“Is your husband here with you?” Alex asked, glancing around the room.
Even in the dim light Ryan could see Layla blanch. “No, we’re divorced.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Alex said, but his response lacked a ring of sincerity. “If you’ll excuse me, I see someone I need to speak to.” He nodded curtly to the group and was gone.
“Lucy and I are on our way to sign pledge cards. Would you like to join us?” Ryan asked Layla.
“Thank you, but I’ve already stopped by. I need to speak to Jack a second so I’ll see you around,” Layla answered, not looking at him. Instead, her gaze rested on Alex’s back as he moved across the room.
“Then we’ll see you later.” Ryan put his hand at Lucy’s waist. A thrill went through him when she didn’t move away.
“Nice to meet you, Dr. Woods.” Lucy said. When Layla was out of earshot, Lucy whispered, “What was that all about?”
“I don’t know but I’d say there’s some history between them. And not the good kind.”
“I’d say she isn’t the only one that feels that way.” She looked meaningfully at him. “I know you wanted the department head job.”
“I did. Do.” Once again she had him telling her things he should keep to himself.
“I would’ve thought you would’ve been the logical choice.”
“Me too.” He’d put in his time, paid his dues and had been confident he’d be the committee’s pick.
“Do you have any idea why they didn’t?”
“Yeah. Bad day for an interview.”
She looked at him keenly. “How’s that?”
“Who’s getting personal now?”
She sneered at him. “This has to do with the hospital. It’s not personal.”
“Seems personal to me.” He’d have to tell her or she wouldn’t give up. “My father passed away the week before the interview. I left straight after the interview to attend his funeral. My mind hadn’t been on impressing the committee.”
His father’s illness and death had not only destroyed Ryan emotionally but it had also damaged his career. The timing of his bid for a leadership position couldn’t have been scheduled on a worse date. He’d make sure when the next opportunity arose that he’d done everything he could to sway the decision in his direction. He was determined to make his father proud. That was why he’d agreed to be a part of the co-ordinated patient care program. Why he had brought the woman next to him to this party.
Lucy put her hand on his arm. “Ryan, I’m sorry. That seems so unfair.” She looked at him with deep compassion.
Were her feelings always on display? “And that’s life.”
“That’s a little more cynical sounding than I believe you are.”
This conversation had already touched areas he wasn’t interested in exploring. He gave her a twisted smile. “Come on, let’s see about those cards and then get something to eat. Maybe have a dance,” Ryan suggested.
Lucy wasn’t too sure about the dance part. That would require Ryan to touch her and if he did so she was afraid she might make a fool of herself. “I’ll go for the food. I’m not dancing with you. This is no date.”
She glanced at him. Had Ryan said, “You want to bet?”
Minutes later they were making their way towards the hors d’oeuvres tables despite being stopped a number of times by greetings from people Ryan knew. He was flawless in his manners and introduced her every time. The charming O’Doherty way.
Ryan seemed to be popular with women and men alike. He was always ready with a witty remark and a quick smile. Why couldn’t she and Ryan have that kind of relationship? Oh, no. She was letting him do it to her again. He’d made it perfectly clear how he felt and she’d do well to remember that.
“Why don’t we sit down for a while and enjoy this without juggling the plates?” Ryan suggested, heading toward an empty table.
They lapsed into silence as they ate. Lucy’s animosity had dwindled but she still wasn’t at ease with him, afraid she’d share too much or, worse, sound needy. Her heart went out to him about his father. He’d obviously cared intensely for the man. And to have lost the department head job must’ve hit Ryan hard as well. For as little as she had shared with him on a personal level tonight, she’d managed to learn a great deal about Ryan.
While taking small bites, she looked around the room at the upper-level staff of a world-renowned children’s hospital. In spite of dealing with life and death on a daily basis, they were still humans with problems of their own. She glanced at Ryan. He too had issues, even though he worked to hide them behind that facade of humor and charm. She couldn’t point a finger. She also hid her pain.
Her gaze settled on a group that included Dr. Woods. She kept glancing toward the entrance, where Dr. Rodriguez had his arm around a pretty woman’s waist and was leading her out the door. Dr. Woods shrugged a shoulder and turned to speak to the man beside her. Something about the way she’d been watching Dr. Rodriguez intently was in direct contrast to the nonchalant way she was acting. Lucy’s belief was that Dr. Woods’ look implied she wasn’t pleased to see Dr. Rodriguez leave with a woman.
Their issues weren’t Lucy’s concern. She had enough of her own, starting with the man sitting beside her. “How much longer do you think we need to stay?” she asked.
“Why?” Ryan popped another canapé into his mouth. “You in a hurry to get away from me?”
“I thought it was the other way around.”
“Why would you think that?” His face took on a perplexed look. “I thought we were having a pretty good time.”
“Well, you made it more than clear that you weren’t interested in spending any more personal time with me than necessary.” She nudged her half-empty plate to the center of the table and stood. “If you’re not ready to go, I don’t mind taking a taxi.”
He stood. “We can go. We’ve done our duty. I’d just hoped to get one dance with you.”
