“I hope so.” Cameron sighed, and this time it sounded less worried and more dreamy. “Rafael’s the sweetest, isn’t he? Just wonderful. Gorgeous. Edible.”

Edible? Apparently, Gabby wasn’t the only one who’d had that passing thought. Then immediately had a vision of Cameron nibbling on the man’s sexy lips. Lips she couldn’t deny any woman would like a taste of.

Was Cameron planning on making a play for him once she was out of the hospital? Gabby had to wonder if he’d be more than happy to take the A-list actress up on anything she might offer. Then again, she’d just given birth, so they wouldn’t...

She drew herself up short and stuffed down those ridiculous and plain awful thoughts. What in the world would make her start thinking about the sex lives of either one was beyond her. She didn’t do relationships anymore. Sex either, and maybe that was why it had come to mind at all. It had been a long time and, hey, she was only human, right? What warm-blooded woman wouldn’t think about sex at least briefly when sharing the same air as Rafael Moreno?

Thankfully, the man entered the room at that moment, so she didn’t have to respond to Cameron’s comment. Or maybe she wasn’t thankful, because her wayward thoughts sent her gaze straight to his lips and, yes, she couldn’t deny they looked very edible indeed. She quickly moved her attention to the bronze color of his throat visible in the V of his scrubs, then on to the broad, powerful chest stretching his scrub shirt taut.

His eyes met hers with something unnerving glimmering in that startling green, and she had that can’t breathe feeling again. Lord, did he know, somehow, she’d been thinking about his nibble-worthy lips?

“Has our patient had a bite to eat?” he asked in a low, rumbling voice meant for Gabby’s ears only. Also meant to make women swoon, if the shivers currently skittering down Gabby’s spine were any indication.

“Um, yes.” Gabby cleared her throat. “Did NICU say she could see Skye now?”

“Sí. They’ve given us the green light, and transport is coming to get her as we speak.” He turned to smile at Cameron, speaking louder now. “Ready to see your beautiful girl now?”

“Yes, I’m so ready!” Cameron shoved aside her food. “Is she okay? Is she going to be fine?”

“Be prepared that she is in an incubator, being given extra-special care. So don’t be scared when you see that a few tubes are attached to her. The neonatal specialist will talk with you, but I can tell you she is optimistic.”

Gabby noted that he stopped short of committing to the baby being fine, which was wise, considering how premature Skye was and the multiple wraps of the umbilical cord around her little neck. He moved to the bed to pat Cameron on the shoulder again, leaving his backside turned to Gabby’s view. A tight, prime backside that filled out his scrubs all too well. Not that she was looking.

“Well, what’s taking them so long to come get me so I can see her?”

Gabby hadn’t thought she’d ever welcome Cameron’s demanding tone, but this time she was glad to hear it. Far preferable to how upset and vulnerable-sounding she’d been earlier.

As if her imperious voice had commanded it, transport arrived seconds later. Gabby moved to help Cameron down from the bed into the wheelchair, but to her astonishment Rafael simply lifted their patient up and gently deposited her in it, as though she weighed little more than her newborn.

“Are you coming with me, Rafael?” Cameron asked, clutching his arm. Her blue eyes were wide and imploring, and her lips were quivering again. Gabby had spent a lot of hours with Cameron, and had a sneaking suspicion the woman was pulling out her acting skills.

Curious to see how Rafael would react, Gabby nonchalantly glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

“I will join you as soon as Gabriella and I finish up here.”

It must have been Cameron’s exhaustion that had her simply nodding instead of arguing. An evil part of Gabby that she hadn’t even known was inside her had her smiling, wondering how Cameron would react if she said, I’ll join you and Rafael as soon as possible too!

Then felt horribly guilty about that when Cameron reached for her hand, holding it until the transport guy had to stop wheeling her. “You’ve been so wonderful in every way, taking care of me and my little Skye long before she was born, and I’m so grateful. I hope you know that.”

“Oh, Cameron.” The sweet words touched her, especially coming from someone who’d seemed oblivious to many of Gabby’s ministrations throughout these long hours. “It’s been my pleasure and honor. And of course I’ll be checking on you and Skye while you’re still here at the clinic.”

Cameron squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back just before the wheelchair moved on out of the room. She thought of the new mother seeing her baby again, touching her small body through the incubator ports, and knew exactly how overwhelming that maternal love felt. The only kind of forever love, no matter what the circumstances.

