Seducing the Doctor (At First Sight #4) (2 page)

He bent to pull off a boot. “A hot shower will help.”

She studied his soaked slacks. Granted there was a washer and dryer but she couldn’t imagine the man from her past wearing just a towel while his clothes dried. “I doubt there’s anything for you to wear here.”

He reached for the boot he’d removed. “I’ve clothes.”

“Where are you going?”

“To my bike. The saddlebags have several changes there. And I need to see the damage.”

She shook her head. “Not a good idea for you to go out. Your balance wasn’t great when you came in.” She dashed to the door. “I’ll go.”

Cassie crossed the porch and sloshed to where the bike nosed into the pine. After removing the leather saddlebags and before heading to the house she assessed the damage. The front tire had blown and she feared the crash had twisted the frame. She carried the saddlebags to the cabin.

She had a house guest, a stranger who belonged in her past. She paused beside her car. If she’d hand the keys she would leave. Knowing who he was stirred memories of that day and also of the nights she had dreamed of him.

If she took the only transportation what would he do? The motorcycle wouldn’t run. He would be stranded here. Town was five miles away, a long walk in the rain.

As she dashed to the cabin she recalled what she knew about him. She’d had a major crush on the sports’ star. Football, basketball, baseball and track. He’d excelled in them all. She hadn’t been the only girl who had followed him. He’d always seemed nice. Until the day she’d believed the pair of cheerleaders and followed their advice. His rejection and laughter had hurt. Unfortunately what he’d said to her had been true.

Cassie stood on the porch. With those memories so clear how could she face him? Did he know who she was? Would he remember that dreadful day? Though remnants remained she wasn’t that girl now. She opened the door. He rose.

Cassie swallowed. His shoulders seemed broader without the jacket and his chest more muscular than she remembered. She shoved the saddlebag into his hands.

“Aren’t you going to take off your coat?”

Her face flamed. “No.” She scooted past him. “Bathroom is this way.”

As soon as the door closed behind him she bolted to the bedroom. She removed the raincoat and searched for her clothes. Would have to be something she’d packed for the flight to Hawaii. Silk dress or shorts and a knit top. The clothes she’d worn today were for tomorrow’s shopping trip. She chose the short set. Thank heavens the cabin had central heat.

* * *

Hot water chased the chill from Matt’s bones. Several spots ached but he agreed with his hostess. No serious injuries and bruises were to be expected. He wasn’t sure if the accident had brought good luck or bad. He groaned and thought of his bike. How much damage?

An image of the woman who had rescued him appeared. The accident hadn’t been all bad luck. Auburn hair, green eyes, long slender fingers. The shapeless shiny yellow raincoat had covered the rest of her. What had she kept hidden and why had she continued to wear the garment.

Mentally he removed the coat and envisioned a tall, slender naked body. Long legs were a given. She was taller than his usual preferences. He gave her a slender waist and breasts large enough to fill his hands. A few subtle moves on his part and the night could turn into a lover’s delight.

His cock throbbed.
Down boy.
Rushing this lady would mean a strikeout. She had seemed shy and even skittish. He couldn’t give in to his desire to leap into action. Seduction was the way to go. He grabbed his erect member and worked a bit to remove the edge. He had all night.

After drying he pulled on sweatpants and his favorite tee shirt. The blue matched his eyes and acted like a magnet drawing eyes to his chest. He shoved the towel in the hamper and hung his trousers on the towel bar.

Matt left the bathroom and collided with his hostess. He grabbed her around the waist to prevent their crashing into a wall. He’d been on target with every imaginary feature of her body. Need flared.

“Are you accident prone?” she asked.

“Not usually.” He stepped back to leisurely study her. His gaze followed long legs to a slender waist. Even her breasts were as perfect as he’d hoped.

Their gazes locked. A fire spread over her cheeks. Had she read his intentions? In an instant his thoughts leaped from a simple thank you to finding a way into her bed. He grinned. Her stare made him wonder if her intentions matched his.

She stepped back until she pressed against the wall. He braced his hands near her head. “Thank you.” His mouth brushed hers. She tasted of chocolate. He ran his tongue over her lips. She gasped. He plunged inside.

His hands slid around her and pressed her closer. Their tongues danced. He cupped her rear and held her against his erection.

She pushed against his shoulders. He gasped a breath. She turned her head away. “You’ve taken your thank you far enough.”

Laughter he dare not release choked him. He planned to take his thanks a long, long way. “You’re right. We should introduce ourselves. I’m Matt Blakefield, Editor of Good Livin’, one of the Good Magazines.”

“I know.”

He frowned. “How? Have we met? There’s no way I could forget you.”

“Try high school.” Frost coated her voice.

“I’m drawing a blank.”

“Cassandra Moore.”

Knowledge arrived like boulders rolling down a mountain slope during an avalanche. Shame washed through him. “You’ve changed.”

Great line, jerk.

Her eyes narrowed. “I have. I’m no longer a scarecrow with bottle bottom glasses and carrot hair.”

He groaned. “What I said that day was wrong.”

“In a way but the description fit. Wasn’t nice to hear though.”

Her voice chilled him. Visions of an uncomfortable time formed. Did she want an apology? He would give her one and more. “Believe me or not, after you ran off I tried to find you. I stopped at your house. Your mom said you weren’t home. At school on Monday I looked for you. You weren’t there. You never returned. What happened?”

She stared at the floor. “Asking you out that day was my last chance to make my dream work. We moved that weekend. My step-father was reassigned.”

“What spurred you to ask?”

