Page 49 of Doctor’s Forbidden Match

“Well, I have some good and bad news.” I bite my lip, dreading her bummed reaction.

“Tell me the bad news first.” I can hear the smile in her voice fading.

“I’ve been ordered by the network to have a doctor with me every day. So, you can’t visit yet.” I wince, waiting for her response.

“Oh, you’re kidding?”

“No, and that’s not even the worst part.”

“Hmm.”

The words are on the tip of my tongue. I dust my hospital blanket as I breathe. “It’s my surgeon.”

“Is Dr. Sterling attractive?” she asks with a hint of excitement.

I wish he weren’t. I wish he were average-looking or had some glaring flaw I could focus on instead of the way his dark hair is perfectly tousled, his sexy glasses, or how his eyes crinkle slightly when he’s concentrating.

“Maybe.”

She whistles. “Sexy Sterling.”

I laugh again.

“This is going to be fun.” I can practically hear her grinning through the phone.

“Not for me,” I groan, pressing my free hand to my forehead. Fun isn’t the word I’d use. Torture is more fitting. An exercise in self-control that I’m destined to fail.

“Why? Would you rather him be unattractive?”

“Yes. I can’t go there with him. That’s against ethics, and I don’t need more drama.” The words rush out. And because I’m terrified of what might happen if I let myself feel what I’m already feeling. Because he’s the kind of man who could break my heart without even trying.

“Well, I gotta go, but check in with me when he’s not around. I want all the goss.”

I giggle. “I will. But don’t get your hopes up. I’m sure he’ll just be an asshole.”

Please let him be an asshole. I need him to be cold and clinical and give me absolutely nothing to work with. Don’t let him be kind or funny or show me any side of himself that makes this harder than it already is.

“You can only hope.” Her laughter is infectious.

I hang up, sinking back into the bed. I know I’m not going to sleep much tonight. My mind will be solely on him and this new situation I’ve found myself in… trapped in close proximity with a man who makes my pulse race like no other. Tomorrow is going to be a fucking disaster.

Chapter 20

Hannah

The next morning, I wake at four-thirty, my eyes snapping open in the morning light. My body is getting used to waking up early, but deep down, it’s because I’m too scared to go back to sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see flashes of what today will bring—him in my space, those assessing eyes taking in every detail of my life. I want to be ready when he gets here.

I watch TV until the door knock comes at six, but it’s the nurse who enters, her scrubs swishing softly as she enters the room.

“Is Dr. Sterling here?”

She must read something on my face because her next words have me feeling excitement to get out of here and head home to freshen up, but also nervous about going with him and what today will bring.

“He’s here reviewing your charts and completing your discharge paperwork.”

There’s a sparkle in her eye that I’m not sure about… a hint of amusement that makes me jittery.

I’m not interested in him. This wasn’t my choice. But instead of saying it, I just pretend not to care, keeping my expression neutral, because if I say too much, that would say the opposite, wouldn’t it?