Page 38 of Secret Baby for Dr. Grump

I don’t miss the disappointed look on his face, though he masks it well. He nods.

“Let me take you home?—”

“No, it’s fine. We’ll take a cab.”

He frowns. “Why?”

“Just because. We’ll be fine.”

Tension brews in the air and his jaw clenches, but the argument remains unspoken. Eventually, Luke relents and finally nods.

“If you insist.”

My relief is endless. “Thanks.”

“You should come back here next time for another playdate. So Riley can swim in the pool. You can swim, too.”

Me in a bikini while those eyes are on me? I’m instantly hot and have to fight my reaction, but I nod. “We’ll see.”

Silence. It’s not as awkward as I expected, but the lack of a conclusion between us hums in the air. Luke breaks it, clearing his throat and meeting my gaze.

“At least let me accompany you downstairs. And hail the cab.”

I nod. Then I break the gaze first, not wanting to be pulled into it—and him—again.

“Okay.”

Chapter 12

Luke

“If I didn’t know better, I swear you’re acting like this because you haven’t gotten laid in a while.”

Not many doctors can say that to my face, not even the hospital’s director, but I suppose Kyle Malone is an exception. He’s not a resident doctor, but he’s trusted and experienced enough that he’s become the regular go-to when we have doctors on long leaves and the hospital needs a temporary replacement.

He’s also a childhood friend, who came from the same background as me and rebelled from his wealthy family to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor, which his family considered beneath him.

“I’m just knee-deep in work, that’s all.”

Kyle raises a brow. “When you’re that overloaded, you’re usually snapping at everyone and acting like a grump, not mooning over your desk with bags under your eyes. What’s up?”

Okay, so there’s no denying that I’ve been sleepless lately. And when I do sleep, it’s filled with dreams—and let’s just say those dreams are too raunchy to be said out loud. Besides, the guy would have a field day over my misery.

“Don’t you have work to do, Kyle?”

“Ah, avoidance. Another clue that this isn’t the regular I’m-so-busy-with-work phase.” His gaze narrows. “Wait. Did your ex attempt to contact you? Does she want to get back together? Is that what this is?”

For all his teasing earlier, his concern now is genuine. I shake my head. “No, she hasn’t contacted me. And she’s not looking to get back together.”

To be honest, I haven’t heard from my ex, Carol, nor have I thought about her in such a long time. And I don’t care where she is right now. Kyle looks like he has a lot to say, as he’s known her for quite a while, too, since we pretty much run the same circles.

In the end, he sighs. “Good. I thought she was the cause again.”

“Never.”

I get suspicious when his eyes gleam. “Which means it’s another woman.”

“Why does it have to involve a woman?”

---