The Nurse's Pregnancy Miracle Page 7

  “Mine too.” David chuckled again.

  A shiver of desire raced up her spine, and she barely heard him continue.

  “My sister, Mary-Elizabeth, works with my dad now, and my little brother, Donny, is just about to get his master mechanic’s ticket. The family business is in good hands. But I want you to understand something...”

  She waited for him to go on, trying to control the tremors fluttering in her belly. During the conversation he’d moved closer, and now his scent and heat, and the sheer sexiness of his voice, seemed to envelop her, ramping up the waves of arousal washing through her blood.

  “I didn’t say what I did to your father for any reason other than I believe every word.”

  His hand slid back up to her shoulder, and before she realized what he was planning he’d turned her to face him.

  “You’re an amazing person. You excel at your job and you make the clinic so much more efficient than it could ever be without you. On top of that, you make the entire place brighter just with your personality. Any father would be proud and happy to have such an incredible daughter. If your father can’t appreciate how lucky he is, that’s his loss.”

  Gratitude and something deeper, more intense, tightened her chest. His tone, matter-of-fact and sincere, made tears prickle behind her eyelids.

  “Thank you.”

  It was little more than a whisper, and instinctively she reached up to kiss his cheek, wanting to express in some tangible way how much she valued his words.

  When her lips touched his skin, all the sounds of the party, the calling of the nocturnal frogs, even the wash and retreat of the waves faded. As though struck to stone, neither of them moved for a long moment, and then, with what sounded suspiciously like a curse, David turned his head and their mouths met.

  A shock like hundreds of volts of electricity jolted through her at the first firm, delicious touch of his lips—and then everything stopped.

  Her breath caught somewhere deep in her chest.

  The racing of her heart stilled.

  The world, the universe, seemed concentrated on that one stunning point of contact between them.

  Then David was holding her, one hand on her nape, the other around her waist, pulling her close, and her body shuddered into hyperawareness, her heart galloping, breath rushing. With a light sweep his tongue requested entrance to her mouth and she opened for him instinctively, gladly. A rumble vibrated from his chest, through his lips and into hers, causing a cascade of sensation so intense Nychelle trembled from head to toe. Putting her arms around his neck was not only a way to get closer but also necessary to stop herself from melting into a puddle at his feet.

  With each of her rushed inhalations came his scent, excitingly familiar and yet different, more intimate. Beneath her hands his shoulders flexed and, being held so close to his chest, she not only heard but felt the escalation of his breathing.

  Need crashed through every cell of her body, bringing her nipples to tight, aching buds and causing yearning to bloom deep in her belly. It was more than mere craving. It was agonizing want, and it tore a gasp from her throat.

  As though in response to that telling sound, David deepened the kiss. Nychelle pressed even closer, lost in the power of the desire building between them, which threatened to overwhelm her completely. David shifted, bringing one muscular thigh to rest between her legs, and as she felt his erection against her Nychelle arched into the contact, suddenly desperate for more—more of him, more of these out-of-control yet, oh, so decadent feelings.

  His lips slid from hers, tracing a path along her jaw to the sensitive flesh below her ear.

  “Nychelle...”

  How had she never heard her name said that way before? As though it were the most beautiful word ever created? As though it were the code to unlock the door leading to every fantasy of fulfillment she’d ever had? Just the sound of it made her head fall back, baring her throat for the onslaught of his lips.

  “Yes,” he growled, before taking advantage of what she offered and kissing down the tendons straining in her neck.

  “Ahhh...” A soft, moaning sigh broke from her as those firm, determined lips found her collarbone. Already she was anticipating them on her breasts, imagining the pleasure as he kissed lower, and then lower still.

  A burst of laughter came from the terrace above, loud enough to break through the fiery bubble of lust they were cocooned in, and they both stiffened.

  “I think the waiter said they only allow smoking at the end of the boardwalk, so if you want to smoke those stinky cigars that’s where you’ll have to go.”

  The woman’s voice carried clearly through the night air, but it took a moment for Nychelle’s befuddled mind to understand what she was saying.

  Once she did, reality came crashing down, and she pushed David away as hard as she could.

  * * *

  Realizing they were about to have company, David cursed under his breath, and he had already started straightening when Nychelle’s hands found his chest and gave him a hard shove. Stepping back, he held on to her long enough to make sure she didn’t lose her balance, and then let go as though touching her burned his palms.

  In truth, Nychelle had brought to life an inferno with her kisses. Shocked didn’t begin to describe how he felt about the instant devastating arousal just the touch of her lips had created. The intensity of his desire for her had awoken something deep inside him. Awakened needs so long suppressed he’d thought they’d completely died.

  And everything about the emotions coursing through his veins told him it was so right as to be completely wrong.

  He couldn’t afford to chance getting seriously involved again. The pain of losing Natalie and the destruction of his marriage as a result of that loss had left him damaged in a fundamental way. Desire was fine, but what he felt now seemed to go crazily beyond that into the danger zone.

