by Lisa Eugene
“I have to apologize if they said anything—.”
“Oh, please don’t.” He chuckled and gave a wave of his hand. “They’re very refreshing. Must have been a lot of fun around the house growing up.”
“Yeah, fun.” She laughed as vivid memories popped into her head. “Most parents keep their children out of trouble. For me it was the opposite. I had to keep them in check. I’m afraid as their only child I was the focus of their excessive energies.”
“Well at least they were there for you. My parents were always off on an adventure, saving the rain forests of South America or some exotic animal from extinction.” His voice held just a hint of bitterness.
Nina studied his expression, trying to read the undercurrent. “Did you ever go with them? For a kid that might have been fun.”
“Sometimes, but it’s hard for a child to be out of school all the time, so I was practically raised by my aunt and uncle. I spent a lot of time on their small crop farm in Virginia. I was shipped there every summer.”
The waiter stepped in to refill the coffee. She suddenly felt self-conscious as Wade lifted the cup to his lips and peered at her over the rim. Heat prickled her skin under his provocative stare; he had gorgeous lips. The bottom was slightly fuller than the top. She remembered how soft they’d felt against hers and couldn’t staunch the mental blossoming of sensual images. A ribbon of desire started to uncoil and undulate through her as his eyes devoured her.
Those eyes were amazing; they expressed so much with very little movement and the long dark lashes that framed them added a mysterious quality. The silence started to swell and she knew they both had something on their minds. Light laughter floated between them when they started to speak at the same time. He nodded his head, deferring to her.
“I—I have to apologize for the other night. I’m really sorry about what happened,” she said.
Wade lifted his coffee cup to his lips and slowly took a sip. She watched as his throat worked down the warm liquid. “I’m not sorry. I rather enjoyed myself.” A playful dimple flashed in his cheek. “And by the way, if you ever need attestation to your heterosexuality, I’d be more than happy to testify given my firsthand knowledge.”
She shifted uneasily in her seat and met his steady gaze. Recalling the awkward scene with her mother caused her body to flush, but she refused to be deterred. “I just want you to know that I don’t usually do that sort of thing—lose control like that.”
“That’s too bad. What’s wrong with losing control?”
She squared her shoulders, conviction steeling her voice. “Honestly, it was inexcusable. It was unethical. It was unpro—.”
“Unprofessional and inappropriate.” His voice was gently mocking.
She sighed, finding his nonchalance vexing. She didn’t know how he was so effective at upsetting her composure.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to sue you.” He stated dryly.
Nina stared up at him, aware of the inkling of relief that tiptoed down her back.
“Besides, the only personal injury you inflicted was to my very revved up libido.”
She contemplated the sexy curve of his lips, acutely remembering how delicious they felt and tasted, how his teeth had tugged on her nipples and how she had begged shamelessly for more. She had to admit that since that night her libido had been screaming for attention. She knew the sudden warmth in the restaurant had nothing to do with the afternoon sun streaming brilliantly through the large colonial windows. She needed to get out of there while she still could, before things got out of control.
“I have to go.”
“Go?” Wade leaned in towards her. He was like a jungle cat cornering his prey. “You haven’t finished desert.” He indicated the untouched strawberry cheesecake still in front of her.
Escape seemed impossible while he was pinning her with his fiery stare, liquefying her insides. This man was sinfully gorgeous and equally dangerous to her metal equilibrium.
“You have it. I hear it does wonders for the mood.” She laughed, trying to break his spell, but the brittle sound floated away from her. She reached down, intending to push the desert plate in front of him, but ended up with a dollop of whipped cream smeared on the tip of her little finger. She reached for her napkin, but before she could grab it Wade scooped up her hand and slipped her pinky into the warm cavern of his mouth. She shuddered as her senses exploded. Her eyes were glued to him as he sucked gently and worked his tongue around the finger in his mouth. An electric current spread from her finger, down her arm and into her body. It settled between her legs and she squirmed as the chair suddenly became too hot.
