Medical Romance June 2016 Books 1-6

“Why?” A challenge in her brown eyes joined that single word.

“For the reasons we just talked about outside, Gabriella,” he said quietly, hoping she’d understand. “You deserve so much more than someone like me can give you. I’m leaving soon, and I don’t want to be another man who disappoints you.”

“You can’t disappoint me if I’m not expecting anything.” Her fingers slid up the front of his jacket to grasp his neck again, on up to trace his jaw and cheekbones, and even that simple touch made him want her even more. “You’ve made me see that I’ve been living in a cocoon this past two years. Hiding. But unlike you’ve had to do in these past weeks, I haven’t been hiding from outside forces. Haven’t been hiding because someone asked me to. I’ve been hiding from myself, and now I know it’s time to change that.” Her eyes softened, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “Being with you tonight is all I want. Breaking out of my shell to enjoy just one more incredible night with an incredible man. Is that so much to ask?”

He didn’t even realize he’d wrapped his arms around her until his hold tightened and he couldn’t make himself let her go. He warred with himself about the right thing to do. “Gabriella—”

She rose on tiptoe and buried her hands in his hair. Pulled his mouth to hers for a kiss so long and sweet and hot it fried every last working brain cell he had left.

He somehow broke the kiss and stared into her beautiful eyes. “You promise you won’t regret it when I leave? That you won’t feel hurt that I can’t stay?”

“I won’t regret it. I won’t be hurt. Unless you walk away this second. In which case I’ll have to become like autocratic Rafael Moreno was the first day we met and ‘take control of the situation.’”

How a woman’s eyes could be amused, sensual, and flashing all at the same time he had no idea, but it was an irresistible combination. He loved how Gabriella made him smile and laugh and want her so much he ached. “You already know I hate to give up control of any situation, mi ángel,” He touched his mouth to hers and began to walk her backwards ten feet down the hallway to his own door. “So how about we take control of it together?”

“I like that idea a lot.”

And with that she plastered her body close to his, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, which was so distracting he had a hard time remembering in which pocket he’d stuffed his room key. “Can you wait for just two seconds while I find my key?”

“I don’t know. But I’m happy to help you look.”

She peppered kisses on his face at the same time she put her hand caressingly into his pants pocket, obviously looking for something other than his room key, and he laughed then nearly moaned.

“I’d never have dreamed that charming midwife Gabriella Cain could be such a vixen.” Thank God he finally found the key in his jacket pocket, because she was driving him crazy and they were both still fully clothed. He shoved the door open and nearly stumbled as he backed her inside because now that they weren’t in a public hallway and he’d abandoned all worries of hurting her, he couldn’t get his hands and mouth on her fast enough.

“I’ve never been a vixen, I don’t think.” She pushed his jacket off at the same time he was unzipping hers. “Apparently, you bring her out in me.”

“I’m about to show you what you bring out in me. Didn’t you say you felt like Cinderella at the charity ball? I think I may be turning into the Beast.” And while it was a joke, it wasn’t far from the truth. He’d already stripped off her sweater and was in the process of unbuttoning her pants, and couldn’t remember a time he’d felt as desperate to make love with a woman as he felt right now.

“You’re mixing up your fairy tales. But since you are a prince, I guess that’s okay.”

She lost him on the conversation because he’d gotten her pants off and he took a moment to look at her, holding his breath at the vision before him. At her slim body, her luminous eyes, her hair a little tousled and her beautiful lips parted. He reached to unclasp her bra and as she stood there in near-naked perfection, he felt humbled. Incredibly lucky to be the man she’d chosen to break out of her shell with.

“Gabriella.” He drew her close and kissed her, drinking in the taste of her and the sweetness of her, then scooped her up against his chest. A couple of steps to the bed and he’d deposited her in it, stripping off the last of his clothes to slide in next to her, loving the feel of her skin against his.

He captured her wrists in his hands and raised them above her head, letting his other roam in a gentle touch over her breasts and down her ribs as his mouth captured her nipple.

“I guess you were serious about taking control.” She gasped. “How can I touch you if you’re holding my hands?”

“Later. First, I want to make you feel good.” So good, so special for her that she’d never feel regret. Just memories of what it had been like between them, which he knew he’d never forget.

