but he had made her feel safe.

  And it just felt right.

  She didn’t feel afraid.

  She felt she could be herself and she wasn’t embarrassed. Kiera let herself go. She wanted him and she wasn’t scared to tell him that. She’d wanted him from the first moment she saw him, and even though she was trying so hard to deny it she couldn’t.

  With his arms around her, she’d just let go.

  She wanted to taste his lips.

  She wanted to taste his passion.

  She didn’t regret her decision to give in last night, but now, in the light of day, she didn’t know what she was feeling. She wanted to stay with him, but he didn’t live in Aspen, and after the issues with the new hospital and Aspen Grace Memorial Hospital were taken care of, he was going to leave.

  Henry had a practice, a home, a life in Los Angeles.

  And Kiera was needed here in Aspen. She couldn’t leave.

  The last time she had been away, Mandy was hurt, and Wilfred had fought his cancer alone.

  He’d died alone.

  She couldn’t leave.

  Why? What is holding you here?

  This was where her home was because this was where Mandy was. Mandy was her only family and vice versa. Keira couldn’t leave her all alone.

  Not after all Dr. Burke had done for her, all that Mandy had done to support her.

  Where would her life be if Dr. Burke hadn’t taken her in and raised her as his own? Kiera shuddered as she thought of that diner in Colorado Springs, of how alone she’d felt sitting there, watching at the window for her father to come back for her.

  The flashing lights of the police cruiser, and going with the nice police officer to her first temporary foster home.

  She remembered finally standing in front of Dr. Burke’s house. She’d been scared, but his smile and the feel of his strong hand as he took her in and introduced her to Mandy had reassured her. That was when she had felt safe, she had felt at home. When Wilfred died and Brent left her for another woman she felt like that little abandoned girl again. Now, here with Henry, she felt the same safety and security. Still, she couldn’t leave Aspen. She’d left once before and that had turned out bad. She couldn’t leave again. This was the only place in her life that had ever been good. And any future with Henry was uncertain.

  It was scary to even entertain the thought of leaving.

  It was too great of a risk.

  She couldn’t leave Mandy behind. It hurt her heart to know that this fling with Henry was just that and it was temporary.

  Soon he’d be gone and she’d feel...empty.

  She owed it to Dr. Burke and Mandy to stay here.

  Kiera sighed and got up as quietly as she could.

  “You’re disappearing on me again?” Henry asked groggily.

  Kiera smiled and sat back down. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  He reached out and touched her face. “Well, at least this time you have nowhere to go and I didn’t find you struggling at the foot of the bed.”

  She laughed. “This is true.”

  He grinned lazily and pulled her back down onto the bed. “What’s your rush?”

  Kiera kissed him. “Mike is coming soon. I want to be ready.”

  Henry frowned and groaned. “Right.”

  “You sound so disappointed.”

  He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m sure Mike will tell me how angry my father is with me.”

  “Why would your father be angry with you? It was my car that broke down.”

  “Because my father wanted to meet with me yesterday. He summoned me when I was in the intensive care unit tending to our burn victim. Instead, I came down to the emergency room and we went to see Agnes.”

  “Oh.” Kiera’s stomach flip-flopped. “I wonder if it had to do with the hospital.”

  “Probably, but he opened the free clinic.”

  Kiera sat up straighter. “Yeah, but he still wants to close down Aspen Grace Memorial. He still wants to build a new hospital.”

  “Aspen Grace Memorial is outdated and falling apart. It would cost more to expand and fix what’s broken than to build new.”

  She had a bad feeling. “I think you should have gone to see him.”

  Henry took her hand. “My father pulls this kind of stuff all the time. Expects me to be at his beck and call, and it’s usually nothing.”

  “Why do you whatever he asks then?”

  Henry sighed. “When Michelle died my life was a mess. I abandoned patients, almost lost my medical license because of it. I drank. I gambled. I was on a collision course to destroy my life. My father didn’t want to ruin his career with a black sheep of a son, so he set me back on the right path. Hushed everything up, and I worked hard to sober up and save my career.”

  “Sounds like he cares.”

  Henry snorted. “Hardly.”

  “Someone who cares would help.”

  “He says I owe him. He brings up my past all the time to control me. Soon I’ll be free though.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, her stomach anxiously twisting.

  “Nothing. Look, he wouldn’t do anything drastic without one of the majority shareholders there. Don’t worry.”

  “I thought you weren’t the chairman anymore?”

  “I’m not, but I still have shares and the right to vote.”

  “Right.” She nodded, but something was wrong. Her insides were in knots and it just didn’t feel right.

  She didn’t trust Governor Baker. Not for a second. The man cared only about money, and she wouldn’t put it past him to do something dubious. And now that she was learning how he treated his own son, it felt even more wrong.

  Something was going on.

