He had been trying to make some kind of point with this kiss, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember what it was. Her breasts tightened and ached. Heated desire coiled like a snake in her belly. Her mind swam, fuzzy, dazed, flustered.
Wait a minute. She didn’t get flustered and most especially not from some guy simply kissing her. She was immune to such nonsense. She didn’t believe in romance and she didn’t cave in to runaway lust. Not her. No, sir. She was strong. She was in control. All she had to do was stop kissing him and pull away.
Nah-Nah! rational voice crowed triumphantly and resumed control, shoving impish voice roughly back into her corner. Take that you shameless hussy.
Janet wrenched her mouth from his and stared him right in the eyes. His expression was one of awestruck wonder.
Peachy. Just peachy.
The last thing she needed was to be responsible for that look in his eyes. Like he had stumbled onto a gold mine.
I don't wanna go, impish voice whimpered in one last protest.
Too bad. You’re outta here. Rational voice gave her the boot.
“Wow,” Gage whispered. “Wow.”
Janet dropped her gaze, her mouth still stinging from the pressure of his lips, her head still spinning, her thoughts a crazy jumble. What was she going to say to him now?
Their lunch arriving solved her problem.
“Who had the tuna melt?” the waitress asked, holding plates in her outstretched hands. “Or would you rather I left you two alone for a little while longer?”
“Here!” Janet raised her hand. “I had the tuna.”
The waitress plunked down their food and promised to bring drink refills before turning away.
“Get on your side of the booth.” She pushed his club sandwich to the opposite end of the table.
“I’m not going until you admit you like me.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
“Stubborn.” Gage shook his head. “Don’t tell me I’m going to have to kiss you again.”
“Don’t even think about.” She brandished her fork. His kiss, no matter how mind-altering, would not change her attitude about their relationship.
6
She wasn’t getting romantically involved with him. No way, no shape, no how.
“But we’re going steady,” he teased.
“Just eat your sandwich.”
“Okay.” He winked. “But don’t think you’re getting off the hook that easy.” Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Gage felt like bashing his head against his desk.
He had gone and done it again. Rushed to save someone without a single thought to the consequences. When would he ever learn?
Gage blinked at the stack of patient charts in front of him and tried to focus on the task at hand. Janet had left to orchestrate inoculations at the Well Baby clinic in a poor section of Houston, and she would be out of the office for the rest of the week, promoting her preventive medical care programs. Thank heavens she had gone, taking her killer body, her spellbinding blue eyes, and her intoxicating scent with her.
But no matter how hard he tried to concentrate, Gage’s mind kept wandering back to lunch when he had inadvertently become Janet’s steady beau.
Okay, all right, it hadn’t been so inadvertent. Secretly, maybe he wanted to go out with her, and he had known she would shoot him down if he had simply asked for a date. But obviously, he had goofed up. Royally. In hindsight, telling Mrs. Hunter that he and Janet were dating probably hadn’t been one of his better ideas.
And kissing Janet in the restaurant had definitely been a mistake. He had kissed her just to prove a point, but he had forgotten what in the heck that point had been and found himself swept away by the chemistry surging between them.
Not to mention her powerful response. And what a response it had been! Even now, Gage ran a hand along his mouth, remembering.
Oh, yeah. Whether the headstrong lady wanted to admit it, she did like him.
At least sexually, if no other way. His blood heated at the thought of making love to her.
Heated and boiled over.
Groaning, Gage kneaded his forehead with two fingers. Having a tête-à-tête with one’s coworker was not a bright idea. What had he been thinking, anyway?
The truth? He hadn’t thought things through. He had simply acted on instinct.
Again.
As he had when he’d married his ex-wife.
In college, he and Pauline had been study partners, nothing more. When Pauline had gotten pregnant and the baby’s father had run out on her, she had turned to Gage for a shoulder to cry on? He had been there for her and it felt good to help.
Then her parents had kicked her out. She had nowhere to stay, no money to finish college on. Her despair had cut him like a blade. The next thing he knew, he was asking her to marry him.
For seven weeks, he had been prouder than proud. He had done a good thing. He moved Pauline into his little one-bedroom apartment just off campus. He had been a thoughtful husband—cooking, cleaning, taking care of the household chores. And he was going to be a daddy, a prospect that thrilled him like nothing else ever had. If he and Pauline weren’t in love, well, was that really so important in the big scheme of things?
Once, he’d thought not.
Now he knew better.
Pauline had miscarried, and Gage had quickly discovered that love was very important indeed. Without the baby gluing them together, the loveless marriage crumbled.
After that sad experience, Gage swore that nothing short of genuine love would lead him down the aisle again.
It didn’t take a Freudian psychiatrist to pinpoint where he had derived his caretaking tendencies. His mother had been sick during a large part of his childhood. In fact, her illness was the reason he’d given up acting in commercials.
Not that Gage regretted his lost career. He’d loved looking after his mother. His father, a brilliant Hollywood plastic surgeon, had loved his wife deeply, but he buried it beneath his burgeoning medical practice.
Although there had been a
