Читать книгу Dr. Desirable - Кристи Голд - Страница 10

Nick had been waiting all afternoon to give Jared Granger a hefty dose of his own medicine and to ask him a few questions about Michelle Lewis.

“So how does it feel knowing you’re going to be a dad, Granger? Knowing you’re going to be responsible for this person for at least twenty years, worrying if you’re screwing up—”

“Shut up, Kempner.”

Jared made the warning through a proud-as-a-peacock grin while they stood near the barbecue pit as the party began to wind down.

Nick could identify with that smile. He’d worn exactly the same one when Bridget had told him she was pregnant five years ago, a time when he’d still held on to the hope that the marriage might survive since they would have a child to consider. Man, had he been wrong.

“Actually, I’m happy for you and Brooke,” Nick said. “There’s nothing like it in the world, being a dad.” Even a part-time one, he thought as he watched Kelsey splashing around in the pool with Brooke’s mom. Not that he didn’t crave more time with his daughter.

Jared held up a beer for a toast. “Except maybe for finding the right woman to have that baby with.”

Nick clicked his bottle against Jared’s, experiencing a little sting of envy. “Yeah, looks like you got lucky the first time.” If only he could say the same for himself.

Surveying the last of the guests, Nick was disappointed to find that Michelle had left after all. When he’d departed the kitchen to give her some space, he’d hoped she would change her mind. She certainly was changing his about her.

“So what do you know about Brooke’s sister?” he asked, probably at his own detriment.

Jared’s grin deepened, confirming Nick’s concern. “Why? Are you still interested?”

Think fast, Kempner. “I talked to her in the kitchen a while ago. She was pretty upset over Brooke not telling her about the baby.”

Jared’s smile dropped out of sight. “I was afraid of that. But they’ll work it out. They’re pretty close.”

“Yeah? They don’t seem that much alike.”

“In some ways they are. Michelle’s pretty devoted to her career and her family. When she’s not working, she’s at her parents’ house making sure they’re okay.”

“So she doesn’t date?”

“You are interested, aren’t you?”

He’d been caught with his mind in the proverbial cookie jar. So much for being subtle. “Let’s just say I’m mildly curious.”

Jared let go a sharp laugh. “I’d wager you’re mildly lustful. Michelle’s a looker, all right. Seems to me she’s anything but receptive to men right now.”

“Yeah, why’s that?”

Jared looked over his shoulder, probably visually patrolling for Brooke, then lowered his voice. “Brooke told me she’s been fairly unlucky with relationships. She had one that went pretty sour a couple of years back.”

“Haven’t we all.”

“To my way of thinking, after your argument with her at our wedding, that makes your odds slim to none.”

Obviously, they had drawn more attention during their confrontation than Nick had first believed. “It wasn’t an argument exactly.” More like casual warfare. “We just don’t see eye to eye on certain things.”

“Let me guess. You asked her for a date and she refused.”

“Nope. I just told her she looked like a princess in her bridesmaid’s dress, and then she said if I thought she believed in that old fairy tale about kissing a toad, I had another think coming even if I did fit the bill, at which time I made a comparison to her and the ice sculpture. That was about it.”

Jared chuckled. “That was enough.”

“Yeah, maybe, but I was just trying to be nice.”

“You were trying to hit on her.”

“Not exactly true.” Close, but not exactly.

Jared sent a wave in Brooke’s direction and gave her a look that revealed a man too smitten for his own good. He finally turned his attention back to Nick. “Let me tell you something else about Michelle Lewis. She’s a beautiful woman who probably fights off a dozen come-ons a week. Maybe even a day. If you want to win her over, you’re going to have to rethink your usual ‘Hi, I’m Nick, I want you.’”

“That’s a low blow, Granger. I have more class than that.”

Nick immediately recalled Al Rainey’s obvious lust for Michelle and realized Jared was probably right about men hitting on her frequently and without regard to restraint. God knew that was old Al in a nutshell. And yes, Nick wasn’t always subtle. But he was good at picking up signals, and he knew when to back off.

