Mid-afternoon, they headed back to Destiny's apartment. As Cole parked the car, he asked as casually as he could, "Are you working nine-to-nines?"
She nodded. "You got it."
He couldn't help it if his face fell.
Destiny's eyes sparkled. "Thanks for today, Cole. I had a great time." She twisted toward Kayla in the back. "Thanks to you, too, Chuck Yeager. It was a pleasure to meet you."
The child giggled. “Me, too. I mean– ”
Cole winked at Kayla as he got out. "Stay here, Pumpkin. I'm going to walk Destiny upstairs."
For a moment, he couldn't tell if the lady was pleased or annoyed at his announcement, then she smiled. "Thought this kind of thing was out of date," she said as he raced around the car to open her door. He managed it without a stumble, then surprised himself by navigating the stairs, sure-footed as a mountain goat. He had planned to top off their date with a light kiss. But when she looked at him, he saw the teasing invitation in her eyes and suddenly found himself pulling her close, crushing her to him.
Her smell, like wildflowers filled him with a heady sense of her femininity. And the feel of her lush lips parting beneath his made him feel mighty as a wild stallion. He wanted more than this moment on her doorstep, more than just this brief taste of her mouth. He wanted tonight, all night, every night.
Then he remembered she had to work. And remembered Kayla waiting in the car.
A groan tore from his throat as he pulled away. He dropped his hands, clenching them to keep from touching Destiny again, aching to stroke the satin skin of her throat, loosen her hair from the barrette, feel it slide across his chest.
Holy Magnolias, he was driving himself nuts.
"Are you off next Friday?" he rasped. "Saturday?" Just as long as it wasn't Sunday. He'd promised to take Kayla caving that day, her first time. But if Destiny had both Friday and Saturday off he'd darn well spend it with her alone at his Lake Tahoe cabin.
Too fast, his mind warned. But he shoved the traitorous thought down. They were two consenting adults. She was obviously as attracted to him as he was to her.
"Neither. I’m not off again until next Monday." Her voice sounded nearly as raspy as his own.
His body gave a silent lament. The thought of anything longer than a week passing before he spent time with her again was more than he could stand. "Why don’t I call you and see what we can work out between our schedules?"
She smiled. “You’ll have me dashing for the phone whenever it rings."
He liked the sound of that. Aware that Kayla would be getting antsy by now, and that he couldn’t stand on Destiny's doorstep all evening – much as he’d like to – he caressed her cheek. So soft. So touchable. He resisted the urge to taste her again.
She kissed the tip of her finger and touched it to his bottom lip. "Today was a lot of fun, Cole."
"See you soon," he choked out, stepping back. "I'll call you."
He vaulted down the stairs, feeling as though he could leap tall buildings in a single bound. And loving it. No, he corrected, loving the way the name "Destiny" sounded on his lips, and the way she said his name. As though it was the most special name in the world.
Chapter Four
Destiny stood before Web's desk feeling like a young girl about to be reprimanded by a tribal elder. She’d said YES to his job offer – for a higher salary.
"I'll need to talk to the Board," he said easily, his tone allaying her fears somewhat. "Why don't we meet again Wednesday ...over breakfast."
A smile teased her lips. Darn, the man never quit.
He moved around the desk with a practiced swagger, advancing on her. The business portion of the meeting was obviously over. "Just promise me, no more jumping out of my car."
The memory of his astonished expression made her smile impossible to hide.
"Hey, you do know how to smile," he quipped.
"Of course." She started toward the door, relieved that the hard part, asking for more money, was behind her.
"I was beginning to think you reserved your dimples for a certain heart surgeon."
"I don't have– " The significance of his words made her pause. The hospital grapevine was fast. "You mean Dr. Jackson?" Web wore his women notched on his name tag for everyone to see. Gossip abounded about him – but not Cole. The two men were friends though. Birds of a feather? She didn't like the thought. It didn't fit the man she'd spent such a wonderful time with the day before. "How long have you and he been friends?" she asked, faking a casual tone.
"Since med school.” Web leaned back against the edge of his chair, his expression turning thoughtful. “I was best man at his wedding."
