Snodgrass, Catherine

by Another Chance AnotherTime (lit)

  His head jerked up. "No."

  Dani looked away from the intensity in his eyes. "Alec, things are moving much too quickly for me. We need to slow it down."

  "Fine. We'll slow down. I swear I won't touch you again until you're ready." He shoved himself to his feet and stared down at her. "But I'm not leaving. And I will sleep by your side at night. I need that, Dani. I need you."

  She forced herself to look up, beyond the bulge that threatened to rip the seams from his trousers. It wasn't easy. The thing pulsed, beckoning, and her body answered of its own accord with a warmth and wetness she found embarrassing.

  "All right," she managed to squeeze out. "What time shall I set the alarm?" An innocuous question she hoped would diffuse the sexual tension inundating her.

  "No need. I've arranged to have my patients covered. You wanted to go to Elsie Carter's funeral. I'm taking you."

  Dani wanted to hug him close and cry. All she could do was mumble a word of thanks.

  She watched his gaze trace her face, her body-devouring her with a look, making love to her with his eyes. He moved away, breaking the spell, and strode toward the bathroom.

  Halfway there, Alec's footsteps stopped. Dani glanced over her shoulder. He stood before the door to her spare room and stared at the closed door.

  "What's in here, Dani?"

  She pulled in a deep breath and turned to face him. "The biggest mess you've ever seen in your life. Go ahead. Open it."

  Alec grasped the doorknob, hesitated, and then eased it open.

  "It's not the portal to hell." Dani came up behind him and flicked on the light. "It's just a junk room."

  An understatement at best, but it was the most intriguing junk room Alec had ever seen. In every corner and in every available space was a craft project, all incomplete. Stretched along the wall was an easel with canvas, a loom, macramé, cross-stitching, knitting, wood-working, pottery, pieces of a quilt, a sewing machine. And in the middle of the fiasco, her kitchen table sat with a lump of clay in the center.

  Alec dared a step across the threshold. There was a clear path around the periphery of the room. Once inside, he realized things didn't look as disorderly as he first imagined. Everything was stacked neatly in its place, as if just put aside. He wandered to the table and ran his finger along the edge of the clay.

  "So now you know my terrible habit," Dani said. She was still by the door, her voice nervous. "I'm afraid I've been like this all my life. I pick up a project because I think I'll be interested, and then shove it aside the minute I get into it. I used to drive my parents crazy. Girl Scouts, dance class. Daddy finally put his foot down when it came to piano lessons. He made me sit at that damn piano until I learned to play and play well. Probably a good thing or I never would have learned any discipline."

  Alec nodded. She had to have some discipline in her own right or she never would have made it as a teacher.

  "Pretty disgusting, isn't it?"

  "At least you can say you have a hobby. Where'd you find all this stuff?"

  "The same place I find everything. At yard sales."

  He drew a semi-circle in the clay, and then pushed up the edges.

  "Looks like an ear," Dani said.

  "Hmm...yes...it does. Got any more clay?"

  "There's a whole box of it underneath the table. Indulge yourself."

  Dani watched him lay out the tools, position a block of fresh clay, set out a bowl of water. He was inside himself. She no longer existed. Under his strong fingers, the clay quickly took on the shape of a head. There was a slender column of a throat, a delicately pointed chin, high cheekbones. A woman. He was sculpting a woman.

  Intriguing how fast he works. She had labored on her lump for a week and still managed to make it look the same as when she started. Yet Alec seemed at one with the clay, instinctively knowing just how to shape it. It could be his skill as a surgeon coming through, but she hated to put it in such logical terms. To watch him was...well...magic.

  She tugged an oversized beanbag chair from the corner and pulled out a long discarded piece of needlepoint-a birth announcement for her new nephew.

  "The clay will dry your hands. There's lotion in the bathroom."

  Alec responded with a companionable grunt. Wiggling into her nest, Dani lifted her needle.