He moved his mouth back to hers, slipping his hand between her legs to feel the wetness there, caressing her for long minutes, and with any other woman he might have joined with her right then. But this was Gabriella, and he wanted to touch her all night. Could listen to her little moans forever as she writhed and gasped, but finally her hands broke free of his hold and she reached for him.

“I thought we agreed we were going to share control tonight, hmm?” she said, grasping and stroking him until he was the one moaning.

“Take pity on me, bella. The truth is I have little control around you.”

He could feel her smile against his lips. “That’s what I like to hear, Dr. Moreno. And remember how I said I was a Girl Scout? Always prepared?”

He laughed when he saw she had a condom in her hand, and where she’d grabbed it from he had no clue. Didn’t care either, because after she slid it in place she rose up and sheathed herself on him. Rafael had never seen anything so beautiful in his life as this woman moving gracefully above him, looking down at him through eyes shining with the same intense desire that clawed into his very soul, leaving him weak. He held her hips, moving faster, wanting to see her expression as she came undone. When she did, arching her back and crying out, he was again filled with awe that he’d been privileged enough to be the one to put that look of ecstasy on her face. Then he followed her with his own cry of rapture as he gathered her close to his pounding heart. A heart he knew would never be quite the same again.

* * *

Rafael awoke to the feel of a slender shoulder pressed against his collarbone and a round, firm bottom spooned against him, and instantly began to harden at the sweet sensations and memories of last night’s incredible lovemaking. Never had he experienced something so beyond the physical with a woman. Something that had demanded engagement from his heart and mind and soul every bit as much as his body.

He softly kissed Gabriella’s hair, the hair he so loved to look at and touch. The golden fire that was such a part of who she was both inside and out, feisty and angelic, determined and dazzling. He moved his lips to the soft curve behind her ear, which he’d learned was a sweet spot she particularly enjoyed him kissing, but she didn’t stir. Apparently she felt as worn out by their time together as he did. Worn out by the emotion of sharing their secrets with one another as much as their late-night lovemaking.

Finally hearing her story about her ex had been satisfying. Not completely, because he had a feeling there was more to the story than she’d wanted to talk about last night. But knowing she’d trusted him enough to share at least part of the reason she confessed she’d hidden away the past two years felt good. He wanted to be the person she danced with in the sunlight now that she’d decided to come out to play.

But he couldn’t be that person, couldn’t risk hurting her, and that reality blasted his sense of triumph to smithereens. He wouldn’t be here for her. Couldn’t be her forever love, because such a thing didn’t exist.

He tucked her warm, captivating body closer, closing his eyes to breathe her in, and the ache in his chest told him one thing for certain. At least one person would hurt like hell when he moved on from L.A., and it would be the first time in his life that ending a fling would make him feel anything but guilt or relief.

The muffled tones of his cellphone had him searching for it in the bed, finally finding it when he slid his hand beneath Gabriella’s pillow. This time she did stir, and his good morning murmur in her ear got cut off in mid-word when he saw who was calling.

His brother.

What could he possibly want? His brother’s life was full of responsibilities that Rafael was more than happy to not have. Also more than happy that his brother rarely called, because when he did it was usually to scold him for embarrassing the royal family, as if it wasn’t enough to hear it from both his mother and his father.

He nearly ignored the call, but finally swung his feet to the side of the bed and stood, striding to the bathroom so as not to disturb Gabriella. “To what do I owe the honor, Alberto?”

“Unfortunately, I have bad news. Mother has had a heart attack, and you need to come home right away.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

GABBY DID HER best to focus on work but, despite repeatedly yanking her attention back to her job, she kept making silly mistakes. Thankfully none had been too important, but still. How often did she normally drop things? When was the last time she’d walked into the storage room before completely forgetting what she’d needed? It had happened twice already. And giving a patient still water when she’d asked for sparkling...? Never.

And she knew it was because Rafael and his family were weighing on her mind. When he’d told her he had to leave and why, he’d sounded very matter-of-fact, but she knew him now. Knew that behind that suave and confident exterior was a man with a sensitive heart who cared passionately for others. No matter what he’d said about his family, about his conviction that they were disappointed in him, that he’d let them down when he’d decided to take a different path than what they’d planned for him, she could see he wasn’t indifferent to it. That he cared about that more than he’d ever let on. And when she’d looked into his eyes after he’d told her his mother was ill, the calm mask on his face hadn’t concealed the worry in his eyes.