She turned to see Rafael Moreno studying her, his eyebrows twitched together questioningly. She wondered what he was seeing, and put on a bright smile. “Congratulations, Dr. Moreno! You dealt with everything very impressively. So scary that the cord was wrapped around her neck three times—I’ve rarely seen that. She pinked up fast, though, so I think you got it handled before she’d suffered any oxygen deprivation.”

“I hope so. We’ll see what the blood gases show.”

“Are you worried?” The man looked oddly serious, and Gabby wondered for a second if he’d seen something more alarming than she had.

“No. I agree with you that she looks remarkably good, considering everything. But I owe you an apology.”

“For what?” The intense way he was staring at her made her stomach feel strangely twisty and her skin warm and tingly. Hoping he wouldn’t notice, she tried for a joke. “Telling me I’m a lousy housekeeper?”

A slight smile alleviated some of the ultra-seriousness from his face. “Yes. And also that I implied you were incompetent.”

“Less of an implication than a statement, Dr. Moreno. I believe you said the condition of the room was obvious evidence you had to take control of my ward and care of my patient.”

“And I was wrong. Something that rarely happens.” His smile grew wider. “I have seen you are excellent at what you do, both with patient care and medical care. I was glad to have you working with me today, keeping me informed of the variables on the monitor, which had me looking for complications when baby’s head had barely crowned. Cameron and Skye have much to thank you for.”

“Well.” What was it about this man that sent her breathing haywire with a simple compliment? Or was it more the way those green eyes caught and held hers? “I appreciate you saying that. And I’ve seen you are an excellent doctor.”

And wasn’t standing there giving one another kudos beyond awkward? Gabby quickly turned to tidy the room. “I’d better get to that housekeeping before you report me to James,” she said lightly, hoping to get back the equilibrium he seemed to throw out of whack every time she was near him.

“What I will report to James is that you are exceptional at dealing with patients like Cameron Fontaine. He did well to hire someone like you for a clinic catering to the rich and famous.”

A club he doubtless belonged to very comfortably. “Thank you again. Likewise.” Fumbling with the equipment, she managed to drop the suture kit, and items skittered in every direction across the floor.

Lord. She crouched to gather everything, feeling like a teenager hanging out with the high school football star, utterly clumsy and tongue-tied. When would the man leave so she could finish and go home to finally get more than a couple of hours’ sleep? Maybe then her brain would function better around Rafael Moreno, instead of strangely short-circuiting.

Then she had a complete brain freeze when he crouched next to her, his thick shoulder bumping hers as he helped her to pick things up. “Do I make you feel nervous, Gabriella? If so, I’m sorry.”

The soft rumble of his voice drew her gaze to his. She couldn’t move as she stared at the closeness of his lips. At the sculpted cheekbones and jaw. At the interesting gold and brown flecks within the green staring back at her. As she breathed in the scent of him—a mix of masculinity and antiseptic soap that on him smelled so sexy, her mouth went dry.

“Nervous? No, of course not.”

“I think that’s a lie. That needs to change, though, as it looks like we’ll be working together for the foreseeable future. So we will have dinner together, and you can educate me more about how the clinic and the maternity ward run.” He dropped the items onto her tray, then gently stroked his fingertip beneath her eye. “See if you can get in a short nap before your shift ends. That’s at six, sí? I’ll be back here at seven.”

Before she could formulate a single response to his astonishing suggestion he was gone, leaving her to stare openmouthed after him. When she’d gathered her wits, she stood and studied herself in the mirror, twisting her lips as her finger slowly traced the skin he’d just touched. Nothing like being told, basically, that you looked like a baggy-eyed wreck.

A wreck completely unready for a dinner date with a prince.

CHAPTER FOUR

RAFAEL STUDIED THE woman sitting across from him, nearly smiling as he watched the gusto with which Gabriella attacked her meal. No Hollywood starlet starving herself here, or one of the many jet-setting socialites he knew who ate as little as possible to save their calories for a martini or three. Not that she wasn’t every bit as beautiful as those kinds of women, just harder working, spunky, and no-nonsense. Far more down to earth than the women he usually dated.

How had he never noticed the appeal of a woman like Gabriella?

“I trust that your dinner was tasty enough to overcome your doubts about sharing it with me?” he asked.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m practically licking my fork, and it’s so yummy I’m not even embarrassed about that. So you know the answer is yes.”

