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Actually, she’s willing to play, just not agreeable to gamble with her heart. Pushing on, Elliott said, “I understand. Is there anything other than her husband passing away that I should be aware of?” He needed to understand what he was up against. He had to know more about the woman captivating his mind. And he needed to understand why she was so determined to run away from him.
Dmitri sighed. “Mary is a very private and an incredibly strong woman. If you are asking me does she have any emotional problems that I have seen that would affect your playtime or if you were interested in dating her, then my answer is no. She is extremely put together, always has been.”
Elliott agreed; he found her to be strong, and her strength was alluring. Yet knowing that also told him exactly what he needed to find out. She wasn’t depressed or suffering from another mental illness that would make his dealings with her more cautious. Knowing that Mary was as strong as he suspected, he figured she was likely scared of a new relationship and maybe feeling guilty over it.
That, he could work with.
A hundred questions lingered in Elliott’s mind, but only one remained most important. “Tell me, since she is such a good friend to you—”
“Not friend,” Dmitri corrected. “She is family to me.”
“Which I believe makes it clear enough that I should ask your approval of pursuing her when she’s proving to be a little difficult. Dom to Dom, friend to friend, are you all right with my involvement with her?”
Softness reached Dmitri’s voice declaring his love for Mary. “First, she means a lot to me, so extra caution is warranted here.”
“Warning heeded,” Elliott replied, leaning back in his chair. Not that he needed the advice. It was clear enough he had to proceed with care. He was also beginning to understand Mary as a submissive and exactly what she needed from him.
That gave him a plan.
Dmitri hesitated long enough that it showed he put deep thought behind his choice of words. “You don’t need my permission, Elliott. If Mary has shown interest in you, then I’m glad for you both.” He paused again. “But since you said she is giving mixed signals, I will tell you this: The fact that you have seen her again since our dinner shows her interest in you. Mary doesn’t play games. She might be fearful, since this is all new to her again, but she thinks her choices through. She wouldn’t have met with you if she didn’t feel a connection to you. Don’t let her fool you into believing something different.”
Elliott snorted. “Believe me, Dmitri, she isn’t fooling anyone.”
—
In the examination room of Mary’s family practice, she turned to the desk and logged on to the computer. “Your son has a viral infection.” She entered the details into her patient’s file. “There isn’t much we can do but just let the cold run through his system.” She spun in her seat, looking at the exhausted young mother, who was slightly pale herself. “I know that isn’t what you want to hear.”
“Not exactly,” the mother grumbled, dressing her toddler. “Sleep would be nice.”
Mary understood, having children herself. Sick kids weren’t fun kids, but overmedicating kids wasn’t good, either. “If he doesn’t get better in a week or if his symptoms worsen, please come back to see me.”
The mother picked her son off the examination table and gave a weak smile. “Thanks.” Then she dragged her feet to the door and left without another word.
Mary sighed, feeling a hardness in her stomach that she couldn’t do more. But sickness was sickness and just part of life. She turned to the computer screen, finishing typing out the chart. She entered the child’s temperature, remembering those long nights when her children were sick and there wasn’t much she could do for them, even as a doctor. Things were so different now. Her children were grown up and had moved out. But she’d always been close to them, and maybe that bond became even tighter after Charles died.
They were all she had left of him.
Her eldest son looked so much like his father, and that had always warmed Mary. She might not have her Charles, but she had a piece of him within her children. With a sigh, she shut down the file and logged out of the system, then exited the small examination room.
The day had been long and somewhat exhausting. Her body hurt in ways it hadn’t hurt in years, and some spots were sore from the flogging. She also noticed that if she moved a certain way the soreness stirred memories of Elliott.
A man she’d been trying to forget since she’d left him the other morning. Practically running out on him hadn’t been her finest of moments. But Elliott had found a way into that spot in her heart that belonged only to
Charles. She’d given her submission to him.
Fear had made her run, though her body seemed determined to ensure she didn’t forget Elliott. She heaved another sigh as she reached the next closed door and knocked, waiting. When she didn’t get a reply, she entered the room.
She froze, her breath all but lost to her.
Warm brown eyes held hers with a knowing twinkle as a low, smooth voice said, “Being here is giving me some damn fine fantasies.”
“What are you doing here?” She gasped in alarm, shutting the door behind her before glaring at Elliott. “You shouldn’t have come.”
His grin was sinfully wicked as he leaned against the examination table, arms folded. “What can I say? I need a doctor…a beautiful one.” Then he closed the distance between them, staring at her with a smoldering gaze that Mary suspected all women would react to.
A gaze that spoke of lust and masculinity.
She inhaled the thick air deeply, attempting to get her thoughts together, but managed only to draw in his woodsy scent. Her lips parted to tell him to go, but Elliott’s body was so close to hers, bringing memories of their heated touches that she couldn’t ignore.