Of course he’d been worried. No matter what kind of relationship anyone had with their parents, they were still important. Still loved.

She stared, unseeing, at the tray of supplies in her hands. Love. Such a complicated and confusing thing. She’d been so sure she’d loved Ben, had made a baby with him and had been planning to marry him. But now? Now she knew the truth. That it had all just been easy. They’d dated, he’d seemed like a good, stable man, and when she’d gotten pregnant had figured it was time to get married. Wasn’t that what most people would have done?

But she’d never really loved him.

She knew that now. Knew because she was crazily in love with Rafael Moreno. Arrogant prince, excellent doctor, and tender lover. The knowledge balled her stomach, and her heart swelled at the same time it pinched tight. How had she let herself fall in love with the man? A notorious playboy, an international jet-setter who didn’t stay in one place very long, and a man who freely admitted he didn’t believe in forever-after love.

Truth was, though, she couldn’t blame herself. It hadn’t been a question of letting herself fall for him. It would have been like trying to stop an ocean wave as she swam in the Pacific, because Rafael was a force of nature every bit as mesmerizing and powerful.

She loved him. And when he’d kissed her goodbye, she’d known there was a good chance he might never be back.

The ball in her stomach rolled and her knuckles whitened on the tray, but she lifted her chin as she picked up her pace down the hallway. Somehow she had to focus on what she did best, which was work. It wasn’t Rafael’s fault she’d fallen so hard for him. If he called to report back about his mother, which he’d promised to do, she’d do everything in her ability to listen like a friend would and not let him know how much she missed him. How much she hoped he’d come back to L.A., but at the same time part of her hoped he wouldn’t.

The love, the connection she felt with him seemed huge and overwhelming and uncontrollable. But the thought of having a real relationship with someone again? Something more than the short fling she’d decided to allow herself with him? Just the idea of it scared her to death.

“Why do I even care, Freya?”

Gabby hesitated at the sound of Mila’s upset voice, not wanting to walk by the open lounge door while she was obviously having a personal conversation. “He already broke my heart once—shouldn’t that have been enough to make my feelings turn to stone where he’s concerned?”

“We can’t just turn our feelings on and off like a faucet, Mila,” Freya said in a soothing tone. “It’s okay to feel the way you do.”

“I mean, it almost seems like he’s flaunting his new girlfriend, doesn’t it? Like he’s deliberately waving her in my face to upset me.”

“I think James...well, he might be having his own struggles, Mila. He’s never been one to let emotions control him, you know? Maybe his behavior is some unconscious reaction to seeing you again. I don’t know what else to say, except you should tell him what you just told me and give him some time to think about it.”

Now tearful, Mila continued to talk, and Gabby pivoted, deciding to go back the other way so as not to embarrass her. Her already aching heart hurt a little more, feeling bad that Mila was so upset. Why did life have to be so hard? Why did love have to hurt?

Giving your heart to someone made you horribly vulnerable, she knew. So where, exactly, did that leave her when it came to Dr. Rafael Moreno?

* * *

Everyone walking the hospital hallways drifted toward the walls to leave an open path as Rafael strode through, murmuring to one another and bowing as he passed, and his lips twisted at the sure sign he was home. He’d grown up with that kind of deference. Hadn’t really even noticed it until he’d left the country. Now most people just saw him as a doctor, and it struck him how much he greatly preferred that to this kind of respect, based only on his birthright and not his accomplishments.

Something his parents and brother still didn’t understand.

He pressed his lips together and forged on until he got to his mother’s room. Then surprised himself when he had to stop outside it to inhale long calming breaths, fighting for composure. It wasn’t as though he didn’t practically live in hospitals. Between medical school and residency and working around the world, doing basic medicine and not the specialized obstetrics he did elsewhere, he’d seen thousands of sick people. Had seen plenty of them die. Had seen patients make miraculous recoveries too.

But none of them had been his mother.

Yes, she aggravated him, insulted him, berated him and lectured him. But she was still his mother and, damn it, he loved her. She’d been so angry about the recent press brouhaha and the various photos and lurid details, half of which had been made up, and he wasn’t proud of the things he’d said back to her when she’d scolded him about it. He couldn’t remember what they were, exactly, but he knew his words had hurt her feelings.

All that felt pretty unforgivable now that she was lying in a hospital bed in Intensive Care. Even though her heart attack had been fairly mild and the prognosis was good, he also knew things could go downhill fast.

