The Last Doctor She Should Ever Date (6 page)

‘Just go, Desere, before the press get a hold of this. You’re making things ten times worse. And, while you’re at it, stop interfering in my life. I don’t want to see you until final day. You got it? Go.’

Then she turned and stepped onto the boat without looking back.

He took the place next to her, the seating so tight he had full side-on contact with her body. Felt the simmering anger shake through her, the swell of her breast on every ragged intake of breath. Felt the touch of her knee against his, the pressing of her thigh. Inhaled her sweet smell. Angry, happy, everything he experienced was coloured with her. She even made the regulation navy coverall look sexy. Drove him nuts.

So, okay, maybe he could help her. Keep a satisfactory distance, but help, like a colleague would. Like he should have helped Tom. Yeah, like a friend would. It wouldn’t mean anything more, anything deeper. He’d help, then get the hell out.

She barely lifted her eyes to meet his, watched as each of the team scrambled, jumped or dived into the boat. ‘Bloody Desere. God only knows who else drank that stuff. Look at Jaxon. Doing stupid things.’ She craned her neck and indicated their star player, standing on the deck of the boat. Arms outstretched behind Manu, they were
doing a Titanic
, screaming, ‘My heart will go ooooon.’

‘So which one’s supposed to be Kate Winslet? I don’t think Manu’s got the ass for it.’

Underneath her frown Zac glimpsed the beginnings of a smile. The frosting was starting to melt. She nudged him. ‘Stop making me laugh. I’m trying to be cross with Desere. Indulge me.’

If only.

He took a chance to squeeze her hand under the folds of the nylon coverall, understanding that regardless of her brave face she must be hurting somewhere. Her sister had directly contravened the very rules Dani was trying to uphold. But she’d slammed her defences up and needed to feel in control. That was the kind of thing he did too. He got that. But understanding it didn’t help any. He just wanted to put a smile back on her face. ‘I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it. She doesn’t know how much this means to you.’

She pulled her hand from his grip. ‘Well, she should. Now stop with being nice. I’ve spent my life fighting Desere. It’s just business as usual. Don’t you have any siblings you fight with?’

‘Yes, a sister, much younger. We might have fought if I’d actually got the chance to spend any time with her. I was shipped off to boarding school when she was still in nappies. School became my family, my home.’ Where he’d met the guy he’d considered a brother to him’and then let him down so badly. Guilt sliced through him like a knife. He closed the door on that and focused on Dani. ‘Hell, I’m no expert on relationship skills.’

‘So we’re two of a kind, then, in more ways than one. You enjoyed boarding?’

‘Sure. I made a few good mates there.’

‘And yet your eyes are saying something else entirely.’

Damn, she was perceptive. He turned away slightly so she couldn’t read any more into it. He usually managed to keep a lid on things, and never shared his history past a brief overview. He skirted the subject. ‘What was it like at your school?’

‘Okay. I get the message. Keep out. I understand if you don’t want to go there. My need for privacy is way more than skin-deep too.’ She shrugged. ‘My school was okay. If it hadn’t been for the fact I was a Danatello and following in Desere’s footsteps. I had spectacularly glamorous stilettoes to fill, but I did learn a lot of extracurricular stuff.’ She raised her eyebrows.

‘Oh? You have skills in other areas?’ He leaned closer. ‘Show me sometime?’

‘Not likely.’ Her lips kicked upwards at the corners. ‘But you’ve already seen the photos.’

‘Lady Godiva...? You started all that extreme partying at school?’

‘Hard not to. A whole lot of rich celeb kids, way too much cash and little regard for authority. But that’s all behind me now. I’m a good girl.’

‘Sure you are.’ The memory of that kiss hovered between them like an invisible thread. Pulling, tightening. She looked up at him through thick black eyelashes and he saw the struggle there. The heat. So now would be a good time to bring the subject up. ‘What did Desere mean about the sex ban and
we can get round it
. You told her about the kiss?’

‘No.’ She glanced around warily, but the boys were distracted by putting on their overalls and finding their seats, and the hum of the engine masked their voices. ‘Of course not.’

‘The list, then? You’ve been fishing for suggestions?’

‘Get real, Zachary. You’re not the subject of my conversations.’ He guessed the tone was meant to deter him. But it ratcheted his attraction instead.

He grinned. ‘You know that whole bossy schoolmistress thing is kind of sexy.’

She put her fingers in her ears. ‘Not listening.’

