Rescue Me

by Anne, Melody

  There was certainly something going on between the two of them—whether they wanted there to be or not. Kyle wasn’t too sure he was going to continue to be able to stop this. He knew he should—but he wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to be able to think with the smarter of his brains.

  “It appears as if you like falling for me,” Kyle finally said, forcing a crooked smile to his lips.

  There might not be a way to hide his body’s reaction at having her sweet ass rub on his lap, but there was no way he wanted her to know how desperately he wanted her. Most men would get hard with those curves pressed against them. But Kyle knew there was more to his desire than an ass against his groin. No. There was something about this woman that was refusing him relief.

  “I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful,” she said, her voice husky, making his body more rigid than it had been a moment before. Damn, he wanted to get her to a bedroom—or any horizontal place. He had to remind himself what a bad idea that would be.

  “This one wasn’t your fault,” he told her, forcing his grin to grow cockier. Maybe it would be better to irritate her so she’d stomp off. If not he feared he’d pull her back onto his lap and see who could get their clothes off the fastest.

  “Technically the other one wasn’t my fault either,” she told him as she took a step away. “It was Eeyore’s.” She regained her composure. Interesting how she protected herself. He wondered what her story was.

  She reached up and ran a hand down the center of her chest, instantly drawing his gaze to her breasts. They’d been pressed against him, and he had no doubt they were all natural. He definitely wanted to see for himself. He had to push that thought out of his mind.

  Seeing where his gaze had gone, her eyes narrowed as she quickly dropped her hand and took another step away. Her cheeks were flushed, but while his body was as hard as ever, she was pulling herself together. It was normally the reverse when he was with the opposite sex. He liked to leave them wanting more.

  “It’s not good to blame things on other people . . . or dogs,” he told her with a chuckle.

  She rolled her eyes and for some reason that was a challenge. He stood up and took a deliberate step in her direction that made the newfound confidence drain from her eyes as she retreated.

  It had been a while since he’d felt the need to chase a woman, and right now he felt like a hunter cornering his prey. Of course, this hunt would end in ultimate pleasure for all parties involved.

  “Stop,” she said, holding up her hand before dropping it again as if she was afraid to come into contact with any part of him. That was probably a wise decision; he already felt as if he was about to go up in flames at any second.

  “I’m not sure what’s going on here,” he told her. He did stop, but it took the ultimate willpower on his part to do so. This was all so foreign to him, he didn’t know what to think about it.

  He allowed his gaze to cascade over her body, taking in her youthful face, full lips, slender neck, and flared hips. She was utter perfection, didn’t need a single thing changed on her entire body—a masterpiece many women would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to achieve.

  “Absolutely nothing is going on,” Patsy told him. Her voice was husky again, but she took in a deep breath, turned, and began walking away.

  Kyle had the desperate need to chase her down, pin her to the wall, and prove to her there indeed was something happening between them. But he knew if he did that, the two of them were going to do something they might regret.

  Though as soon as he had that thought, he knew it was false. There was no way he’d regret doing anything with Patsy. But on the other hand he wasn’t looking for a relationship, and one-night stands tended to get messy when it came to people you worked with.

  It looked as if he’d be dealing with a throbbing body the rest of the shift and probably long into the night. Damn her, and damn him. Maybe the two of them could take a trip to hell together. That might be where this would end up.

  Chapter Five

  Patsy was down two halls and an entire floor before she felt air returning to her lungs in a proper way. It was a good thing she was in a hospital because she wasn’t sure what in the hell was going on with her body—possibly a heart attack. Maybe even a complete body shutdown, or just losing her mind. She could go to the dang psych ward if need be. What in the heck was wrong with her? She so wasn’t this flustered girl. She’d been avoiding Kyle as if he were carrying an infectious disease.

  But from the second she’d stepped into that damn observation room and had seen him lying back in that chair, his eyes closed, his body relaxed, his no-touch attitude more than apparent, she’d been on edge. Though there’d been at least a dozen people between them, she’d felt as if a magnet had been pulling her to him. She’d refused to look his way—that was until she passed by him, nearly making it to the exit.

  Then she’d had to tumble and fall into the man’s lap. And his reaction to that tumble had been more than obvious, and her body had responded in a way she couldn’t remember happening before.

  She was a doctor for goodness sake. She knew how the system worked, knew it was normal to feel attraction, to have all the chemicals mix together to make one person desire another. It was the way to insure the species would survive. Sex was essential to mankind.

  Sex was a need as simple as hunger or thirst. She’d experimented in college, but she’d never been able to get past analyzing every little thing she was feeling, so she’d determined that sex was nothing more than a necessary evil to keep the world producing children. She didn’t understand the billions and billions of dollars that were put into selling sex. It was messy and unsatisfying. Maybe it was only good for a guy. Her college boyfriend had seemed pleased with the act and himself.

  She’d been left wanting.

  But as she’d felt Kyle’s thickness push against her ass, she’d been having thoughts that had nothing to do with medical musings. No. She’d been hot, and her body had responded, all her blood rushing from her brain to one choice place, and she had to fight not to spread her thighs and push a little closer to him.