  * * *

  Alec studied the bust. He had no idea where the image of the woman had come from. She was just something spawned from his imagination. There was still work to be done. The hair needed adjustment-there should be ringlets draping the left side of her neck. He didn't like the haughty set of her lips-one corner should be lifted in the hint of a smile, a crease framing it. But it would do for now.

  He eased into Dani's room and peeled back the covers. Sometime around midnight she had fallen asleep in the beanbag chair. Alec had carried her to bed and tucked her in. Two hours later, he tried to join her. The sculpture called to him, begging for completion. Now at dawn, hands slathered with lotion, he could rest.

  Dani snuggled into his body. He curled his arms around her. In sleep she accepted him. Awake? Who could blame her? If their situations were reversed, Alec couldn't say he would have stayed the night, not that he had given Dani a choice.

  He closed his eyes and let sleep claim him. It was peaceful, deep, dream laden.

  The next thing Alec knew, he was alone. The smell of coffee permeated the house. He rolled to one side and discovered a steaming cup waiting for him.

  Dani stood before the closet, a towel wrapped around her while she searched through her clothes. She was fresh from a shower, her hair still pinned up. Wisps of damp curls clung to the nape of her neck. The white towel hugged her heart-shaped bottom, an enticing sight to wake up to.

  Alec levered himself to his elbows. "I don't suppose you'd reconsider this slow down period you ask for."

  Clutching a black dress to her chest, Dani glanced around and directly at the erection that tented the sheet.

  Alec smiled. "I promise I'll be quick. You won't feel a thing."

  She laughed, good and hard. "I doubt that. By the way, the bust is beautiful."

  "So's yours."

  Another hearty laugh. At least she was smiling, even if she did reject his offer. He'd renegotiate later. One thing was certain, he couldn't take much more of this or he'd explode. Just having her near and not being able to touch her the way he wanted was hell.

  Two hours later when they reached the church where Elsie's service was to be held, Alec realized what true hell was. He watched the grief, the fear on Dani's face, and cursed himself a thousand times over for bringing her. She battled on her own, each hyperventilated breath tearing his heart into shreds. And he couldn't do a damn thing.

  She pushed aside his proffered hand and clutched her own in her lap until the knuckles turned white. She shrugged aside his arm when they walked to the gravesite. He didn't know if it was Andrea's doing or that blasted fear of hers. It didn't matter. This rejection truly hurt. He wanted to be there for her. She wouldn't allow it.

  Alec and Dani returned to her house in silence, forgoing the condolence call at the Carter home. She tossed her purse to the chair, kicked off her shoes, curled into the corner of the couch, clicked on the television, and shut him out thoroughly.

  "I'm going to the hospital for awhile."

  "Okay."

  She didn't look up. Didn't acknowledge him in any other way. Another sting to the ego. What the hell would it take to...?

  "Alec?"

  He was almost out the door when she called. "Yeah?"

  "Thank you for being there today. For not smothering me. I can't begin to tell how much it means having your support."

  Puzzled, he muttered, "You're welcome," and ducked out the door.

  Women. He'd spent the better part of the day trying to figure out what he was doing wrong; now he had to figure out what he'd done right. He'd snag Norma once he finished his rounds. Maybe she could explain.

  * * *

  Alec had b
arely pulled into his parking space when his beeper shuddered at his side- some number in the hospital. He'd call once he reached the ward. In the elevator, it sounded again-the same number. Something was wrong.

  Mrs. Gaster came to mind. She may have had a relapse or difficulty from the surgery. Mrs. Utley should be fine...unless fever had set it. The elevator doors slid open to a ward swarming with police officers.

  Betty started toward him. Officer McLane and Detective Regan motioned her back. She clutched her hand to her mouth and sat down. Alec let long strides carry him to the scene.

  "What is it? What's happened?" Had the nurse made another attempt and found another victim?

  McLane and Regan steered him to the lounge.

  "I'm afraid it's one of your patients, Dr. Edwards," McLane said. "Nick Remini. His wife hid a thirty-two in her purse. Shot him and then herself."

  Alec's stomach roiled.

  "Or so it seems," Regan added. "Let's face it, Doc. You've had a few problems with patients these last couple of days. Anything you want to tell us?"

