Page 40 of Blade
His heart hurt as he researched Dr. A. C. Morgan. Part of him didn’t want to know the truth. A stronger part of him needed to know. It didn’t take long at all to verify her medical license with the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation, especially since her license number was printed on her business card, and he breathed a huge sigh of relief. There were no infractions or blemishes. He recalled some of the accreditations on the wall of her practice and Googled the names of the two he remembered. They were legit, and his chest no longer felt as if it were being squeezed in a vice.
Everything about Dr. A.C. Morgan that he could find on the internet highlighted her achievements as a leader in sports medicine. There were publications from orthopedic surgeons praising her ability to assist in healing their toughest cases. But he couldn’t find anything about Amber. It was as if she didn’t exist.
After reviewing a playback of Sunday’s game, Robert met Amber for their standing Tuesday lunch date. He parked in the lot behind her building and waited next to her car. As soon as she saw him, a smile lit up her face and her stride quickened. He played it cool, leaning against her car with one ankle crossed over the other, a hand stuffed into his jacket pocket, and a lazy smile on his face. On the inside, it was a totally different story. His pulse hammered at the sight of her. She wore a navy-and-white plaid peacoat that came down to her hips, along with black leather gloves and black boots that came all the way up to her knees, which was the only bit of flesh showing, and God was it gorgeous. Whoever coined the phrase “less is more” knew exactly what they were talking about, because that small expansion of flesh showing between the hem of her skirt and the top of her boots excited him a thousand times more than if she were walking toward him wearing nothing but a string bikini and six-inch stilettos.
She ran the last few steps toward him and threw herself into his arms. Her face was cool, and her lips were hot. Like fire and ice. Everything about her was so contradictory that it made his head spin.
“I missed you.” She smashed her lips against his. “I can’t wait until the season is over, but I love that we make the most of the time we have together.”
This girl constantly surprised him. She never complained that the sport took up almost all of his time and she was alone most of the week, or that she felt neglected and lonely. He couldn’t believe he found someone who understood his crazy lifestyle. Or maybe it was because she was an independent woman with her own busy life and goals. “You’re incredible, Amber. I’m really falling for you.” His feelings were deeper than just falling for her. His heart had taken the plunge, and he was underwater.
She pulled off her glasses, and her amazing eyes sparkled with incandescence. “I’m really falling for you too,” she said in a throaty whisper.
Every nerve ending in his body hummed as he pulled her into his arms and held her in a loving embrace. He could have stayed like that all day, but they had a reservation at The Capital Grill, and Amber had to finish her day at work.
Over lunch, Robert’s mind went back to the conversation he had with Manny and decided that this was as good a time as any to delve deeper for information about the areas of her life that he didn’t know anything about. He didn’t want to start drilling her for answers or shooting off question after question, but then he remembered something that someone once told him—if you wanted someone to talk about their life, have them ask you questions about yours. Kind of like reverse psychology. It was worth a shot.
“I feel so close to you,” he began, which was the truth. “I could have guessed that you would’ve ordered the lobster salad, and we’ve never even been here before.” He pointed to her glass with his fork. “I knew that you’d order sparkling water with lime, not regular water with lemon. I know that last night, after we talked on the phone, you reviewed your notes from the conference, even though you told me you were exhausted and going right to sleep.”
She stopped eating while she listened to him, the corners of her eyes crinkling more with each thing he said. “Am I that predictable?”
“No. Just the opposite. You’re totally unpredictable. You have layers, girl. And I think I’m only halfway through them.”
“Don’t we all? Have layers?”
“I don’t.” He waved his fork in a circular motion in front of his face. “This is it. What you see is what you get. You know all there is to know about me.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it’s not.” She took a sip of her water. “I’ll prove it. What’s your favorite song?”
His brows shot up because the question took him by surprise. “‘Adrenaline Rush’ by Immortal Angel.”
“That’s your brother’s band. Right?”
“Yeah. What’s your favorite song?”
“‘Home Sweet Home.’”
He expected her to say that she didn’t have a favorite song. That she’d been too wrapped up in her education to listen to music. So, her answer stunned him—not just the song, but the genre. “You’re a Mötley Crüe fan?”
She looked at him as if he were insane. “Who isn’t? They have so many hits. Every song is better than the other.”
“Why ‘Home Sweet Home?’”
“That’s an interesting question. With an interesting answer. The song is about longing to get back home. It doesn’t make sense that I connect to it so strongly because my home life was always such a mess. I couldn’t wait to get away, not go back home.”
There was a bit of sadness about her, and it tugged at Robert’s heart. He didn’t want to bring her down, so, with a bright smile, he tried to lighten her mood. “This is exactly what I meant when I said you were unpredictable. You’re sitting here in a skirt suit with your hair pulled back in a tight bun and wearing black-rimmed glasses, and you’re a fan of glam rock.” He leaned forward with both elbows on the table. “You’re a total contradiction.”
“I am. Aren’t I?” Sitting back in her chair, a smug smile spread across her sweetheart lips as she pulled her glasses off and let her hair out of the constricting bun, so it tumbled over her shoulders. Then she unbuttoned her suit jacket and slipped it off to reveal a form-fitting tank top with a scooped neckline that hung low enough to reveal a generous amount of cleavage. “Do I look like a Mötley Crüe fan now?”
Robert had no words. The sight in front of him not only robbed him of his linguistic skills but his motor skills as well since he dropped his fork. It landed on the table with a thud, and he made no attempt to retrieve it. He just sat there with his mouth hanging open and hoped drool wasn’t about to drip down his chin.
A light-hearted laugh floated in the air as Amber placed her glasses back on her nose. “It’s nice to know I have that effect on you. You should see your face right now.”
Robert gulped his water.Was it suddenly a million degrees in here?“I love that you can do that. Change your look in an instant. One hotter than the other.”
