Playboy Doctor (8 page)

"I assume the other men in the photo are your brothers," she ventured.

"Yes."

"You don't sound too happy about it." She couldn't help her pesky habit of always inquiring and so she asked, "Having trouble with them?"

Shayne gripped the mantel.

"Just one," he said without looking at her. "He took something from me. Something precious."

No potential for forgiveness lingered in his voice. Only anguish eclipsed his unforgiving tone. He said nothing more.

She wanted to go to him, reach out, but could tell by his ensuing silence he had reverted back to the cool, detached surgeon she'd already grown to know.

"I'm sorry," she told him.

"So am I." He turned and regarded her. The possessive hunger remained in his eyes, but she knew he wouldn't act on it. Not tonight. Probably never. Not when he'd already isolated himself emotionally once again. And for some reason, she mourned the loss.

* * *

Shayne made a point of rising extra early to get in a morning run on the beach. The evening's storms had given way to clear skies. A golden hue ascended from the horizon in a prelude to a spectacular sunrise. But he had too much on his mind to fully appreciate the view. Hopefully the exercise and fresh salt air would clear his thoughts.

And get Willow out of his system.

Whatever hold she had on him had to stop. Sleeping under the same roof last night made it all but impossible, especially after what happened between them. Last night, she'd been so giving of her trust when he'd carried her to safety from the broken glass. She'd been even more trusting when he kissed her. But once the reality struck about what they were doing, he'd promptly caged his desire—and admittedly his heart. He'd revealed too much of himself last night and couldn't let it happen again. Opening himself up to her had summoned up ghosts of his past.

He broke into a steady run along the ocean's edge, painfully aware he could never run from his troubles back in London. Blake's disloyalty had Shayne running from country to country to teach. His own brother had committed an unforgivable act.

Seeing the photo of himself with his brothers last night had ambushed him. The image in the frame reflected a happier time, which came to a crashing halt. Where love once resided among brothers, bitterness had slipped in and taken its place. The surprise attack on his emotions last night brought back the pain he tried to evade. And Willow had gotten caught in the crossfire. Something she didn't deserve.

With dogged determination, he'd said good night and left her there on the sofa. He had no excuse for the way he'd shut her out, except selfishness. Plain and simple. To lead her on in the first place had been unfair. He never should have drawn her into his world, nor alluded to the demons of his past, only to cast her aside. Having Willow witness a weak link in his steel-like armor ate at him. He'd worked hard to keep his private life just that... private.

Willing his legs to pump harder, Shayne picked up speed in his run. The resistance of sand dampened by last night's storms forced the muscles in his calves to stretch and strain. He pounded away at the shore. Each shearing force of impact helped him push through the torturous grief still battling through him. Perhaps he'd soon be rid of his dour mood.

A mile or so of beach later, he slowed his pace in a cool down before reaching the flat. He stripped off his sandy running shoes in the foyer, then entered deeper into the flat.

Only to be met with those killer blues eyes.

With coffee in hand, Willow had been leaning against the balcony, admiring the view before she looked up at him brightly. Her welcome made it easy to relax. There was a way about her, a calming sensibility she tapped into, which came in handy for a pediatric ER nurse.

She was dressed in scrub pants, but still wore his shirt, the shirttails tied into a knot at the waist. How on earth did she make scrub pants and a simple white shirt look so good? Puzzling, to say the least.

"Is everything all right?" Willow tilted her head just so. A gentle breeze toyed with her sun-kissed hair. She was like sea and sky. Light, airy, and fluid in her every move.

He was more than all right just watching her.

"I'm fine," was all he could utter to keep his wits about him. He tried not to think about how he'd claimed her mouth last night.

"I freshened up the best I could. But my scrub top had blood on it so it's too far gone to put back on. I have a spare at work, along with toiletries. I hope you don't mind if I wear this a little while longer. I'll have it laundered." She fingered the collar of the shirt that was buttoned up more respectfully this morning. Her eyes became distant, wistful, as though she drifted back to a different time.

To last night perhaps?