“Good. James recommended this restaurant, and I’m happy it lives up to its billing. And also happy that I now know the best way to persuade you is through your stomach.”

“As opposed to your overbearing insults of the past?” The twinkle in her light brown eyes belied the words, which he hoped meant they’d sent their first impressions of one another into the past. “And the recent one too. And here I thought you were supposed to be a suave sophisticate with a vast knowledge of women.”

“What makes you think I’m not?”

“No smart man wanting a woman to go on a dinner date tells her she should take a nap first because she has bags under her eyes. Then at dinner implies she’s making a pig of herself.”

He had to laugh. “I apologize profusely if that was how my words came across. Even after several long days of work, you still look amazingly beautiful. And as for the pig part, if that is you, it’s now my favorite type of creature. Watching you take pleasure in your dinner has made mine that much more enjoyable.”

Even in the candlelight he could see her luminous skin turn pink, which was something else attractive about her. He couldn’t think of another woman he knew who would blush at a simple compliment.

“Thank you. For the dinner and the flattery. Both of which have me wondering why you invited me here tonight. What exactly are you wanting from me?”

What did he want from her? He’d thought it was simply a cordial working relationship, learning from her the nuances of how The Hollywood Hills Clinic worked. But her words suddenly had him thinking about something entirely different, and his body stirred with a surge of testosterone.

There had to be legions of men who reacted to her the same way. He had to wonder if she had a man in her life. If she didn’t that would be surprising, but perhaps he’d caught her between boyfriends. Except he couldn’t be “catching” her at all, since the whole reason he was in L.A. was to steer clear of women and keep his face out of the papers until the heat from his parents cooled off. Their attitudes annoyed the hell out of him, but he still cared about them. It was probably part of his duties as a son to avoid giving either one of them apoplexy.

“All I want is for us to work well together, the way we did with Cameron this afternoon. And to learn a little about the clinic from you.” He stuffed down the wayward thoughts pushing him to ask about her personal life and sent her a smile he hoped was blandly professional. “Tell me why you became a midwife and where you trained.”

“I’m from a family of several generations of midwives, which isn’t as common here in the U.S. as in some other countries. I always knew that was what I wanted to do. Trained at a nursing school, then a midwifery program near Seattle, which is where I’m from.”

“And you came here after training?”

“No. I worked at a private midwifery unit there for quite a while. Came here two years ago.”

Was he imagining the shuttering of her eyes? That the relaxed smile on her face just moments ago had stiffened into something else? “Was it the appeal of working with famous people that drew you here?” He didn’t think so—she just didn’t seem like the type to care about that, but it wasn’t as though he really knew her.

“No. They’d approached me a few years before I came, then I...decided I wanted a change, and let them know I was available. How about you?” Her brown eyes held something—sadness maybe?—along with a clear determination to change the subject. “I have to admit it’s surprising to me that someone born a prince would decide to become a doctor.”

“Unless that prince is the second born. My parents saw my role within the kingdom as leading charity work, and while that’s worthwhile, I felt there were plenty of others who would happily take on that job. I wanted a career helping people in my own way, and my parents never understood that. Also, they got very annoyed the times I ducked out of various superficial royal duties.”

“What kind of royal duties?”

“Number one would be cutting a ribbon for the grand opening of a museum or concert hall or school. I was taught from a young age how to keep my scissors sharp.”

He was glad she laughed at his joke, but there was a nugget of truth to it. His parents couldn’t fathom why he’d become a doctor, and Gabriella no doubt wouldn’t be able to understand that attitude, since she was a medical professional too. God knew, he’d spent years trying to figure out why they disapproved of him and his choices, and he had finally given up worrying about it.

“Since you could be anything you wanted to be, how did you decide to go into medicine?”

“From the time I was small, I was fascinated with anatomy, dissecting worms and frogs with my tutors. Later, I insisted on studying the animals butchered on our land to feed the royal household and its guests, much to my mother’s horror.”

Her dazzling, real smile came back, lighting the darkness of their corner table. “I can imagine that might be alarming. Did she think you might grow up to be an axe murderer?”

“Probably. Or, worse, a livestock farmer. Facing the options of her son’s occupation being murderer, farmer, or doctor, she reluctantly accepted the latter.”

“A wise woman. So how did you decide to become an OB/GYN? Or is that something personal I don’t want to know?”

