Hotblooded (10 page)

But Jack, and everyone else he was sure, knew Walter meant it sincerely. He faced Jack as he said, “But it won’t be long until Brooke will no longer be able to practice medicine here even if we wanted to seek her care.”

“How’s that?” Will asked.

Jack was amazed to see he was still chewing on the same wad of tobacco.

“Well, correct me if I’m wrong, Dr. Silver, but as only a Physician’s Assistant, Brooke is unable to practice without a supervising physician. Dr. Cunningham is taking an early retirement effective…why—” Walter looked down at his watch, “—I believe effective tomorrow.”

It took only a few seconds for Walter’s words to sink in. Jack nearly expected to see a light bulb illuminated over his head. Walter Worthington, of all people, had just given Jack the answer to his situation with Brooke. Not to mention the perfect way to bring Walter himself down a peg or two.

“There’s just one little detail you are obviously not aware of,” Jack interjected. Strangely, his comment had the same effect on the surrounding conversations as Walter’s had. Everyone instantly shut up.

Walter gave him a bland smile. “What’s that, son?”

Jack hated being called
son
.

“Ms. Donovan will be able to practice tomorrow, and for a long time after that. I’m Ms. Donovan’s new supervising physician.”

There was a surprised silence of nearly five seconds. Walter Worthington, of course, regained his voice first.

“I thought you were just passing through,” Walter said, his eyes narrow.

“Well, everyone is so nice and friendly here,” Jack said, “I thought I’d stay awhile.”

He slid back onto his stool and pivoted to face the counter. “But you know, Lila, I’ve had just about enough conversation and socializing for one night. How about you wrap that lasagna up for me to go?”

“Sure thing, kiddo.” Lila was grinning as she tore aluminum foil from a roll and wrapped Jack’s plate. “You just bring that plate and silverware back ’round tomorrow, honey,” she told him.

“Great. See you then.” Jack stood with his plate and faced the room, almost tripping over two little old ladies who had sidled up—somehow with a walker and a cane in tow—behind him.

“Dr. Silver? I’m Maddie Conner and this is Emma Petersen. We were hoping you would be able to squeeze us into your schedule tomorrow. My arthritis is killin’ me.”

He smiled down at the woman who was a good foot and a half shorter than he was even before age had bent her spine. “Of course. I’ve always got room for sweet ladies like you.”

The tiny woman and her friend both blushed and giggled. Actually giggled. He grinned and lifted his head to address the whole room. “If anyone else has anything they’d like to see me about tomorrow, I’ll be in the office eight to five. We’ll be doing free blood pressure checks all day,” he added as the thought occurred to him.

First and foremost, they needed to get people in the door. They would deal with Brooke’s reputation and history as it came up. Perhaps it wouldn’t be as big of a problem as it seemed now with Walter holding court in the most public gathering in town.

As he faced the room full of relative strangers, he realized that he’d been thinking about
we
regarding him and Brooke.

He supposed it made sense. He’d come to help her and he’d found a way. A way that would truly make an impact. Being her supervisor, getting patients into the clinic, being the buffer between her and her father-in-law, maybe even keeping Walter in check to some extent, was better than anything he could buy her. He’d even find her a great supervising physician to take over when he had to leave. Someone who would appreciate her fiery independence but who could cushion things a bit for her here—without her knowing it, of course.

He smiled and waved with one arm as he headed for the front door. “See y’all around.”

The little bell above the door tinkled as he stepped out into the night. The clouds that had doused him and Brooke earlier had cleared out and the stars shone like silver glitter spilled on black velvet. He took a deep breath. The night suddenly seemed fresh and bright.

Chapter Four

“Good morning!”

The enthusiastic greeting seemed to hit Brooke in the face the next morning.

Carla was placing three large, steaming mugs on a small tray in the back room.

“Hi.” Brooke definitely felt grumpy this morning. Likely due to the restless night she’d had thanks to dreams of hot kisses in summer rain showers. She also didn’t have any home visits scheduled today, so she was stuck in the clinic.

Brooke pulled her locker open and set her purse inside. Then she stopped and turned toward Carla. She realized what was puzzling her. “Are you humming?”