  * * *

  Dani sagged with relief when the lights to Alec's car finally pulled into her driveway. Relief faded when she saw the stricken expression on his face. So, he didn't handle death as well as he pretended.

  She welcomed him with a hug. He clutched her tightly, and then eased her away. She understood. The emotions were too much to deal with, too much to share all at once.

  He lifted her chin, dropped a simple kiss to her lips, and then stumbled to the sculpture. Dani watched his hands shake as he picked up the knife. She couldn't leave him alone, not yet.

  Alec looked up when she walked in. For a second, Dani thought she saw tears in his eyes. Fear. She recognized it well. She slipped her hands over his shoulders, and then nuzzled her cheek next to his.

  "Kevin told me what happened."

  He caught her by the waist and drew her across his lap. "The police thought there might be a connection with the attempt on you. That someone might have a vendetta against me and was attacking through my patients."

  "Andrea?"

  Alec nodded. "Then they realized that the Remini incident was murder-suicide. Was Andrea the nurse you saw giving you the injection?"

  "I never saw her until yesterday."

  He stared into space. "And I knew it, Dani. I knew when I left him yesterday that Remini was a dead man."

  She combed his hair back. "It's going to be all right."

  "Is it? Remini's wife smashed his face a few nights ago because he was so good- looking she was afraid he would go to another woman. He forgave her." He shook his head and snorted. "He said he loved her to death even though she frightened him and he didn't trust her. That he couldn't keep his hands off her. He was obsessed with her."

  "And anybody with common sense would see disaster looming for the man."

  "I should have warned the staff. I should have..."

  She pressed her fingers over his lips. "You're a doctor, not a mind reader. And who in the world would have thought she would be bold enough to pull a stunt like that in a hospital?"

  Alec kissed her fingers, her palm, the underside of her wrist, the curve of her elbow, the inside of her upper arm, her shoulder, and finally her lips, slow, deep, sweet. Then he sealed it by holding her tight.

  "Come to bed," she whispered against his ear.

  He shook his head and lifted her from his lap. "Not yet. I want to work on this a little. It...helps." When he picked up the knife, his hands were steady.

  Dani watched him stick on a piece of clay and turn it into a ringlet. Sighing, she tucked into the beanbag chair and reached for her needlepoint.

  Yes. Peace and contentment. This is what he hurried home for, to be with Dani, to feel her surround him, to occupy his mind with the clay. Home was here, nowhere else. It wasn't obsession he felt. It couldn't be. Obsession hurt, killed. Andrea proved that. Nick Remini did as well. And both tossed out the word love as an excuse.

  Alec glanced up at Dani, absorbed with the cloth on her lap. Was this love or obsession? The question was driving him crazy, but he was afraid either answer would cause him to lose her.

  Dani was right to suggest they slow down. They needed time to evaluate just what was happening here. But to be away from her was impossible. He needed her. That alone screamed of obsession, and it scared Alec to death.

  * * *

  Chapter Sixteen

  "You could cut the tension in this house with a knife. The two of you need to relax."

  Dani stared up at Renee. She knew from experience what was coming next and regretted she had ever opened the door to Renee and Kevin.

  "We are relaxing." Alec rubbed lotion into his hands. "Or we were before you two showed up. I was sculpting and Dani was doing needlepoint."

  The other couple stared, blinked, and then laughed.

  "I don't believe you," they said together.

  Alec pointed to the project room. When the two scrambled forward, he gave Dani a look that mirrored her exasperation.

  "If we don't feed them, maybe they'll go away," she said.

  He snickered and pointed to a paper bag by the door. "Unfortunately, I think they brought their own food."

  "Beautiful piece of work, Alec." Kevin plopped into the chair and pulled Renee beside him. "I can't say I'm surprised considering the magic I've seen you work on patients...Speaking of patients, how's this one doing?"

  Nothing like being talked about over your head. Dani eased onto the sofa. "This one is fine, thank you very much. In fact, I'll be going back to work on Monday."

  Renee's eyes widened. "But you still have stitches."