‘I have an idea.’ Pulling one hand away he leaned into her ear. Inhaled the sweet smell of her shampoo. ‘We could play schools. I could be really naughty and you could give me ten strokes of the cane.’

‘Tempting...but not for the reasons you’re thinking.’

This was more like it. Sexy Dani. Feisty Dani. He hated that her family had such a subduing effect on her, and that she was still so hell-bent on getting their approval. ‘Or we could do hospitals. I could listen to your chest.’

‘We’re not going to play anything, Zac. Or do anything.’ Her voice held a warning, but her eyes...hell, her eyes told him exactly what she wanted’steel determination, warmth. Desire. Definitely to play. Definitely more. Everything.

Shaking her head, her shoulders rigid, she lifted her chin, just enough to show him she had complete control and meant business. ‘As gorgeous and irresistible as you may believe yourself to be I’m not in the market for anything. What we did was simply a temporary lapse of judgement.’

‘A temporary lapse? Hey, come on, you’re not issuing a press statement. How about you use words that actually mean what you’re feeling.’

And what was with these intense feelings of his own? Usually the kiss-offs left him with a sense of relief. Not growing frustration. Damn it, he did want to kiss her again. And he certainly didn’t want her to be ending it. His male pride was taking a bashing, along with something else’regret, perhaps? Something that made him feel like he’d lost a precious chance. Even though it had to be the best thing for them both. Hell, she’d said exactly what he’d been thinking.

Although his line had been more like
maybe sometime...
not
never again.

‘You’re right. I’m sorry. I forgot I was dealing with you. Small words.’ She looked into his eyes and gave him a smile suitable for a six-year-old. ‘Here’s the easy version, Zac. Kissing you was bad.’

‘Bad? Bad? I hardly got started.’ He sucked in air. ‘We could do a replay. See how really bad we could be?’

He watched as her whole body trembled and she bit the corner of her bottom lip. His gaze was drawn to the rich red colour they were today, how they were parted just an inch. Just enough to slip his tongue in. God, he wanted to be so bad with her.

‘In your dreams, sunshine.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Poor Zachary. Not used to being turned down? Women usually flocking to sleep with you?’

‘No...yes.’ However he answered he was on a hiding to nothing. ‘Let’s just say I have a high success rate.’

She laughed. ‘I bet you have. But I’m not going to be a notch on any bedpost. So save your energy for the two thousand condoms and your poor unsuspecting next conquest.’

The skipper began his health and safety talk and the boat purred out of the harbour. As they carved through the sparkling Hauraki waters she splashed water over him. At the sharp curve of the three-sixty-degree spin under the stunning iron harbour bridge she leaned forward so he’d get the full force of the spray.

When she tipped her head back and laughed she looked breathtakingly beautiful. If not a little wicked. Where the hell had the meek girl on the red carpet gone? Or the sexy woman in the lift? Dani was all kinds of everything, determined, feisty, vulnerable. And was getting too complicated and hard to resist.

As the boat docked he jumped to the decking and helped with the mooring rope. ‘And now you’re not even going to let me help you off the boat?’

‘I have feet. And a great sense of balance.’ She stepped off and ignored his outstretched hand. Two players bounded from behind her jostling and laughing, almost giving her an early ducking in the water. Next the team prop charged past carrying Jaxon on his back. ‘Ouch. Watch it!’

Zac grabbed her arm and pulled her into the shadows of a tall boatshed, into safety and out of the glare of the sun’and the waiting media. So close his nose nuzzled in her hair. That damned smell again. Drove him crazy. He kept his hand on her arm, stroked a finger along the bare skin. Felt her shiver in response. ‘So much for the balance. You sure you don’t want a replay? Later?’

‘Zac, d-don’t. We need to stop them, they’re doing piggyback races up the gangplank.’

Okay, so he grinned at the stutter. Nothing like a bit of sex talk to fluster a girl. The more turned on she became, the more the fire raged in his groin. The more he wanted to explore her. He laughed. ‘It’s fine. Let them unwind a little. Where’s your sense of fun?’

‘I’m saving it for the day after finals day. When I know I won’t be seeing you again. In the meantime we’re going to have to think of something to tell those paparazzi over there.’ She held out a pretend microphone. ‘Dr Price, why are the most highly paid rugby team in New Zealand behaving like a bunch of overgrown children on a sugar rush?’

‘Good that you asked that, Ms Danatello.’ Zac spoke into her fist. ‘It’s because their minders are contemplating having sex-free sex in the boatshed.’

‘Speak for yourself.’

‘In another life, another time, would you?’ He leaned in and whispered, ‘Because I would. No hesitation.’

