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The next morning the sun streamed through Tiffani’s bedroom window. The storm had passed. She moved and a sweet soreness reminded her she had used muscles for activities she hadn’t enjoyed for far too long. Sex on a dryer. That was a new one for her. One she’d like to repeat.
Her lack of control yesterday still shocked her. But she’d loved every second of touching and being touched by Rex. Her body heated at just the thought of him. She didn’t know how she would concentrate on the campaign now. Whenever she was around him all she’d be thinking about was finding a place where they could be alone.
He’d not asked her to stay the night. She was glad because she wasn’t sure she could have said no. And the way she’d acted like a loved-starved ninny who had never had a man look at her was still horribly embarrassing. But she hadn’t ever had a man look at her the way Rex had. He was the first real man she’d ever been with.
Intelligent, caring, attentive, as interested in her pleasure as his own, giving and fun. How had she been so wrong about him? Worse, how could she have let things between them become personal? A real relationship between them would never work. There were too many variables working against them. His job, hers. Him in Memphis and her wanting to move away. Her betraying her father. Rex had said nothing about ever wanting to settle down. He was, she assured herself, the love-them-and-leave-them type. All they’d done yesterday had been to create a big tangle.
From now on any interaction between them would be strictly business. Tiffani groaned in despair, but his kiss goodbye last night had been perfect. For a second, she would have sworn she had floated.
But no more thinking like that.
She climbed out of bed. Enough of the daydreaming. Her father was expecting her to visit. She wouldn’t disappoint him. He had called, asking her to do some shopping for him.
If she didn’t discipline herself, she’d stay in bed and relive every second of those moments with Rex.
* * *
The last few days were ones to remember, but not in a good way. They didn’t improve when Rex’s cellphone rang around seven that evening as he pushed open the hospital door leading to the parking lot with thoughts of calling Tiffani.
“Rex Maxwell,” he answered, trying not to snap but just missing it.
“Dr. Maxwell, you’re needed in the OR. Auto accident.”
He sighed. “I’m on my way.”
Despite his regular surgery schedule, he’d done his share of emergency surgery in the last few days. He hadn’t even had time to call or see Tiffani. He only hoped she didn’t think he had used her and forgotten about her. He didn’t believe in being intimate with a woman and then ignoring her. The least he would do was explain how he felt if he didn’t plan to see her again. In Tiffani’s case, he had every intention of seeing more of her, as well as experiencing her.
The problem was he couldn’t get away from the hospital. He didn’t remember another time he’d resented his job but he did tonight. Tiffani pulled at him. Like a need he didn’t think would ever be fulfilled. But right now he had a job to do.
He hurried up the stairs to the second floor. Pushing through the surgery suite doors, he asked the unit secretary which OR.
She called as he continued down the hall toward the locker room, “Six.”
Minutes later he was changed, back in scrubs and washing his hands.
His scrub nurse came up beside him with a hat and mask. He leaned down and she helped him finish dressing. “So, what do we have?”
In a solemn voice she said, “Teen. One-car accident. Rollover. Thrown out. Internal injuries.”
Rex let out a string of expletives beneath his mask.
“I know what you mean,” his nurse replied. “It seems like it happens every full moon.” She looked closely at Rex. “When was the last time you slept in your own bed and not in an on-call room?”
“Three or four nights ago,” he said, remembering how Tiffani had left and he’d wished he’d insisted she stay. But he hadn’t wanted to push. She was skittish enough about them being together. He’d missed her all night long. “Anesthesia ready?”
“Will be by the time we get in there.” His nurse finished tying his mask.
“Then let’s go.”
They headed into the OR.
“History?” he said to his physician’s assistant, who was already standing beside the patient on the table.
“Sixteen-year-old male, good heath, no allergies. Only issue is that his car didn’t win the war with the tree.”
“Let’s get him patched up. What’re we going after first?” Rex glanced at the X-rays on the wall screen.
