Page 23 of Breaking the Ice

Samantha snorted at the picture he conjured up. Yeah.Right.“Well… I’m quite practiced at saying no.” Given the hook-up culture so entrenched in sport, she had no doubt Nick had probably slept with plenty of women on the first date. Hell, he probably didn’t even need to date them to get laid. But that wasn’t her.

She had no problem with one-night stands. They just weren’t her style.

“And if you don’twantto say no?”

“Well, it can wait till date number two in that case.”

“What if it can’t wait?”

“Nick!” Why was he being so insistent?

“I’m being serious. It happens sometimes.”

Hmm. What wouldthatbe like? To fall for someone so hard you justhadto have them. On the spot. She stared into his eyes, fascinated by the idea that she could fall for Nick like that.

But she wasn’t that much of an idiot.

“Yeah well, it doesn’t happen to me. I’m much too sensible. And if, by some incredible long shot it does, then I’m sure he’ll have such contingencies covered.”

“Protection is not just a male responsibility, Sam.”

Samantha looked into his earnest gaze, his brown eyes intensely commanding, the cleft in his chin pronounced. Shaggy hair brushed his collar and she fought the sudden urge to push her fingers into it. It would be so easy to lose her focus working with Nick. It would be easy to convince herself that her crush was something more. And that would be stupid.

Her clock was ticking down to ababy. His was counting down to hockey season.

“We’ll visit Dora at the 7-Eleven on the way home.”

There was silence in the shop for a few moments before he murmured. “Good.”

Eager to be away now and get into the right frame of mind for tonight, Samantha gathered her bag and bade Nick goodbye as she opened the door.

“Sam?”

“Yeah?” She turned, her hand on the doorknob.

“If he suggests you get any work done, run away. Run away fast.”

9

Dr. Colin Emery was not a man she was going to have to stop at Dora’s for. Oh, he was pleasant enough. Polite enough. Middle-of-the-road good looking. Middle-of-the-road interesting. But he had one major flaw. His teeth were atrocious. Not in a sugar addict way, in fact, quite the opposite. They were perfect. White. So white.Toowhite.

Unnaturally so.

How did he expect anyone to take him seriously with teeth that obviously glowed in the dark? Because it didn’t seem to matter what came out of his mouth, the ghostly white of his choppers negated everything. Every time she thought she was being a little too Seinfeld about it he’d smile at her and it was like a lighthouse beacon had flashed across her path.

“I’ve noticed you’ve been admiring my teeth,” Colin said midway through the main.

“Ahh.” Samantha felt a bit like a rabbit caught in the headlights of his teeth. It was true. Shehadbeen staring, but they were… compelling.

“Fabulous, aren’t they?” he beamed and she wished she’d brought her sunglasses.

Next there followed an exceedingly one-sided conversation about the cosmetic dentist he had in his practice and what a marvelous job she did and how she was so much in demand.

“She does all the stars you know.”

Samantha nearly aspirated her mouthful of wine when he told her it was only five thousand dollars and she found herself wondering if maybe he should have stopped at a thousand? Reduced wattage, reduced price. She suddenly had a vision of Nick’s easy smile and his nice normal teeth and wished she was having a meal with him instead of Colin the White.

There was one consolation at least. There was absolutely no discussion aboutherbody faults. No, no, Colin seemed perfectly happy to fill up their time talking about himself.

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