Ready for Marriage?: The Marriage Ultimatum / Laying His Claim / The Bride Tamer

‘‘Faye’s daughter Sissy is keeping her overnight since I’m on call,’’ he said tersely. ‘‘Who was that? And didn’t you ever learn you shouldn’t kiss a guy after a first date?’’

She fought back twin surges of jealousy and irritation. Mollie had never had a baby-sitter other than Kristin or Faye before. And what was he doing questioning her?

‘‘You’re getting really tiresome,’’ she told him. ‘‘How do you know that was our first date? As I know I’ve said before, I have no intention of telling you about the men in my life.’’ She lifted her chin and started to close the door in his face. ‘‘Now if that’s all you came by for, I’d like you to leave.’’

Derek slapped his palm flat against the door, easily preventing her from closing it. ‘‘Wait.’’ She heard him inhale a deep breath, then slowly release it. ‘‘Kris, just wait a minute.’’ He took a deep breath. ‘‘Can I come in?’’

She let a tense silence fall while she debated the wisdom of allowing him to enter. But finally, her desire for his company won out over common sense. ‘‘All right.’’ She stepped back and opened the door. ‘‘But one more question about anything that’s none of your business, and you’re history, buddy.’’

She hadn’t even turned on any lights yet, and the room was barely illuminated by a small crystal lamp whose base she had switched on before she left. She started to move away from him, but Derek caught her hand. ‘‘Kris?’’

‘‘What?’’ She avoided looking up at him. Her whole body was tingling with a vivid awareness of how close he was, her breathing coming ridiculously fast, her pulse hammering. Why couldn’t she have had this reaction when Rod kissed her? Derek had barely touched her and already he’d gotten more of a physical response from her than poor Rod had the entire evening.

It was a joke, she decided. A great big cosmic trick, that she would have such intense, serious hots for the one guy who absolutely didn’t want her.

Well, perhaps he wanted her, she thought, recalling that heated kiss in his kitchen, but he didn’t want to, which might be even worse.

Then Derek took her other hand and turned her toward him, and she forgot about everything else. ‘‘I’m sorry,’’ he said, and his voice rang with sincerity. ‘‘I didn’t come over here to fight with you.’’

She nodded once. ‘‘Apology accepted.’’ She hesitated. ‘‘So why did you come here tonight? It’s not exactly a prime visiting hour.’’

He smiled, clearly recognizing the conversational olive branch she was extending. ‘‘I was called in for an emergency this evening and I just finished. I don’t really know why I’m here. I just…came by.’’

He sounded as baffled as she felt. ‘‘All right.’’ She strove for normalcy despite the fact that he was still holding both her hands. ‘‘Would you like some iced tea? I made decaf yesterday.’’

He shook his head. ‘‘No tea.’’ His hands tightened as he pulled her closer. ‘‘Did you enjoy his kiss?’’

She stiffened immediately, averting her face, but he ignored her struggles, folding her against him and holding her there with disgusting ease.

‘‘I hope not.’’ His breath was warm in her ear, his voice a rough velvet rope twining around her and inexorably drawing her closer. ‘‘The first time I kissed you, you enjoyed it. So did I. I haven’t been able to think about anything but kissing you since then.’’ He cupped her cheek in one big hand and tipped up her chin with his thumb, and his eyes were dark and intense. ‘‘I didn’t come here for tea or talk, Kris. I came for your kiss.’’

Dear God. How was she supposed to resist an admission like that? She felt her resistance melt away as if it had never been, and she relaxed against him as he drew her even closer. She grazed the hard line of his jaw with her lips, loving the feel of his haven’t-shaved-since-morning stubble. ‘‘Then what are you waiting for?’’ she murmured.

His belly heaved with a silent laugh as he pulled her more securely into his arms and lowered his head. And then his lips found hers, and just like the first time, her whole body exploded into a sizzling, crackling whirl of heat.

This time, she was ready. This time, she lifted herself on tiptoe so that the hard ridge of his arousal fit snugly into the vee where her thighs met, and they both gasped at the exquisite sensation. Lightning exploded through her body, unerringly striking the sensitive flesh between her legs. Without thinking, she twisted against him, increasing the sweet pleasure.

