Page 39 of Playing Doctor

“Well, you’re here now.” She snatched up her papers, held them in front of her chest like a shield. A tumble of confused thoughts and feelings bombarded her—joy that he was here and a sense of betrayal that he had taken this job without her knowledge. She wanted to push him away, demand answers and throw herself into his arms at the same time.

“You’re pissed. I understand. I crossed a couple of lines, and I’m sorry.” He rubbed his hand over his head, tugged at the ponytail at the nape of his neck. His gaze dropped to the papers she clutched to her chest. “Hell, you probably feel like I’m stalking you.”

Some of her anger evaporated at his self-castigating tone. She forced her scattered emotions into order. “No, I don’t feel like you’re stalking me.” Gabe’s shoulders sagged with relief and he took a step toward her. Beth shook her head. “Why did you take this job? You could have gone anywhere.”

He moved quickly for a man of his size, closing the distance between them in an instant. His hands framed her face, forced her to look up at him. “Because this is where you are.” His jaw tensed even as his thumb gently grazed her bottom lip. “I came here for you.”

The raw urgency in Gabe’s whispered confession swept the last vestige of doubt away. Her breath slipped out in a tiny gasp just before his lips came down to claim hers.

The gentle ferocity of his mouth melted her bones. Passion was there, but it couldn’t compete with the strength of the other emotions passing between them.

Lifting his head, Gabe pinned Beth with a heated look that all but singed her panties.

“I’m here because I can’t get you out of my head—the way you blush, the way you squirm around in a chair and squeeze your legs together when you get hot. I’m here because when I lie down at night, I can still hear that soft sound you make when you come apart in my arms, and I want to make it happen again. I’m here because when I’m with you I don’t feel empty inside. You make me whole again.” He dragged in a breath and reclaimed her lips.

Beth felt as if she were drowning, swimming through a haze of euphoria and lust. She was about to go under for the third time when the sound of voices in the hallway as they passed the office door brought her back to the surface. Placing her hand on Gabe’s chest, she reluctantly pushed him back.

“At the risk of sounding repetitive, this isn’t the place,” she said, drawing in a shaky breath. “While the hospital is happy to welcome you to the staff, I don’t think this is what they had in mind as part of the welcoming committee.”

“Nothing wrong with a little PDA,” Gabe said, and reached for her again, but she skillfully evaded his grasp. “True. Unfortunately, this type of public display of affection could get us fired.” Beth glanced around for her papers, and then shook her head when she realized she still had them clutched to her chest. One touch, one kiss, and her brain was mush. Now that her gray matter was functioning again, the complications of their situation settled in. Workplace romances were rarely a success.

Reaching down, Gabe adjusted his erection to a more comfortable angle. “Right now, I’d almost risk it.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Think you could show me my office first, before I get fired my first day on the job for walking around with a hard on?”

Fighting back the urge to run her fingers over the firm column pushing against the front of Gabe’s slacks, Beth pulled herself together and led him out of the conference room and down the hall.

“By the way, how did you find out where I worked? I don’t remember telling you.”

“I saw your paperwork on the desk at the hotel,” he admitted. “The thought of applying for the job didn’t cross my mind at the time, but after I left the hotel…” The muscle in his jaw ticked. “I couldn’t get you out of my head. I had been considering a change of scenery, interviewed at a couple of hospitals before we met, but nothing jumped out at me. Nothing caught my interest…until you.” He drew in a breath and pushed it back out. “It wasn’t over when I walked out that door, not for either of us. The only way to prove that to you was to be near you.”

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