She noticed surreptitious glances and raised eyebrows directed their way. She looked down, uncomfortable with the sly attention. Wade pulled her finger from his mouth ever so slowly and held it hovering just inches away.
“Does that bother you?” he asked.
Her head snapped up. “What?”
“People,” he nipped at the tips of her fingers. “Watching?”
She swallowed hard, wondering if he had any idea of the turmoil that was brewing inside her. When he dipped her index finger into the whipped cream and pulled it to his mouth all she could do was respond with a shake of her head. She didn’t trust her voice to speak.
Of course it bothered her, but she’d never admit that to him. That was what he wanted—to unnerve her. She shook her head. This test was as much for her as it was for him. She’d never strayed so far out of her comfort zone and couldn’t yet examine why she didn’t yank her hand away and walk out of the restaurant.
He smiled wickedly. “Good.”
He dunked another digit into the foamy cream and held it close to his mouth. Smokey blue eyes locked with hers.
“Do you know where I’d like to put this?” His voice was coarse and low like distant thunder.
His hand was pliant and limp from his ministrations. She swallowed hard as she shook her head again.
“I’d love to smear it all over your nipples,” he whispered seductively.
Her lids fluttered close as she imagined the gentle suction now massaging her finger on her aching nipples. Her breath quickened and her nipples strained against the silk of her blouse.
“And this?” Wade had collected more whipped cream on her thumb. The blue in his eyes almost darkened to the color of his suit.
“Where?” The question barely issued from her throat as she held her breath in sweet anticipation.
“Between your legs,” he said, then moved his tongued seductively along the ridge of her finger.
She was sure her groan had been audible. She shifted her hips under the table, aware that dormant muscles were clenching rhythmically, drawing taut the knot of desire that had lodged between her legs. She felt damp and achy; a primitive yearning burned deep. Her mind conjured torrid scenes of Wade’s large body above her, his hips relentless as he drove into her again and again. Oh my! Her breath staggered in her lungs. The images were raw and potent. She hesitated only briefly when he dipped his index finger into the whipped cream and offered it to her.
Restaurant! People! Watching!
Nina parted her lips and invited him in. She savored the taste of the sweet cream and the feel of his hard insistent finger gliding into the softness of her mouth. She watched his eyes glaze over and his chest rise and fall unsteadily.
He smiled and he reluctantly reclaimed his hand. He placed it over hers which lay folded on the table then gazed at her long and hard. The sexual tension between them was a palpable throb.
“Have dinner with me tonight?”
Nina cocked her head and looked across the table at him. What was she getting herself into? Just his mere presence reduced her to a quivering mound of lust. First her very uncharacteristic spontaneity in the exam room, and now she was a damn exhibitionist! She’d never be able to eat whipped cream again without becoming all hot and bothered.
He was so different from the guy she thought she should fall for. Sure h
e was unmistakably handsome and his presence commanding, but he was also spontaneous and seemed to enjoy taking risks. He lived in the spotlight and his field was most often tainted with drama and sensationalism.
Nina smiled wryly. She’d done conservative with Charles Houliton III and look where that had gotten her. She shook her head. Here she was again overanalyzing. She could hear Sally’s voice yelling at her to go for it. She had no doubt her body would be satisfied as it still purred from his caresses, but as she watched his calloused thumb trace lightly over her knuckles she couldn’t help but wonder about the status of her heart.
She was no good at compartmentalizing. She could never separate her head and her heart. That’s why she never did one night stands or fell for unattainable men. She had always calculated the odds, assessed the potential dangers and skillfully extricated herself from destined heartbreak.
Thinking. Too. Hard.
She felt a tug in her chest when she looked at Wade and the voice in her head warned her that he could prove very dangerous. She silenced her voice, not wanting to travel down that path. She had to admit that he did have the sexiest lips she’d ever seen on a guy. Lips…pecs…eyes…Enough!