“What?” Carla swiveled toward her and Brooke saw the powdered sugar donut in her fingers.

“I asked if you were humming.” Brooke crossed her arms and watched Carla closely.

“Oh, yeah.” Carla giggled. “I guess I was.”

Brooke arched her eyebrows suspiciously, but Carla was already leaving the room with tray in hand. Still humming.

Brooke frowned as she faced the mirror and brushed through her hair. Pulling it to the back of her head, she twisted it and then secured it up with a large black clip. One tendril escaped, tickling her ear and she gave a disgusted sigh, unhooked her hair and repeated the process. She pulled tightly on the twisted mass and dug the clip deep into the thickness. She winced as one plastic prong jabbed her scalp. Just to be completely sure it wouldn’t move, she gave it two good squirts with the extra-hold hairspray.

She met her eyes in the mirror and pressed her lips together. She knew what it was like to love a job, to look forward to work every day, to feel rewarded by what she did.

This wasn’t it.

A deep breath, one more pat to her hair and she decided to go get her day over with.

“Good morning, Amy.” She greeted the young part-time receptionist as she stepped into the front of the clinic.

“Morning, Brooke.” Amy turned from the copy machine with a smile. “How are you?”

Brooke hesitated and then mentally chastised herself for doing so. She was fine, great, wonderful. She was. “I’m great. How about you?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m definitely great.” Amy’s smile was almost as bright as Carla’s had been.

Brooke ignored the strange response and glanced around the empty waiting room. “Is Karen Matthews running late today?” she asked, putting on her professional air.

“No, she and Christopher were actually here at a quarter to eight.”

“Where are they?”

The phone rang just then and Amy reached to answer it, saying hastily, “Room three.”

“Thanks.”

The door on room three was open halfway and Brooke could hear low voices as she approached.

“Good mor—” She stopped in the doorway abruptly. The first sight to meet her eyes, and the only thing in the room to register, was that the denim of Jack Silver’s blue jeans fit better than any pair of jeans really should.

She remembered the feel of that denim against her inner thigh last night as they…

Frick. She had to stop doing that.

He turned toward her, his smile warm. “Hi, partner.”

“Good morning, Brooke,” Karen Matthews greeted with a happy smile. “How are you?”

“I’m…great,” Brooke insisted.

What is he doing here? Partner? What’s going on?
Several thoughts seemed to trip over each other as they ran through her head. A dominant thought quickly overtook the others though: Be professional. Be cool. Don’t show you’re surprised, pretend to be completely aware of everything that’s going on.

“We’re just about done.” Jack pivoted away from her again and bent to put his face on level with the one-year-old patient, Christopher. “Right?”

The little boy giggled and bopped Jack’s nose with his chubby fist. Jack only grinned.

Brooke decided that she needed to say something and decided to concentrate on her patient and his mother, as they were the only things that made sense in the room at the moment. “The ear symptoms have cleared up?” she asked.

She noted that Jack seemed to be getting along wonderfully with a little boy who, to the best of her knowledge, had never giggled in her presence. Or even smiled. Christopher was a shy child and was often cranky due to the chronic ear troubles and respiratory infections that he battled. At least, she always contributed his irritability to his illness. Suddenly, with the charming Dr. Silver in the picture, she wasn’t so sure.

She blocked the sound of Christopher’s happy squeal as Jack’s fingers found ticklish ribs and concentrated on Karen’s answer. “Yes, he’s doing much better. He’s not sleeping very well but Dr. Silver has given me some great ideas to try for that.”

Is that right? “I’m glad. I hope they work.”

“If not, let me know,” Jack chimed in. “My aunt raised seven kids altogether, so I’d be willing to bet that she’s got some tricks. I’ll give her a call if you need some more help.”

Karen’s grin was quick and bright. “I’ll do that.”

Brooke turned to exit the room. The whole situation had her flustered. “Well, I just wanted to stop in and see how things were going. I’ll let Dr. Silver finish up with you then.”