Just as quickly, her faraway gaze vanished.

"You're up early," she said in haste, then took a sip of coffee. "I thought I'd be long gone before you woke."

"I went for a run. Helps clear my mind." But this morning's workout did nothing to get Willow out of his head.

"Yes, I saw you." Her eyes stole a quick peek to his legs before she turned her attention back toward his face in an attempt to cover her action. But he caught the glimpse nevertheless.

"Coffee?" she asked. "I took the liberty of making a pot."

"I'd love some."

More importantly, he'd love to apologize to Willow for how he'd stolen those kisses from her. What a gentleman he turned out to be.

Willow turned from the balcony and sauntered past him. Attraction thickened the air. He groaned. Heaven help him, but he'd have to keep his physical reaction to her cordoned off if he were to get through this morning.

"I found a broom in a closet and cleaned up my mess in the kitchen," she said.

"I'm sorry about that."

"Oh, don't be. I'm the one who broke the glass."

"No, I mean, our kiss..."

Willow faltered but then recovered, saying nothing about it and returning to her cheery disposition.

"I'll get you a mug," she said, "You stay put on the rug. You don't want to walk in here without shoes just in case I missed any slivers. I'd hate for you to get hurt over my mistake."

He, too, would hate for Willow to be hurt over his mistakes. But he saw no other outcome if they were to continue on the path they started last night.

While she poured the coffee in the kitchen, Shayne respected her wishes and stood on the other side of the granite counter. He rested his forearms on the cool stone.

"Willow, what I'm trying to say is, last night, I took advantage. I never should have—" he reached for the right words.

"How do you take it?"

"What?"

"How do you take your coffee?" She pointed to the mug.

"Black."

"Yes, of course. Straight and to the point."

She plunked the mug down in front of him. She made no move to come around to his side of the counter. And he didn't trust himself to come around to hers.

But he wanted to. Didn't care if his feet ripped to shreds by any stray shards. He'd be willing to walk on a mountain of glass if it meant a chance at kissing her again, despite what his head told him. Didn't matter; she'd ordered him not to get any closer. Let's face it, her demand had nothing to do with broken glass.

He scratched at the nape of his neck. How could he possibly explain everything he'd been through in London, which left him abandoning his home and licking his wounds?

He couldn't.

"Speaking of straight and to the point," Willow continued, but paused to sip her coffee again. Was she hesitant to say what she had on her mind? "I don't want you to beat yourself up over last night. It happened. We stopped it. We're both adults and we have to be professional at the hospital. Last night could have made things... thorny."

Shayne appreciated the way she handled herself. He nodded, grateful the emotional drama would be kept to a minimum, sparing them both of the awkward aftermath of what had occurred.

"Willow, you are amazing—"

"No, please, you don't have to—"

"I mean it. Any man would be lucky to have you, but sometimes you think you want something, and it turns out it isn't what you really need. Life hands you a sudden change and you have to make tough decisions. Whether you like it or not, sometimes a seemingly good decision eventually turns out to be a mistake."

"Yes, a mistake. I know a little something about that. My ex-husband called our marriage a mistake. He decided he didn't want the life we'd built after all, and so he bailed. At least you're honest and upfront." She punctuated her statement by lowering her mug into the sink with a thud before escaping the kitchen and walking out the door.

* * *

Willow had the good fortune to have a full schedule for the day, which would keep her from freaking out over last night's interlude with Shayne. She'd be lying if she said her thoughts didn't drift back to his tender hold and sultry kisses more than once already. Okay, several times. And working side-by-side with him all day was a challenge now that she shared a little intimate history with him.

She had the good sense to keep her focus on the upcoming procedure, her second one of the day, ensuring the best care for her surgical patient. She had no time to wallow in the memory of last night, languishing around like a lovesick puppy. How could she when Shayne did as they agreed? He remained ever the professional around her, both in and out of the ER.

Well, most of the time.

Occasionally, when outside the watchful eye of other staff, she'd feel him stealing a peak at her. When she'd catch him in the act, he'd respond with a devilish smile. And showed not an ounce of shame.