  He didn’t want to take the chance of losing another child, so he’d long ago decided it was better not to put himself in a position where it might happen. He’d only just gotten to know Nychelle, but somehow, deep inside, he sensed she posed a threat to all the decisions he’d made about his life going forward.

  They stared at each other, and she seemed poised to dash away.

  Forcing a deep breath into his lungs, he gathered all the calm he could muster. He needed to get her back at arm’s length.

  “I suppose I should apologize.”

  He was proud of how cool he sounded, even with his heart still crashing against his ribs.

  “It was an impulse—probably brought on by the moonlight.”

  Nychelle blinked, then looked up at the moon. “No, it was my fault for—”

  “Look,” he interrupted, not wanting to prolong what might turn into a painful conversation. “I think the best thing is for us to just pretend none of this happened.”

  He only just stopped a bitter bark of laughter from escaping. He’d suggested it, but in reality it would be easier to stop the moon from orbiting Earth than to forget the sensation of her body and her mouth, hot and eager, pressed to his.

  “That’s a good idea.”

  He heard her inhale and then let the air out with a whoosh.

  “It shouldn’t have happened. We work together. Situations like this can cause so many problems, make life difficult at the clinic, even threaten my career.”

  Her tone was brisk—the one she often used with patients or other members of staff. It wasn’t offensive at all, but each time she used it David could hear her putting distance between herself and the person she was talking to.

  He tried to tamp down his irritation at her eager acquiescence. Wasn’t he the one who’d suggested they forget it?

  Gritting his teeth at his own contrariness, he replied, “I completely understand what you mean. Too much of a risk for something as unimportant as one
kiss shared in the moonlight.”

  He thought she tensed for a moment, but then she relaxed again before replying, “Exactly.”

  Desperate to bring some sort of normality back to their evening, he said the first thing that came into his still muddled head. “Glad to know my lunacy hasn’t chased you away.”

  “Ha-ha-ha.” She brushed her hands over the front of her dress, as though making sure it hadn’t become disarrayed during their embrace. “So many studies say the supposed increase in incidents needing police or medical intervention during the full moon is just anecdotal, but when I worked in the ER it sure seemed real.”

  “When I was doing my clinical residency in Chicago it seemed real to me too.” Unable to resist, he touched her arm, guiding her back toward the steps leading to the terrace. “There was always an increase in patients being admitted from the emergency room the day after a full moon.”

  Near to the steps, and in the pool of light shining down from the terrace above, he paused. It felt wrong to leave things the way they were.

  “By the way, I want to thank you again for agreeing to come with me tonight. Functions like this can be pretty awkward when you walk in alone.”

  Nychelle glanced at him, and David suddenly wished he had a way to capture how amazing she looked bathed in moonlight, made mysterious and otherworldly by the attendant shadows. Not that he’d ever forget it. No, these moments they’d shared would definitely stick with him, he was sure.

  “You’re welcome.” Her brows dipped together for a moment. “I meant it when I said you were doing me as much of a favor as I was you.”

  There were shadows in her eyes, sadness in the set of her lips, and the memory of her mother’s lukewarm greeting and her father’s denial of her worth made anger spurt through him once more.

  Why couldn’t they see how wonderful Nychelle truly was?

  The impulse to see her smile again was irresistible, and without thinking it through he said, “Ha! Let’s see if you still feel that way after I step on your toes a few times on the dance floor.”

  Her delicious giggle eased something in his belly, but he was kicking himself. So much for keeping her at arm’s length... At least for tonight.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  THE MONDAY AFTER the gala dawned clear and warm, a typically beautiful Florida day, but Nychelle had to drag herself out of bed. Yawning prodigiously, she contemplated whether to forgo her usual yoga workout. She thought she’d slept fairly well, once she’d actually got her brain to shut up long enough for her to doze off, but her bone-deep weariness seemed to indicate otherwise. Pushing herself to exercise seemed the right thing to do, and she felt somewhat revived by the time she got into her car to go to work.

  Yet in the back of her mind the events of Saturday night kept swirling, just as they had all Sunday. It seemed as though her brain was caught in a loop, replaying the kiss she’d shared with David over and over. And every time she thought about it waves of hot and cold chased each other through her body.

  Oh, she had no doubt he regretted it had happened; he’d made that crystal-clear with his reaction and the cold way he’d told her to forget it. That was good advice. She just wished she could follow it as easily as she’d agreed to do so.

  Besides, she must have been crazy, giving in to his kisses like that. There was no room in her life for that kind of nonsense—especially with a man who seemed able to turn off his emotions so easily. Just because he hadn’t made any attempt to impress her parents didn’t mean she could trust him. Getting burned by Nick was more than enough embarrassment for one lifetime.

  As she made the turn off the highway a couple blocks from the office she realized she was grinding her teeth, and forced herself to stop. By the end of the day the entire building would know she had gone to the gala with Dr. Heat. If she wanted to retain any sanity she was going to have to convince everyone they were just friends, even with the memory of his embrace refusing to go away.

