Private Partners (Doctors in Training 2)

She slid into her seat with a brilliant smile for Liam. “Did you want coffee before we go?”

The blonde drifted off with a sigh of resignation. Liam chuckled and tossed some cash on the table. “No, I’m ready to leave if you are.”

Anne glanced sideways. “A fan?”

“No. Just a friendly local.”

“Mmm.” A little too friendly in Anne’s opinion, but since Liam was already grinning at her, she said no more about the incident.

By the time they finally arrived home, she was pleasantly tired and utterly relaxed. “That was such a beautiful evening out,” she said to Liam when he closed and locked the front door behind them. “How did you know it was exactly what I needed tonight?”

He smiled and walked across the room to turn on the MP3 player she kept in a speaker dock. Even that move had been planned, apparently. The music that drifted from the speakers wasn’t from her usual playlists; Liam must have loaded some romantic instrumental numbers just for tonight.

He took her into his arms in the middle of the living room, swinging her into a slow, sensual dance. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she followed easily, her hips moving with his. “Why, Mr. McCright—I do believe you’re trying to seduce me.”

His teeth flashed in a smile. “Is it working?”

Pressing her breasts against his chest, she almost purred against his throat, “I believe it is.”

She loosened and removed his tie as they danced. He let down her hair. Still swaying to the music, she slid his jacket from his shoulders and tossed it aside. He unzipped her dress.

The music seemed to follow them as they drifted toward the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothing behind them. Liam didn’t bother turning on the light. Falling onto the bed with him, Anne wished very hard that she could make this perfect night last for a very long time, keeping all the problems of daylight far away from them.

Anne was already at her books when Liam came out of the shower late the next morning. Rather than sitting at the table, she had spread out on the couch

this time, her computer in her lap, her bare feet propped on the table in front of her.

He leaned over the back of the couch to brush a kiss against her cheek. “You look exceptionally beautiful today. Just as you do every day.”

Tilting her clean-scrubbed face toward him, she motioned toward her ultracasual T-shirt and jeans. “You must have spent too much time in the Irish pub last night. You’re full of blarney this morning.”

He laughed and circled the couch to sit on one arm to chat with her for a minute before he tried to get back to his own work. “I don’t think I asked before—are you meeting with your group today?”

“No, we’re taking the weekend off. We’re all studying on our own this weekend. We need the break from each other.”

“I can see why you would. Do you get a spring break this semester?”

She made a face. “Yes, in mid-March. And we have an exam the day we return, followed immediately by a practice Step 1 exam that we have to do well on or be forced to sign up for a review class this summer. Then in April, we start ‘shelf exams’—end of the semester tests for each subject. So, basically, we spend all of spring break cramming for regular exams and shelf exams and trying to find time to prepare for the Step 1 exam. It isn’t exactly a vacation.”

So much for his vague plan to whisk her away somewhere, just the two of them, for the week off from classes. “And when do you start your third-year rotations?”

“The beginning of July. I’ll have maybe two weeks off after Step 1.”

“July.” He nodded, making a mental note to clear his calendar for those two weeks. “Okay, maybe we can plan something for then. Think you can slip away to join me somewhere exotic and romantic—and private? You could tell everyone you need a vacation, and surely they will understand that. They wouldn’t have to know you won’t be spending that vacation alone.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” After a moment, she set her computer aside and turned on the couch to face him more fully. “You know, I’ve been thinking.”

Something about her tone warned him that he might not be quite comfortable with what she was going to say. “Thinking about what?”

She moistened her lips and twisted her hands in her lap. “I think maybe we should start thinking about ending this silly charade of ours.”

His first, instinctive reaction was that she was suggesting they end their marriage, and that was like a hard punch to his stomach. She had told him how perfect last night had been, and she had certainly shown her appreciation—twice—afterward. Why would she want to end things now?

Which left only one explanation. “Um—charade?” he asked nervously.

“You know what I mean,” she said, her expression impatient now. “All this sneaking around. Hiding behind doors and under the brim of baseball caps, jumping every time the doorbell chimes. We never intended to keep our marriage a secret for this long. I think we should start discussing how and when we should make the announcement.”

“You’re ready to tell your family the truth?” he asked, startled.