“Okay. Dinner.” She laced her fingers through his, feeling excitement drum through her. She was glad that she didn’t have to go in to work that night. She’d hopefully have time to prepare.
Wade grinned at her, a brief flicker of surprise crossing his face.
“You thought I’d say no?” she teased.
“You’re trained in compassion. I’d hope you’d take pity on me.”
“Well someone’s got to save you from your female entourage. ‘New York’s most eligible bachelor’. I wouldn’t want you to end up in another ‘not so delicate’ situation and have some other vital body part injured.”
His brows knitted in confusion followed suddenly by deep laughter that rumbled from his throat. A sexy dimple played on his cheek.
“You saw the interview.”
She nodded, sipping her cold coffee, hoping to quell some of the heat still simmering inside her.
“I assure you it was all Marie’s idea. A very clever ambush. It’s all about ratings.”
Wade thought the loud jangle he was hearing was coming from his fuzzy brain, but as the ringing continued he realized the nuisance was inside his suit pocket. He pulled his hand away from Nina’s, instantly missing the warmth of her slender fingers. Annoyed, he flipped open the cell phone and barked his name into it.
“We need to talk.”
The deep raspy voice of the private investigator his firm had hired filtered through the phone and Wade was instantly on alert.
“Can you talk?” Ben Russo asked.
Wade’s back immediately straightened. From the tone in Ben’s voice he knew something huge had occurred. He’d worked with Ben on cases before and it took a lot to stir this type of urgency in his voice.
“Not really.” Wade responded, averting his eyes from the sexy emerald stare across the table.
“We need to meet. ASAP. This is a lot bigger than we thought.”
“Go on.”
“Listen W., it’s not only the local small time docs. You were right. I may have evidence that links docs from a large area hospital. I think I know where the fraudulent MRI’s are being manufactured—Washington Memorial Hospital.”
Wade felt as though he had been punched in the gut. He looked up at Nina who languidly traced a finger over the rim of her coffee cup. He knew she was studying his face and somehow managed a smile. He consulted his watch.
“Four pm. Same—” Wade started.
“Hold on, W.”
Wade heard sudden shuffling on the other end of the phone and Ben swore roughly.
“Hello?”
“Listen, I think I’m being followed. Don’t worry I’ll take care of it. How about we meet at five o’ clock at the old place?”
“Okay. Be careful.”
Ben chuckled, his coarse rasp ending in a sputtering cough that had been nurtured by three packs of cigarettes a day for the last thirty years. “Don’t worry bud, remember they used to call me old slip n’ slide.”
“Be careful,” Wade reiterated seriously. His conversation ended with a decisive click and he held the phone to his ear a moment longer, his mind preoccupied.
He and his law partners had figured that this case had yet many stones unturned. Now he worried seriously what worms he’d find squirming beneath the stones. He’d had a gut feeling from the beginning that the community doctor at the center of his case was just a small time player in a bigger game. Wade surmised that he was close to retirement and just collecting some extra cash from the insurance company to cushion him on his way out.
He would never have guessed that anyone at Washington Memorial was involved. The hospital had a sterling reputation and was one of the most prestigious hospitals in the area. That was the reason he’d chosen to go there the night he’d gotten injured.
His eyes slowly rolled up to meet an emerald stare that held pensive curiosity and his heart bucked in his chest. The sense of dread that filtered through him left his throat dry and scratchy.
He had a job to do. He had a commitment that was larger than his libido. He thought about his Aunt Bev and how she’d suffered because of a doctor’s negligence. He remembered how the doctor kept telling them that she’d be okay, that she just needed to rest and take her supplements, meanwhile cancer gnawed at her insides.
He’d trusted their family physician and that had cost him dearly. He’d seen much in his career and could never comprehend the depth of human greed. He’d been raised to believe in the innate goodness of people, but from all the things he’d seen firsthand his belief was rapidly waning. He’d learned the hard way that trust could easily turn to betrayal—a betrayal of an oath to do no harm.