Her soft laughter had him staring at her mouth, and he wished that, just once, he could taste it. Just to see if it was as soft and sweet as it looked like it would be. “My reputation isn’t as bad as you might have heard, so it’s not the reason you’re thinking. You of all people should know the amazement and joy of assisting a new life. I had that experience totally by accident, when I was visiting a sheikh friend whose wife went into labor unexpectedly. Being there with my friend and his wife to bring their newborn into the world was such an amazing experience, I knew that was what I wanted to do.”

“That’s a wonderful story. You could have just spent your life traveling the world in search of fun, but instead want to make a difference in people’s lives. I really respect that.”

The way her eyes shined at him in genuine admiration had him nearly confessing to the many failings he was all too guilty of, but letting her think he was wonderful was far preferable. “I went to medical school with James Rothsberg. We learned what hard work and drive could accomplish, no matter which world you’re born into.” Especially when that world always looked to find the worst in you, instead of the best. Set examples he had no interest in following, like tethering yourself to a permanent marital relationship for no reason other than convenience.

Her expression turned even more admiring, and as she opened her mouth to ask another question he realized he’d already said too much in terms of true confessions for the night. “Would you care for coffee? How about a look at the dessert menu? I’m guessing you’re still not quite full.”

“Again, your comment could be interpreted as an insult instead of an offer. But I’ll let it slide, since I did put teeth marks on my spoon.”

“And the price of a replacement spoon will doubtless be added to the bill, but just this once I’ll take care of it. So, dessert?”

“No, thank you.” Her fingertips covered a small yawn that morphed into a big one, until she laughed about it. And what was more adorable than a woman who could poke fun at herself? “I’m sorry, but I’m really, really tired. Worked several double shifts, then stayed with Cameron for the past two days. And she needed a thing or two over all those hours that interrupted my dozing.”

“I can only imagine,” he said dryly, picturing Cameron wanting any number of luxuries as she’d lain in that bed. “And can also imagine you giving her the best of care, regardless of the way it was requested.”

“Do I deserve all that credit if I was sometimes secretly irritated in the midst of it?” Her grin was interrupted by another yawn, this one audible. “Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry. I need to get home to sleep.”

“Yes, you do.” He quickly scribbled on the check and rose to take her elbow, helping her from the chair to guide her out the door. It was apparent she’d been pushing herself past her limit for days, and he was struck with a sudden, surprising desire to take care of her. A wish that he was close enough to her to have the right to tuck her into bed for a long, well-deserved rest.

But he wasn’t and couldn’t be. Problem was, only moments after she settled into the leather seat of his car, she fell fast asleep.

So what was he supposed to do now? He drove toward the clinic, the original plan being to drop her off so she could drive her car to her own home. If he had any idea where that was, he would simply drive her there himself. But he didn’t have a clue if she lived east or west or north or south of the clinic.

He glanced at her for the tenth time, noting the way the peach-blonde fire of her hair had slipped across her face. Tangling in her long lashes, the silken strands caressed her cheekbones and lay across the corner of her lush lips. Pulling to a stop in the clinic lot, he reached over to gently smooth her hair back, letting his fingers linger on the softness of both her cheek and hair.

“Gabriella? Gabby?” For the first time he used her nickname and found he much preferred her given name, which he’d enjoyed the sound of the moment it had first rolled off his tongue. Gabriella. It suited her. Beautiful and feminine. Strong and intelligent. “Wake up. Do you want me to take you home, instead of you driving there? Where do you live?”

No response at all. Just the sound of gentle breathing through slightly parted lips. He did the usual things. Shook her slender shoulder. Asked the same questions louder. And when she still slept like an angel, he made up his mind.

Instead of rousing her enough to get her in her car to drive home, possibly still dangerously half-asleep, he’d take her to his house and tuck her into one of the comfortable guest suites. That way, she’d be sure to get the long sleep she obviously desperately needed. After all, it was his fault she wasn’t already in bed, having insisted she dine with him tonight.

Hopefully the paparazzi weren’t lurking around the house he was renting. He was pretty sure they’d only watched him the first couple of weeks after he’d arrived in L.A., then moved on to more exciting prey when he’d behaved himself.

He studied her delicate profile. Her straight nose and a slightly stubborn jaw that suited her. The appealing dip above her pretty lips, soft and sweet in sleep. Yes, getting her to his house was the best way to handle the situation. Gabriella would sleep well and be grateful in the morning, ready to tackle her day at work with her usual energy.

