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Luke made a mental note to remember that too. “Bloodthirsty?” he asked.
“Just not squeamish. I’ve been around medicine since I was born. My father’s a doctor too.”
He nodded, enjoying this glimpse into who she was. “And you followed in his footsteps?”
“It was mandatory,” she said, taking a sip of her freshly refilled coffee. “Especially after Mom died and I had no one to stick up for what I might want,” she admitted.
“How old were you?”
“Ten.”
He winced, unable to imagine his sisters getting through their teenage years without their mother’s steadying influence. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. How about you?” she asked, clearly deflecting. “Parents? Siblings?”
“Hmm. Both parents still alive and married and three sisters.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again. “And you came out a jock anyway?” she asked, laughing.
He grinned. “My dad was the high school football coach, and I was the eldest. All pretty much worked in my favor.” His mom got her girls to fuss over, and his dad worked hard kicking Luke’s butt and nurturing his talent.
“You were lucky,” she murmured.
“Yeah, I was.”
“Did you always know you wanted to play football?” she asked, leaning closer, clearly interested in him and his answer.
He nodded. “Pretty much. It came naturally, and I always loved it. Still do. Not just the playing but everything about the life. How about you, Doctor?”
“The idea of being a doctor? Yeah, that I wanted. A lot. The reality?” She shrugged. “It’s been a lot tougher than I thought.”
“The actual work? The hours? Or what?”
She leaned back in her seat with a full-blown sigh. “I love medicine. I love to treat people, kids especially. But my path hasn’t been pediatrics. Ever since I came back to town, my dad pulled me into his practice, his hospital, grooming me to be his successor as chief of staff. So I work the ER, I help out with the administrative duties, and I oversee doctor and nurses and shifts and OR schedules. And because I don’t want to lose touch with medicine, I keep hours at the office with patients.”
“Doesn’t sound like you have much time left for you.”
“You caught that, huh?” She laughed.
Even knowing her for less than twenty-four hours, Luke knew the sound was forced. “You were out dancing last night.”
“That was an effort to get Cara out of the house so she’d stop thinking about Mike. I had to get someone to cover for me in order to do it.”
“Doesn’t the hospital have enough doctors to give you more normal hours?” he asked, understanding that the weariness in her expression obviously came from more than being up all last night with her friend.
“Not if I don’t want someone else to usurp the position my father’s been grooming me for.”
He noted she didn’t say the position she wanted. But it wasn’t his place to say so. She was a big girl, and if her life made her unhappy, she’d change it. “You looked like you were enjoying yourself last night. Before the excitement went down,” he amended.
“I made time to go out for Cara’s sake, but once I hit the dance floor, I realized how much I needed the break. And then I caught sight of you.” Her voice dropped, the slightly breathless hitch catching him off guard, as reassuring in some ways as it was sexy.
She studied him intently, making Luke wonder what was going on in that beautiful head of hers. And she was beautiful. Even without much sleep, little makeup, and in hospital scrubs, Alexa Collins, with her gleaming chestnut hair, creamy skin and intelligent eyes, stood out. But it was more than her looks, though he liked staring at her. He enjoyed talking to her, too. And thinking back on their dancing had him itching to get his hands on the body he’d barely touched the night before.
“What happened when you caught sight of me?” He pressed her to continue because she’d invited him onto the dance floor. Because she’d let him get close enough to turn them both on. And because she’d agreed to have breakfast with him this morning.
The server had just set the check on the table, and Luke knew where he wanted them next. He just wasn’t sure she’d be on board. Then again, she’d been staring at him on and off throughout the meal, her interest as obvious as his. The chemistry was still there, alive and brewing with an intensity he’d never experienced, not in an ordinary setting like this diner. Hell, not in any place at any time. Something different was happening between them, and he wondered if she felt it too.
She bit into her lower lip, making him wonder if that fleshy portion was as soft as it looked. If she’d taste sweet like the maple syrup on her pancakes.
“When I looked at you, everything around me disappeared,” she said softly, her words more sugary than he’d hoped.