  She worried that Henry was hiding more from her.

  Kiera didn’t doubt that he would do something underhanded, something sneaky. Henry had promised her that if she went along with his ruse he’d save the free clinic and see what he could do the rest, but what if Henry was like his father?

  She didn’t know him.

  You’re being paranoid. Henry is nothing like that.

  She hated her sense of dread. Anxiety was eating away at her because she couldn’t trust Henry not to hurt her. She couldn’t trust anyone.

  She was annoyed at herself for a fleeting second for entertaining something more with Henry. She had let go of the tight hold on her emotions and fallen into his arms.

  “Are you okay, Kiera?” Henry asked.

  “Fine.” And she plastered on a fake smile. “I’m going to get dressed and ready for Mike to make an appearance.”

  “Good idea.”

  Kiera wrapped one of the tangled sheets around her body and scooted to the safety of the bathroom to get dressed.

  She couldn’t think clearly when she was in the same room as Henry. Having him naked in the bed, she was tempted to ignore the rational part of her that was telling her to be careful and not to trust him and instead listen to the part of her that craved his touch.

  She cursed under her breath, unable to remember the last time she’d been so at war with herself.

  Focus.

  Kiera finished getting cleaned up and changed in the bathroom. As she left the bathroom Henry stood up, completely naked, and came over to her.

  Her pulse was thundering in her ears as she stood there and stared at him. Her body thrummed with lust because, even though she was fighting her feelings, she was completely attracted to him.

  Henry p
ulled her into his arms and kissed her again, pulling her flush against his hard body and giving her a kiss that made her melt.

  Kiera didn’t want to end the kiss, but she needed to if she was going to keep her sanity and her wits about her.

  She pushed him away playfully. “You need to get ready.”

  He grinned, his eyes twinkling. “Fine.”

  She watched him head to the bathroom with his clothes. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

  She hoped she was wrong. She had to believe she was wrong about Henry. She was worrying too much, and she hated she couldn’t let herself trust him.

  She hated herself for being so afraid.

  * * *

  Something had changed about Kiera, and Henry couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It worried him, especially after telling her about his past. About the mess he’d made of his life, but he was tired of hiding behind it. He was tired of being abandoned and it didn’t bother him to tell Kiera. She was different from the women he dated in Los Angeles.

  She was real.

  Not vapid. Not shallow.

  She was genuine, and that’s what drew him.

  For the first time, he wished that this wasn’t a fake engagement. He liked being around her and he wanted her to come with him to California. He didn’t want to leave her behind in Aspen when his time was up. He hadn’t realized how lonely he was. Being with Kiera reminded him of what he’d been missing.

  He just wasn’t sure she felt the same or that she would leave.

  You don’t know unless you ask her.

  That made him nervous and being nervous around her annoyed him. Kiera was getting under his skin, just like Michelle had, and he felt a pang of guilt for even contemplating moving on from Michelle’s memory.

  She’s been gone eight years, and she’d want you to move on.

  This was true, but was he ready to move on?

  Henry sighed and finished up in the bathroom. When he left, Kiera had opened the drapes and was staring outside.

  “Any sign of Mike?” he asked.

  She glanced back. “No. Hopefully soon. I hope the tow truck gets my poor old car back to Aspen. Not that it’s old.”

  “It will. Do you want Mike to take you back to your home or the hospital?”

  “Home,” Kiera said. “I have to check on Mandy. I’m sure she’s worried sick.”

  “I called her from the diner and let her know.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “You did?”

  “I didn’t want her to worry, and I know you didn’t want her to sit up all night.”

  She smiled sweetly. “Thank you. I meant to call her, but I forgot.”

  “My pleasure, and I’m sorry I forgot to mention it last night, too.” He came up behind her and resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her and hold her. That’s what he wanted to do, but he didn’t.

  He hadn’t intended for last night to happen, but he was so glad that it had.

  He had wanted it to happen.

  A familiar car pulled into the parking lot.

  “There’s Mike,” he said.

  “I’ll go return the key,” Kiera said quickly, grabbing her stuff. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

  “Okay.”

  Kiera slipped out of the motel room. Henry packed up the rest of his stuff and left the room. Mike parked the car and got out to open the back door for him.

  “You’re in hot water,” Mike announced.

  Henry rolled his eyes. “I’m forty. I don’t really care if I’m in trouble with my father.”

  He was done. He didn’t care if the whole world knew about his past.

  He was tired of hiding.

  He was tired of feeling he owed his father.

  He was tired of hoping his father loved him, because his father never would and Henry had made mistakes. Mistakes he was ready to own.

  “You might care about this.” Mike took his messenger bag to put it in the trunk. “The board voted to have your shares revoked, back to your father. They appointed a new chair and the vote happened.”

  Henry’s stomach sank like a rock. Right down to the soles of his feet. “What do you mean the vote happened?”

