Читать книгу Dreams & Desires - Kat Cantrell - Страница 16

Nine

Though she’d had only one day off work, when Clare pulled into the hospital lot the next morning it felt as if weeks had passed. So much had happened in such a short span of time.

She and Parker had had a picnic on her bed last night—sushi and beer—then had sex again. She couldn’t imagine where he found the energy. He had impressive stamina, and loads of patience. She must have fallen asleep immediately afterward, and when she woke at midnight he was gone. He could have easily taken advantage of her unconscious state and hung around, but he really seemed to respect her space now. As hard as he’d pushed the past three months, suddenly he seemed to know just when to back off. It was a little disconcerting—no, make that terrifying—the way he was so attuned to her needs. Most men didn’t have a clue.

Parker was in meetings all morning so she didn’t see him right away, and as a result spent the first half of her day fighting the nervous excitement building in her belly. It wasn’t as if she didn’t see him almost every day at work. What a difference a few days could make. It felt as if her entire life had been flipped on its head. And somewhere in the back of her mind there was a nagging little voice asking her, what if it was all a game to him? What if he said something to make people believe they were an item. What if he hauled her up out of her chair behind the nurses’ station and kissed her senseless?

As quickly as she had the thought, she dismissed it. Now that she knew him a little better, she didn’t think he would be capable of anything so underhanded. Her aunt was right: he was one of the good guys. And Clare needed to get her priorities straight.

In her experience, the hotter the sex, the faster the relationship burned, until there was nothing left but ash. At the rate they were going, they wouldn’t make it a week.

But he had been so sweet and so understanding about her reservations. Because of her hang-ups, a first intimate encounter with a man could be a bit awkward, and usually was. Men always thought they would be the one to “cure” her. As if she was broken or something. Which she was a little, she supposed. But they inevitably pushed her too far, or sometimes not far enough. It just always seemed to end in disaster for everyone. Eventually, she’d just stopped trying.

But this thing with Parker had her reevaluating that decision.

She was at the nurses’ station looking up a chart on the computer when she heard his familiar footsteps, and as he neared, her heart sailed right up into her already tight throat and lodged there, pounding relentlessly.

Oh, man, this was bad.

She heard him talking to Rebecca. Clare knew for a fact that he’d dated the young nurse a time or two, and Clare felt her hackles rise. Though from the look on Rebecca’s face when Clare glanced up, there was no love lost there. Her eyes settled on Parker for no more than a second, but the damage was done. Her heart did a nosedive with a triple twist to the pit of her belly, knocking her insides all out of whack.

She heard him send Rebecca to check on a patient, then his footsteps as he came closer. Her heart sailed back up into her throat again and the crown of her scalp felt tingly and warm.

“Hey there, sweet cheeks,” he said, which was exactly the way he would have greeted her before they slept together. And it would have annoyed the hell out of her. Now the sound of his voice strummed across her nerve endings, the friction warming her from the inside out.

“Dr. Reese,” she said, not looking up from the screen. She was afraid that if she looked at him again, her true feelings would wind up on display for everyone to see. Including him. She was so beside herself her hands were trembling.

What was wrong with her?

He leaned down and looked over her shoulder at the computer screen, as if they were discussing a patient, and said quietly, “Have I mentioned that you’re amazing?”

It was difficult not to swoon, or throw her arms around his neck and kiss him. Hoping her voice wasn’t as shaky as the rest of her, she said, “Once or twice.”

“Sleep well?”

She nodded. Oh, had she ever. He had completely worn her out. “I was a little surprised that you left.”

“You sound disappointed.”

Yeah, she sort of did, didn’t she?

“I would have stayed.” He pointed at nothing in particular on the screen. “But I left because I knew that would be what you wanted.”

And he was right. Or was he? If she had woken up beside him this morning, they could have had a little fun before work.

Which just goes to show how much this is clouding your judgment, you big dummy.

He really needed to get a handle on this habit he had of being so wonderful. Couldn’t he say something sexist or rude? Or even better, condescending.

“Busy tonight?” he asked.

“What were you thinking?”

His breath was warm against her ear when he said, “You know exactly what I’m thinking, cupcake.”

Back to the nicknames, were they? She was sort of getting used to hearing him use her name. But this time the teasing didn’t bother her so much. “I promised my friend Violet that I would go to a stained-glass class with her tonight at Priceless, the antiques store just outside of town.”

“Sounds like fun. Violet is Mac McCallum’s sister, right? He owns the Double M Ranch.”

“That’s the one.”

“Okay,” he said. “How about afterward?”

She wanted to, she really did. It was all just moving so fast. “I think I need some time to think. You know, about us.”

“At least you’re willing to admit there is an us.”

At least.

As he straightened, his hand brushed her bare arm and her senses went into extreme overload. “Call me if you change your mind, princess.”

