by M. Malone
“Look, if you really want to apologize then come back tomorrow or Friday. I can’t rearrange the schedule for you again,” she said and cut him an evil look, “but you can slip in between appointments. Maybe if you beg, Penny will still help you. Can you come back tomorrow?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s better if I just don’t come back. I’ve caused enough grief as it is.”
“Okay, I can’t force you into anything. I just hope you take some time and really think before you give up. Penny is your best shot at getting better.”
As she walked away, Matt started to follow. What she’d shown him just now was exactly what he needed. A chance at redemption. Hell, it was the reason he’d traveled this far.
But it would take more than a pretty apology to make up for his behavior. He winced. He’d been arrogant, condescending, and worst of all, dismissive of her profession. If he went back in there now, he’d probably just make things worse. Plus, he needed to be sure he was ready for such a drastic lifestyle change. If he convinced Penny to help him and then bailed later, she’d really hate him. Matt stopped and then turned the other way.
He’d screwed up enough for one day.
* * * * *
AFTER A FEW wrong turns, Matt pulled up in front of the small bungalow Elliott owned in the city of Springfield. It was small but well kept with bright blue shutters. The postage-stamp-sized lawn was perfectly manicured.
He parked the truck in the driveway and cut the engine. The street was quiet. Elliott had said it was a working-class neighborhood, so most people were gone during the day.
He reached across the seat and grabbed his duffel bag. As soon as he opened the door, icy wind brushed his cheeks. Elliott had disabled his security alarm remotely so Matt wouldn’t have to worry about disarming it. He shuffled the keys on his chain until he found the slightly square one Nick had given him the prior day. It slid into the lock easily, but when he tried to turn it, it wouldn’t move.
“Of course. Because I need something else to go wrong today.” He dropped his duffel bag and used both hands to apply pressure. It didn’t move. He took a deep breath and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Eli’s number. He answered on the first ring, his deep baritone rumbling over the line.
“Hey, Eli. I’m sorry to bother you, but I just got to your house and the key isn’t working.”
“You have to pull the door tight against the frame and then jiggle the key a little. Nick must have forgotten to mention that part.”
“Yeah, he did. It’s no problem.”
Matt pulled the door toward him and then twisted the key. The lock turned easily. “That did it.”
He entered the house and set his duffel bag on the floor next to the door. The entryway was narrow and a little dark. He could see the kitchen straight ahead and a small living room to his right. There was a round table next to the door with a stack of mail sitting on it.
“Since my brother obviously wasn’t listening, I’ll tell you again to make yourself at home. I’m rarely there anymore, so you aren’t inconveniencing me at all by being there. My neighbor usually brings the mail in, but I’ll tell her not to bother while you’re there. I also have a cleaning service that comes every other week to keep it organized, so the sheets and towels should be clean. Feel free to use the master bedroom if you want. If it makes you uncomfortable, there are two guest bedrooms you can use.”
Why would it make him uncomfortable to use the master bedroom? Matt supposed some people might feel weird about sleeping in someone else’s bed but he was used to Army barracks. Anywhere with a mattress was bliss compared to some of the places he’d slept.
“Thanks. I really appreciate it.” They hung up with him promising to bring Eli’s mail with him when he drove back the next day.
It wasn’t even four o’clock and he was contemplating going to bed. His shoulder was aching slightly and he was definitely stressed out after the day he’d had. Maybe he could order a pizza and watch some TV.
Briefly, he wondered what Penny was doing. She’d been completely different from what he’d expected. When he was a kid, she’d been a sweet, slightly overweight, quiet girl who’d spent most of her time with her nose in a book. He’d assumed she’d be easy to deal with.
You thought she’d be a total pushover.
He could admit it now that he was alone. He’d been expecting a kitten and he’d gotten a tigress. He grinned to himself, remembering the fire in her eyes as she’d faced him down. Not many people could have done that, but she’d held her own. He had a feeling if she ever took him on as a patient she wouldn’t give him the gentle but dispassionate encouragement he’d gotten at the hospital. No, she’d kick his ass into shape.
Which was probably exactly what he needed.
He explored the house unashamedly, poking his head into the small guest bath off the kitchen and each of the guest bedrooms. It was a small house but well laid out. Each of the rooms had the bare minimum of furniture needed to be functional. It made him feel slightly better about his own decorating skills.
When he reached the master bedroom, he almost stepped back out to make sure he hadn’t stepped through some kind of time portal. Unlike the rest of the house, which was still plain white, the master bedroom was painted a deep navy blue. The color contrasted well with the ivory curtains at the windows and the cream-colored down comforter on the bed. A mountain of pillows covered the bed, the fussy kind women always piled all over everything. Even the carpet in this room was different—a deep, thick pile his feet sank into as he walked. He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked around again.
His phone rang and he answered before he thought about it.
“Hey, it’s Nick. Did you get in okay?”
“Yeah, I’m here now. Although you forgot to tell me about the secret handshake to get past the front door.”
“My fault. I thought I’d warned you. I’m convinced Eli doesn’t fix it because he thinks of it as a security measure. It’s probably harder for someone to break in if they can’t even get the door open with a key.”