Nick felt the overwhelming need to defend himself, probably because he had spent much of his time in recent days on guard where his ex and her accusations about other women were concerned. “First of all I’m not really looking for anything heavy. Secondly, I’m not the playboy everyone makes me out to be. And last, who needs the grief of a woman who’s not the least bit interested in men at the moment?”

“You do. You thrive on challenge. You live for it.” Jared nailed him with a serious glare. “But I’ll warn you. Michelle is a really nice woman beneath that all-business exterior. Basically your average girl-next-door type.”

If Michelle Lewis was a girl next door, then Nick was Albert Einstein. “Are you saying I’m not her type?”

“I’m saying that if you do anything to hurt her, you’ll have to answer to Brooke, and believe me, you don’t want to deal with her.”

Nick realized all too well the potency of sisterly ties. He was the baby in a family with three female siblings. He’d barely survived all that womanly camaraderie. Not to mention the lack of bathroom space. “Okay. If I decide I might want to give Michelle Lewis a shot, I’ll proceed with caution.”

“I’m not betting on that horse.”

Jared knew him all too well. Yeah, he did thrive on challenge, but was Michelle Lewis worth the trouble? Whatever did transpire between them, he would definitely make sure he wasn’t the one to get burned.

But somehow Nick knew that when he was around Michelle Lewis, he was already standing too close to the fire.

As it was now nearing lunchtime, Michelle decided to take a break from her work and make the call she’d needed to make since yesterday. She needed to apologize to Brooke for her harried departure from the party. She also needed answers as to why Brooke hadn’t told her sooner about the baby. Maybe something was wrong aside from Brooke’s asthma. Something Brooke hadn’t told her yet. That prospect frightened her. She couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to her little sister.

“Hey. You got a minute?”

Michelle’s grip tightened on the phone at the sound of that voice—a voice belonging to a doctor she had thought about much too often in the past twenty-four hours. She couldn’t seem to get him out of her head. She certainly didn’t need him in her office, invading her space at work and worming his way back into her stubborn psyche.

Michelle dropped the phone onto its cradle and stared up at Nick Kempner’s disarming smile. She glanced at the door he had managed to close behind him without her noticing. She was trapped in a small room with a man who emitted sensuality like a nuclear-powered aphrodisiac.

On the heels of his surprise appearance, she was amazed she found her voice. “Good afternoon, Dr. Kempner. What brings you to the administrative offices?”

Without an invitation he pulled back the chair in front of her desk and sat, one leg crossed over the other as if he planned to settle in for a while. “I have a question for you.”

The doctor looked much too good in his tailored white shirt and conservative blue tie, his shiny brown hair as slick as his smile. Not that he hadn’t looked great in swim trunks.

Get a grip, Michelle. “Okay. What is it?”

His grin expanded. “Just say yes.”

“Yes to—”

“Good. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

The man was incorrigible. And sexier than any man had a right to be. “Tonight?” That wasn’t at all what she’d intended to say. And she darned sure didn’t mean to say it with such enthusiasm.

“No. Saturday night. I figured since we’re both attending the fund-raising gala, we might as well go together. Unless you already have a date.”

“I’m not going.”

His dark brows drew down over his equally dark eyes. “What do you mean you’re not going? This thing’s supposed to raise money for your pet project.”

Exactly what Michelle’s assistant had said when she’d asked her to fill in at the gala. “Actually, I’m going to the reception with the benefactors that afternoon. But I’m not going to the dance that night.”

“Care to tell me why?”

No, she didn’t, at least not the whole truth—that a few years back she’d met a doctor at a similar event who, little had she known at the time, belonged to someone else. “Large crowds aren’t exactly my cup of tea.”

“Mine, either. But I’m required to put in an appearance. I assumed you would be, too.”

“Not this time. I need to continue working on finalizing the ad layouts. Besides, no one will even miss me.”

“I will.”

Darn him. And darn her renegade smile that picked that exact moment to come out of hiding. She willed it away. “I appreciate that, Dr. Kempner, but I’m afraid you’ll have to find someone else to escort.”