* * *

Clare really, really wanted to see him tonight, and wrestled all day with what she should do. Should she be smart and reasonable, and take the time she needed to sort her feelings out, or be wildly irresponsible, say what the hell and jump him again? When Violet called later that afternoon to confirm their plans, Clare felt torn.

After small talk about the ranch she and her brother Mac owned, Violet asked, “Are we still on for tonight?”

An excuse was on the tip of her tongue, and Clare would have canceled, but the idea of seeing Parker socially four days in a row scared her a little.

“I can’t wait,” she told Violet with more enthusiasm than she was feeling. But she also knew she was doing the right thing. She was sure when she got to Priceless she would have a good time. She’d always had an interest in making stained glass and she’d heard that Raina Patterson’s studio was impressive. In addition to teaching crafts, Raina sold antiques out of the space. Clare had shopped in Priceless, but never taken a class there.

She remembered her car situation and asked Violet, “I know it’s a little out of your way, but could you give me a lift? I’m carless right now.”

“Is that how you wound up at the Royal Diner with Dr. Reese the other night?” Violet asked, a teasing lilt in her tone.

Ugh. Clare hated small towns sometimes. Violet was well aware of Parker’s shenanigans and how much they irritated Clare. She and everyone else Clare knew.

She made a sound of disgust and said, “He basically kidnapped me. He offered to drive me home then took me to the diner instead. Short of walking, or calling a cab, I was stuck. But I was hungry and he paid the check, so it could have been worse, I guess.”

“Why don’t you just go out with him?”

“Because he’s a womanizing, insufferable, megalomaniac.”

“Yeah, but he’s so hot.”

“Then why don’t you go out with him?”

There was a slight pause, then she said, “It’s not me he wants.”

Touché.

She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Grace Haines, Janey’s caseworker, approaching. Madeline, she reminded herself. For a second she thought the worst, that something was wrong, but Grace was smiling.

“I have to let you go, Violet. I’ll see you tonight.”

They hung up and Clare greeted Grace with a smile and a hug. “What brings you here?”

“I came to pick up some paperwork for Madeline’s transfer and I thought I would stop and say hello.”

“How is she doing?”

“She’s great. She may get to go home in a couple of weeks. She’ll have monitors, of course, but Hadley and Logan are taking a class at the center so they’ll know what to do in an emergency.”

“No word on the father?” Clare asked.

Grace shook her head somberly. “Either he can’t be reached, or doesn’t want to be. Logan doesn’t speak too highly of his brother. Thankfully if Seth doesn’t claim the twins, Logan and Hadley have already committed to adopting them. Honestly, I’m thinking that it would be for the best. I’m all for keeping children with their biological parents, but Seth is anything but reliable.”

“After such a rotten start in life, those girls deserve a happy, stable family.”

“They sure do,” Grace said. “I dated Seth in high school. Even then there was nothing stable about him.”

“Grace!”

Clare and Grace both turned to see Parker coming toward them, all smiles. “How’s my favorite caseworker?”

Grace smiled. “Great, and how is my favorite pediatrician?”

“Couldn’t be better,” he said, not even acknowledging that Clare was standing there. Then they hugged and though it was totally platonic Clare felt the slightest twinge of jealousy. Grace was tall and curvy with chestnut hair that tumbled down in soft natural curls. She was also beautiful, and so very nice, and Clare had never met a caseworker more dedicated to the kids in her care. Standing together she and Parker made an extremely attractive couple.

“How’s our girl doing?” Parker asked her.

“Still improving. I was just telling Clare that she might be able to go home in a couple of weeks.”

“That makes my day,” he said.

Grace looked at her watch. “I’d love to stay and chat but I have a home visit to get to. But I’m sure I’ll see you guys again soon.”

“It was great to see you,” Parker said, then he turned to Clare and his smile disappeared. “When you get a minute I need to see you in my office.”

Her heart plummeted and landed with a messy splat. He looked genuinely upset with her and she had no clue what she had done wrong.

“Um, yeah, sure,” she said. “Now is good.”

He nodded sternly, turned and all but marched down the hall. The two women watched him walk away in stunned silence.

“What was that about?” Grace asked, looking as taken aback by his demeanor as Clare was.

“I have no idea. I guess I’m about to find out.”

“Well, good luck.”

They headed in opposite directions down the hall. When Clare got to Parker’s office the door was partially closed so she knocked gingerly.

“Enter.”

She stepped inside expecting to see him at his desk. Then the door shut behind her and she spun around. Parker stood there grinning. “Hey there, sweet cheeks.”

* * *

“Hey,” Clare said, looking hopelessly confused.

Parker took her hand and pulled her against him, then proceeded to kiss her socks off. When he finally let her go she gave him a playful shove. “You creep! I really thought you were mad at me.”