Matt found himself nodding. “Eli has a nice place here. I wouldn’t have thought he had it in him.”
“Oh, you must be in his bedroom. Yeah I was surprised the first time I saw it, too. We used to tease Eli about not having any game but after I saw that room, I don’t tease him anymore. Stay away from the closet if you don’t want to lose your religion. It’s always the quiet ones.”
Matt’s brows lowered as he looked around. “You guys just like giving each other a hard time. It’s a nice room. A little over the top for my taste, but it’s not that bad.”
“Whatever, dude. Enjoy freak central. Call me when you get back.”
Nick hung up, so Matt tossed the phone on the bed next to him and stretched out. When he was flat on his back, he opened his eyes and then barked out a laugh. His reflection laughed with him. There were mirrors hanging above the bed.
So this was what Nick meant about freak central. He stared at his reflection for a moment, observing the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.
A second later he jumped up and headed for the closet.
CHAPTER THREE
PENNY TYPED THE last sentence of her e-mail and closed the lid of her laptop. It always took a bit of juggling when she was treating a high-profile client, but athletes took it to another level. Not only were they expecting immediate results so they could get back to playing, but she had a bevy of people interested in every aspect of their recovery, from family to coaches to the media.
“I’m heading out, Penny. Did Coach call you?” Chris Walters leaned in the open door of her office. He’d come to her after having surgery to repair a torn ACL. They hadn’t had an appointment today, but he’d come in anyway because he was experiencing some pain in his knee.
“I just sent him an e-mail. We can continue with therapeutic massage for the rest of the week to aid in draining the excess fluid buildup you’re experiencing.”
“You think I’ll be okay
in time for the play-offs?”
Penny grinned at his enthusiasm. Chris was entirely different than she’d expected. He was a quiet young man who exhibited none of the arrogance she’d expected from someone considered to be the king of Washington’s basketball team.
“If you keep working as hard as you have been, I don’t think anything can stop you. I’ll see you for your next appointment on Friday.”
Matt’s file was still on the edge of her desk. She picked it up and flipped through it idly.
Even if she hadn’t seen him in years, there was still a lingering sense of obligation. That was it, she told herself. She felt some twisted sort of responsibility because she used to babysit him. It had nothing to do with the pain she’d glimpsed in his eyes as he’d left. He was hurting and had no idea what to do about it.
When she got to the notes about his accident, her hand stilled. It was never a good feeling when she couldn’t help someone, but in this case she especially felt the loss.
Her attraction to him had nothing to do with her desire to help him. Although now that he was gone and she was done with her work for the day, she could allow her mind a few minutes to drift back to their meeting.
What the hell had that been?
She’d never been the type to go googly-eyed over a guy. Matt, however, had made her almost forget her own name. She didn’t consider herself to have a “type,” but if she did—he would be it. Tall, dark, and handsome was more than just a cliché in this case. It was a recipe for disaster. It was probably best that they wouldn’t be working together. She’d never been tempted by a patient before.
You’ve also never had a patient who was six feet tall and two hundred pounds of pure masculine temptation, either.
Then she thought back to all the athletes she’d worked with. They were all tall, heavily muscled, and in peak physical condition. Georgia had panted after plenty of them. So why was she so affected by Matt in particular?
“Knock knock. Are you busy?” Georgia leaned around the door frame. “Everyone’s gone now. Are you almost done?”
She closed Matt’s file. “I am now. I was just daydreaming.” She grabbed her coat and bag and followed Georgia to the front of the building, then waited while her friend gathered her own things and locked the outer doors. They walked out to the parking lot in companionable silence.
“This was a long day.”
They stopped next to her friend’s minivan and Georgia clicked her keychain so the side door opened automatically. There were two car seats in the back and a mess of books and toys on the floor.
“It’ll all be better soon.” There was a curiously sly note in Georgia’s voice.
“What does that mean?” Penny asked. Georgia wasn’t meeting her eyes all of a sudden.
“Just a hunch. That’s all. Go home. Get some sleep. Wear some makeup tomorrow. And for God’s sake, do something with that hair besides the prison-warden bun. A soft ponytail wouldn’t kill you.” Her friend gave a jaunty wave and then hopped into the driver’s seat.
“What? Georgia, what did you do?” Penny rapped on the window. For a moment she thought her friend was going to drive away without responding. Finally, the window lowered a few inches.
“I just gave Sergeant Sexy a few things to think about. He’ll be back.”
* * * * *
THE NEXT AFTERNOON, Penny could barely concentrate. Her cell phone rang and she picked it up. Scott’s picture flashed across the display. She ran her thumb over the screen. She really should answer. Scott didn’t call during the day often. But it seemed disloyal to talk to him when she was thinking about another guy.
She ran her fingers through her hair, dislodging her ponytail. The loose hairstyle had been irritating her all day. She couldn’t believe she’d dressed up for a guy. She had to get Matt Simmons out of her mind. She couldn’t help someone who didn’t want to be helped.
It was time to let it go.
“Um, Penny? You have some visitors.” Georgia’s voice crackled over the intercom system.