  It had to be pure animal instinct.

  The need to do that had been the final push she’d needed to break the connection of his eyes. Damn, those eyes were endless brown depths of passion and secrets. They invited a person in, and Patsy wasn’t sure she’d be able to escape if she accepted the invitation he seemed to be offering.

  Patsy was focused on her job, she had to remind herself. She was focused and ready, and she didn’t have time for men. That was the plan. And even if she did have the time, it would never be with someone as arrogant and self-centered as Dr. Kyle Armistead. Not a chance she’d sleep with a man like him. He was totally the love ’em and leave ’em guy. And she didn’t do what most med students did, getting pleasure in ten-minute increments between cases.

  She had chosen her profession because of her love of medicine, not to sleep with every available male there. She could keep her hormones at bay and hopefully forget all about her boss. Easy peasy. She was feeling better already.

  In her need to get out of the hospital, she rounded a corner and ran smack dab into the middle of a hard chest. She would’ve gone straight onto her ass if it weren’t for the strong arms that quickly enveloped her.

  “Where’s the fire?” the male voice asked.

  Patsy looked up and took in a breath.

  Damn!

  Were all the medical personnel in this hospital downright gorgeous? Was she on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy? She was in Seattle so that could very well be. She almost called the man Dr. McSteamy—barely managing to stop herself. That show had failed the world when they killed off that man. What a true tragedy for all human kind.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. She stood there dumbfounded as she tried to form words. An awkward moment or two passed before she was able to
shake off her nervousness.

  “Sorry. I’m getting lost in my own head this afternoon, and not paying attention to where I’m going. Apparently I’m not doing to well at speaking either,” she told him sheepishly.

  He laughed, the sound full of good humor. She gazed at his beautiful face and wondered why her body wasn’t reacting to this man as it had to Kyle. They were equally gorgeous, and both smelled incredibly good. It made no sense to her. Maybe it was back to her medical musings and the desire for the species to continue and her body wasn’t calling to this man’s body. Maybe something in their DNA wasn’t suited. Who knew? She was so lost in her thoughts she forgot she was standing in front of him.

  “Are you one of the new residents?” the doctor asked.

  “Yes, Patsy Lander, Plastic Surgeon Resident,” she said, holding out a hand. He took it, and she didn’t feel a smidgeon of a spark. Darn it.

  “Dr. Kian Forbes. I’m in trauma and agreed to teach your group, so I’ll be calling you down a lot,” he said, an easy smile resting on his lips.

  “Kian, are you harassing residents again?” a woman’s voice asked. She stepped up and Patsy was stunned at the beauty of the woman. With plastic surgery as her specialty she definitely noticed gorgeous people. When the woman was next to Dr. Forbes it was like a magazine ad come to life with the two of them.

  “I’d never harass anyone, darling,” Kian said with a look full of adoration toward the woman at his side. Patsy was glad she hadn’t felt any attraction to the doctor. She would’ve felt guilty since they were obviously head over heels in love.

  “Hi. I’m Roxie Forbes, this man’s wife. I’ve been trying to get him out of here for the past hour but he’s popular today,” Roxie said with a laugh. She didn’t seem at all put out that she was waiting for her husband.

  “I’m Patsy Lander and I’ve only been here a week, so if I’m not physically lost then I’m so focused on my thoughts that I might as well be in a dark tunnel. It’s my fault Dr. Forbes is late. I nearly ran him down,” she said.

  “What’s your specialty?” Roxie asked, seeming genuinely interested.

  “Plastic surgery,” Patsy told her.

  Roxie’s grin grew. “Then you’ll be working with Kian a lot. There’s so much trauma that comes in the ER, and he makes sure to call you guys right away, especially if it’s facial wounds.”

  “That’s what I love about my field. We have the chance to change a person’s future,” Patsy told them. She had to consciously keep herself from reaching out and touching her own chest where she’d had surgery. Sure, it wasn’t a scar most of the world saw, but it was something she looked at every day when she stripped for a shower. It mattered that it didn’t disfigure her.

  “Why does your name sound so familiar?” Kian asked.

  Patsy shrugged, a little embarrassed. People didn’t recognized the name from her. When your sister marries one of the most eligible bachelors in Seattle, people tended to remember the name. She didn’t want to go into that though.

  “It’s sort of common,” she said.

  Kian shrugged as if it was no big deal. She was grateful. She wanted to do well on her own, not because of who her in-laws were. She loved the Titans, and would do anything for any of them. She wouldn’t, however, take advantage of who they were.

  “I better get going. It was wonderful to meet you both,” Patsy said. After just a few moments of speaking to them she found she liked them.

  “Definitely a pleasure,” Roxie told her, looking as if she meant it.

  “I’ll be seeing you around, kid,” Dr. Forbes said. Some people might have taken offense to the word kid, but Pasty found it a term of endearment. She smiled and walked away.

  Maybe it wasn’t going to be so bad working at the hospital after all. She could get over her strange feelings toward Dr. Armistead. She was strong—always had been, always would be. Her feelings toward someone wasn’t going to change her course of action. No way, no how.