Destiny read some kind of warning there, but darned if she could figure out what it meant.
Abruptly, Web tapped his watch. “I’ve got another appointment,” he said, giving her a reluctant smile.
She forced a snappy salute and backed out of his office, still wondering at the uneasy feeling which had settled around her heart. "See you Wednesday then. Breakfast. Bye." One way or another, soon she'd be either employed or unemployed, and on Wednesday she'd find out whatever it was Web had been hinting at. Maybe Cole did have an Achilles’ heel and Web wanted her to know.
Their conversation haunted her throughout a busy day of sore throats, school physicals, and playground accidents. Nothing took time out while she worried about her request for more money, and about Web’s innuendo about Cole.
On her break, she scanned the crowded cafeteria and wondered if she’d have to drink her caffeine standing up. Taking another quick glance around, she spotted Fran waving to her. Fran was a treasure, round faced, amply endowed, down-to-earth, ear-to-the-ground. And she'd saved Destiny a chair. Bless her.
Destiny grabbed a high-octane soda and a bowl of soup, then bee-lined for her friend. If anyone knew the scoop on the delicious Dr. Jackson, it would be Fran.
"What do you know about the wonder-doctor, Colorado Jackson?" Destiny asked after a few minutes of chit-chat. Then, at Fran’s instantly curious expression, she added, "I ran into him outside Web's office the other day."
"I'm surprised he didn't trample you. Did you get a look at the size of his hands and feet." Fran's blue eyes twinkled and a giggle erupted, belying her maturity but in perfect harmony with her irreverent wit. "Well, you know what that's supposed to indicate."
Recalling Cole's kiss and the feel of him pressed against her, Destiny blushed, but found herself laughing. She hadn’t worried about the good doctor's size, she just wanted to get him alone somewhere to see where that kiss might lead.
She took a long, cool, swallow of soda.
Fran managed to stop her guffawing long enough to admit, "He darn near ruined my power suit."
A stab of jealousy. "You went out with him?"
Fran nodded, a smile still pulling at her lips. She stirred her coffee, dumped in more cream. "Ruined my best outfit. That flirtatious little green number I wore last year to the Christmas party."
Although Destiny only vaguely remembered it – she'd left the party early – she nodded. "So, what happened?"
Fran rested her chin on her knuckles. “You know that old joke, don’t you?” She continued without waiting for a response. "Men are like ceramic floor tiles. Lay 'em right and you can walk on them forever."
Destiny’s smile collapsed. “You didn’t!” An image of Fran and Cole together spun through her brain.
“No! Just wishful thinking. The talented doctor spilled red wine all over the table and me." Fran frowned, but it was good-natured. "Hard to believe someone so skilled with a scalpel can be such a klutz at the dinner table."
"He ask you out again?"
"No, I think he realized we weren't compatible. I’m not his type, not..."
“What type is that?”
“Oh, you know.” Fran played with a packet of sugar, then pinned her with a quizzical look. "Why all the questions about Doc Holliday?"
Destiny smiled at the nickname. Only a few people
used it, those familiar with his quickness in OR. Magical hands, she thought, remembering the little boy he'd worked on the other day, a boy that should have died, but didn't.
Fran leaned forward and sent out another probe, "I thought Dr. Baker was spinning his web around you."
“Web has a different line for every available woman within ten miles. I admit I've toyed with the idea of a fling, but it's never come together, and now I think I know why."
Fran leaned closer. "You sure you know what you’re doing?”
“By going out with Cole?” Destiny shrugged, wondering what Fran was getting at. First, Web, now her. From their veiled innuendoes anyone would think the jazzy Dr. Jackson was an axe-murderer.
“Yes, by going out with Cole.” Fran said it as though Destiny must know what she was alluding to. “I’m not one to tell you how to live your life, but–
Abruptly, she stopped and looked up. "Oh, hello, Cole."
Destiny twisted around in her chair, surprised and pleased. "Cole!" She forgot Fran’s last remark as a thrill ran down her spine, then wondered if he’d heard any of their conversation? Instantly, her face felt like she'd swallowed a flame-thrower.