“Pretty good, huh?” Parker said with a grin. He probably could have made his point without sounding angry, but the crushed look on Clare’s face had been worth it. If he’d snapped at her a week ago, she would have stood there stony faced and emotionless, as if she only had to listen because he was the boss. Not that he snapped at his staff all that often, but it did happen occasionally. But her reaction said something that up until now he could only hypothesize.

She cared. A lot.

She slid her arms up around his neck, pressed her body to his and pulled him down for an enthusiastic kiss. He got an instant hard-on. She was sexy as hell, and so completely unaware of it.

“Did you really need to talk to me or did you just want to make out?” she asked him. “Because the longer I’m in here the more suspicious it will look.”

“I saw the way you looked at us when I hugged Grace. I thought we should talk about it.”

“How did I look?” she asked, even though she knew that he knew exactly what was going on.

“A little green, actually.”

She backed out of his arms, nose in the air. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?”

She folded her arms stubbornly. “Yes, it is.”

“Admit it, you were jealous.”

“Why would I be jealous? We’re not in an exclusive relationship.”

“Well then, maybe we should be.”

Her eyes went wide and up went the wall. “That’s crazy. I haven’t even decided if I’m going to sleep with you again.”

Yeah, right. “Then what was that kiss you just laid on me all about? Are you a tease, Clare?”

She didn’t seem to have a comeback for that, but her inner struggle was written all over her face.

“You do what you need to do,” he told her. “But as long as we’re involved, I’m not going to date, or have any sort of physical relationship with anyone else.”

She looked as if she might cry, or barf. As if she didn’t know how to feel. And all she managed was a shaky, “O-okay.”

He tugged her back into his arms with no resistance and tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes. “That’s a promise, sweetheart.”

Something dark flashed in her eyes. “In my experience men have a very limited grasp on the concept of a promise.”

“Sounds like you’ve been hanging around the wrong kind of men.”

Clearly he’d hit a sore spot. She untangled herself from his arms and said, “This is not the time or the place to get into this. I have to get back to work. If anyone asks, we’re discussing Janey—I mean, Madeline’s case. Finishing up paperwork or something.”

He nodded. “As you wish.”

After she left, he took a seat at his desk. Boy, had he hit a nerve.

Luc popped his head in a second later. “Hey, have you got a minute?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

He flopped down in the chair opposite Parker and propped his feet up on the desk. “I haven’t seen you in a few days so I wasn’t able to congratulate you on solving the mystery.”

Mystery? Had he somehow figured out that Parker and Clare were intimate?

He decided to play dumb. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Luc looked at him as if he was an idiot. “Madeline. I hear that she’s getting better.”

Oh, that mystery. “Twin-to-twin transfusion,” he said with a shrug. “Who knew?”

“Was that Clare I just saw leaving your office?”

“We were discussing a patient,” he said.

“I also heard you were at the diner with her the other night. Sounds as if you’re wearing her down.”

It took a second for Parker to realize that Luc was referring to their bet. Parker had completely forgotten about it. What seemed like an innocent joke then could have real repercussions for his relationship with Clare if she ever caught wind of it.

“Actually I haven’t made any progress at all. And I’m thinking I’m just wasting my time.”

“You might want to rethink that,” Luc said. “I mentioned our bet to Bruce Marsh in Radiology and he wanted in. He must have told someone, and they must have told someone else. Last night I heard a member mention it at the club.”

Suddenly Parker was the one who felt like barfing. And he couldn’t even get angry because it wasn’t unusual for their little bets to make the rounds of their fellow doctors. To have this one running rampant through the hospital was bad enough. Now that it was out in public, God only knew who would get wind of it.

What the hell had he done?

“I’m clearly not getting anywhere with her, so let’s just call you the winner and be done with it,” he told Luc.

Luc frowned. “It’s not like you to give up so easily. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

He wrestled with his options. If he told Luc the truth he would be breaking a promise to Clare, but if he didn’t he could find himself in the hot seat.

Breaking a promise to Clare to save himself? Really? That sounded like something his father would do. There had to be a better way.

“The truth is, I’ve started seeing someone,” he told Luc, sticking as close to the truth as possible. “She works here at the hospital and wants to keep the relationship quiet while we see where this goes.”

His curiosity piqued, Luc asked, “Is it someone I know?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. But I have strong feelings for this woman, and if she hears about the bet she might take it the wrong way.”

“I see what you mean,” Luc said. “I’m sorry, Parker. I’ll see what I can do to make this discreetly go away, but it seems to have taken on a life of its own.”

Parker felt sick to his stomach. How the hell had he gotten himself in this mess? What had he been thinking? Innocent bet or not it had been sexist and chauvinistic. That was exactly the person he’d been struggling not to be. There was a time when he saw women as playthings...as an interesting and pleasurable way to pass the time. And while he’d never been openly or deliberately disrespectful to any member of the opposite sex, his actions spoke for themselves.

If Luc couldn’t get a handle on this, Parker would have no choice but to fess up to Clare and take his lumps. Even if that meant losing her.