Derek rolled his hips against her and his tongue echoed the thrust as he sought her response. He deepened the kiss, his powerful arms cradling her, one hand sliding down to cup her bottom and pull her even harder against him. She tore her mouth from his, gasping as her head fell back. He barely paused, simply transferred his attention to the slender line of her throat, and she felt his hot mouth tracing a fiery trail down over the slope of her breast. He cupped her breast in one hand and she cried out, arching in his arms as he rubbed a thumb roughly back and forth across her nipple.

And then, with no warning, he froze. His whole big body went rigid against her.

‘‘Derek?’’

In response, he lifted his head. One hand still held her clasped against him but the other fumbled at the back pocket of his pants until he’d extracted—

His pager. He peered at the number displayed, and she felt him heave a sigh.

Above her head, he said, ‘‘May I use your phone?’’

‘‘Sure.’’ Her legs were trembling as she stepped back, but he didn’t let go of her hand as he crossed the room, and she nearly stumbled as he towed her behind him.

He picked up the handset and punched in the number with his thumb, then leaned against the doorframe and pulled her to him again.

Bemused, she slipped her arms around his lean waist and put her head on his chest.

‘‘This is Dr. Mahoney,’’ he said into the phone, the deep tones of his voice rumbling in her ear. As he listened, he slowly straightened. ‘‘All right. I’ll be there in five minutes.’’

He set down the receiver and she felt him sigh again as he put his arm back around her. He rested his chin atop her head. ‘‘I have to go. Dog hit by car.’’

‘‘Anyone I know?’’ She strove for a normal tone, but inside her entire body was quivering with pleasure and happiness.

‘‘Doubt it,’’ he said. ‘‘New clients a month ago.’’ He leaned back and looked down at her, and even in the dim light she could see his serious expression. ‘‘Tonight changes things.’’

She regarded him soberly. ‘‘Does it?’’ She’d thought that after the first time he’d kissed her and look where that had left her.

‘‘Have lunch with me tomorrow? We can order in if you like.’’

‘‘How about I bring lunch?’’ she offered. ‘‘Would you like me to pick up Mollie or will you have time?’’

His expression changed, a small, private smile slipping over his features, and she felt something low in her abdomen contract sharply in response. ‘‘I’m not inviting Mollie,’’ he said. ‘‘She can join us for dinner like we planned. It’s about time you and I had the occasional meeting without a pint-size chaperone.’’

‘‘Oh.’’ It was hard to take a deep breath, and she hoped he couldn’t hear her heart pounding as if she’d just run a five-minute mile. She was very conscious of his hard, lean frame pressed against her, and she wondered why he seemed to be taking this all so in stride. ‘‘All right, then. I’ll meet you at the clinic.’’

‘‘Sounds good.’’ He dipped his head and pressed one short, hard kiss against her mouth, withdrawing and releasing her before she could respond. ‘‘Noon tomorrow. See you then.’’

‘‘See you then,’’ she echoed as he turned and strode to the door.

‘‘Lock it behind me,’’ he instructed before he pulled it shut behind him.

She rolled her eyes fondly as she crossed to the door. Then the full impact of his visit hit her, and her hands began to shake. She locked the door and sank down on the first step of the small landing that led to her second floor.

Had she dreamed what had just happened? Slowly she lifted her hand and touched her fingers to her lips. Derek had kissed her.

Again.

And it hadn’t been an impulse that he’d regretted the instant it had ended, either. He’d admitted as much.

A bubble of nervous laughter rolled up and slipped out before she could catch it. Good grief. If one little kiss did this to her…

Only it hadn’t been one little kiss. It had been several, and anything but small if the solid feel of Derek’s body pressed against hers was any indication. Her stomach fluttered as she relived the way he’d ground himself against her, the rasp of his thumb stimulating her nipple.

That page was probably the only reason she wasn’t lying naked on her living room rug right this very moment! The thought made her shiver again with helpless anticipation. She’d been practically mindless, responding completely to his touch and taste, overpowered by the reality that exceeded her girlish dreams of making love with Derek. In another minute, she’d have yanked her shirt up and out of the way and offered herself to him.

She dropped her face into her hands and blew out a frustrated breath. Her whole body was humming with arousal. It was a good thing she’d never known exactly how he could make her feel or she might have jumped him months ago.

No. She sobered immediately. Derek hadn’t been ready for her months ago. In fact, he hadn’t been ready for her a few weeks ago, when she’d first brought up the notion of changing their relationship.

Even tonight, he hadn’t sounded sure of his course of action. Even if his body knew exactly what it wanted, Derek was still trying to cope with the sudden shift of reality around him.