Page 14 of Doctor Charmer

I realize with Ivy standing in front of me, the rest of my world had disappeared. I feel the rapid flutter of my lashes. “I need coffee.”

“Is it in the doctors’ lounge?” Ivy asks, and I feel my brow furrow.

“Yeah, why?”

“I’m coming with.” She doesn’t wait for an invitation.

I already know where this is going, and it’s useless, but I say the words, anyway. “It’s called the doctors’ lounge for a reason.”

She giggles at me, striding side by side next to me. “Doctor, we both know you’re going to bend the rules for me. So let’s skip ahead to the part where you do.”

I can’t argue with her logic. She’s pegged me. All of me. My heart is racing. Ever since I put her in the taxi last night, all I’ve thought about is her. And yes, I did dream about her in those damn shorts. I’m not used to this. I’m used to being on the other end of this. I’m the one usually doing the charming. Being the distraction. Watching them get hot and bothered.

I know how far I take my initiative, but I have no clue where Ivy is leading me. How far is she willing to go? She’s hinted that she’s all talk, but at the rate we’re moving, it’s only a matter of time before we reach a crossroads.

“Oh my god,” she shouts upon entering the lounge. I’m not sure what I expect, but this isn’t it. She skips under the mistletoe in the center of the room and plants her feet under it, her chin lifted, a wide grin on her face.

The door to the lounge closes behind me. We’re the only two in here. She lowers her chin, a devilish smirk on her face.

“This must feel like returning to the scene of the crime for you.” Her gaze flashes up before pinning me back in place. “Mistletoe. Unsuspecting victims. How many?”

I shake my head. “How many what?”

“Women. How many have fallen victim to your charming ways, right here in this spot?”

She waves for me to approach, but I don’t. And I don’t kiss and tell. She tilts her head and attempts to read my face.

I don’t react. I don’t respond. She’ll never believe the truth, and I’ll never tell. She squeezes her eyes tight, her dark orbs becoming slits, peeking into my soul. “No freaking way.” My heart takes off in a gallop as her eyes pop wide as if she’s solved the final clue onJeopardy!“I’d be your first?”

Bulls-freaking-eye.

There are hospital staff who have known me for years and can’t read me as well as Ivy has in a day. She leaps forward, herhands reaching for me, pulling me to her until we’re standing under the mistletoe.

I carefully measure my next words, waiting for the giddiness in her eyes to flick down from the excitement of outing me to a low simmer that a moment like this deserves.

We stand like that, hands in each other’s, standing underneath the mistletoe, waiting. I wait until the smile fades from her face. If she’s the Dr. Charmer whisperer, she’ll know.

The only sound in the room is the hum of the vending machine in the corner. “I’m not going to kiss you, Ivy.” I say the line like an edict. When confusion flashes across her beautiful face, I know I need to explain. Another piece of my armor falls away. “Another rule in my kingdom.” I try to lighten the mood. “Ladies first. Make the first move.”

Her brow furrows as she processes the information. She lets my hands fall from hers, and I wait. Technically, I’ve been making moves from the moment we met. Snide remarks, flirty comebacks, innuendos. It’s all part of my persona, one I built on the backs of a reckless past.

As I climbed the hospital hierarchy and my conquests were no longer fellow residents and peers but staff members who might one day report directly to me, I changed my ways. My reputation had been built, so I continued to let everyone believe it. I leaned into it with my charm, but I was no longer the aggressor. If a woman was interested, they had to make the first move. They had to understand what they were getting into. My reputation. They had to state what they wanted, and only if we were on the same page would anything happen. It’s why I don’t initiate the first kiss.

I lower my chin to my chest. HR has been right all along. Their policy makes sense. And as much as I don’t like HR being up in everyone’s personal life, I get it. Workplace relationships can negatively impact the dynamics of the hospital. I may notbe a fan of the policy, but I understand it. But I have a different reason not to comply.

Ivy’s scoff causes me to look up at her. “Not what I expected when I entered this room. Very few men surprise me anymore.” Her words aren’t filled with disappointment but intrigue. “But you want to kiss me, don’t you?”

I don’t answer. But both of us know what the answer is. “Even during the holiday season with a mistletoe excuse?” Her eyes flit up and return to my lips. “It’s a get-out-of-jail-free card.”

She pushes my boundaries. She’s a beautiful angel sent from above to test my willpower, enticing me right up to the edge of the cliff. One small step and I’ll fall.

“Hmm, well, then we have an interesting dilemma.” Her words cause me to pause.

“What seems to be the problem?”

“I can’t make the first move either.” She takes a step back, no longer underneath the mistletoe. I try not to react; certain this is part of her ploy. She must read my face. “No, seriously, Dr. Morgan.”

She uses my hospital name, and I realize she’s no longer toying with me. “I told you this already.”

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