Her shift.
She had no idea from where she found the strength to break his kiss. And then some more, to break his hold.
‘This is what you do, isn’t it?’ she managed in a strangled voice.
‘Does it matter? If we’re both enjoying it?’
She couldn’t tell him that yes, it mattered. Especially when he made her feel as though she were special, only to remember that she wasn’t.
That a hundred girls had probably travelled this same road before.
Idiot that she was.
‘I have work to do,’ she bit out, whirling around and snatching open the door before she could do something as stupid as change her mind.
The last thing she expected was to hear his voice carry, deep and smooth, down the hall.
‘Come with me to the centre.’
She shouldn’t let him worm his way under her skin. She shouldn’t.
‘Say that again?’ she demanded, stopping and turning slowly.
‘Come with me to see the Care to Play centre. See what it’s all about.’
He was offering to show her into his private world? His private life? She could hardly believe he would be that open with her. Or anyone, for that matter.
By the expression that fleetingly clouded Sol’s face, he could hardly believe it either. If she didn’t accept quickly, she feared he might rescind the invitation. And, despite all her promises to herself to steer clear of him after the gala, she desperately didn’t want him to rescind anything.
Solomon Gunn.
He’d been worming his way under her skin ever since she’d met him. She’d staved him off initially by fixing on his playboy reputation. It hadn’t been too difficult, not after watching her self-destructive mother make one poor choice after the next where bad boys were concerned.
Yet, she’d also seen flashes of another side of Sol. A compassionate side lacked by other top-flight surgeons she knew. The incident with young Izzy and her family, if she was going to be honest now, hadn’t been the first. Nor the care for his old patient—Mrs Bowman.
But that didn’t mean she had to be attracted to him, did it? She was supposed to be immune, for pity’s sake.
Anouk was still giving herself a halfway decent talking-to when she heard her own voice replying.
‘Okay.’ No, not really okay, her brain screamed at her to take it back. ‘I’d like to see the centre.’
‘Then I’ll bring you some forms to sign.’
‘Forms?’
‘Standard security. For being with the kids. As a doctor you’ll be fine, but it protects the centre.’
‘Right.’
By the book, Sol? Anouk said nothing but filed it away. It was yet another sign of how much this centre, and these kids, meant to him.
Reckless playboy? Or caring protector? Every time she thought she knew him, he morphed into something else. She couldn’t pin him down.
It mattered to her more than it had any right to.
CHAPTER SIX
‘WELL,’ ANOUK MUTTERED to herself as she slapped her steering wheel lightly. ‘You’ve been sitting out here for nearly half an hour. Here goes nothing.’