She held his gaze. ‘I...I don’t know.’

But her eyes did the talking. He stood looking at her, mesmerised by the heat in her pupils. He wanted her too much, not just to bed’but more than that. More than he’d wanted any woman for a long time. When had this become so hot he didn’t know how to handle it?

Suddenly there was a roar of male voices that had him refocusing. ‘Doc. Dani. Can you help?’

His heart regulated as he dropped the play and dashed out to find the prop and Jaxon in a tangled heap on the floor.

CHAPTER SIX

‘I
F
YOU
HADN
’
T
been playing the fool we could have saved Jaxon from this. Saved him from himself.’ From their quiet corner sofa Dani pointed to the glum-looking lad sitting at the other end of the bar of their Rotorua hotel. His foot, although bandaged and elevated for three days, was still badly swollen. Guilt eked away at her. ‘A two-game stand down at least. I only hope it gets better before the semis’if we even get that far without him.’

‘And this is my fault how? He’s a grown man who makes his own decisions. I didn’t drop him on his ankle, then throw my one-hundred-and-twenty-kilogram body on it.’ Zac’s smile could have charmed the hardest of souls.

But she worked hard at not letting it get to her. ‘You should have had more control of them. Their behaviour was unacceptable.’

‘And we’re here now making sure none of them drink anything stronger than orange juice. Penance doubled. Besides, I was distracted.’ His gaze wandered over her mouth, down to her neck, then further to her open-neck blouse. His smile was all sex and promises.

Since the boat ride they’d settled into an unwritten state of eternal flirting. And she was all out of trying to be cross with him, trying to fight off the feelings that he aroused in her. She allowed a smile. It was fun. It was harmless. It never stepped over the line she’d drawn. ‘And so now it’s my fault?’

‘If only you’d stop looking good enough to eat.’ He lifted her knuckles to his lips and she stifled a gasp.

‘Zac!’ About that line she’d drawn... ‘Not here.’

‘No one’s looking, they’re playing cards. They can’t even see us in this dark corner.’ With a wicked grin he opened her palm and brought it to his mouth. Shock waves spiralled through her as he held her gaze. ‘Now, how about licking? All over. Starting here. You can tell me where to stop.’

‘Stop.’

‘Hey, play fair. I’ve hardly started.’

‘First, I’d like to have a conversation that doesn’t revolve around sex.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t usually lick people I don’t know very well.’

‘You know me. Zac. Doctor. Demon kisser.’

She frowned. ‘And yet when I ask about anything that’s deeper than a paper cut you change the subject.’

‘I do not.’ Now his tongue ran tiny circles over the tender skin on her palm. Heat coiled in the pit of her stomach, spreading down through her abdomen. The intent in his eyes was dangerous.

‘Stop the licking already.’

‘Okay.’ He wrapped her hand in both of his, took a steadying breath. For once he was serious. ‘What do you want to know?’

‘School. What’s the score? What happened?’

He visibly paled. A mix of emotions flitted across his face’the most real she’d seen him’no mask of sexuality or professionalism to hide behind. He looked raw and that socked her in the chest. ‘Nothing. It was a long time ago. I don’t talk about it.’

‘And now you do. See. Easy.’ At the blank look on his face she relented. Surprising that someone as bright and breezy as Zac had dark corners he didn’t want exploring. ‘Okay. Don’t worry, I get it. I don’t want the whole story’not if you don’t feel able to tell me. But let me in a little. Life’s not all about sex and lists....’

‘Aha.’ He looked relieved at the mention of the damned list. ‘But the list is now. We have now and we have tomorrow. After that...then the chaos begins.’

‘Jeez, Zac, do I have to spell it out? No talking, no list.’

‘You Danatellos drive such a hard bargain.’ He thought for a while’trying to gauge how much to tell her, she imagined. Shadows blew in behind his eyes. He looked lost. Not the gregarious funny guy she’d grown to care for. Confident Zac was struggling and she desperately wanted to help. Knew well enough that he wouldn’t accept anything from her. But there it was. She’d grown to care for him. Whatever that meant. ‘Try me.’

Zac’s eyebrows raised. ‘Okay. Short version. I had a good friend and I let him down. I should have been there for him and I wasn’t. It’s the only thing I’ve ever regretted.’

‘I know a lot about regret.’

‘And about living again.’ He brushed his hands down his jeans and stood, looked around the now empty bar. ‘Okay, that’s enough. This lot have cleared off. I think it’s time to get going.’

‘But...’