Once back in the hallway, Brooke drew a steadying breath. She had another appointment in twenty minutes and she needed some answers. Mostly, how could she get rid of Jack? Soon. Before she did a hell of a lot more than kiss him up against his truck.

The minute Jack stepped from the exam room, Brooke grabbed his sleeve and jerked him down the hall to her office. She shoved him inside, then stepped through and shut the door.

“What are you doing here?”

God she looked good. He wanted to kiss her. Rain or not, frown or not, he wanted this woman in a crazy, never-before-experienced way.

“I’m here for you, Brooke.”

For just a moment, her gaze dropped to his mouth and it was like he could read her mind—and he liked all of it. His body tightened with anticipation of all the things they were both thinking and he felt himself lean forward.

“Ah, dammit,” she whispered just before she rose on tiptoe, her hand went to the back of his neck and she met him halfway into the kiss.

She beat him to the moan by a millisecond and he pressed closer, one hand cupping her jaw, the other on her hip. In sync they opened their mouths, moved closer to the door—her backward and him forward—and met the other’s tongue and pelvis with their own.

Damn this was good. Better than it had ever been. Something he’d never get enough of. It was amazing that this was Brooke Donovan and he—

Fuck. He jerked back. This was Brooke Donovan. He was giving himself a break on the make-out session the first day because he hadn’t known who she was, but when he’d almost taken her on a public street against his truck he had definitely known who she was, and now he sure as hell did.

He couldn’t fucking kiss her. It was that simple. He couldn’t do anything else either, but there was less risk of doing those things if he resisted putting his mouth on her—anywhere.

He was here because her husband was dead. Because of him. He was here to make things right in her professional life. He was here to help her.

He. Couldn’t. Fucking. Kiss. Her.

“Stop, slow down.” His breathing was ragged and the look on her face did nothing to cool him down. She wanted him. As badly as he wanted her. She’d been an equal in that kiss in every way.

He still couldn’t kiss her.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, pressing her lips together and settling back on flat feet.

“I just…”
Can’t want you like this, can’t have you like this, can’t stop thinking of you.
“We’re in the middle of your office.”

“We’re actually against my office door.”

He smiled in spite of the tension—sexual and otherwise—in his body. “Still seems not quite the right place for this.”

She sighed and straightened her blouse. The one that he wanted to unbutton, completely. Or maybe just rip open. The damned thing made her look so uptight, so in contrast to the woman who had been giving as good as she got against that office door.

It annoyed him for some reason.

“Fine. But if we’re not kissing, I’m going to yell.”

“About?”

“Why are you seeing my patients?”

“They’re sick,” he offered. Then, seeing her raised eyebrow, he held up his hands. “Okay, sorry. I’m trying to help you out.”

“You seriously think that this is helpful?”

Well, after yesterday with Amanda… He tipped his head slightly and shrugged. “Yeah.”

“How?” she asked. “How is this helpful?” But before he could answer, her eyes widened. “Are you here because you don’t think anyone will let me treat them?”

He opened his mouth, but she interrupted again.

“Forget it!” She spun on her heel and jerked the door open, then stomped down the hallway. “You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about—” She didn’t even finish her sentence before the swinging door into the back room closed behind her.

A few seconds later, Jack followed her. As she expected.

“Brooke, listen,” he said the minute he was through the doorway.

She was in the midst of putting on her white lab coat, but she was ready for him. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to help.”

“So you keep saying.”

She buttoned the coat up the front, smoothing it over her plain black skirt. She needed to be even more put together, composed, buttoned-up literally and figuratively with Jack around. He flustered her, made her do things she didn’t want to do, made her forget where she was and what she was trying to be—or not to be, as the case may be. He was dangerous. He had the ability to make her turn into everything she was afraid of—a wanton hussy who’d do anything for the man who made her feel…like Jack made her feel.

She wanted to scream. There was more in life than sex. There were other amazing feelings and experiences. There were other things—chocolate for instance, and liquor—that could give her the high kissing did.

But damned if she’d ever tasted anything that could outdo Jack Silver kissing.

So she needed everything she could find to put him off, to remind herself that poise and serenity were superior to chaos and excitement.