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CHAPTER ONE
FOR THE HUNDREDTH time since Riley had arrived at the engagement party Dr. Justin Brothers found himself watching her pretend she was having a good time. She wasn’t.
Which didn’t make sense as he knew she and Cheyenne were close friends. And Paul was a great guy. Surely Riley was happy at their engagement?
Still, if ever a woman was faking it, Riley was now. Her eyes begged to be rescued, even though she was laughing at something someone had said.
Justin wanted to don some armor and do just that.
He knew better.
Riley King fought her own battles and would cut down any man who got in her way. Or maybe it was just him she cut down.
The only place she was relaxed around Justin was in the surgery suite. There, she’d give tit for tat. He loved working with her, watching her take charge and make sure everything went smoothly. It always did with Riley at the helm.
“Go talk to her.”
Justin cut his gaze to his friend Paul. “You worry about taking care of your own love-life.”
Faux-punching Justin’s shoulder, Paul grinned. “This whole shindig is about my love life and how awesome it is.”
A pang of envy hit. Was it only last summer that Justin had almost walked down the aisle himself? That he’d thought he’d found “the one?”
How quickly things changed.
Although Justin wasn’t lonely, he wasn’t opposed to meeting someone special and being in Paul’s shoes.
His gaze went back to Riley. The curvy nurse who was so quick to put him in his place, had captivated him from the moment he’d met her.
“You like her.”
“Never said I didn’t,” he reminded his friend, dragging his gaze from Riley yet again. “It’s more that she doesn’t like me.”
Paul gave a look of disbelief. “Never known you to strike out.”
“It happens.” Unfortunately. He couldn’t recall the last time prior to Riley, but she was a biggie.
Too bad she’d laughed when he’d asked her out. Laughed and told him no in no uncertain terms.
His gaze drifted back to her, taking in the body-hugging green dress that flounced at the hem and made his eyes pop. She had her dark hair pulled up, but several tendrils had worked loose and framed her pretty heart-shaped face. At work she wore scrubs and no-nonsense shoes. Tonight she had stilettos on that made her legs look a million miles long and gave a gentle sway to her hips when she walked.
Just looking at her had Justin struggling not to reach for his collar to loosen a few buttons. Riley made him hot.
Because she was hot.
And smart, and funny, and—not interested.
Only he’d swear she was...
From across the terrace her big green eyes collided with his gaze and she failed to hide the initial flicker of awareness. The same awareness he felt every time they were together but that she seemed to find easy to push aside and deny.
She’d had a bad break-up a year or two ago. He didn’t know the specifics, but you couldn’t work in the same hospital unit and not pick up on gossip. She didn’t date. Perhaps she was still hung up on her ex. That theory made the most sense but, right or wrong, the thought of her wanting another man irked him.
Cheeks blushing a rosy pink, she averted her eyes, took a drink from her champagne glass, then pretended to listen to whatever her friend was saying.
The same way Justin was pretending to listen to what Paul was saying.
Justin grimaced and told himself to stop with the Riley fascination and acknowledge the woman Paul was now introducing to him.
The single woman who’d just joined them had a hopeful look in her eyes. If she triggered half the sparks Riley did, he’d consider himself a lucky man.
Too bad he felt nothing when he looked at the tall blonde and everything when his gaze wandered back to the brunette whose gaze was on him again...
* * *
For so many reasons surgical nurse Riley King hadn’t wanted to attend her coworker’s engagement party. But she adored Cheyenne, and hadn’t been able to think of a single excuse that wouldn’t have their close-knit workgroup rallying to make sure Riley was okay.
This party was about Cheyenne—not a wake for expressing grief over Riley’s jilting at the altar. She had to at least make a quick appearance, even if she knew she’d be one of the few solo attendees and would get looks of pity and offers of blind date set-ups.
No, thank you.
She didn’t want pity, blind dates, real dates, or to be anywhere that had anything to do with the opposite sex and especially not with weddings.
