Page 34 of Storm's Embrace

His hand froze on the handle.

God, I’ve been stupid.

“You what?” She huffed out a laugh as he opened the door all the way and faced her. “Please don’t tell me you love her.” He held Deidre’s widening eyes searching his face. “Oh, my god. You do.”

“Yes… I love her.” A slow grin spread over his face before movement caught his eye and he glanced into Miriam’s office to find Pam and Bonnie standing by her desk. From the looks on their faces, he was fairly certain they’d just heard his declaration. He was also sure he was going to have to help them reaffix their dropping jaws as their incredulous gazes bounced back and forth from him to Deidre standing close behind him.

His grin broadened. The cat was well and truly out of the bag. Now to get rid ofthisbag. He sobered and turned his attention back to Deidre, motioning for her to leave with a wide sweep of his arm. “You can see your way out.”

“Fine,” she said, her eyes blazing with anger as she shoved past him. “Just don’t expect to get another chance with me.”

“Don’t worry,” he called out to her retreating back as she marched by a gawking Pam and Bonnie whose gazes followed her progress through the office and out Miriam’s door. “I don’t want one.” Her steps faltered before her shoulders stiffened and she hastily made her retreat down the hall.

“Ladies,” Eli said, meeting the amused but questioning expressions of his staff as they turned back to him after Deidre slammed out the exit. “I’ll be out in time for my first patient.”

Eli backed into his office and closed the door on the two women, then put on his white coat. He calmly checked his pockets to make sure he had what he needed, even though everything inside him screamed at him to go find Miriam, before he sat hard on the spot where they had passed the point of being boss and employee. He knocked his head back against the leather seat cushion.

There weren’t many places she could be—her home, her parents’ house, or…

He grimaced. No, she wouldn’t go to Tyler’s office.

He frowned over that thought before checking his watch. He had only a few minutes before he had to see four-year-old Mariah Brady who was coming in for a stuffy nose and cough. She would be the first of a full day of patients. Any other day of the week, he might have called in Serena to take over, but this being a Monday his schedule wasn’t going to allow it.

Maybe I should call Miriam and check on her.

He quickly dismissed the idea. Besides, he doubted she would answer if he did anyhow. He sighed into the quiet of his office.

“I’ll just have go to her house after work,” he muttered, getting off the couch.

He left his office and made his way down the hall. And when he finallydidget her alone, they had a few things they needed to get straight. He smiled as he knocked on the door of exam room three.

And who knew, maybe they could take up where they’d left off.

9

“No, no, no.”

Miriam managed to push off Eli’s lap, then almost tripped over her own feet before righting herself with her back to Ms. Bennett. She fumbled with the buttons on her blouse as Eli stood and confronted...

His fiancée.

The heat of embarrassment flushed through her body. At least she hadn’t fallen in front of the other woman.

Oh, god. And she caught him undressing me.

The buzzing in her ears kept her from comprehending what exactly was being said between the two, but it didn’t matter. She had to get out of there. And since it seemed her fingers weren’t working, she gave up trying to do up her blouse.

“I have to go.” Miriam kept her head down as she tied the loose ends of her shirt together, daring only a quick glance at Ms. Bennett’s hate-filled stare as she rushed past her and out Eli’s office door. She doubted she’d ever moved so fast in her life, not even stopping at Eli’s, “Miriam, wait,” being cut off by his door slamming shut behind her. If anything, that spurred her on to hurry even more as she grabbed her purse from her desk drawer and headed down the hallway to make her escape.

She picked up her pace as the side door grew closer, but in her haste almost bowled over Sallie exiting exam room four.

“Sorry,” Miriam muttered as she shrugged away from the nurse’s outstretch hand and ignored her concerned, “You okay?”

She’d have to apologize later, because stopping wasn’t an option. And even if it had been, there was no way she was about to explain why she was leaving in such a hurry. Not to mention she was certain she was red from head to toe as the shame of what she’d been caught doing finally hit her as she opened the door.

What had they been thinking?

The man was engaged. And she wasn’t the kind of woman to take something that didn’t belong to her—no matter how badly she wanted it.

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