“What if I don’t want to escort anyone else?”

She stacked some papers that didn’t need stacking, in avoidance of his tempting eyes. “There are probably, say, four single male doctors in this hospital and about ten times as many unattached women. That makes the odds in your favor. So I’m sure you can find someone who would more than appreciate your company.”

“And you don’t?” He slumped lower in the chair. “Man, you really know how to hurt a guy.”

In all honesty she did appreciate his company. More than she should. Not that she would ever make that confession, especially to him. “Let’s just say I’m not looking for companionship at the moment.”

She glanced up and met his intense stare. “What are you looking for, Michelle?”

Not the kind of trouble he was offering. She didn’t have time to date, and with her lousy track record with gorgeous doctors who were much too compelling for their own good, she didn’t have the desire, either. “Success in my work and taking care of my family, first and foremost.”

He leaned forward, giving Michelle a lethal dose of his cologne and a good look at his serious expression. “That won’t keep you warm at night.”

“I manage okay.”

“I’m sure you do. Or at least you think you do. But take it from me, after a while burying yourself in your work won’t give you the satisfaction you need. And your family can only offer you so much comfort.”

“And what satisfaction are you referring to?” Did she really just ask such a thing?

His smile made another grandstand appearance. “The kind that makes you really feel alive, and believe me, you won’t find that in ad layouts or Sunday dinners.”

Michelle abruptly stood, looking for an escape from his truths. Looking for a way out from underneath all the heat the man was generating in her turncoat body. “Well, right now I have a lot of satisfying work to do, so I’ll see you out on my way to the copy room.”

She grabbed up the papers that didn’t need copying and quickly moved from behind her desk, but the doctor was much quicker.

He stood by the door, one hand braced on the facing, the other hidden away in his trouser pocket. She grasped the doorknob, but before she could turn it, he said, “There’s one more thing I need to say.”

She dropped her hand from the knob and faced him with the papers clutched against her chest. “What?”

“Speaking as a doctor, you need to get some rest. You look tired.”

A nice way of putting she looked like pond scum. “Your advice is duly noted.”

He took his hand from his pocket and traced a path underneath her eyes with one sturdy fingertip. “Dark smudges. Looks like you’re not getting much sleep.”

She probably wouldn’t sleep tonight, either. But work wouldn’t be standing in her way. He would. Right now an invigorating stream of warmth flowed from where his fingertip had been all the way down to places that weren’t tired at all. In fact, they were totally alert and making themselves known.

Fumbling in her blazer pocket, she withdrew her glasses and slipped them on. “Now you don’t have to look at them.”

“I’m serious, Michelle.” If his expression was any indication, he was.

“Okay. I’ll take a nap. Would that appease you, Doctor?”

“It’s a start. And I wish you would call me Nick.”

She had once, a poor move on her part. First names denoted intimacy, and she couldn’t afford to have that with someone so terribly hard to resist. “Since we’re in the office, I think it’s best we maintain a professional relationship.”

He grinned. “So you’re saying you’ll call me Nick when we’re not in the office?”

“I’m saying…actually…” She was rambling like an idiot, all because of him. “Don’t you have something to fix? Maybe a broken leg or two or three?”

He dropped his hand from the door and checked his watch. “Yeah. As a matter of fact, I’m late for my next surgery.”

“Don’t let me keep you from your work.”

His smoldering smile returned. “You already have, but it was well worth the lost time.” He bent closer and whispered, “That’s the kind of satisfaction I’ve learned to appreciate.”

Michelle stared at the ringing telephone sitting on the end table next to her favorite lounge chair. She needed to answer but hesitated. For some reason she worried that maybe Nick Kempner was calling. If so, she worried more that she might find herself agreeing to something she had no business agreeing to, namely going with him to the gala. He had shaken her up today like an out-of-control blender. She’d barely been able to concentrate on her work.

