“I remember.” She hadn’t meant to sound nostalgic, but her voice held a touch of longing she couldn’t deny. She shook off the erotic memories and put on the flat affect she’d perfected in the days following the fiasco with Randall. In the days before Skymont Hospital had let her go. “I took advantage of you that night.”

“What?” His forehead wrinkled in surprise.

She sighed. How much could she tell him without also admitting how much being near him affected her? Was this what her mother had battled every time a sexy man had come near? This overwhelming need to touch? To be touched?

If so, Kasey was grateful the first thirty years of her life had passed without her knowing such carnal craving.

“Like I said,” she began, wishing he weren’t so close, that she didn’t feel every inch Betsy Carmichael’s daughter, right down to the burst of pheromones dictating she forget everything except how this man’s lips had felt against hers. “I had a bad day.”

“Which doesn’t explain how you used me.”

She shrugged as nonchalantly as she could pull off when she couldn’t breathe. “Don’t you get it? I didn’t want to be alone. You were convenient. End of story.”

A glimmer of anger shone in his eyes. “You’re saying any man would have done?”

“If it meant not being alone that night?” She called upon all her strength and lied through her teeth. “Any man would have done.”

He smoothly shifted to stand by the black leather chair wedged between her desk and the corner of the office. Genuine shock shone on his face. Would he realize she was oversimplifying the night’s events? She couldn’t give him that opportunity.

“When I saw you with Dr. Douglas this morning…” Sitting forward, she continued her assault before he regrouped his thoughts, an assault directed as much at her libido as at Eric. “I just wished you’d go away. I don’t do one-night stands. At least, I never had until that night. If I’d known I’d see you again, I never would have shared a drink with you, much less gone to your hotel room.”

How horrible did that admission make her sound?

How much did it brand her Betsy Carmichael’s daughter?

Was it even true? No. Eric had made her feel better, made her feel whole. She would have gone anywhere he’d led.

What scared her was that even now, when she was thinking more logically about her mother’s death, when she knew she’d slept with a man similar to Randall, Eric still made her feel dazed, made her want to go where he led.

“Then I’m glad you didn’t know we’d see each other again.” He crossed his arms, his fingers coming so close to touching her she imagined she could feel his body heat sear through her clothes. “I enjoyed making love to you, Kasey.”

“I imagine so.” She couldn’t keep the snideness out of her voice. After all, she’d just compared him to Randall and he was playboy Dr. Douglas’s friend. “You should be grateful I left before you woke.”

He leaned back, eyed her, his lips twisted with displeasure. “Grateful that you used me for sex and left while I was asleep?”

Was her face as red as it felt?

“Most guys would be grateful to avoid an awkward morning after.”

His gaze unwavering, he shrugged. “I’m not most guys.”

Yes, she’d noticed that about him.

“The day we met wasn’t a good day,” she said for lack of knowing what else to say.

“So you’ve said. Yet you haven’t said what was so bad.” His voice held a gentle, concerned quality that made her want to squirm.

She didn’t want him to be nice. She didn’t want to like him, didn’t want to believe in the light shining in his eyes that said she could trust him.

Whatever his game was, she wouldn’t, couldn’t, play along. Neither would she.

“What happened to send you into that bar?” Eric asked. “Into my arms?”

Her gaze dropped to the strong arms that had held her so securely. He sounded sincere. It would be so easy to give in, to lean on those broad shoulders.

She knew better, though. Randall had sounded sincere, had let her lean on his shoulders. Then he’d jerked the carpet out from under her feet and trampled on her while she was down.

“My life is none of your business.”

Unfazed by her snappish comeback, Eric stared into her eyes. “What if I want to make your life my business? What if I want to see you again because I wasn’t grateful you left without waking me?”

Was it even possible? She hadn’t thought so, but what if?

Each and every time she’d leaned on another person, she’d fallen. Even if Eric hadn’t been grateful she’d left, eventually the attraction would fizzle and then where would she be? Stuck working with an ex. The good-ole-boy system had already driven home how they dealt with sticky situations.

She would not be forced to start over again.

Not even for a man as appealing as Eric.

“I’d say you were out of luck, because the night we met was a fluke and is never going to happen again.” She liked her life in Rivendell too much to risk it.

“Kasey,” he began, pinning her beneath dark fire.

“Stop right there, Dr. Matthews.” She jumped from her seat, refusing to be trapped by his nearness. She held up her hand to ward him off. “What happened between us was a mistake. I don’t appreciate you coming to my office, pressuring me this way. I’m not interested. End of story.”

He paused, confusion flashing in his eyes. Not backing away, he stayed within inches of her face. “You’re serious?”

“Absolutely.” Much better to deny the sexual chemistry between her and the fascinating man tempting her to throw caution to the wind. As much as she’d once cared for Randall, he’d never lifted her to the heights this man had in a single night. She might not recover a second time. Not professionally. Not emotionally.

Although Eric looked like he wanted to say more, he clamped his mouth closed and conveyed his displeasure via his tight facial expression.

Resuming his perch on her desk, he watched her for so long she fought to keep standing. His eyes gleamed a deep brown, threatening to burn her with their intensity if she showed the slightest sign of weakness.

His gaze scorched into her soul.

Finally, he gave a curt nod and left. Kasey’s forehead crashed to her desk and she rolled her head back and forth against the hard, cold surface.

Eric was gone.

But he’d be back.

Every workday, he’d be back.

Just how was she going to stay steadfast when con fronted with Eric day in and day out?

CHAPTER THREE

A WEEK later, Eric winced at his twenty-year-old patient’s bright red skin. “How long were you out in the sun?”

“My boyfriend works on a horse farm and we were out riding. I ended up sticking around and helping him most of the day. Last night I was miserable. I thought I was going to have to go to the emergency room,” the young woman admitted, holding her body stiffly.

“I’ll be as easy as I can.” He gently lifted her loose clothing away from her skin to peer at the burn. “Did you have on sunscreen?”

As impossible as it seemed, her face grew redder. “No. I was working on my tan.”

“I’d suggest you work on protecting your skin from permanent damage. A good SPF 30 sunscreen would have saved you a lot of trouble.” He motioned toward her burn.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry. I’ve learned my lesson. I plan to go buy the highest SPF in the store.”

Eric shook his head. “No need. SPF 30 provides all the protection you need. Once the sun is blocked, it’s blocked. Anything beyond just puts extra chemicals on your skin without any real extra protection.”

He slipped on his stethoscope and listened to her heart sounds. Normal S1S2 with a regular rate and rhythm. No murmur. Lung sounds clear to auscultation.

“You’re losing a lot of moisture through your burn. Make sure you drink a lot of water over the next few days. You want to stay hydrated.”