Bracing himself, he forced his feet to go through the doorway. Then stood feeling slightly off balance at the end of the hospital bed, gripping the railing tight, because the pale woman hooked up to machines, with an I.V. in her arm and an oxygen hose in her nose, didn’t look like his mother at all. She looked a good ten years older than the last time he’d seen her, and in that very second he vowed to never let so much time go by again between visits.

He swallowed hard then looked past the scary things to the one thing that seemed normal and familiar. Her hair was remarkably well coiffed and tidy for someone lying in the ICU after a heart attack, and it helped him manage a smile. Yes, this woman was his mother after all. The vain queen of the land who was always perfect and regal from head to toe.

Her eyelids flickered open and took a moment to focus on him. Then she smiled and slowly extended her hand. “Rafael.”

The heavy tightness in his chest loosened at the way she said his name. At the way her smile, weak as it was, lit her tired eyes. He quickly stepped around the bed to grasp her hand. “Hi, Mother. Your hair looks nice. I’m surprised, though, that you’re not wearing lipstick.”

Her smile widened into a slightly wheezy chuckle. “Had one tucked under my pillow, but I think the nurse took it when they changed the sheets.” The squeeze she gave his hand was weak but stronger than he’d expected, and he began to relax.

“Isn’t this a rather drastic way to get me to come home?”

“You make me do drastic things. You’ve been like that since you were a little boy, and you’re apparently never going to change, even if it kills me.”

“And apparently you aren’t going to change either, scolding me while flat on your back in a hospital bed.” Her acerbic tone was that of the queen and mother he knew well, but her eyes held a new vulnerability that made him feel guilty as hell for all the things he’d done wrong in his life that had caused her anxiety and stress. He leaned over to kiss her cheek. “I checked all your test and lab results. Has your cardiologist been in to talk to you about it?”

“Yes. But I’d like to hear what you think.”

She wanted to hear what he thought? Since when? “You have some mild blockage in your right coronary artery. They’re going to do angioplasty to cross through the area that’s narrowed by cholesterol plaque, and put in a stent to bridge that narrowing. The procedure has been done for years now, and results are usually good. So, assuming it goes well, you should be your old, bossy self soon.”

“I’m never bossy. I’m simply assertive and direct.”

“Rafael!”

He turned at the sound of his father’s booming voice to see him striding into the room. Unlike Rafael’s mother, he looked exactly like he always did, posture erect and the picture of health with his skin tanned from golfing and his silver hair thick and wavy. But his eyes held a worry Rafael had never seen before.

His father’s arms enfolded him in a hard hug. “What do you think about your mother? Is she going to be all right? Is what they want to do a good idea? I’ve talked to the doctors here, but I trust you to know what’s really going on.”

Rafael stared at him in shock. Again, this was entirely new. He couldn’t remember the last time they’d trusted him about anything, let alone his doctoring skills.

“I was just explaining the test results to Mother.” He repeated what he’d told her, and as he stood there, beyond surprised at the intent interest on both his parents’ faces as he spoke, Gabriella’s words came back to him. Saying that he should talk to them, should share how he felt about their opinion of him. He’d told himself for years he didn’t care if they respected him or not. But the peculiar mix of emotions filling his chest as he stood there looking at them told him loud and clear he’d been lying to himself.

Maybe Gabriella was right, and it was time to see if the air could be cleared between them, at least a little. “But I have to be honest. I’m surprised you’re asking my opinion. You’ve expressed nothing but disappointment that I decided to become a doctor.”

“I admit we wanted you to stay here and help your brother with various royal duties, but when you became a doctor? That wasn’t a disappointment, Rafael.” His father grasped his shoulder in a strong grip. “We were proud of you.”

“Always, Rafael. And I’m sorry we never really told you that,” his mother said. Her eyes held some look he couldn’t be sure of—guilt, maybe? Contrition? “As I’ve been lying here, I’ve thought about you. Realized that perhaps we’ve been wrong to object to you living your life the way you want to.”

“I’m sorry, too,” his father said. “In case you don’t know, your mother regularly brags about your work. When she’s not apologizing for the stupid things you do sometimes, that is.” His father’s grin took any sting out of his words, and he squeezed Rafael’s shoulder before releasing it to hold his mother’s hand tight. And when his parents’ eyes met both were filled with softness, an obvious connection that he’d never seen between them before.