But, a little later, as he swung her soft, warm body into his arms, carrying her fast asleep into the house, that surge of testosterone hit him even harder than before. The feel of her sweet curves pressed against him shortened his breath and sent his heart rate into double time, and neither had anything to do with the exertion of carrying her dead weight. It was then he realized, too late, the big downside of his decision.

Gabriella would get a good night’s sleep. But he had a feeling she’d be the only one in the house who did.

* * *

The sensation of silky-soft sheets and light, cozy down wrapped Gabby in a snug cocoon as her senses slowly came to consciousness. Feeling more comfortable than she’d ever felt in her life, she lay there in tranquil warmth, a small smile on her face. Feeling wonderful. Feeling indulged and pampered, but why that was, she wasn’t sure.

Her palms slowly stretched across the linens, over the fluffy comforter enveloping her, eventually wrapping her arms around herself, savoring the sensation.

Where was she? Not in her little apartment. On a vacation in some exotic place? No, she hadn’t been vacationing. Obviously this was some hedonistic dream and she’d be waking soon.

Somehow she managed to crack open her heavy eyelids. And realized it wasn’t a dream. She really was in this ridiculously comfortable bed, but where that bed was, she had no clue.

Abruptly, her eyelids shot wide open and, heart tripping, she sat up, trying to get her eyes accustomed to the darkness. Trying to figure out whether or not her beautiful, comfortable dream was really some horrible nightmare.

And realized this was, for certain, most definitely not her bed. So whose was it? Dragging in a rattling breath, she uttered an involuntary shriek and leapt out of the bed, blindly stumbling toward the shadowy door she thought she could see across the room. Fumbling with the latch, she yanked it open, through it into freedom, only to smack right into something large looming across the threshold.

Something hard but smooth. Something warm to the touch, with a rough covering that felt like hair. Something immovable that grasped her arms, holding her. Imprisoning her.

A full-fledged scream tore from her lips. “Let me go!” She writhed to free herself from the monster, to no avail. “Let. Me. Go!”

“Good Lord, Gabriella.” The words were tense but soft as the hold on her loosened. “It’s me, Rafael. Please stop screaming. It’s all right.”

Another scream about to rip from her throat, she blinked up to see a sculpted jaw, and though the mouth above it was tightened into a thin line, they were obviously the sensually shaped lips of Rafael Moreno. Relief had her sagging against him. “Oh, my heavens. I woke up and...didn’t know where I was.” And still didn’t, and that realization brought her fully alert. “So...what in the world happened? Where am I?”

“In my home. You were sound asleep in my car. In a near coma really—I couldn’t rouse you.”

His lips had softened into a smile, and his eyes gleamed at her through the darkness. The bizarreness of the situation finally sank in, and she started to get suspicious then angry. What grown woman would fall asleep so completely she wouldn’t wake up when someone tried to, as he’d said, “rouse” her?

She realized her palms were pressed flat against his hard pectorals and soft, hair-roughened skin. Heat seemed to pump from that wide, masculine chest, enveloping her and making it hard to breathe. She yanked her hands off like she’d touched the sun, flinging them to her own chest to do a quick check of what exactly she was—or wasn’t—wearing, then jerked out of his hold completely. Relief that she still had on the clothes she’d worn on their dinner date didn’t temper the anger making her start to physically shake.

“I can’t believe you brought me here, then inside your house to...to put me in bed like a child. Why would you do that? I thought for a minute you must have drugged me or something. And...and taken advantage of me.”

Infuriatingly, instead of looking contrite or insulted, his arrogantly amused smile widened. “Believe me, belleza, I don’t have to drug women for them to wish to come home with me, nor do I have to take advantage of them. They are, instead, quite happy to take advantage of me.”

She parted her lips to say something caustic in response, but nothing came out. Because she’d just realized he stood there not only shirtless but was wearing only boxers on his bottom half. Boxers that hung low on his hips, and even in the darkness she could see the ripples of muscles across his middle and the big, sculpted quadriceps of his legs beneath the hem that stopped well above his mid-thigh.

It had been a long time since she’d been with a man. And never one with so much potent masculine appeal, it should be illegal. She sucked in a breath so she could finally talk, but unfortunately brought his scent inside her nose and nearly felt dizzy from it. “Well, I’m not one of them.”

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Medical Romance June 2016 Books 1-6

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