‘I said, enough.’ The shutters were back behind his eyes.

She’d pushed too far. Pried in places she wasn’t welcome. He needed space. ‘Sure. I’ll just see if there are any messages at reception before I turn in. See you in the morning.’

‘Sleep well, princess.’ He looked at her apologetically, then dipped his head towards her and placed a kiss on her cheek. It was such a sweet gesture’uncalculated and laden with a sadness that she’d unwittingly evoked in him’it tugged at her heart. So unexpected to see him like that’a glimpse into what made him so whole. If only she could stop him becoming so much more than a colleague. If only she could stop thinking about that damned list.

* * *

A loud buzzing jolted Zac out of a dream he didn’t want to wake up from. Involving him and Dani and lots of...oh, yes, lots of... He glanced at the LED clock display. One-thirty.

There it was again. Buzzing. His phone on vibrate? He grabbed it from the nightstand and squinted at the message.

Zac? Is Matt awake? D.

What the...? A text from Dani. At way too late...or early. The middle of the night.

He didn’t need to glance over to the huddle in the next bed. The loud stuffed-pig snoring told him that, after complaining too loudly and too long about his indigestion, Matt was away with the sleep fairies. Zac read the text again to decipher its meaning. Why did she want to know if Matt was awake? He tried to join the dots but the blood hadn’t made its journey back up to his brain.

Fact: she’d texted him. At bedtime.

No. He’s sleeping like a babe, why?

Why, indeed?

Hey, hey. A sudden rush of heat rebounded back to his groin. Surely there could only be one reason she’d text him at this time of night?

Good. I need you. Now. D.

Needed as in to kill a creepy-crawly? Needed as in she had an itch she wanted him to scratch? Holy moly. She wanted to play? Musical beds. What other reason would a woman want him for at this time of night? His imagination took over from where his dream had left off. Her blonde curls pooled over the pillow, long suntanned legs wrapped around his. Her shimmer-covered eyes closed, head thrown back, in a bed very similar to the one he was in. Less than ten feet away.

You sure, Dani?

Absolutely. Can you come now?

Whoa. He could. But for the small matter of the sex ban. If Davide or Matt found out he’d be crucified. His hand hovered over the phone keypad. Was this some kind of test? Her father trying to freak him out? Dani taking things up a notch?

Despite the playing, the flirting and the kiss, they’d both agreed on not taking this any further. Spending the night was way further and then some. Then she’d started asking questions he didn’t want to answer, probing deeper than he was prepared to go. Crazy thing was, he’d been tempted to tell her. But that would have been a step closer, allowing her in. He couldn’t risk his future on falling for someone like her. Someone who’d depend on him, who’d need him to be there. Someone who he’d inevitably let down.

But heck, the woman needed him right now. Who was he to turn down a cry for help?

Zac? PLEASE COME NOW.

Down, Tonto. He felt the hot sting of arousal intensify. Okay, plan A’he’d make sure she was safe, then he’d come back to bed.

Plan B’he’d make sure she was safe, talk to her about boundaries, make his stance clear. No ties. No commitment. Maybe fool around a bit, then come back to bed.

Anything to help out a damsel in distress.

He slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Sleeping Beauty. No sex didn’t mean no fun. They could have fun coming up with new things to add to the list. And Matt need never know. He could be out and back in a few...hours.

He carefully pulled open the drawer full of condoms. Safety first. Ribbed? Flavoured? Extra sensitive? Sure, he was a sensitive kind of guy. He grabbed a fistful of brightly coloured foil.

On my way, princess. Brace yourself. ;-)

Shucking on jeans and a hoodie he tiptoed to the door and creaked it open. The corridor was deserted. One glance towards her room had his heart pounding and mouth watering. The door behind him clicked closed. The noise echoed off the pale tea-coloured walls.

Shoot. He checked his hoodie pockets. Essentials: Phone. Check. Condoms. Check. Key? Damn. And now he was locked out.

His phone vibrated again.

Thank you, Zac. I’m in the bar. Come quickly. I can’t do this on my own.

What? His stomach tightened into a knot. Not bed? The bar?

Cursing, he stalked to the lift. Why was she still in the bar at this time in the morning? None of it made sense.

He punched the lift button to Ground.
I can’t do this on my own.
What did it mean? She was in trouble? And out of all the people on the team she’d contacted him. Either she trusted him, or she didn’t trust anyone else.

