glanced up and grinned at her. Unfolding himself from the chair, he came over to her. “False labor?”
“Yes.” She cleared her throat and went over the results with him, and for the first time in her professional life a tiny corner of her mind was on something other than her patient and her work. It was on him, and the scent of him, and how close his head was tipped to hers. Afraid everyone in the room could see how she was feeling and what she was thinking, she again went for a joke to cover it all.
“So, Dr. Prince Rafael Moreno, how does it feel to have your patient doubt your skills and send you out of the room, leaving someone else to do the tests?”
“First, she did not doubt my skills. I’m sure she just knew her husband might be jealous because I am so handsome.”
The gold flecks sparkling in his green eyes showed he was teasing, and didn’t believe that for a minute. Probably it had been more about modesty, but Gabby was going to rib him about it anyway.
“Uh-huh. All I can say is it made me pretty happy for you to get a taste of it, considering how mean you were the first day we met.”
“Mean?” All humor left his face as he looked at her searchingly. “You thought I was mean? I’m sorry if that’s how I came across.”
“Okay, mean isn’t the right word.” A man as empathetic as he was didn’t have a mean bone in his body. “Dismissive. Disrespectful.”
“And for that I apologize too. Only a fool would disrespect or dismiss someone like you, and sometimes the fool in me comes out when it shouldn’t.”
“Never mind.” Lord, she’d meant it really as a joke, and now he looked so contrite, ashamed, even, she was sorry she’d even mentioned it. Who would have thought the man was even capable of feeling that way? “I’m teasing you, really. Like you do me sometimes.”
“I know exactly how to make it up to you in about...” he glanced at his watch “...half an hour. Let’s talk to the Sheikh and his wife, hmm?”
Walking beside him, she couldn’t help but glance up at him more than once, wondering what he’d meant about making it up to her, and her toes and a lot of other things started to tingle as she imagined what it could be.
You’re at work, Gabby! she scolded herself. And work was not the place where her mind could be wandering to bad thoughts.
She stood on the opposite side of the patient’s bed as Rafael recommended they stay one more day. He told Amala to write down when she had contractions and how long they lasted, and to be ready for Gabby to do one more ultrasound tomorrow. Gabby tried to listen, but since she knew everything he was going to say, watching his lips move seemed far more fascinating. As did wondering what in the world he had in mind to “make it up” to her.
Those darned thoughts of sex came right to the forefront of her brain again. When in the world was that going to stop?
Probably only after Rafael Moreno was long gone back to the Mediterranean or wherever he was headed next. Her life could get back to normal. The life she’d chosen where she worked a lot and stayed relationship-free. Since it was apparent that she couldn’t seem to help but be dangerously distracted by him, she knew that day couldn’t come soon enough.
Yet she also had a bad feeling it would also come far, far too soon.
ADVENTURES IN THE sky were nothing new to Rafael. He’d enjoyed hang gliding, glider planes, and skydiving many times all over the world. At the time, he’d thought every one of those adventures was enjoyable, but nothing came close to the evening he’d just spent with Gabriella.
Holding her close as they’d stood in the basket of a hot-air balloon, able to see for miles across the awesome expanse of the Rocky Mountains, they’d floated through a quiet so deep he’d felt it all the way to his soul. Filled with a tranquil contentment he couldn’t remember ever feeling in his life.
Listening to her cries of delight as she’d pointed at beautiful blue-green lakes below, at the snow still covering the jagged peaks, at mountain goats picking their way across vertical rocks in a feat that seemed nearly impossible, he’d smiled and laughed and held her closer.
Her hair had blown across her face, and he’d tucked it behind her ears more than once, both to feel its softness within his fingers and so he could better see the joy on her face and in her eyes.
Joy he’d wanted to see there from the moment he’d observed them shadowed with sadness when she’d sat next to Skye’s incubator. Joy he’d known was a big part of who she was, or had been until something had chipped away at it. Minimized it. Maybe even crushed it.
As the balloon had sunk back to earth, they’d watched the sun set in a blaze of glorious red and gold behind the mountains. Colors so vivid they’d almost rivaled the strands highlighting Gabriella’s beautiful hair.
He’d wanted to have her to himself for a little while longer, away from L.A. and whatever was there that might be the reason she carried that sadness around. Again, he knew that was damned selfish of him, but he’d been having a tough time battling it. And since fate had seemed to give him exactly what he’d wanted, did he really have to fight it?
All he knew was that he didn’t seem to have a lot of fight left in him when it came to keeping away from Gabriella.
He opened the door of the hotel restaurant, sliding his hand around hers before they meandered out onto the huge stone patio, warmed by several fire pits surrounded by cushioned chairs. And, lucky for him, it was nearly deserted.
“Would you like to sit out here? Or are you too full to sit after you ate a steak big enough for two people?” he couldn’t help but tease.
“Haven’t we already discussed how not at all suave it is to talk about how much I eat?” Her eyes gleamed up at him. “All women need iron in their diets. The occasional steak is good for me. But I’m not sure what your excuse is, because you ate even more than I did.”
“Fresh out of excuses.” That was true for pretty much anything he did around Gabriella, and he didn’t care anymore. “Where would you like to sit?”
“By the fire. It’s getting chilly, don’t you think?”
“We can go inside if you like.”
“No. It’s so beautiful, I want to stay out here.” He followed her gaze over to the timeless mountains, silhouetted by the darkened sky that was still slightly lit with pale pink streaks. Across the creek covered with small chunks of ice and snow, slowly melting in the springtime temperatures. “I can’t believe there’s no one around to enjoy this.”
“May is off season for Vail. Too late to ski and too cold for most other sports.”
“Except hot-air ballooning. Bundling up in a ski coat, gloves and hat were part of the fun.” Her eyes smiled at him through the darkness. “And since I don’t even own a coat, it’s a good thing the hotel keeps winter stuff guests have left behind for people like me to borrow.”
“I’m sure you’re not the only Southern Californian to come here unprepared.”
“Unprepared?”