“Spleen,” the PA said.
“Turn on the rock ’n’ roll and let’s get started.” Rex stepped to the table. The music filled the room as he removed the organ, stitched up two perforations to the boy’s kidney, one to the stomach. He had hopes of closing when the monitors started beeping.
“BP’s going down,” the anesthesiologist said urgently from by the patient’s head.
“There has to be a bleeder somewhere. Suction.” Tension started to well in him. He needed to find it, and fast.
Over the next few minutes he searched frantically with no success. Rex was still looking when the anesthesiologist said, “That’s it.”
“Continue CPR while I look,” Rex demanded.
“It’s over, Rex.” The anesthesiologist met his look over his mask and shook his head. “He was already too far gone when he came in.”
That wasn’t what the family was going to want to hear. Rex left the OR. In the locker room, he jerked off his cap and slung it to the floor. Sitting on the bench, he put his forearms on his knees and hung his head. Now he had to go tell the boy’s parents he’d been unable to save his life. These cases took a bite out of his heart every time.
Had he done all he could do? What had he missed? Should he have made the repairs in a different order? For all his bravado about it, before the lawsuit he’d never questioned himself like he did now. It was hard to admit, but it was true.
Picking up his cap, he stood and headed for the waiting room. Talking to the parents couldn’t be put off any longer.
CHAPTER EIGHT
IT HAD BEEN easier to avoid crossing paths with Rex than Tiffani had anticipated. Sunday she had spent with her father. It hadn’t been pleasant. He’d harped on about her job being a betrayal of her loyalty to him. She knew she mustn’t ever let escape the least hint of how she’d spent her afternoon the day before. Even so, her father noticed her mind wandered more often than usual.
The next three long days at the office she spent managing social media, a magazine interview and other details of the campaign. Rex must have decided, as she had, that what they had done couldn’t continue, because he hadn’t tried to contact her. She didn’t have a good reason to call him so she left things well enough alone. Yet he was constantly in her thoughts. When she wasn’t dreaming of being kissed by him, she was forced to speak his name in the course of her job.
Her doorbell ringing just before midnight woke her. Someone needing something this late couldn’t be good. Her phone buzzed, indicating a text message. What was going on?
/> She looked at her phone.
The doorbell rang again.
The number was Rex’s.
Let me in.
Her heart hummed. Her common sense balked. Why was he here? It didn’t matter. He just was.
She didn’t bother with a robe and hurried downstairs in her nightshirt. Flipping on the porch light, she checked through the peephole. He was leaning against the doorjamb. The doorbell rang again. She unlocked the door. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
There was a weariness that hung heavily around him. His shoulders slumped. Concern pushed away any excitement she felt over seeing him. “Tell me what’s wrong. What happened?”
He wrapped her in his arms and buried his face in her neck. “I don’t want to think about it. Talk about it. I just want us. To know again how good you make me feel.” His mouth found hers. There was hunger, desperation and need in his movements. His tongue mated with hers, becoming more desperate with every thrust.
All her vows fled. The glow only he could ignite with his touch grew. Sheer joy filled her. Her nerves tingled and her heart hammered against her ribs. This was what being alive felt like! She had no fear other than that Rex might pull away. He was hurting and she was here for him.
He lifted her and carried her inside far enough to kick the door closed, holding her so tight her breath was erratic. His mouth found her earlobe and his teeth bit down until she winced. With a brush of the tip of his tongue, he eased the pain. He cupped her butt and jerked her against him. His manhood was thick, long and solid beneath the fabric of his scrubs.
“I need you,” he growled, then kissed her neck. “Now.”
She sensed his desperate fight for control more than felt it. To know she’d driven him so close to his breaking point empowered her femininity, set her own desire to boil deep inside her. Blood rushed to her center, to where she urgently craved Rex.
He needed her. Had come to find her.
Happiness gushed within her. She brought her legs up around his hips. “My bedroom is upstairs.”