  After climbing out of the car at the office, she slammed the door closed a little harder than was strictly necessary.

  Gina, of course, cornered her almost before Nychelle had a chance to put on her lab coat.

  “You sneaky thing, you. I heard you were at the FMA gala with Dr. Heat. Why didn’t you mention you were going on a date with him?”

  Nychelle pulled her head out of the supply locker to give the other woman a bland look. “It wasn’t a date—more of a mutual favor. He didn’t have anyone to go with, and neither did I.” Then she smiled, which at least came naturally. “You should have seen my mother’s face when I walked in with him. That was definitely worth the price of admission.”

  Gina looked disappointed, but then perked up again almost immediately. “Did he make a pass at you?”

  “Nah.” Thank goodness she’d gone back to gathering the samples her office was low on, so Gina couldn’t see her face. “He was a perfect gentleman.”

  The sound Gina made was filled with a mixture of disapproval and disappointment, and it made Nychelle snicker. Then the receptionist moved a little closer, and whispered, “That’s crazy. Do you think he’s gay?”

  “What? No!” Nychelle glared at the other woman. “I’m sure he isn’t. It’s just that...” She remembered how David had convinced her to go with him, and grabbed onto the words like a lifeline. “We work together. It was more like...um...carpooling than anything else.”

  “Huh.” Gina tossed her head. “Well, I guess it’s not a bad thing, really, that he behaved himself. But, sheesh, I’d have thought—”

  “You’re too much for me this morning, girl.” Nychelle forced a laughing tone into her voice, thankful there were only a few more minutes before the clinic officially opened. “I’ve got to get going.”

  Gina glanced at her watch. “Gosh, yes. Me too.”

  Nychelle sighed as the receptionist walked away. Hopefully the rest of the day wasn’t going to be more of the same.

  It wasn’t as bad as she’d expected—mainly because the clinic was so busy. Which was why she was so surprised to notice that all the appointments after three o’clock were gone from her schedule. When she buzzed through to the medical office assistant who handled her schedule she was told Dr. Hamatty’s assistant had called down and asked for it to be done, and couldn’t stop a little spurt of anxiety.

  “Did she say why?”

  “No, Nurse Cory. She just said there was to be a meeting at three Dr. H. wanted you involved in, and told me to clear you for the rest of the day.”

  Unusual, but she refused to get herself worked up until she knew there was a good reason for it. “Where’s the meeting?”

  “In your office.”

  The woman sounded harried, and Nychelle could hear phones ringing in the background. The questions flying around in her head would just have to wait, apparently.

  “Okay, Marion. Has my next patient arrived yet?”

  By two-forty-five her last patient had left and Nychelle had entered her notes into the records system, which gave her plenty of time before the meeting. More than enough to have her once more wondering what it was all about.

  Encircling her right wrist with the fingers of her left hand, she convulsively twisted it back and forth—a nervous habit she’d had from when she was a young child. Why was she so on edge? Lauderlakes was a busy, vibrant place, and special projects and situations arose all the time. There really was no need to be this tense about an unexpected meeting, but she’d been as jumpy as a flea since the gala.

  Telling herself it was because she would know within a few days whether the IUI had been successful or not didn’t quell the nervous flutters in her stomach. Maybe because she was honest enough to admit that wasn’t the entire reason.

  She took a deep breath, trying to ease the rush of sensations firing through her body, but didn’t succeed.

  Despite not trusting him, she�
��d found herself building fantasies, both sexual and otherwise, around David when her entire attention should be on the future she was trying to create for herself. All her emotional energy needed to be focused on the life she hoped was growing inside her—not on a man who had clearly stated he wasn’t interested in fatherhood.

  Perhaps she was using him as a distraction—a way to not have to concentrate on Wednesday and the tests her obstetrician would have run by then. That was hopefully the day she’d start planning her life as a mother. She had no time to waste on David Warmington.

  Luckily, she had no reason to see him very much going forward, other than in passing here at the clinic. After the kiss they’d shared, which neither had mentioned again once they’d gone back inside to the gala, he’d been the perfect gentleman. Polite. Polished. Amusing.

  And subtly distant.

  While she’d appreciated all the former attributes, that last one had stung. Which annoyed her no end. It was what she wanted, right? In fact, what she needed. It should have put her at ease, erased the heightened awareness she felt in his presence—not left her still shivery and aroused, flustered and unhappy. The unreasonableness of her reaction annoyed her even more.

  It was definitely time to put all that behind her and concentrate on going forward the way she’d planned—including making sure her work here at the clinic was exemplary. This was a job she intended to keep for a very long time. Stability would be especially important when she became a single mother. In three months there’d be another free clinic, this time for adults, and because of the insane preparations necessary to make it a success the committee meetings started that evening.

  Pulling up the list of first steps they’d compiled after much trial and error, Nychelle started going through it, making notes on what should be changed or adjusted. She was so immersed in her chore, it was only when the intercom buzzed that she realized it was already ten minutes past three.