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Hmm? Yes?
He suddenly dropped to his knees before her,
pushing her T-shirt up and out of his way. He caged
her waist in his hands, and his hot, greedy mouth
latched roughly onto her nipple. His teeth raked her
through the thin swatch of satin and lace, and her
knees nearly buckled.
Oh& Kate gasped softly.
A slight pause, and then the voice returned,
obviously bemused. Um, I m so sorry to& ah, to
interrupt you, Dr. O Rourke. The vaguely familiar
voice paused again, and the woman cleared her
throat. This is Mindy at the ER. Dr. Hooper
instructed that I call you. We need you to come in
stat. There was a bus accident, and we re swamped.
We re calling in everyone available.
Somehow the clasp on her bra had come undone,
and his hot mouth found her other breast. It took a
few delirious seconds for her brain to begin firing on
all cylinders again, but once the nurse s words sank
in, Kate surfaced in a hurry. I ll be right there, she
replied shakily before ending the call and thrusting
the phone back in her pocket.
Kate dragged in a long, ragged breath to steady
herself. Not an easy thing to do with six feet of raw
masculine strength on his knees before her, paying
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tribute to her breasts with his mouth. Against every
instinct in her overheated body, Kate pushed gently
at his shoulders.
He didn t budge. Instead, his arms slipped
around her waist, his forearms running up her back,
his hands splayed on her shoulders, tugging her
closer.
Nick, I have to go.
You have to stay, he growled against her
breast. Then he was on his feet again, towering over
her, leaning into her. His lips found the pulse below
her ear.
No, she groaned, arching her back, bracing her
hands against his heaving chest. Muscles leaped and
bunched, and she forced a swallow.
Whaa&
I have to go, that was the hospital. Nick, they
need me.
I need you, he disputed, chasing her lips with
his.
Nick. Stop.
He jerked back sharply and peered down into
her eyes, though he didn t release her. His
expression was befuddled to the point that laughter
gurgled in her throat. Had no one ever told this man
to stop before? He acted as if the very concept was
completely foreign. His pupils seemed to retract and
then grow before her very eyes, and her laughter
died before it could burst free. His irises fairly
glowed.
An odd chill coursed down her spine.
You don t want to leave, he prompted slowly,
enunciating each word as if the fate of the world, as
if his very life depended on her understanding. You
want to stay. You want to make love with me. His
voice slid through her like warm, rich honey.
Enticing. Reassuring.
For a slim moment, Kate seriously considered
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throwing responsibility and her reputation to the
wind. For a slim moment, she contemplated giving
in to the powerful pull of his eyes and the seductive
allure in his voice. But images of the ER, swamped
with frightened, injured patients filled her mind.
The ER would be a veritable beehive of activity, her
co-workers flitting from patient to patient,
adrenaline coursing strong through their veins. They
needed her. She couldn t let them down.
She wouldn t, no matter how badly she wanted
to do exactly as he d insisted.
No, she firmly replied, shoving at his chest
more persistently. I need to go in. Step aside, Nick.
Let me go.
He stared down at her, his expression
undeniably shocked now. He blinked at her, once,
twice. Three times. Then shook his head as if to clear
his brain. He opened his mouth, then snapped it
closed abruptly. Without warning, he dragged his
hands from her and jerked back a full step.
I m sorry, he muttered hoarsely. He looked so
disgruntled. So shocked and confused, she very
nearly gave in and stepped back into his embrace to
follow this madness wherever it led.
Instead, she struggled to right her clothes.
There was a bus accident. The ER is swamped.
They need all the hands they can get.
Sure, sure, he rasped, dragging a hand
through his tousled hair.
She thrust an arm into her coat and jerked it on.
Patting her pockets, Kate did a quick mental scan to
make sure she had everything she needed. Keys,
check. Phone, check. Pager, check. ID, check.
Good to go.
Then she glanced at the window. Pitch black. A
raw nerve in the back of her mind twitched, and she
bit her lip. Was he out there? Was her stalker
lurking in some dark alley, waiting to leap out and
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grab her? She d done a good job of pushing him from
her mind, but now that she had to face going outside
alone after dark, the crushing fear came back to
terrorize her.
What is it? He laid a warm hand on her
shoulder, detaining her. What s wrong?
Nothing, she replied automatically, brushing
his concern aside as she moved from under his hand.
She was a big girl. She could deal with her own
problems.
Not so fast, he insisted, catching hold of her
wrist when she would have walked passed him. This
time she couldn t slip away as easily. I saw that
look. What s the matter?
It s just& it s& She bit her lip again and
peered up into eyes the color of smoky, smoldering
amber. Okay, some creep has been& Well, he s been
stalking me.
His frown shifted to a scowl, and his jaw muscle
tightened. Disappointment settled in the pit of her
stomach like a cold rock. He d back off now. Consider
her too much of a headache, and give her the brush
off.
After a curt nod, he snatched his keys from the
counter and pocketed them, took a jacket from the
peg by the door and shrugged it on. All right. I ll go
with you.
She was at a loss for words, and simply stood
there, mouth agape. He stepped into the hallway
leading to the door, then paused and half-turned to
face her.
You can trust me to keep you safe, he stated in
a matter-of-fact way. Then he held out his hand. An
invitation.
A promise.
Touched beyond explanation by that simple
gesture, Kate swallowed the lump stuck in the back
of her throat and stepped forward. She placed her
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hand in his and, as his long, strong fingers closed
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