Page 48 of Doc Showmance
As Amber stood from her chair in the doctor’s office, only the two of us in there, I raked over her in her green scrubs before she shrugged into her rumpled lab coat. The outfit wouldn’t be the least bit sexy on most people, but on her, it molded to her chest and hugged her hips where they rounded out into that perfect ass. A full ass. One that tempted me to touch.
I teased her scent out as it drifted on the air. Hers was spicy, studded with honey.
I wanted to pull her into my lap and bury my face in the soft skin of her neck. I’d nibble until she trembled against me. I’d do indecent things to her in broad daylight if we weren’t on camera and this wasn’t pretend. Because, yeah, at some point in the past few weeks this became real for me.
Something happened. A dam holding in all my desires had broken. Every bit of attraction I used to have for this woman hadn’t diminished. I’d only suppressed it and tried to forget about it.
She moved to walk around me. I grasped her elbow. The contact with her skin affected me like a jolt of electricity, as if struck by a power she probably didn’t even know or care that she held over me.
For an instant, the raw emotion on her face froze my breath and thoughts. What came out of me were the clumsiest words.
“Have dinner with me, Amber.”
She flicked a glance from my hand on her elbow to the camera, ever present at the doorway. The air throbbed with awareness.
Resentment flashed through her eyes. Maybe she, too, didn’t want this to be the way our relationship happened. Maybe she felt something more and was as pissed as I was about being coerced into this. I wanted her to say yes because she wanted to go out with me. Hell, I wanted her to want me as much as I’d been dreaming about her.
Damn it. I wanted this to be real. Not some bullshit for TV.
The world forever conspired against anything meaningful working out between us. From that first time I tried to get her attention in vet school, however inept that attempt had been, to now, the two of us never had a chance. We deserved one.
“Why should I have dinner with you?” she asked.
There was the real Amber. Even though we were required to have a dinner date set by the end of today, she wouldn’t make this easy. I respected that.
“Amber,” I said slow. “I’ve been giving you space, but I’m not giving up this time. I know we weren’t good for each other in the past.”
She dropped her head. “Don’t do this, Ian.”
I stepped in front of her so we were facing each other. I brushed a knuckle over her cheek and pulled her hair back behind her shoulder. “I’m not at this clinic for the job. I’m here for you. To have a second chance. Or, really, a first chance since we never gave ourselves a chance before.”
Would she see my words as real or bullshit for the camera? This wasn’t rehearsed. This wasn’t something I was told to say. I meant it. I could’ve walked away from the baloney of this show at any time. Sure, I wanted my own show back on TV, and I never wanted to hear about what happened in Colombia again, but I could survive without being on TV. My vlog was still wildly hot. I stayed here to see her again.
“Ian,” she said, breathless. “I don’t think—”
“What do you want me to do?” I asked, bending so our mouths were lined up so close but not touching. “What does a man like me do when the woman he wants more than anything won’t forgive him for a mistake when he was younger and stupid?”
She closed her eyes and held completely still, but I hadn’t missed the pain and uncertainty brewing in her hazel gaze. Then she moved out of my grasp. “I have to see an appointment.”
As she exited the office, the cameraman lowered his camera and said, “That was masterful, Dr. Todd.”
Her head swiveled. The vicious scowl communicated she’d throttle me if she could. Any hint that was real—because it had been—was now shattered.
18
Amber
There was a crowd in the lobby, waiting. The show hadn’t only increased our hospital’s notoriety, but also attracted an onslaught of new clients who specifically wanted to see Ian or me. It was a pain in the ass, especially when some of the patients weren’t even ill enough to warrant an emergency exam. I’d dodged more date asks in the past week than I cared to count. I’d refused to answer questions about my dating life, or lack thereof, from staff, clients, and media. Bogus phone calls asking for me too often turned out to be some ridiculous fan or reporter that wanted a bit of my time. I was most aggravated by the hounding outside work.
Bruno had picked up that something stank, but stomped around like a five-year-old, furious I wouldn’t talk to him. Joley had become all buddy-buddy with me, giving over-the-top recommendations for how to handle Ian both in the bedroom and out.
Company policy was a firm no on relationships. What was I supposed to do when staff asked? Oh, they’d been asking. I hedged. Said it was the show making something out of nothing.
I glanced up from the computer where I worked on notes for my last case to find Ian’s gaze set on me from across the treatment room. A blast of heat covered my entire body. His eyes left mine to fall to my hips and all the way to my feet. I didn’t move, didn’t smile or express anything, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him.
Jesus, were the techs seeing this? Were the cameras?
Thiswas what I’d label a hot look. His stare warmed me on the inside.
