Page 15 of Do Opposites Attract?

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Five minutes later Brianna found herself wedged in the back of the jeep between Mitch and the door. Jane was on the other side of him, with Dan and Toby up front. As they bounced over the rough terrain, Brianna was constantly thrown against a brick wall. At least that’s what Mitch’s body felt like. His expression was about as forgiving, too.

‘You know, for a man on his night off, sandwiched in the middle of two women, you’re not looking particularly happy.’

He grunted. ‘This is my happy face.’

‘Crikey. Don’t let your patients see your miserable one then. It will put their recovery back a week.’

She shot a quick grin at him, but there was no answering smile. No warmth in his eyes. Did anything make him happy? From what she’d seen so far, he rarely laughed, seldom even looked pleased. She’d have dismissed him as boring had there not been that edge to him, the sexy sense of danger.

‘You know most men on a night out with a couple of women would try and charm them. At the very least entertain them.’

She heard Jane snigger on his other side.

‘I’m not most men.’

She exhaled in exasperation at his curtness but couldn’t disagree with his statement. Certainly he was very different from the men she usually went out with. They liked to talk, normally about themselves. They also didn’t feel quite so . . . solid when she brushed against them. The jeep shuddered and once again she was jolted against his side. There was nothing soft about him there. Nothing soft about him anywhere, to her knowledge. Tough, hard and uncompromising were better adjectives. Which made it really hard to understand why her fingers itched to run through his shaggy hair and trace the lines of that strong jaw.

She sucked in a deep breath and looked away. God she wanted him, and the knowledge stunned her. Not only was the target of her desires so unlike anyone she’d ever dated before, but her thoughts were also totally inappropriate, given the circumstances. She was here to understand how the medical charity saved lives. Not get tangled up with the head doctor. On every level she could think of, that was just plain wrong. But it didn’t stop her wanting.

‘What are you drinking?’ Toby asked as they parked outside a little bar that stood on the corner of a muddy road.

‘Beer will be great, thanks,’ she replied, remembering her earlier faux pas over the herbal tea. Hopefully beer was a safe choice.

Walking behind her, Mitch raised his eyebrows. ‘What, no champagne?’

‘Only when I’m wearing my diamonds,’ she replied tartly, her eyes sweeping round the nearly deserted bar. It was a far cry from her usual drinking establishments: walls screamed out for a coat of fresh paint and worn chairs and rickety bar stools clustered around scratched wooden tables. She settled her gaze back on Mitch. ‘How much longer are you going to keep up the rich girl jibes?’

He visibly flinched. ‘Fair point,’ he conceded quietly. ‘I’ll try and rein them in from now on.’

‘Good. In that case why don’t we find somewhere to sit? I have a thought I want to throw by you.’

They found a table big enough for them all to sit at, but Brianna sat close to Mitch because she wanted to pick his brains. Watching the muscles of his arm bunch as he pulled out his chair, she had to admit his brains weren’t the only part of his body she wanted to grapple with, but they’d have to be enough. At least for now.

‘Okay, shoot.’

Mitch took a deep gulp of his beer and focused his steady brown eyes on her. As usual, they were cool and guarded. For a brief moment she wondered if they ever burned with desire, or warmed with joy. ‘Is it my imagination, or do Medic SOS receive more than their fair share of the difficult cases?’

Briefly he smiled and reached again for his beer. ‘It does seem to be that way these days. It wasn’t when we first started but now, when we’re supporting other medical agencies, they tend to ask us to handle the acute traumas.’ He shrugged. ‘I’m not complaining. It keeps life interesting.’

‘Why do you think that is?’

‘I guess because we’re good at it.’

‘Same question. Why?’

Mitch sighed. ‘I thought I was meant to be coming out tonight to play? This sounds like work to me.’

‘Humour me, just for a little while. Then you can play with me all you like.’ She grinned, fully aware of the suggestive nature of her comment. She was hoping for a teasing reply, something to suggest her attraction wasn’t all one sided.

He gave her a sharp look through lidded eyes. ‘Most of my medical experience is from serving in the army,’ he stated matter-of-factly, totally ignoring her attempt to flirt with him. ‘I’m used to operating under harsh conditions. When I came out of the army and went back into civilian medicine, I specialised in A&E, doing further acute trauma training. That was where I met Tessa. When the opportunity to work at Medic SOS came along, we both volunteered. I guess over the years we’ve shared that experience within our group and built up a solid skills base. Gradually the larger agencies have started to see what we’re capable of.’

Brianna rested back against her chair and gave voice to the idea that had been niggling at her. ‘I think Medic SOS should make more of that niche. From a marketing point of view, that is.’

Mitch raised an eyebrow, his interest snared. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Look, I don’t know anything about medicine, as you’ve already gathered, but I know a lot about money and a fair bit about marketing. If Medic SOS was branded as specialists in acute trauma, I believe it would secure a lot more funding than it does currently. People would be able to see how it offered something different from other medical agencies. I know it sounds harsh, but it would give the charity an edge. Thereare so many organisations competing for people’s money. It’s important to stand out from the rest.’

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