She looked at him through thick eyelashes. “If I don’t have anything to stay up late for, then it’s straight to bed—shorts and a strappy top, a good book, and the soap reruns for some background noise.”
“And if you do have something to stay up late for?”
She licked her top lip, leaving a sheen across her mouth. It was a completely innocent act but his brain was in overdrive. He wanted to it kiss clean off. His fingers started to trace tiny circles at the side of her cheek.
“Well, if I do have something to stay up late for…” She stood up swiftly, her breasts brushing lightly against his chest and he sucked in a breath. His hands hovered for a second in midair before they settled on her hips. A real woman.
It was all he could do not to throw his hands in the air and shout, “Praise Be!”
But he had no intention of moving from his current position. She was too tantalizing by far.
“It would all depend on my reason for staying up late.” Her voice was low and breathy.
He watched in fascination as she reached out and ran a finger across the breadth of his chest, from one side to the other. Desire curled in his belly, his hands ached to reach under her emerald shirt and touch her skin.
“Sometimes I stay up late alone.”
Jackpot. He tightened his grip on her hips, pulling her closer and anchoring her between his thighs, praying that at any moment Helen wouldn’t decide to return to the clinic. Late-night trips weren’t that unusual for her. This time she would see a whole lot more than she bargained for.
What he wouldn’t give right now just to push Selena back on to the desk and rip that sinfully sexy shirt from her body. He couldn’t wait to see what lay underneath. The thought of touching her silky skin under his palms, smelling her scent on his fingertips was making his blood pound. As for her soft, wet parted mouth…
“And sometimes, if I have company, I might want to slip into something a little more comfortable.”
“And what might that be?” His voice was thick, his imagination exploding.
Her smile was coy this time. She was having fun teasing him. “I have lingerie in every color of the rainbow. And sometimes I like to try one—and then the other.” She leaned a little closer, brushing her breasts against his chest again.
He tried not to let out a groan.
“What’s your favorite color, Colt?” She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing it backward and revealing the paler skin and pulse fluttering at the base of her throat. Heat slammed into him. She was driving him crazy.
Colt had never, ever gotten mixed up with either a patient, or a member of staff before. But right now, all rational thoughts had left the building. The reception desk was a starting point but he was currently imagining all the places in the spa that they could have some adult fun.
The glint in her eye was still there. “Emerald green? Sapphire blue? Or scarlet?”
She laid her hand flat on his chest and his body reacted in a way that neither of them could ignore.
“Are you a scarlet kind of guy? Or do you like black? Black lace and satin?”
Colt stood up abruptly, snapping the tension between them like a tight elastic band. His breath was panting. He was right at the edge. He had to stop this, or he’d lose control. “Enough.”
Her gaze swept downward, and she looked impressed with the effect she’d had.
His brain was buzzing so hard he could hardly think straight. It took a few seconds to find the words. “This is crazy. You’ve just gotten here. I know nothing about you.”
“And I know nothing about you.” Their gazes meshed. The green of her eyes had almost vanished, taken over by the wide, dark pupils, revealing her desire.
“Then this is clearly crazy.” Her obvious physical reaction made him catch his breath. It made him want to close the gap between them. He had to stop. He had to get a hold of himself.
The clinic was in enough trouble without another patient or employee lawsuit. He wasn’t kidding when he said he didn’t know the first thing about her. Any minute now some wild, gun-toting, crazy ex-husband could be at the gates of the clinic. How would he explain that one to Helen?
And more importantly, what if she was the kind of girl who thought beauty was all about appearance? Once she saw what lay beneath the surface she might run quicker than a Hollywood starlet chasing after the next big role.
He bent forward, his skin skimming hers. “White,” he whispered the words in her ear, “I’m a white satin, white lace kind of guy.”
He heard her breath catch in her throat and color appeared in her cheeks.
And with that, he turned on his heel and walked out of the room before he lost the power to do so.
…
A bed for the night. That’s what she needed. That was her goal.
The cool California night was beginning to clear her head.
She ran along the orange-lit path, dragging the suitcase behind her—its wheels would never function again. The gorgeous cottage came into view and she dumped the case at her feet. It only took a second to turn the key in the lock and she squinted at the crumpled paper in her hand, punching the numbers into the security pad.
It beeped and turned green.
She pushed open the door and dragged her case inside, slamming the door behind her as if a crowd of killer zombies were at her back.
Her heart was thumping and her body was on fire. It could be the mad dash from the clinic—she hadn’t exactly been exercising this last week—but her head told her it was the sizzle of what had just happened with Colt. From now on known as Dr. Hot.
She leaned against the door and spent a moment taking in her surroundings.
Luxurious. Sumptuous. Sensuous.
The words all floated around in her mind. But what was better? The relief of having somewhere safe to stay, or the expectation of what could happen with Colt?
No contest. Colt every time.
In the meantime it was a relief to have somewhere to sleep tonight. This cottage was different from the one she’d viewed with him earlier. The previous one had been decorated in shades of orange. This one was more opulent in shades of purple.
Rich velvet drapes, a sofa she could melt into with coordinated throw cushions, and purple glass vases filled with matching fresh flowers that sent a lavender aroma into the air.
It couldn’t be more perfect. She even had a set of underwear to match.
She let out a laugh. The expression on Colt’s face when she’d mentioned she had underwear in every shade of the rainbow. He’d looked fit to burst.
/> She held her hand to her chest, trying to still the flutters underneath. A sideways glance revealed double doors to her left with a huge king-size bed covered in thick, white bedding.
This place was looking better all the time.
But her heart was still beating too fast. What about Colt Travers?
He was an occupational hazard.
She collapsed back, sinking into the luxury bed, and groaned. Her brain was instantly going to thoughts of what she could do with him in this bed. His chiseled jaw, tanned skin, and the feel of the sculptured muscles of his chest were imprinted in her brain.
She would never sleep now—her erotic thoughts wouldn’t allow it.
The last thing—the very last thing—she needed to do right now was jeopardize what was sitting in front of her.
She really, really wanted to put her sensible head on right now.
If she could keep her head down until she’d worked off her bill, then she might finally manage to plan ahead and look at her finances. Find a job. Find a place to stay. And pay back Mark.
Whether it was intentional or not, turning up at Seacliffe had put a glimmer of hope in a really bad day.
She cringed as she remembered Mark’s face yesterday. Truth be told, she was embarrassed by how she’d acted. She was embarrassed by the amount of money she’d spent in the last few months—money she clearly didn’t have.
What had she been thinking?
Or maybe that was just it. She hadn’t been thinking. She been living in cloud cuckoo land that she was still earning a big salary, or the next big job was just around the corner. Even working weekends at Starbucks hadn’t made her wake up and smell the coffee.
She could do this. She could.
She could pay off her debt at the clinic, work weekends at Starbucks, and do her absolute best to try and land another job in the next month.
In the meantime, she could hide out for as long as possible in one of the cottages.