“This isn’t a date. It’s work,” she said over her shoulder as she made her way to the coat-check counter. “Dancing comes under the heading of personal.”
She claimed her coat. Ryan took it from her and held it while she slipped it on. He stood so close that his body warmed her back. She stepped forward on the pretense of putting her scarf on in order just to catch her breath.
As Ryan and Lucy descended the stairs she said, “By the way, I understand about the department job but that doesn’t explain way you don’t like Dr. Rodriguez. There’s something more going on there.”
“More?” He did not want to talk about this.
“Yeah. I thought you were supposed to be Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky and you were…what would be the word?…strident, harsh, displeased…” She stopped on the step and looked up at him as if trying to pull the right expression out of the air. “You don’t care for the man. Why?”
“It’s personal.”
“Right. You’re going to play that card.”
“Why not? You’ve been throwing the word around all night.”
They’d reached the bottom of the stairs when Lucy said, “Closing off when you might have to share more than a joke. Typical.”
“Look, I’m sorry if you think I have no concern for your vulnerabilities, but I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m not your confessor. You spilled, I listened, and now we move on.” He couldn’t let her know that he admired what she’d done. If he did, she might use him as her confessor again. He desired her supple body and itched to caress her hair, but he wanted nothing to do with being involved in her life.
If Lucy could have produced steam, he didn’t doubt it would be coming out of her ears right now. “Of all the contemptuous, uncaring things you could have said. You’re nothing like people think you are.”
“How many of us really are?”
“That’s a pretty pessimistic way to look at life.’
They continued across the lobby. “It might be, but you can’t deny that it’s the truth. We all hide things from others.�
�� He should know. Most of his life he guarded closely.
“Yes, we do.”
“But for some reason you think I should tell all. Is that little family counselor who wants to make it all better working after hours tonight?” Goading her was starting to be fun. At least, if she was mad at him he’d be less temped to explore his fascination with her. She was so beautiful with her hair cascading around her shoulders. Her eyes glittering with anger only heightened that beauty.
“Oh, you…you…You’ve managed to make it personal!”
That did it. He’d heard that word one too many times. As they passed a small alcove he took her waist and pulled her in. “I’m going to show you personal.”
Combing his fingers into her hair, he brought his mouth down to hers. It wasn’t a gentle kiss. He wanted to consume her. Wanted to get her out of his system, out of his life. The world slowed to nothing but Lucy and the moment. He’d not felt so free in a long time.
She jerked away and he immediately regretted the loss of her lips. He wanted more. The evening had certainly turned out far more positively than he’d anticipated.
Lucy’s eyes were wide as she gazed at him blankly. She blinked and in that second she found reality again. With a quick look around, she checked to see if anyone had seen them. Relief flooded her features when no one was visible.
Her eyes flashed at him as she hissed, “You had no business doing that!”
“It wasn’t business, it was personal.”
She clenched her mouth shout, glared at him before she swung around and stalked away.
He caught up with her before she made it out of the main entrance. “The valet service is out the other door.”
“I’m getting a taxi.”
His fingers circled her arm. She stopped and looked pointedly at his hand. He released her. “Come on, Lucy. I apologize. It won’t happen again. I brought you and I’m going to see you home.”
Lucy said nothing as they rode back to her apartment. He glanced at her while they stopped in traffic. There was a pensive look on her face and her fingers touched her bottom lip. He grinned. So she wasn’t as unaffected by his kiss as she acted.
Good, then maybe he’d get to kiss her again. One taste hadn’t been enough.
When he entered her street she said, “Just pull up in front of the restaurant. It’s not necessary to park. I can get in on my own.” She raised a hand. “I know that goes against your raisin’ but I’ve had enough tonight.”
He hadn’t had enough and he didn’t think she had either but he wouldn’t argue the point. Stopping by the curb in front of her apartment, he let Lucy out as she’d requested. “See you tomorrow, Lucy.”
“Tomorrow,” she said, as if she was parroting him instead of really thinking about what she was saying. She bit her lower lip.
His male ego took flight. Yes, there would be more kisses.
CHAPTER FIVE
LUCY STARED OFF into what little space there was in her office.
Ryan had kissed her. Had kissed her good. He’d kissed her like no one else ever had. Her lips tingled from the memory. She stuck the tip of her tongue out and licked the center of her bottom lip. Could she still taste him? With an effort she stopped herself from moaning.
“Lucy, you okay?”
“What?” She looked around.
“I’ve called your name twice. Something bothering you?” Nancy asked.
“Oh, no, I’m fine. Just thinking.”
“How’s it going with Ryan?”
Lucy’s heart revved up. Her body temperature rose. Beyond a shadow of a doubt her face had gone beet red. “We’re fine.”
Nancy looked at her longer than Lucy found comfortable. “You aren’t falling for the silver-tongued devil, are you?”
“No. We’re just co-workers.” Lucy tried to sound as convincing as possible, tried to convince herself that his kiss had meant nothing.
“I see,” Nancy said, but disbelief ricocheted around the room. She smiled knowingly at Lucy before she picked up papers off her desk. “Hey, it’s Saturday night. Why don’t you come to O’Malley’s Pub for a drink before you head home? Everyone will be there. I’ll introduce you around. Should have done it already.”