"Hi, Fran, Destiny."
Fran pushed back her chair. "Have to run, Des. Let's have lunch together next week. Call me." With a quick wave she left before Destiny could do more than nod in agreement.
Cole sat down beside her. "I'm on my way home, but the floor nurse said you were here." His blue eyes reminded her of robin eggs. He reached over and covered her hand with his. "I just wanted you to know I had a great time yesterday."
Her senses went into pleasure overload. Her hand tingled, along with the rest of her body. All too aware of where they were, she drew a deep, calming breath, exhaled, and admonished her jump-started hormones to slow down.
He was smiling at her. The blue in his eyes bathed her in warmth. “When’s your next day off?”
“Not until next weekend.” She stifled a groan, wanting to see him before then. "I could meet you and Kayla for ice cream down the street before my shift tomorrow night. Eight-thirty?"
A smile blazed across his face, taking her breath with the brilliance of it. Criminy, the things the man did to her with just a glance. He could have anything she possessed if only he’d ask. And if he didn’t? Well, in the old days, she'd tap him on the shoulder, invite him to round dance and he'd spend the next five days at her side. Plenty of time to get better acquainted.
Her wandering thoughts brought another rush of lava to her cheeks. She smiled, still thinking of the old tradition. He'd leave a dozen quail, dressed out and hung at her door, she mused, and then he'd come to live with her and her family...
She had a feeling the good doctor might balk at that. But maybe not. Jake was her only family and he was never around.
She smiled. Right now, Cole a bit dazed, and hungry. He smelled totally masculine, a tantalizing, clean fresh scent of man and soap. On impulse, she brushed a hurried kiss across his cheek.
With that dazed expression still in place, he said goodbye. She watched him stride from the room and turn the corner, then heard the crash of china and Cole's muffled, "Excuse me."
She grinned. Klutz or not, she couldn't wait to see him again.
*****
For Cole, the next day and a half passed with agonizing slowness. On the second evening, Kayla fell asleep early. At 7:30, he called his mother and asked if she'd babysit for an hour while he met Destiny for an ice cream cone. He had his jacket on and was waiting when she breezed through the front door.
"I'll bring you one back," he promised, instantly regretting his impulsive tongue. His mother needed to watch her diet--big time. A cholesterol reading of 312 was nothing to joke about. Ice cream was a forbidden treat.
She brushed aside his lapse. "I'd be wearing it on my hips tomorrow. No thanks! You go and have fun!"
He gave her a hug. He was darned lucky to have the support of his parents and Sylvia, people he could trust with Kayla. "I'll be back by nine-thirty."
"You know, Cole, you should consider getting some household help, perhaps a nanny for Kayla, someone who would also fix meals and keep the place tidy. You can certainly afford it. And then you'd have a lot more time for this sort of thing."
That stopped him. "What sort of thing?"
"Oh-h-h, you know. Man, woman things."
Was this his mother talking? A woman who, except for his own existence, Cole would swear was still a virgin. Dear as she was, her Victorian point of view had driven him crazy throughout his teen years.
He couldn't resist teasing her a bit about this new facet of her personality. "Man, woman things, Mom? You mean like s-e-x?" He spelled it out. Sex had always been a taboo subject in his family. Wasn't it rather late for his mother to be changing?
She blushed like a young girl. He could certainly see why his father had fallen head over heels.
"Well, I was thinking romance, love." Her eyes twinkled. "But yes, I guess I mean s-e-x, too. Or has my workaholic son given up that sort of thing."
Cole chuckled. If his mother only knew. Right this moment he was as randy as a cowpoke at the end of a long cattle drive. But it was time to let her off the hook, get back to her original suggestion. "What you were saying about a housekeeper – it isn't the money, Mom."
Didn't she realize how much he hated the idea of weakening, even slightly, his bond with Kayla? Since Lanni's death, Kayla relied on him for everything. If he were to hire live-in help, that person might become something of a barrier between them. Now, Kayla and he were truly connected. He didn't want anything to change that.