  “They voted without you. The free clinic is gone. All emergency patients are being rerouted and Aspen Grace Memorial Hospital has been closed. They’re not even going to build a replacement hospital. The new clinic is going to be for plastic surgery and other spa-like medical treatments. The entire staff have lost their jobs. Or they will when the hospital actually closes. Only the surgeons have been given severance packages.”

  “And this happened last night?”

  “Your father was pretty angry that you didn’t come and see him.”

  “How could he do that, though? He wouldn’t do that, the press would be too bad.”

  “Yeah, but he didn’t. Not really, because he appointed a new chairman of the board who made all the cuts. Someone who wasn’t related to him. It doesn’t look bad for him. He can spin it the right way since he’s not the one who made the final decision. He might have been the executioner for Aspen Grace Memorial, but he didn’t make the final blow.”

  Henry scrubbed a hand over his face. His blood was boiling and he glared at his phone, his stupid phone that couldn’t even get reception.

  How could his father do this?

  Aspen Grace Memorial Hospital wasn’t the only hospital in Aspen, but it was the foremost trauma center in the area. And the other hospital in Aspen couldn’t employ that many people. So many people had lost their jobs. All for what? Because Henry hadn’t jumped when his father called for him to come see him? Because he didn’t announce his engagement or do what his father wanted and when?

  Free clinics did cost a lot, but really he couldn’t even give it a week?

  What was the point of opening it for twenty-four hours? What was the point of sending him here?

  Kiera was out of a job.

  She’s talented. She’d get another job somewhere else.

  She could come to California with him. He would take her to California in a heartbeat.

  “Don’t say a word of this to Dr. Brown. I’ll tell her myself.”

  Mike nodded. “I promise. I thought you’d want to know what you were walking into. Personally, I think it was a crummy thing to do all around.”

  Henry smiled at Mike. “It is.”

  Mike nodded in understanding as Kiera came out of the office.

  “Hi, Mike,” she said brightly.

  “Good morning, Dr. Brown.” Mike took her bags and put them in the trunk.

  Henry opened the car door for her, and she climbed into the back. He followed and Mike shut their door before climbing into the front seat. The privacy barrier was up.

  And Henry was glad for it.

  He was reeling while he struggled to figure out what to say. It was going to crush her, and he felt like he’d betrayed her. He felt like he was some kind of villain who had seduced her and then crushed her dreams all in one swoop. He had meant to sell his shares and tell his father he was done, but his father had wrecked that.

  He didn’t know how to explain this now.

  And he was so angry with his father.

  Mike drove away from the motel. From that room where it had happened and where for a brief moment in time he got to be in her presence. It was just the two of them. Together.

  Vulnerable.

  There was no hospital, no past.

  It was just them. Together.

  They weren’t enemies, they hadn’t made a deal with one another.

  He wanted to be back in that room, back her in arms. He just wanted her.

  “Come to California with me.”

  Kiera’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”

  “I want you to come to California.�
�

  She chuckled. “I don’t think so. What’s gotten into you?”

  “I don’t know,” he muttered, but he knew exactly what had gotten into him. What he didn’t know was how to tell her the truth.

  That he’d blown it.

  He’d panicked and acted impulsively, and now he had Kiera on edge.

  “The offer was sweet,” she said, breaking the silence. “I can’t leave Colorado.”

  “Because of your job?”

  “Yes, but... Mandy is here. This is her home. I can’t leave.”

  “Do you want to?”

  “This is a very strange string of questions.”

  “Is it? We are engaged.” He was trying to keep it light and having a hard time.

  Kiera looked at him like he was crazy. “It’s fake.”

  “Is it?” he asked, because he felt like what had happened between them wasn’t fake.

  A blush colored her cheeks. “I honestly don’t know.”

  And it stung to hear her say that.

  What were you expecting?

  He didn’t know.

  “Right. You’re right.”

  Her expression changed. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

  Henry sighed. “So about that meeting I was supposed to go to yesterday.”

  “Right. The meeting. I remember.”

  “I thought it was my father just wanting me to do his bidding. Only...”

  “Only?” Kiera asked. “Only what?”

  “Only there was a vote and I was removed from voting.”

  “Removed? I don’t understand,” she asked.

  “My father decided to be my proxy, since he bought my shares. He took over my shares and voted on the future of Aspen Grace Memorial Hospital.”

  “And?” Her voice was very quiet.

  “Aspen Grace Memorial Hospital is going to be closed.”

  “And the free clinic?” she asked, her voice tight.

  “It’s gone.”

  “What?”

  Mike pulled up in front of Kiera’s home and parked.

  “Kiera, it was shut down. And instead of a new hospital being built, they’re going to be building a private clinic that focuses on plastic surgery and medical spa-like treatments.”