Why couldn’t she get him off her mind? Because he had more magnetism than a televangelist, that’s why. But it wasn’t just his charisma. Beneath that magnetic facade, she sensed true caring. She’d seen it at Brooke’s when he’d offered her consolation and again another glimpse of it in her office today when he’d voiced his concern about her health. And he was so gentle with his daughter. But that wasn’t quite enough to persuade her to give in to his charms. She had done that once with another charmer; she didn’t intend to do it again.

On the fourth ring she finally answered.

“Hey, sis, where’d you go yesterday in such a hurry?”

The call Michelle would have made herself had it not been for Nick Kempner’s untimely appearance.

Michelle gripped the phone with all the hurt she had felt since the backyard barbecue. “I needed to get out of there.”

“Was it that bad?”

Not all of it. Nick crept into her thoughts like some panther on the prowl. She willed him to disappear, at least for the time being. “Actually, it was okay. I just had some work to do at home.”

“You’re mad at me for not telling you about the baby, aren’t you?”

The remorse in Brooke’s tone helped to ease Michelle’s hurt, but it didn’t completely go away.

“I’m disappointed, Brooke. I hated learning about the baby as if I’m some casual acquaintance. Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“I tried to tell you last Friday evening, but you were still at work. I even left a message on your cell phone voice mail for you to call. I never heard from you. And then you came late to the party and there just wasn’t enough time or the opportunity.”

All valid reasons, Michelle decided. Valid reasons for Brooke not telling her this past weekend. “True, I haven’t checked my private voice mail in a couple of days. But why didn’t you tell me after you found out?”

“Because I knew you’d be worried about me. You know how you get when it comes to my health, especially with the asthma. I wanted to make sure enough time had passed so you’d know that everything’s fine.”

Michelle couldn’t deny that she was concerned. More than concerned. “Of course I’m going to worry. You’re my baby sister. But you have to know how happy I am for you and Jared.”

“I do know that, and please understand I never meant to hurt you, Shelly. This was just something Jared and I agreed upon, waiting until I was at least in my second trimester.”

Second trimester? “When is this baby due?”

“October twenty-ninth.”

Michelle did a mental countdown. “You’re beginning your third trimester, Brooke. How is that possible? You’re barely showing.”

“Mom told me she didn’t show until the later months so I guess I’ve inherited that from her. But I really can’t believe you didn’t notice my, shall we say, blossoming figure.”

With Michelle’s recent work schedule and her visits with her parents, she hadn’t been around Brooke all that much in recent months to notice. Besides, Michelle had a knack for being oblivious to certain things. “Well, I did notice you’re looking a bit more healthy than normal, and that you’re wearing baggier clothes, but I thought that went along with being happily married.”

Brooke laughed. “Heavens, I hope not. I hope it’s the pregnancy that’s necessitated a Wide Load sign across my butt, not my marriage.”

Michelle joined in the laughter for a few moments before her concern for Brooke’s health again kicked in. “What about the asthma?”

“I’m doing fine with that. My doctor’s watching it closely. I’m getting by without much medication. We’ll just hope for the best.”

Brooke, always the optimist. Michelle wished she could be as sanguine, but she had witnessed Brooke’s asthma when it had been at its worst. So many times Michelle had wished she could take it all away from her sister. She still did, but that wasn’t possible, then or now. She would simply offer all her support to Brooke and pray everything turned out okay.

“Okay, Brookie, I guess you and Jared know what you’re doing. Obviously you do, or you wouldn’t be pregnant.”

“Cut it out, Shelly. You’re making me blush.”

“Yeah, right. What would make you blush would blister a metal wash pot.”

“True. After living with Jared, I think I’m about all blushed out.”

Michelle experienced a tug of envy. What would it be like to have a man love you as completely as Jared loved Brooke? What would it be like to have a child with that man?

Nick Kempner hopped into Michelle’s brain once again like an annoying grasshopper. Or a frog. Why did she keep thinking about him? Men like Nick and commitment were not necessarily synonymous. Not that she wanted a commitment anytime soon. Or at least that wasn’t what she’d planned—

“Are you still there, Shelly?”