His mother urged him toward the door. "Oh, don't mind me, Cole, I know it isn't the expense. I just think you need a social life. I don’t know when I’ve seen you so excited."
Cole gave her flushed cheek a peck. "Her shift starts at nine, so it'll be a short date.
"Don't rush on my account." She closed the door behind him.
"Don't rush," he murmured, chuckling as he drove the ten minutes into Carson City. "Try telling that to my hormones."
The ice cream shop was a mom-and-pop place, its interior speckled with small round tables and cane-back chairs. He waited in the doorway, every second dragging as he worried he’d missed her, or that she’d been called in early to work and wouldn’t show. Or worse, that she had forgotten.
Then she was there. He drank in her long-legged stride as she came into view, hurrying down the sidewalk toward him.
"Sorry I'm late," she gasped, catching her breath, her dark eyes sparkling under the brightly lit awning. "I got someone to cover for me for an hour so we don't have to rush."
"Great!" He eyed her trim leather jacket, silky blouse and tailored slacks. The black jacket proclaimed "wild," but the rest of her attire bespoke "professional." An intriguing combination. "I only got here a few minutes ago, myself. With Kayla, I tend to run ten minutes behind schedule."
Destiny's gaze flicked around the small air conditioned shop. "Where is she?"
She looked disappointed, which pleased him. She’d obviously wanted Kayla to come, too. "She fell asleep in the middle of her favorite movie. I asked my mom to stay with her. Tomorrow's a school day." He glanced at the chalkboard list of goodies. "What would you like?"
"That's a loaded question, doc."
A shaft of heat shot through him. He wasn't sure how to respond. Would banging on his chest and warbling Tarzan's jungle call be too primitive?
Grinning, she shifted her gaze to the large frosty cylinders sunk into the counter. "How about Mint Chocolate Chip?"
Wishing they had all night instead of an hour, Cole ordered two double-scooped cones, then presented them with a flourish.
Destiny chuckled. "Mt. Rose on a cone. You trying to fatten me up?"
"There's no improving what I see." He’d intended a suggestive tone, but felt ridiculous instead. Grateful for the distraction, he twirled the overloaded cone against his tongue and waited for the icy cold to work i
ts way down.
Laughter spilled from her cream-kissed lips. "Ditto."
He couldn't remain still another moment. "How about a walk over to the park and back?" When she nodded, he nearly knocked the table over trying to open the door for her.
She caught the toppling table, but dropped her ice cream in the process.
"I'll get you another one."
"No." She touched his arm, held his gaze. "I'm not hungry." For ice cream, her heated look implied. "Let's walk."
Bottle rockets went off in his libido. It was like the Fourth of July all over again.
Outside, Cole took a last bite of chocolate mint, tossed it away, and slipped his arm around her waist. Resting at the delicious curve above her hip, his palm burned. Their thighs grazed and he suddenly wished he'd bought a soda to douse the steam.
The park was deserted, the night cool and friendly as they strolled through the shadows. She asked about Kayla and he shared anecdotes from their day. But always his awareness of Destiny – every touch, every look, every gesture--was uppermost in his mind. The woman captivated him.
Ten years ago, Lanni's shyness had captured his heart. Now, it was Destiny's bold stride, the unabashed way her gaze flirted with his, measure for measure, as though she'd meet him every step of the way, in bed and out, that mesmerized him.
Fireworks jetted through him again as he fantasized about sliding the zipper down that chic leather jacket, unbuttoning that silky blouse...
He exhaled slowly, glancing up at the diamond-studded sky, fighting for control. "It's a gorgeous night."
Beside him, she shivered, her hip brushing innocently against his.
It stopped him mid-stride. “Destiny– ” He drew her into his arms and stared down into eyes darker than the night, but just as mysterious and enticing. Her lips parted, questioning or silently pleading, he wasn't sure. He only knew he had to taste them again.
Their soft, pliant warmth ignited an inferno from stem to stern, vaporizing all thought of keeping the kiss light. Their tongues danced the dance of passion that legends spoke of, lighting an unquenchable fire, making him ache for more than the exotic sweetness of her mouth.
Dance With Destiny Page 4