Okay, so when he smiled at her, giddy tingles skittered along her spine. And okay, she couldn't help but grin right back. This was not what she'd had in mind when agreeing to behave like mature adults in the hospital.

When they worked together on their first surgical case earlier, assisting a CVT surgeon, Shayne expertly demonstrated his brilliance. As for her, she'd quickly remembered how much she loved surgery. With that one case under her belt, her confidence rebounded in the OR and she looked forward to number two.

Her second case right now involved a teen needing his heart repaired. A little more complex, but she welcomed the challenge. She'd given the best pre-op care, reviewing the teen's requirements and confirming all vital statistics were at proper levels for surgery. From scrub-in to close, she wanted to leave nothing to chance to ensure a smooth procedure for both the patient and Dr. Edwards.

In the OR, the surgery on the teen was going well until the assisting resident punctured an artery.

The overconfident resident made the fateful error while inserting a chest tube—right in front of Dr. Edwards.

The young patient lay on the surgical bed, his vitals diminishing from the bleeding. The resident stepped back, a look of surprise on his face. Dr. Edwards stepped in to tackle the bleeding. With strong features set, Dr. Edwards concentrated on correcting the resident's near-fatal error. The resident remained frozen behind him.

"You were too anterior," Dr. Edwards snapped at the young man, "you obviously never did this before despite your boasts. You should have asked for help. We'll discuss this in the lounge after I talk to the family. You're dismissed."

The resident cowered from the surgeon and scurried out.

As the scene continued to unfold before her, Willow remained outwardly calm despite her quickening pulse. She could do nothing but stand at the ready for instructions to assist in controlling the bleeding. Dr. Edwards called out orders to attending staff. Organized chaos ensued. While he directed the surgical team, Willow followed instructions, doing exactly what was expected of her.

Although Willow's heart raced at the crisis, she didn't give into the fear that the teen's life was on the line. Not with this surgeon who didn't lose his cool with the procedure as it grew more complicated by the minute. Despite his unforgiving reputation, never once did Dr. Edwards lash out at the rest of them as he performed under pressure.

But as for the cocky resident, who knew what disciplinary action was in store for him? She had no time to think of it.

Dr. Edwards worked with unflappable concentration until he finally clamped the artery. Endless heart-pounding minutes afterward, the patient was stabilized, and then later sent to recovery. As for Willow, she hoped she'd recover from the ordeal soon, too. A crisis like this would shake even the best nurse to her very core.

Shortly after, Willow left the OR, only to run into Shayne outside the door of the Call Room.

"That was some pretty fancy footwork," she offered to release the tension.

"Surely a HEPA violation lingered in there somewhere," Shayne said. "That resident will never touch one of my patients again. His arrogance could have cost the patient his life."

"He definitely lied when he said he'd performed the procedure before with a cardiothoracic surgeon. The residents do it all the time. Anything to squeeze in more surgical experience."

"Not in my OR. I won't stand for it. He managed to turn a straightforward VSD repair into a life-threatening situation."

"I think he expected to be beaten like a dog but he didn't expect a dismissal."

"And I didn't expect to have to save a teen's life. A true beating would have been good for him," Shayne replied with a smirk, his tone more at ease now that the crisis had passed. "We have no more procedures today, but I still have a few appointments. I'd like to take a moment with you later this afternoon. We have some unfinished business to discuss, Willow." Shayne's voice had lowered to throaty concern, but also seductive, which only made her contemplate his lips. The lips that had kissed her. Amazing how an adrenaline rush from crisis can bring out a women's sensuality.

"About deciding on Baby Jack's surgery?" she asked.

He cocked his head just so. The gesture only made him more handsome. Then again, perhaps the perilous ordeal they'd just endured made him all the more appealing.

"Willow, we need to talk more about last night. But right now, I've got a resident to flail. I'll come find you later." In a smooth gesture, he rested his hand on her arm, electrifying her skin. Shayne's eyes crinkled in a polite smile before he flew down the hall.