With fire burning in her eyes, she took a step toward the corridor. Before she could get far, a man’s voice stopped her in her tracks.
“Looks like you’re having problems.”
Kinsey stopped with her foot still in the air. She slowly turned her head and came face to face with Austin. She knew he’d be at the hospital. After all, his father and uncle were both here, but she’d really hoped to avoid him. She desperately worked to compose her features, not wanting him to know how his presence affected her.
She never had one night stands.
Never!
For some reason, though, she hadn’t been able to resist him at her best friend's wedding. He’d been suave, romantic, and funny - the perfect guy. Knowing she’d made a mistake the second she awoke the next morning, she’d slipped from his bed and ran as fast as she could. Regret nipping at her toes the entire way.
Each time she’d seen him since, her stomach fluttered and her body heated. She’d ended up coming close to a repeat performance of what had happened at Cassie’s wedding. She’d come to the family Christmas party at Cassie’s insistence, then practically made love to him on the Andersons balcony. After that incident, she knew she couldn’t trust herself to be alone with him without somehow losing articles of her clothes. He was no good for her, she knew that, but convincing her body was a whole other matter.
Leaning against the wall, looking as striking as ever, even in the blaring florescent lights of the hospital, he had her speechless. Her eyes traveled down his fitted shirt to the worn jeans covering his impressive build. A shudder traveled down her spine and her mouth filled with moisture.
She stiffened her knees to keep from sinking into a puddle at his feet and braced herself as she looked into his wintry blue eyes, where a sensual storm was brewing behind their gleaming surface.
“Hello, Austin.”
“Been a while.” The way he said the words was an accusation, not a statement.
“Could’ve been longer,” she quickly replied. He raised his brows and the corner of his lip quivered.
Kinsey immediately felt terrible that she was snapping at him, considering his family was admitted in the hospital. What kind of person acts that way?
“I’m sorry about your family, Austin. Our staff is doing a wonderful job with them,” she said, making sure her tone stayed professional.
“Thank you,” he murmured, worry infusing his eyes until she saw him visibly push it back. It seemed he was refusing to focus on what he couldn’t control. She’d seen the same thing with many of her patients’ families.
“How have you been, Kinsey?”
There was no way she was going there with him.
“I have work to do,” she said, turning to leave. His hand snaked out and gripped her arm. He applied just enough pressure to let her know he wasn’t planning on letting go anytime soon, but not so much that it hurt.
Kinsey had to fight her body’s desire to lean into his touch as her memory played full color in her head of that same hand sliding across her skin, making her moan in pleasure. She could tell by the way he was gazing at her that he wanted to cart her to the nearest room, giving her a repeat performance of their night together. How she’d love to accept his unspoken offer. Let him take away her stress, causing the awful day to fade away while she lost herself in his embrace.
Why not?
Because you aren’t this girl he thinks you are! You don’t do one night stands, well, you don’t do them twice, she assured herself.
“Surely you have time for an old lover.”
Kinsey gasped at his boldness. She looked around, hoping no one was listening. Luckily, they were semi-alone at the moment.
“A one night stand doesn’t make us old lovers, Austin.”
“It could be so much more than one night. You look stressed. I can help with that,” he offered as his eyes darkened. Her ni**les hardened to the point of pain, and her stomach began doing flips. Luckily her knees were still locked.
She knew he wasn’t a commitment kind of guy, though. He’d made that abundantly clear at the wedding. She’d known then that he only wanted a romp in the sheets. She’d been proud of the fact that she’d been able to resist him. Well, she had until about the fourth, or maybe sixth, Manhattan drink.
All her life, men had assumed that because she was well-endowed, she was a tramp. She’d learned the hard way how far they’d go to sleep with her.
Flowers.
Jewelry.
Expensive dinners.
Flattery.
The list went on and on.
That was their idea of foreplay. Austin was a known playboy and his looks and money had gotten him just about any woman he’d ever wanted. She knew he only pursued her because she was most likely the first to tell him, no. Well, he’d just have to learn when no meant exactly that.
The aching in her body contradicted her self-pep-talk. She wanted him – without a doubt.
So what, she thought. She was strong. She wouldn’t cave. She’d done a lot of self-sacrifice in her life. She could certainly handle a few minutes in Austin’s presence without jumping him, or letting him ravish her.
“I like your scrubs. Are those little bears?” he asked as his finger ran down the side of her top, coming increasingly close to the edge of her br**sts. Her air lodged in her lungs. She didn’t know whether she should pull away or lean into the touch.
Maybe it was time to accept one of the other dates she’d been offered lately. She shook off the shudder and stiffened her shoulders.
“What do you want, Austin?”
“You seemed upset. I thought I could help.”
“I’m fine.”
“Then what was the argument with the doctor about?”
Kinsey blew out her held breath and started silently counting. She needed to get away from him, from whatever game he was playing, but he wasn’t leaving until she gave him something.
“We had a difference of opinion. It’s no big deal,” she lied. In reality she knew she might very well be jobless in just a few hours.
“You seem pretty upset for it not to be that big of a deal,” he countered.
“I was trying to be polite. Let me put it another way. It’s none of your business,” she finally snapped.
Her words didn’t have the slightest impact on him. Instead of being offended, he gave her his most seductive smile that instantly made her throat close.