The Doctor's Damsel in Distress

Levi didn’t look bad. He looked wonderful. Wonderfully handsome with his dark hair and darker eyes that made a woman want to grab a spoon and take a big bite.

She had taken a big bite.

One that had left her craving more of him. Lots more.

Left her addicted to the taste of him.

Left her wanting a strict diet of him and him alone.

Only he hadn’t felt the same and wanted nothing to do with her.

And she might be pregnant with his baby.

Madison glanced away, almost as if she feared he’d be able to read her thoughts if she continued to stare into his eyes a moment longer.

Oh, the tangled webs we weave when first we don’t practice not to conceive.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

LEVI fought wincing when his gaze met Madison’s. How could someone be so beautiful and look so awful? Her eyes were marred with dark smudges, her cheeks too sunken in, her body almost appearing frail with her drop in weight.

He’d done that to her.

No doubt she’d spent the last few weeks worrying that he’d ruined the rest of her life. Worrying that there would be long-term repercussions to his lack of finesse.

Four weeks had passed since their picnic. Had her worries been laid to rest with the start of her menstrual cycle? Or had her worries only begun with its continued absence?

Had she performed a pregnancy test?

He should talk to her, find out what she knew, if she knew, but how could he when he felt such guilt for putting her into such an awkward position?

How could he when he’d proved that even when he was trying to be a better man, ultimately he was his father’s son.

The thought blared so loudly through his mind he wondered if she could hear him. Perhaps she had as she’d looked away

, her expression gaunt, irritated, obviously displeased at his presence.

“Dr. Fielding,” the charge nurse greeted him, her tone more cool than friendly. No wonder. She probably thought him a jerk for what he’d done to Madison. What he’d likely do again if given the opportunity. It was in his blood. She was in his blood.

“I’m here to examine Carlene Hill and do her admission history and physical. She’s been sent up from the emergency department.”

Good. He sounded professional. In charge. In control. Not as if seeing Madison shook him to the very core. Not as if he wanted to pull her into a patient room and tell her how sorry he was. That he’d panicked, not expecting the flood of emotions that had hit him after they’d made love. While they’d made love. That he hadn’t been able to think beyond the instinctual fight-or-flight response that had kicked in.

That he’d been disgusted with himself for not protecting her, been disgusted with the sound of his father’s mocking voice calling him a chip off the ole block.

What about Madison? Had she wanted more? Or had she regretted their love-making from the moment reason had returned?

She’d said she’d gotten what she wanted. Had she been telling the truth? Had she just wanted him for sex? It’s what she’d told Karen that fateful day he’d overheard her. That she planned to have him in her bed, use him, abuse him, then spit him out like yesterday’s news. She’d said she was a player, but his every gut instinct said otherwise.

He’d learned to trust that gut instinct a long time ago and it had saved his hind end on more than one occasion. So why had he gotten so angry at her easily tossed-out assurance that she’d gotten all she’d wanted from him?

He glanced at where she stood pretending to be engrossed in reading a hospital memo posted on the side of a cabinet. And knew exactly why he’d gotten so angry.

Because her flippant answer had stung.

“Yes, about an hour ago.” Karen filled him in on the patient’s stats while Madison snuck a surreptitious glance from the corner of her eyes.

Did she really think he couldn’t see her frequent little looks? Why was she sneaking? She’d been the one to look away. The one to walk away. The one to keep going when he’d motioned her to pull her car over.