“Yeah, still here.”

“Mom said you were talking to Nick at the party.”

Michelle cringed, thinking she had somehow blurted out his name unconsciously. “Why on earth did you bring that up?”

“Jared told me he’s really interested in you.”

Interested in rattling her proverbial chain, Michelle thought. She had definitely been prisoner to his espresso eyes and high-voltage grin that afternoon. But only for a moment. Okay, a few moments. “Is there a point to this, Brooke?”

“Nick’s a decent guy, Shelly. A great dad, too. You might want to give him a chance.”

“I’ve got enough going on with mom and dad, my job—”

“Admit it. You’re afraid to get too close to anyone.”

And with good reason, Michelle decided. “Don’t you dare try your hand at matchmaking again. If you recall, you did that already and it was a disaster.”

“You’re not going to let me forget that, are you? I didn’t know Brett was married when I introduced you two.”

“Neither did he. At least he didn’t act like it.” And neither had Michelle until it had been too late. Until she had invested a lot of time and emotions in a relationship that could never be.

“Point taken,” Brooke said. “But does one bad experience have to spoil everything? Take me, for instance. If I hadn’t opened myself up again, I wouldn’t be married to Jared now. You were the one who encouraged me to go for it. I honestly believe there’s someone out there for you, too. Someone who’s your type and can make you happy.”

Michelle couldn’t find it in her heart to believe it. “Maybe I don’t have a type, Brooke.”

Brooke sighed. “Maybe you’re not looking in the right place.”

Michelle was basically tired of looking. Besides, her current celibate lifestyle held certain advantages, the least of which was not having to sort through the man pile to find that gem of a guy. She doubted he existed, at least for her.

“I don’t want anything serious, Brooke.”

“Who says you have to consider anything serious? What about living for the moment? Why don’t you try Nick out, see where it goes?”

“I can’t have just a fling.” Michelle didn’t relish the thought of keeping emotions totally out of it. It seemed to work for men—Brett included, and more than likely Nick—but she wasn’t sure it would ever work for her.

“Admit it,” Brooke said, “you’re scared to have fun, and you know that Nick Kempner would probably be lots of fun.”

Michelle was scared to get involved at the risk of getting her heart trampled. “Nick Kempner’s as fast as a race-car driver and he would probably lose me in the first turn.”

“I honestly believe you could hold your own with him.”

Oh, brother, or sister in this case. “Enough, Brooke.”

Brooke released a sigh of defeat. “Okay, I’ll lay off. I need to get to bed, anyway. Jared’s waiting for me.”

“That doesn’t sound conducive to rest.”

“Maybe not, but what a way to lose sleep. The man is insatiable. But then, so am I. Pregnancy does crazy things to a woman’s hormones, let me tell you.”

This time Michelle’s face burned. “I don’t want all the torrid details, so go to bed.”

“One more thing. Did you change your mind about going to the gala?”

First Nick, now Brooke. “I’m not in the mood for dancing.”

“Then do you mind baby-sitting at our house? We’re planning to go with a few friends, and we could use someone to stay with the kids. We can have everyone meet over here, since our place is bigger than your apartment.”

What a relief that Brooke hadn’t lit into another lecture on how Michelle needed to get out more. “How many are you expecting to be there?”

The way Brooke paused to clear her throat, Michelle expected an army of feisty two-year-olds. Instead Brooke said, “Only one right now, but there could be more. It will give you some practice playing aunt.”

Michelle didn’t need any practice. Five years Brooke’s senior, she’d diapered and changed Brooke, cared for her like the “little mother” for as long as she could remember. Still, she did love kids and wouldn’t mind spending her Saturday evening with a few. Much less complicated than spending time trying to second-guess a man. “Okay. Sounds like fun. I’ll be over around six.”

“Great. You’re the best.”

“And don’t you forget it,” Michelle teased.

“I gather I’m forgiven for not telling you about the baby.”

“Of course. I’ll always forgive you no matter what you do.”