“The cheerleaders said you were shy and liked me. I took a chance. Dumb move.” She shrugged.

Shy. Him? That was a joke.
A flurry of emotions cascaded. “Can I make it up to you, Cassandra?”

“Cassie. Only my mother calls me Cassandra.” She slipped down the hall to the main room and sat on the couch. “What happened years ago can’t be changed.”

“I could try.” The desire storming his body should have subsided following her chilling glare and the fountain of guilt. His younger sisters had told him of how the words and actions of teenage boys hurt girls. How badly had his ill-chosen words hurt Cassie? He sat beside her and rested an arm on the back of the couch. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?”

“Absolutely sure.” She reached for the remote and turned the movie off.

How could she be so sure? Hadn’t she experienced the urgency of his kiss? His body hummed with energy and need. He glanced at the champagne flute on the table. “Expecting company?” If some man arrived they would surely lock horns. For tonight this woman was his.

“No one.”

“Why are you here alone?”

She looked away. “Needed time and a quiet place to think. What are you doing miles from nowhere?”

“Escaping a wedding.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Yours?”

“Not in a million years.” What had happened to cause the bite in her voice? “My brother’s. Do you remember Mark?”

“I do.” She folded her hands in her lap. “How are your sisters?”

“Getting married in December. Double wedding. Dad recently married.” He shuddered. “Had to escape the celebration and all the schemes to make me the next victim.”

“Victim?”

He inched his hand toward her shoulders. “All the recently paired spend hours trying to match me with their single friends. I hate weddings.”

“So do I.”

He edged closer.
A woman who shared his views.
The possibilities of this chance meeting excited him. “I thought all women loved the fuss and bother.” Then he noticed her name engraved on the champagne flute. “I see. What happened?”

Chapter Two

Cassie avoided his question. He couldn’t dislike weddings any more than she did but she felt no need to speak about Tim and the aborted ceremony. Matt’s arrival coupled with her ex-fiancé’s actions had brought her past into the present. She curled her hands into fists.

The voice message to her had turned her world into tatters
. “I married Rhonda this morning. Could you cover my patients tomorrow?”

The one to the partners had omitted the request for coverage and added he would be in on Monday to explain.

She had fled to the cabin in upstate New York not far from the Vermont border.

After sliding from the couch she glanced at her watch.
Six thirty
. She needed a way to divert Matt’s curiosity and to aid her resistance to his appeal.

“Are you hungry?” The flare of interest in his eyes made her regret the question. “I mean for food.”

He winked. “Among other things but I can eat.”

She entered the kitchen area. “Won’t be fancy.”

He followed. “Most of the time I eat out or order in.”

She opened the chest freezer. “Chicken or fish?” She had brought them with her.

He closed the distance and stood close enough for her to feel warmth radiating from his body. “What about the steaks?”

“Belong to the owner. I’d rather not use them.”

“We can replace them.”

She removed a package of chicken strips. “This is healthier. The cardiologist speaks. I’ll do a stir fry.”

At the refrigerator she removed an assortment of fresh vegetables. Tomorrow she would need to shop for more than clothes. She started a pot of wild rice, gathered herbs and spices, defrosted the chicken and chopped vegetables. Keeping busy held temptation at bay.

“Am I allowed one of the beers in the fridge?”

“Go ahead.” Dr. Evans had said she should feel free to use anything she found but she decided the gourmet steaks were too pricy.

Cassie finished the vegetables and cut and seasoned the chicken. A bit of oil into a skillet and she was ready to cook. A wok would have been better but she could improvise. Before long the food was ready to serve. She carried the dishes to the table and discovered Matt had found plates and silverware.

He served himself, tasted and grinned. “Seems you like spice.”

“In my food.”

“We’ll see.”

The cocky challenge alerted her.
They would see.
She feared she would take the dare. She stared at her plate. Had he seen the flash of interest she couldn’t deny.

Enough. You’re not in high school. Nothing has changed. You’re the same person he rejected back then.

Matt cleared his throat. “So why don’t you like weddings?”

Cassie drew a deep breath. “I just don’t.”

“That’s no answer. I’ll keep asking until I know. Are your friends dragging man after man into your life telling you each one is perfect for you?”

“No.”

“Spill your reasons. You’ll feel better.”

Would she?
A bubble of anger surfaced. “Why do you want to know?”

“Curiosity and maybe I can help.”

He seemed sincere. As yet no one would know until she didn’t show up at the shower. “Tonight would have been my wedding shower.”

“Here?”

“At a colleague’s home. As you can see I won’t be there.”

“Did you call the wedding off?”

Cassie shook her head. “No.”

A frown wrinkled his forehead. “Why skip the shower?”

Her face burned. “He married our office nurse yesterday.”

Matt half rose. “That man’s an idiot.”

“Or he realized he’d made a mistake and found someone more interesting.”

“No way.” Matt clasped her hand. “How long has he been seeing this woman?”

“Socially I don’t know but four days a week at the office. He recommended her so we hired her.”

“And you didn’t ask him any of these questions.”

Cassie pulled her hand free. “Not when you receive the news by voice mail.” Her fork clattered on the table. Her chest felt tight. Tears burned her eyes.

Matt groaned. “Then I crashed back into your life and reminded you of another incident.”

“You could say that.” She pushed her chair back. Before tears erupted she had to hide. She dashed away.

Matt caught her and pulled her into an embrace. “Listen to me. The man is a jerk and a fool. So was I all those years ago.” He turned her to face him and tilted her chin with a thumb. His lips touched hers.