That rocked him back on his heels as much as what they’d just said. They were proud of him? Even bragged about him? He found it nearly impossible to believe, but it was becoming clear he’d been wrong about a lot of things, so maybe it was really true.

His mind filled with a vision of Gabriella and her insight about his family that he hadn’t truly thought was a real possibility. Insight that had been pretty incredible, since she hadn’t even met his parents. She’d figured out something in just a few minutes of conversation with him that he hadn’t seen in thirty-one years.

She was one special woman, no doubt about that. Someone who understood human nature in a way he was obviously still trying to figure out, which was just one reason she was an amazing midwife.

Just one reason why he’d been so attracted to her that very first day they’d met.

A need to talk to her that moment, to call her and tell her he’d taken her advice, had him opening his mouth to tell his parents he’d be back in a short time when a nurse came into the room.

“Time to check your vital signs, Your Majesty,” she said, before coming to a dead stop to stare at Rafael.

A good excuse to make his exit. “Then I’ll leave you for the moment, Mother. I’ll be back in a little while.”

He scooted past the nurse, who still hadn’t moved, on down the long hallway to an exit door so he’d be sure to get a good signal on his phone. Just the thought of hearing Gabriella’s voice made his chest feel lighter than it had since the second his brother had called him in Vail.

* * *

Gabby wandered restlessly out of her kitchen with a cup of tea in her hand and plopped onto her sofa. The sofa where she’d made amazing love with Rafael, and thinking of it made her breath short and her heart heavy. If she was going to feel this way every time she sat on it, she might have to sell it and buy a new one. Something a completely different style and color. Maybe rearrange the whole room while she was at it.

Then again, her memories of being in Vail with him—their hot-air balloon ride, their intimate conversation beneath the stars, their lovemaking there too were all etched in her mind forever. And since being hundreds of miles away from Colorado didn’t seem to be doing much to dim those memories, rearranging her living room probably wouldn’t help much either.

She grabbed the TV remote and skimmed through some channels, not finding much that grabbed her attention. Why hadn’t she taken on a third shift instead of just a double to keep her mind occupied? To keep her mind off Rafael and his mother and wondering how she was and if he was upset and if he’d ever come back to Los Angeles.

Wondering if she’d ever hear from him again.

If she did, she’d try to act normal. Cool. Like the kind of woman he usually dated, who didn’t expect anything more than a quick fling. Not that she did expect more than that, or even wanted more than that, and had to somehow make sure he knew that, but still.

Lord, she was a confused mess. She sighed at the same time her phone rang and her heart nearly flipped over in a loop-the-loop when she saw it was him on the line.

“Is your mom okay? Are you okay? Is everything all right? Where are you?”

She winced even as the last words were coming out of her mouth. So much for being calm and cool.

“I’m at the hospital. I’ve just left Mother for a bit and am glad to say she’s doing well. They’ll be doing an angioplasty later today, and hopefully that will go smoothly and she’ll be heading home soon.”

“That’s wonderful news! Thanks so much for letting me know. I’ve been so worried.”

“I knew you would be, bella, because you care about everyone, even people you’ve never met. In fact, I have to tell you I took your advice and I’m impressed with your amazing insight. How is it you understand the inner workings of my parents’ brains when you don’t even know them?”

“What do you mean? What advice?”

“You told me you thought I must be wrong about them not being happy that I became a doctor. And you were right. I just about fell over when they were asking my opinion about Mother’s health and the upcoming procedure, and decided then to ask them, to tell them my perspective on it. Only because you’d suggested I do, so I thank you for that. They assured me they aren’t unhappy that I became a doctor, and I suspect my relationship with them will be a little less...turbulent now.”

“Oh, Rafael. I’m so glad you did.” She’d known his parents had to be proud of who he was. How could they not be?

“Me too.”

Gabby bit her lip, feeling the silence stretch awkwardly between them but not wanting to say anything that showed how much she’d been missing him. Definitely didn’t want to ask what his plans were, and prayed he’d tell her so she wouldn’t have to either ask or stay anxiously in the dark about it.

“Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update,” he said, his voice low and warm and not all that different from the way it had sounded when they’d made love, and she quivered in spite of herself. “I’m not sure exactly when I’ll be back. I’ll be staying here at least until she’s stabilized from the procedure—I’ll let you know how that goes.”