Could he trust Nina? Could pursuing a relationship with her compromise his case? Could she be involved in this greedy unconscionable scam? Wade raked his fingers through his hair as he thought about Mr. Johnson sitting in his wheelchair, pain etching the lines in his face, his eyes hollow and broken. Anger at the people who in one way or another contributed to his debilitation boiled in him like molten lava.
He’d do whatever he could to make them pay. Unfortunately the only way to deter these greedy bastards was to hit them where they’d hurt the most, to take away what they held most dear—money. And if this case was as explosive as he predicted, perhaps some time incarcerated would be an appropriate and added bonus.
“Is everything okay?” Nina asked and broke his stream of thought.
A smile claimed his lips. She looked so breathtakingly beautiful across the table that he had to suck in a breath. Soft auburn curls flowed around her shoulders and framed her heart-shaped face. Her lambent eyes were still glazed with passion and her cheeks flushed a hue of healthy ruby. He was a man who lived by his instincts.
A heat spread through his chest as he regarded her. His instincts told him he could trust her. His instincts told him that she could never be a part of this immoral scheme. Just making out with him in the exam room had her worried about impropriety and questioning the solidity of her ethics. No, he was convinced she wasn’t involved. WMH was a huge institution. He was sure she was far removed from this sordid activity.
“Everything’s fine. It’s just about a case I’m working on,” he said matter-of-factly.
Nina’s eye’s narrowed. “The big case that Marie alluded to on the show?”
“You should’ve been a lawyer, not a doctor.” He smiled, reaching for her hand.
“I like playing for the good guys,” Nina said jokingly, but bit her lip when she realized what she’d said. “I—I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to—.”
“Yes you did, and it’s okay. I know what the medical community generally thinks of medical malpractice attorneys. Good guys vs. bad guys. It’s all a matter of perspective.” he said pensively.
She shrugged, guilt spurring her to ex
plain, to make amends. “I really don’t have feelings one way or another. In fact, I’ll prove it. Tell me about your case. I might be able to help you.”
Wade stared at her for a long while, pondering what she’d said. If she only knew the gravity of her statement and how close to home his case was. He knew in his heart that she had nothing to do with this case, but he also knew he could never get her involved. He would never use her to gain information and the last thing he wanted to do was to lie to her. In fact, common sense told him to cancel his plans with her for tonight, to put things on hold until he had more information about his case’s connection to WMH.
He traced a thumb over the silky skin of her wrist, and as heat reached low into his pelvis, causing his already engorged shaft to stir, he convinced himself that he could keep his personal life separate from his professional life. God, he hoped that he wasn’t letting desire cloud his usually astute judgment.
“Okay…” Wade leaned in close and swore he could feel her breath blow over him like a warm breeze. “My case involves a sexy ER physician who allowed her patient to suffer from a serious case of blue balls.”
“I think I know a treatment for that.”
Nina watched his lips curl into a tantalizing grin, but since his phone call she’d sensed a contemplative edginess beneath his teasing demeanor, a barely noticeable distraction. As they made plans for later that evening, she couldn’t help feeling that his subtle change in mood was somehow related to her.
CHAPTER FOUR
The old meeting place was a small eclectic restaurant located near the NYU college campus in the heart of the village. College students crowded the room in small groups smoking and drinking beer and complaining about one class or another, while several young couples lounged on billowy couches with their bodies entwined.
Old and young from local businesses made up the happy hour crowd and the social atmosphere was at a gregarious peak as customers gathered thick around the bar. Even though Wade towered over the crowd, he had to angle his way through to get to the restaurant area. He spotted Ben sitting at a small table in the corner under two large gothic candles. Wade had always liked this place because the loud rumble of voices drowned out conversation and a stranger could walk in to the restaurant without raising an eyebrow. Ben looked up and waved him over, a wide grin on his face as he looked at Wade’s arm in the sling.