Page 24 of Heal Me
Chapter Seven
Kate washed her hands at the sink located near the back of the exam rooms and went to meet her next patient. She opened the door, entered the exam room, and froze. Ric stood on the other side of the stainless-steel exam table, a devilish smile on his chiseled face.
“Hi, Doc.”
Kate’s heartbeat kicked into overdrive and her mouth went dry. He looked amazing in a pair of dark dress pants, and a red sweater worn over a white dress shirt. The vivid color suited him to a T and showed off his broad shoulders and chest.
“Hi. I think there’s been a mix-up. I didn’t know that I was seeing Coco today,” she said, consulting the record on her tablet. “I’m supposed to be seeing a Bernese Mountain dog called Lola. He belongs to a Mr. McIntyre.”
Ric laughed. “Yeah. Sorry about the subterfuge, but I lied so that I made sure I could see you. I never got your cellphone number and I didn’t think your office would give it out, so I resorted to creative means to get to you.”
Images of his delectable naked body flashed through Kate’s mind and her body warmed even as her ire rose. “So there is no Lola?”
“Oh, there is. Lola belongs to my partner, Chase McIntyre, but they live in L.A.”
She sat her tablet on the table and glared at him. “So you decided to take up valuable time that was originally intended to treat a sick animal? That appointment should’ve gone to a patient who needed it. This is my business, Ric. Not a place for games.”
Ric sobered. “I understand that, which is why I won’t take up much of your time. May I have your number so I can call you?”
Kate couldn’t believe that he wanted to talk to her after what had happened between them two nights ago. “Why? Things didn’t go very well the other night.”
Ric came around the table, but Kate held her ground as he came to within inches of her. She tilted her head up to meet his gaze and felt her breathing quicken as she looked into his eyes.
“I respectfully disagree, Kate. Things went incredibly well until something upset you. I’d like to talk to you about what happened, but in private,” he said.
Kate didn’t want to talk about it, but she knew that he deserved some sort of explanation.
“Kate, I think we moved a little fast,” Ric said. “I know we talked about having fun together, but maybe we need to just slow things down a bit.”
Kate looked down and took a step back. “You can’t undo what happened, Ric. I don’t think I can do this. You should go.”
Ric advanced on her again. “Kate, I know we can’t take it back and I don’t want to. It was hot and fun and I don’t want to erase it. I sure as hell won’t forget breaking that bed.”
Kate giggled and covered her face. She couldn’t deny that it was funny, nor could she deny that being with Ric had been one of the most intense experiences in her life. “Neither will I, but the fact that the sex was incredible doesn’t mean that we should see each other again.”
Ric nodded. “You’re right. Kate, I won’t lie to you. Most of my romantic life has been a string of one-night stands and brief affairs. My work life is hectic and getting tied up with someone wasn’t high on my list of priorities. But then we met and I really like you. I want you, especially after the other night, and I want to spend time together and get to know you better. I get you have doubts but so do I. I don’t want to keep you, so can I call you tonight to talk about all of this?”
Ric’s honesty and consideration of her touched Kate and she couldn’t resist his coaxing smile. “All right. Give me your phone.”
His triumphant grin made her laugh as he put his phone in her hand. It was warm from his palm and the memory of the way his hands felt on her bare skin made her mess up a couple of times. Finally, she got it right, gave his phone back, and put his number in her phone, too.
Ric said, “Call me when it’s convenient for you. I don’t have any plans tonight, so it makes no difference to me what time you call.”
She couldn’t resist teasing him. “So you’ll be waiting with bated breath?”
His deep laugh gave her goosebumps. “Not sure about bated breath, but I’ll be waiting.”
“Okay.”
Kate opened the door to the waiting room for him. When he drew even with her, he stopped and gave her a lingering look full of heat before continuing on his way. As she shut the door, Kate leaned against it until her nerves had calmed down a bit. The man was almost overwhelming.
Since her next appointment wouldn’t be there for another half hour, Kate went to Robert’s office. He was on the phone, but pointed to an empty chair, inviting her to sit. She did and crossed her legs. Nervous energy made her legs bounce until she saw Robert’s raised eyebrow. She stopped and gave him an apologetic smile.
Robert gave her a curious look as he hung up. “What’s up?”
“Ric came to see me. He wants me to call him tonight to talk about things,” she said and filled him in on the rest of their conversation. “What do you think?”
Leaning back in his chair, Robert thoughtfully scratched the back of his head. “I think he’s smart for seeing what a great woman you are and I like that he’s suggesting to slow things down. I don’t want you to get hurt. You’ve had enough pain to last a lifetime.”