She was sitting at the bar wearing the same tracksuit as earlier, twiddling a beermat. Either she hadn’t bothered to leave the place or she’d come back for some reason. A bartender stood at the end of the bar, dishcloth in hand, wiping at a glass. Cheesy elevator music played in the background. It was like a scene from a seedy movie.

‘Dani, what’s going on?’

She pointed to the foils he’d stupidly kept in his fist. ‘Really? A woman asks you for help in the dead of night and you automatically assume she wants sex?’

He stuffed the condoms into his pocket. ‘She usually does.’

‘Sorry to disappoint you, Mr Hefner, but this is a boutique hotel in Rotorua, not Playboy Mansion....’

‘What are you doing here at this time of night?’

‘I was going to the gym for a work-out.’ She frowned. ‘Couldn’t sleep. Saw the light, heard the noise, a familiar voice.’

She swivelled on the stool and pointed to the unlit corner they’d been sitting in a few hours before. Through the dark Zac made out a shape. A large first-five shape. ‘And discovered we have a problem.’

‘Jaxon?’

‘Jaxon. We thought he’d gone up to bed with the rest of the team.’ She slipped off the stool and went to crouch at the player’s slumped side, took his pulse and counted his resps. ‘C.J., the barman, tells me he careered back in here a few hours ago cursing and shouting at first, disappointed with his two-game stand down. Seems he finished off the contents of his minibar and then came down here to continue his little binge. The booze has now started to work its magic. He’s been asleep for a while. Lucky for him I found him and not anyone else.’

A loud snore emanated from the player’s nose.

Zac bit back another curse. ‘Your father’s going to kill him.’

‘No, he isn’t.’ At his raised eyebrows she shrugged. ‘We’re not going to tell him.’

‘Like hell we’re not. The place is probably crawling with CCTV cameras. And see him, there? C.J.? One word from him and it’ll be all over the papers. We need transparency and honesty. And a good PR firm.’

She shook her head. ‘No. We’ll have to take a risk on the cameras. C.J.’s agreed to keep quiet. For a small sum.’ She’d got it all worked out. Bribery, lies and manipulation. Another normal day in the Danatello household.

‘So we pretend this never happened? Keep it from Mr I-don’t-like-secrets? Great. Fabulous. I’d prefer a
walk away and pretend I’d never been here
kind of plan.’

She lifted her head and threw him the kind of look his mother used to give him when he’d disappointed her. Again. ‘Oh, of course. Forget poor Jaxon. You need to keep your job. Right?’

‘Why do you say it like it’s some kind of dirty sin? I’ve lived and breathed hard work to get to this. With a lot of consequences.’ And he didn’t feel much like explaining any more.

He blew out a breath. Things had been going so well. The future had finally looked bright. A great job. If the team won, the bonus he’d receive would be awesome, enough to make things stable for another few years. Enough to make him believe that some good had come out of what had happened.

Dani wound her hair round her finger. Something he hadn’t seen her do for a while. When he put his hand on hers she gave him a small smile of thanks. Wrapped her fingers into his. ‘Please think about this, Zac. You can’t let one small slip-up affect Jaxon’s career. The problem is, he’s too rich, has far too much pressure on those young shoulders and now has too much time on his hands to brood. He needs help, not the sack. Come on, you’re a doctor, you can see what he needs.’

‘Below the belt, Dani, appealing to my professional nature.’

She blinked. ‘It’s true though. Medicine’s about so much more than physical healing.’

‘Yeah and we can get him some good help. Above board. But management need to know about this.’

She shook her head. ‘Do they? It’s one minor transgression that no one need know about. Didn’t you ever do something you regretted?’

Hell, yes. Did she have to needle him right where it hurt? ‘This isn’t about me.’

‘You know what will happen if Daddy finds out. Don’t ruin the rest of his life.’

‘And this is more about you than about him.’ About her experiences, which she shouldn’t be bringing into a clinical picture.

‘I’m trying to protect him from the kind of thing that happened to me. It’s not nice. You should try it sometime.’ Her shoulders lifted and she ripped the beermat up and threw the pieces over the stained table. ‘You want to know what it’s like to be scrutinised and found wanting? For your life to be in bits? For everyone to see you naked on the front page?’

The tone in her voice changed; anger softened with pain pierced his heart. She’d been through hell. Plain and simple. When the world had laughed at her, no one had given a thought to how much it hurt.

‘If we cover this up and Davide finds out, he’ll sack the lot of us. We’re walking a tight line here.’ Even hearing his words made him cringe. And hell, when it came down to it he’d been in a similar situation before. When doing the right thing for one person meant the abjectly wrong thing for someone else.