  She convinced herself she was feeling better already. Within a few days, surely she’d believe it.

  Chapter Six

  Kyle had a feeling he wasn’t going to shake off his attraction to his newest resident. Not a chance in hell. He’d been intrigued by her the second her beast of a dog used him as a step ladder, and the cool way she’d blown him off had brought out the hunter instincts within him.

  He thought he could get over it. That’s what he should do for damn sure. He was her boss. There was no possible way for this to end well. On top of that, she was innocent. She might want to hide that with quirky little one-liners, but he could see the naiveté in her eyes.

  That meant she was off limits.

  His pants tightened as he thought about her on his lap. She’d been as turned on as he was; there was something between them he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

  Could he honestly ignore that?

  Could he afford not to?

  The answer was no, he couldn’t afford to ignore something so powerful. He picked up his pace as he walked the long corridors of the hospital. But he did have a job to do, so maybe it would be smart to call one of the many females who’d be grateful to go out with him. The ones who didn’t have expectations.

  A girl like Patsy wasn’t one you waited two weeks to call again. She was a roses-and-chocolates female—the one who ended up with a white picket fence—his absolute nightmare.

  Kyle turned the corner and saw Patsy; his pep talk flew out the window. He stood back and watched as she talked to Kian Forbes, the best damn trauma surgeon in the Northwest, possibly the United States. Kyle respected the man, respected his entire family. This was a great place to work and Kyle would be a fool to mess that up with a tawdry affair that was bound to bite him in the ass.

  Even with all this knowledge, he watched as the conversation ended and Patsy moved to the locker room—the co-ed locker room. He should turn around and walk away. That would most definitely be the smart decision.

  He moved forward instead. He wasn’t always known to think with his upper brain.

  Telling himself his shift was finished and he needed to head home, didn’t do him a lick of good. He could’ve waited a few minutes for her to leave the room. But he didn’t.

  He didn’t even pause before stepping inside—where he found her alone. His pulse accelerated.

  “I thought this hospital was a lot bigger than it obviously is,” Patsy said with a touch of disdain, as she looked right at him. At least she wasn’t ignoring him. He was now figuring out sarcasm was her way of protecting herself when she was uncomfortable.

  “The walls tend to shrink in on us when we’re not looking,” he told her. “It’s a bit like living in an Alice in Wonderland world.

  Instead of moving to his locker, he walked over to her, wondering what he was doing. This was insane. It was almost as if he had no control over himself. One thing he knew for sure was he enjoyed how his body responded in the presence of this woman.

  “I’m going home. It’s been a long week,” she said. She was looking at her locker before glancing at him sideways. They were all doctors. They saw naked people every single day, which was why a co-ed room wasn’t so bad, but he found himself holding his breath as he watched her trying to decide if she was going to change in front of him.

  He wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep his hands off her if she did. Doctor or not, there were times the human body was only a canvas needing paint—and times it was for sex.

  She grabbed her clothes and stuffed them in a bag, choosing to save them both and remain in her scrubs. He was definitely disappointed.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked, not sure who was more surprised—her or him.

  “No,” she told him after a few silent moments.

  He smiled, hearing the lie in her voice. They had to grab food whenever they could when they were on shift, and he knew for sure
they were hungry all the time. It was the profession. When they were at work they didn’t have a life outside of their job, including time to eat.

  “Want to get a coffee?” he asked. What was wrong with him? He seriously couldn’t seem to stop himself.

  She looked at him as if she was asking herself the exact same question in her own mind. Did he enjoy the constant refusal of the woman?

  “No. We work together, let’s keep it to that,” she told him.

  He smiled. She had no idea her constant refusal was only fueling him more. He couldn’t ever remember being turned down by a woman, not since he’d hit puberty at least. It was almost euphoric.

  “We might as well get a dinner over with, discover this attraction between us is bound to fizzle, and then get on with our lives,” he said, feeling he sounded perfectly reasonable. “We could skip the meal if you want and just head to the closest on-call room.”

  She glared at him, looking as if she wanted to push him over the bench he was standing in front of. He vowed he’d take her with him. Then they could be horizontal. That was quite appealing.

  She opened her mouth to say something when the door opened and four residents stepped inside, their conversation loud and animated. They didn’t seem to notice Kyle and Patsy awkwardly standing there.

  He turned away from Patsy, trying to figure out his next move. He only looked away for a couple of seconds, but when he returned his attention to where she’d been standing, all he saw was empty space.

  He looked toward the door in time to see it shutting . . . with her on the other side of it. He considered chasing her down, but thought it was probably best she’d ditched him. He obviously wasn’t thinking with his bigger brain—not around her.

  Maybe he needed to visit his brothers again. Not that they’d give him any solid advice. They sure as hell hadn’t so far.

  Patsy was just one more resident in a long line of them, and if Kyle wanted to figure out what in the hell he was trying to accomplish, he’d be wise to stay away from her. She’d be here and then she’d be gone. He’d dealt with more difficult situations in his life than an attraction to the wrong woman.