Lucy wavered only a second between going home to spend the evening alone or getting to know other staff members better. “I think I’d like that. Thanks.”
“Great. What time is Ryan usually through with rounds?”
“Today it should be about six.”
“Perfect. I’ll meet you here.”
“I’ll be ready.” Maybe going out with a group and having some fun would get her mind off Ryan O’Doherty. Still she couldn’t help but have a fluttery feeling in her middle at the thought of seeing him again.
“So, Alex, what can I help you with?” Ryan asked as he took a seat in one of the two chairs in front of Alex Rodriguez’s desk.
“Ryan, I thought I should speak to you privately about a couple of matters that came up during the patients’ review meeting yesterday,” Alex said, leaning back in his chair.
Ryan looked at him expectantly.
“I heard that you and Ms. Edwards had a public shouting match in the ER the other evening.” Alex’s voice made it clear he wasn’t pleased.
Ryan had let Lucy push him too far. His emotions had gotten away from him. Something he rarely, if ever, allowed to happen. Now he was being criticized because of it.
“Things like that reflect poorly on my department and you professionally,” Alex finished with a note of reprimand. In a very unsubtle way Alex was making it clear he wouldn’t tolerate it happening again.
“Ms. Edwards and I did have a heated discussion about a patient. We’ve worked out our differences.”
“Good. That’s what I wanted to hear. Do I need to speak with Ms. Edwards?”
Ryan shifted in his chair. He couldn’t have Lucy telling Alex what they’d been arguing about. “That won’t be necessary.”
Alex nodded. “Now for the other issue. I understand that the Rivera kid’s progress hasn’t gone as expected.”
The hair on the back of Ryan’s neck stood at attention as he shifted into fighting mode. What was this guy getting at? With his background he didn’t have any room to talk. Or accuse.
“Miguel—” Ryan stressed the boy’s name “—is doing quite well now. He did have a setback in ICU but he didn’t require additional surgery. His recovery has been slower than I originally estimated but he’s coming along fine nonetheless. Why? Is there a problem?”
“All I’m doing is asking the question that was put to me. I’m not accusing you of anything. In order to have a solid, top-notch neuro department, I need to know what’s going on. It’s my job to protect my staff but also make modifications when necessary in patient care.”
Ryan wasn’t sure how he was supposed to respond to those statements. He glared at Alex. He didn’t appreciate the implication that he couldn’t manage the case or manage his job in general. He needed to get a handle on his ire if he didn’t want to create a problem. Like it or not, Alex was his superior. Antagonizing him wouldn’t be to his own advantage. “What exactly are you insinuating?”
“I’m not insinuating anything. I’m just voicing a concern.”
“Just for the record, you should know that I’ve done my homework. I know about you and your malpractice case.”
Alex leaned forward. The only visible sign that Ryan had hit a sore spot was the tic in Alex’s jaw.
Ryan received a small amount of perverse pleasure from the other man’s reaction. “I haven’t shared this information with anyone else. I’ll admit that I wanted your job but not if I had to act underhandedly to get it. I wanted it based on my merit and skill. The committee voted for you. You’re a talented doctor and no matter how much I’d like to have your position; I can’t fault your skills as a surgeon.”
“I appreciate that,” Alex said. “Thank you for clearing the air. It’ll be my job to see that you are left alone to care
for your patients. You can count on me standing behind you. If there’s a problem regarding administration then we’ll discuss it behind closed doors.” Alex stood and offered his hand.
“Agreed.” Ryan shook the other man’s hand. He was pleased with the tentative plan he and Alex had established to stay out of each other’s way based on mutual respect. Ryan still wanted the position of head of Neuro and one day he would have it.
Long hours later he found Lucy sitting in the surgery waiting room with the family of his most recent surgery patient. He’d stopped being surprised at the consideration she gave to parents.
Lucy looked up at him from under half-lowered eyelids as he finished speaking to the family. She really was a lovely woman. Her hair was pulled back, making him wish he could take it down and feel its silkiness one more time.
That evening, she showed up for rounds, adding information as necessary. He was hyper-conscious of every move she made. She held a clipboard against her chest like a breastplate, as if preparing to go to war for her patients. The free tentacle of hair she pushed at impatiently when she spoke intrigued him. Her lips captivated him the most. The urge to create an excuse to see her in his office was so tempting. Only because he respected her enough not to make her feel cheap or self-conscious had he not let his baser instincts run wild.
The woman had gotten to him. First it had been her gentle ways, then her strong backbone as she’d told him off, then her sexy looks and tasty lips last night.
“I think Miguel might be well enough to go home early next week. Ms. Edwards, will everything be in place on your end for that to happen?” he asked. Did the others notice her cute, shy ways? What was he going to be doing next, spouting poetry? He had the hots for the leggy family counselor and if he wasn’t careful it was going to show.
“I have everything lined up. All it needs is your signature on the orders.”
“Good. I’ll take care of that. I understand there was some concern that the family might have difficulty getting him back here for the post-surgery check-ups.”
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