Page 4 of Storm's Embrace

“Ow!” She rubbed her knee where it had made hard contact with the side of her desk.

That’s going to leave a mark.

“What did you do?” Eli crouched down, grabbed the arm of her chair, and began turning her back toward him. He was close enough the strong smell of antiseptic soap he used to wash his hands before and after seeing each patient surrounded her, but not enough it overpowered his natural male scent she couldn’t help but breathe in.

Wait, did that sound like a line from a romance novel?

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Miriam planted her feet and grabbed the edge of her desk with one hand to keep herself in place, her eyes widening as he reached for the hem of her denim skirt. She grabbed his thick wrist with the other. “What do you think you’re doing?” The course hairs on his skin tickled her palm, so she loosened her hold, but still held his hand away from her.

He glanced at her hand holding his wrist then up into her eyes—his brows raised in question. “I’m going to check your knee,” he said, matter of fact. “You hurt yourself.”

Heat crept up her neck at how silly she was being. The man was a doctor. She was a grown woman—with a child and everything.

Besides, he meant nothing by it.

“It’s fine,” she said, giving his wrist a squeeze before letting it go with a slight push. She didn’t need him lifting the hem of her skirt. And she certainly didn’t need him touching her knee, or any other part of her bare skin for that matter, until she got over this, this…

Well, whateverthiswas whenever he got too close lately after what she’d first thought was an almost kiss a couple of months ago. Of course she’d ended up dismissing the idea he had wanted to kiss her as being a silly notion on her part. So, whateverthiswas, she needed it gone.

And quick.

She liked her job too much to let some unwanted attraction on her part—and one he most definitely wouldn’t welcome—get in the way of their working relationship.

He pulled his hand back and stood. And there he went, scowling again. Good, she liked him grouchy.

“Sorry. It’s just my first instinct,” he said, backing up just enough she could maneuver her chair under her desk.

She returned to her screen, careful of her tender knee, and typed Eli’s signature line before doing a spell check and clicking on the print command with her mouse.

“So, why didn’t you answer me?” he asked on a grumble. Why was he still hovering behind her? It was something he’d been doing a lot lately—hovering—and it was getting a little disconcerting.

Get a grip, girl.

Miriam cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders. “It could be because we’ve had this discussion about the whole yelling thing. I’ve asked you several times not to do it.” She grimaced when she began to get up and realized he was still too close, so she pushed her rolling chair just far enough she could leave it without brushing against him, then headed to the printer to grab the letter without looking his way.

“I wouldn’t say I yelled, per se,” he said, following after her. “Icalled outto you. Big difference.”

She turned to give him areallylook and found him having to stop short to keep from running into her. She kept her eyes trained on his face and his little smirk. “Uh-huh. But youcalled outloudly.”

“I wanted to make sure you heard me.” Oh, that sexy grin. It was the one that had married and single mother’s—and maybe even a few father’s—hearts fluttering all over the county. Not to mention her own heart currently doing a little flip-flop in her chest. She needed him scowling again. The attraction was easier to ignore.

Good grief. Who was she kidding?

No, it isn’t.

And like it was a possibility she wouldn’t hear him. She and everyone else heard him well enough anytime he was within earshot. The man had a naturally deep voice that carried. Except, of course, when he was speaking with a scared child about to get shots or a new mom not sure what to do about her colicky newborn. No, at those times, his voice was low and gentle.

She hid the smile threatening to emerge as she took the last few steps to the printer and grabbed the sheet of paper before turning back toward him. He was so great with the kids in his practice—from infant to college age—and they all adored him. Being such a big man, you’d think they’d be intimidated by him. But they weren’t. Children were drawn to him.

“What are you smiling about?”

She came out of her reverie to find he’d gotten close to her again and was staring at her with his brows drawn together.

“I’m not smiling.” She kind of had been, of course, but she wasn’t going to admit it. She handed him the printed letter, but he didn’t look at it, instead keeping his focus on her—a focus she needed to distract herself from. A woman could get lost in his gaze if she wasn’t careful.

“Anyhow,” she continued, “yelling is rude, you have a phone right beside you on your desk, and it’s not good for the patients to hear you.”

She frowned when his mouth twitched and he turned and went to her office door. Then she pressed her lips together to keep from laughing when he peered down the hall before leaning out of the opening and yelling, “Hello.” This playful side of him wasn’t something she saw often.

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