She snatched up her handset. “Georgia, I need a minute. Can you ask one of the other therapists to get the patient started? I’ll check in on them in a few.”
“I would, but these aren’t patients. You have visitors. Scott is here.”
“What? He’s here? I guess that’s what he was calling about.”
“You have another visitor, too. Sergeant Simmons is here to speak with you as well.” By the clipped tone of her assistant’s voice, Penny could only assume one or both men were nearby.
“They’re both here? Okay. I’ll be there in a moment.”
Penny dropped the phone in the cradle and then pushed her chair back. “Crap. I do not need this right now.” She pulled open her desk drawer and took out her handbag. There wasn’t a lot of damage control she could do in just a few minutes, but at least she could smooth her hair and make sure she didn’t have anything in her teeth.
After her emergency primping session, she emerged from the patient corridor into the waiting room. Scott jumped up from his seat. He looked like he’d just come from court, his light brown hair lightly gelled back and his suit as crisp as the day he’d bought it.
“Hey, there’s my girl.” Scott pulled her against him and kissed her passionately.
“Whoa! Uh, hello to you, too.” Penny glanced around and several of the waiting patients averted their eyes. Her face burned as she turned around. She’d never been into public displays of affection and Scott wasn’t either. She put her hands on his chest to keep him at a proper distance. “What’s gotten into you? You’re awfully friendly.”
“Just missed you. I’ve been calling you all morning. For a minute there, I thought you weren’t going to come out. I was hoping we could do lunch.”
“Sorry. I’ve been a little preoccupied today.” Penny turned, startled to see Matt leaning against the reception desk watching her.
The same feeling she’d experienced yesterday rolled through her, forcing the heat of another blush to her cheeks, picking up her pulse, and shortening her breath.
Scott followed her line of vision. “Who is that?”
She patted Scott on the arm. “That’s one of my patients. Can you give me a few minutes?”
He nodded and wandered to one of the straight-backed chairs a few feet away. She turned back to Matt. He pushed away from the counter and walked over to her.
“Is the suit your boyfriend?” Matt glanced over her shoulder at Scott. He seemed amused. For some reason, that annoyed her. Who was he to judge her relationships? Not every man could be a pumped-up, super-alpha testosterone factory like he was.
“Why are you here, Matt?”
His dark eyes never left her face as he answered. “To apologize and beg you for another chance.”
“Apology accepted. However, I don’t know if we can work together.”
When he opened his mouth to respond, she held up a finger. “Hang on. This isn’t exactly a waiting-room conversation. Um, I have some time between appointments, so we can talk. You can wait in my office.”
Matt crossed his arms, his dark eyes inscrutable. “That’s okay. I’ll wait right here, thanks.” His lips curled up into his usual smirk.
Fantastic. Penny rolled her eyes and walked over to Scott. When he saw her coming, he jumped up. She held up a hand to keep him from grabbing her again.
“I wish I could do lunch but I have patients.” Technically Matt wasn’t a patient, but they still needed to talk. As excuses went, it would have to do.
His voice dropped another octave. “That’s okay. I just wanted to see you since I have to work tonight and tomorrow. I have to get some work done so I can give you my undivided attention for our anniversary dinner this weekend. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Penny stilled and then allowed him to pull her into another hug. “Of course. It’s our anniversary. How could I forget?” She bit her lip at his knowing chuckle.
“It’s okay if you forgot. I know you’ve b
een busy.”
She let out a relieved breath. “I’ve been working too hard. It’ll be nice for us to have a relaxing evening. So, where are we going?”
“Uh uh. No questions. It’s a surprise. I have an entire romantic evening planned.”
Penny wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Scott generally had a very different idea of what was “romantic” than she did. The door to the waiting room swung open and another patient entered, which reminded Penny where they were.
“I bet. Okay, I have to run because my next patient is waiting. Where should I meet you?”
“I’ll pick you up on Saturday. All you have to do is show up and look beautiful. It’s going to be a night to remember.”
She glanced behind her. Matt leaned casually against the counter, staring at his feet. He wasn’t looking at her, but she had a feeling he was listening intently to their conversation. Just then he looked up, his black eyes fixed on hers. Her breath seized in her throat and heat rushed to her cheeks.
She wanted him, she realized with a faint sense of horror. Wanted his intense eyes on her, his muscled body over hers. He was going to be her patient and she was hot for him. Worse, judging by the faint smile on his face, he knew it.
She whirled around to face Scott. “Yes, okay. I’ll see you then.”
Scott kissed her again and then walked out, flicking one last uncertain glance in Matt’s direction.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Matt pushed off the wall and walked toward her. “So, you never answered my question. Is he your boyfriend?”
Penny shrugged. “I don’t see how that’s relevant. Why are you here? I think we can both agree we aren’t a good fit.”
“All we agree on was that I acted like an asshole. I’m sorry.”
It wasn’t the most eloquent apology, but she had no doubt it was sincere.
“I understand. That still doesn’t mean that we should work together. I’ve only had a few military patients. Most of the people who come to me are athletes or here after an accident. You have some emotional issues, understandably, that I’m not sure how to deal with. I have no problem admitting that I’m not quite sure what to do with you.”