  Ignoring Alec's glare of disapproval, Dani shrugged. "Big deal. Just about everyone saw them while I was in the hospital. It doesn't bother me."

  Renee jumped to the edge of her seat. "I'm glad to hear you say that. Kevin and I are having an engagement party Saturday and wanted you to be there." She flashed a smile to Alec. "You too, of course."

  Why did Dani feel they had just been finagled into a position where they couldn't say no? "You're not waiting for your parents to get back?"

  She tossed her hand into the air. "We'll have another then for the families. We wanted to have an informal thing now for all our friends. There is a huge poolside patio at Kevin's apartment complex that would be perfect."

  A shudder rumbled through Dani. She hated pools. Just the sight of them made her nervous. She had visions of falling in, drowning.

  "Relax," Renee said softly. "It's big enough so that you never have to go near the pool. You know I'd never do that to you."

  Alec finally settled down on the opposite end of the sofa. "Another fear?"

  "Let's just call it intense dislike." She focused her attention back to the couple. "So what's in the bag?"

  Renee dusted an imaginary speck of lint from Kevin's trousers. "Cheese and crackers. A couple of bottles of Grenache."

  "And?"

  Kevin took the forefront. "Just hear us out. The two of you have been under a lot of stress these last few days."

  Here it came-the real reason for their visit. Dani refused to look at them, focusing instead on Alec. He'd put a halt to their scheme in a heartbeat.

  Their silence was taken for acquiescence. Kevin went on. "Renee's shown me a few relaxation techniques that really work. We thought, under the circumstances, you might be interested in trying them out."

  Alec stared from one to the other. Dani nearly laughed out loud. It was great having someone in her corner, someone to back her up.

  "Why not?" He shrugged. "What could it hurt?"

  It was her turn to stare at him in dumbstruck silence. She waited until Renee and Kevin raced to retrieve their bag of tricks, and then smacked Alec in the shoulder.

  "Are you crazy?" she whispered. "I don't want to sit here and meditate."

  "So you'd rather spend a couple of hours arguing with them over it?" He draped his arm over the back of the sofa, facing her fully. "Let them do whatev
er. The sooner they get what they want, the sooner they'll leave, and we can get back to doing what we were doing."

  He had a point. "I can think of better ways to relax than this."

  "So can I." His breath caressed her ear, setting off goosebumps. "But you wanted to slow things down."

  A flush heated her cheeks. Carefully, she nestled her arms under her bosom. "Perhaps that's an issue that needs to be revisited."

  "I'd be willing to discuss it."

  "Yes, I know...you'll be quick and I won't feel a thing."

  He pressed closer. "There will be nothing quick about it. And, believe me, you'll feel it. Every single bit of it."

  Smiling, Dani settled into the curve of his arm, although the temptation to tell Renee and Kevin to leave was almost more than she could bear. Out from their bag of trick came the wine, crackers, cheese, then what Renee would call the good stuff-incense and twelve white votive candles each in a crystal holder. While Alec traced circles on her upper arm, she watched them set the scene.

  Kevin popped the cork on the wine and poured it into the cut-crystal glasses Renee brought. It was pleasant, fruity, Dani's favorite, but then Renee knew that. By the time the first glass was gone, Renee had dimmed the lights. Candles lit the room, reflecting off the crystal. The crackers and cheese were neatly arranged on a tray in the center for later, as was the second bottle of wine.

  "Very pleasant." Alec set his glass aside, then placed Dani's next to it. "I'm relaxed already. Are we done?"

  Dani's smothered giggle earned her a glare from Renee.

  She bit back a second one. "Go ahead."

  "Thank you. Now, it's very simple. Just settle back comfortably. Close your eyes and let your mind wander wherever it wants. Try to focus on the good, not the bad. Just relax."

  * * *

  "We have visitors."

  Marcus looked up at his assistant. The words had barely left his lips when the entourage appeared behind him. The purple stripes of cloth over the white toga caught Marcus's attention first, a member of the Roman Senate. Then his gaze darted to the man's face- Licinius.