The M.D. Next Door

“I’m good, thanks.”

He still held her hand. She turned her wrist so that their fingers interlaced. “Then what would you like to do for the rest of the evening?” she asked with a little smile. “A swim, maybe? Some TV?”

Standing, he drew her to her feet and into his arms. “I’m sure we’ll think of something to pass the time,” he murmured, his mouth hovering just over hers.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and rose on tiptoes to brush her lips lightly, teasingly against his. “I’m sure we—”

They groaned in unison when the buzz of a phone cut off her words. It wasn’t hers, she realized, grateful that she wasn’t responsible for the interruption this time.

“I’m sorry.” Seth grimaced as he drew the buzzing device from his pocket.

She turned to start clearing the table. “No problem. You can take the call in the living room if you like.”

Nodding apologetically, he held the phone to his ear as he left the room. “Hello?”

Moments later, she heard him say in a raised voice, “Are you kidding me? At this hour?” And she knew their evening was over.

When

he rejoined her a few minutes later, she might have considered his sheepish expression rather adorable had she not been so disappointed.

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

“You have to go.”

He nodded. “I would have refused if it hadn’t been so important. A problem with one of the firm’s biggest clients. Some reports that have to be filed by eight o’clock tomorrow morning and it turns out they weren’t completed when I thought they were, so I guess I have to—”

“You don’t have to explain, Seth,” she interrupted gently. “Go. Take care of your client. At least we got to finish dinner this time.”

His mouth twisted in what was probably intended to be a smile, but ended up being a regretful grimace. “This wasn’t the way I wanted the evening to end.”

“I know.”

“Maybe tomorrow we can—?”

This time she was the one forced to express regrets. “I have a dinner with the chief of surgery. It could last rather late.”

“Thursday, then.”

“I’m on call Thursday night, but I’ll be home unless I’m needed at the hospital.”

“Then we’ll plan to get together then—and to stay close to your phone.”

She nodded. “Sounds good.”

And after Thursday, there would be only one evening before Alice’s return, she thought with a painful swallow. For Seth’s sake, she was glad the time was passing so quickly before Alice was back home again. But if she were being strictly selfish, she would make those days pass a little more slowly, giving her a few more evenings to pretend she and Seth had all the time in the world together.

He kissed her lingeringly before moving reluctantly back. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Good night, Seth. I hope you get some sleep tonight.”

The look he gave her held a world of frustration. “I doubt I’ll be sleeping very well tonight, no matter how long these reports take,” he muttered, then spun and walked away almost angrily.

Knowing that anger wasn’t directed toward her, Meagan sighed softly, then turned to blow out the candles still flickering on her table.

Glittering in the softened lighting, water streamed from Meagan’s slender body as she climbed the steps out of the pool Friday evening. The red suit she wore fit like a second skin, molded around her wet curves. Seth lingered in the pool behind her, the better to watch her shapely backside as she bent to shake water from her hair. He watched in regret when she wrapped a thick towel around herself. Only then did he wade toward the steps, himself.

It was late, almost eleven, but he wasn’t particularly sleepy, despite a killer day at the office. The stress of work had started seeping out of him as soon as Meagan had opened her door to him a few hours earlier, and had dissipated further during a leisurely meal. The lovemaking that had followed that had left him loose-limbed and satiated. Because neither had wanted to sleep afterward, they’d agreed on a quiet swim, which he, for one, had enjoyed very much.