a hell of a time figuring out what was wrong with him. Even after they realized his illness was caused by e-coli, the damage had been done. And in spite of everything they did, every medication and treatment they tried, Jimmy didn’t make it.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“It was a tough thing for everyone, I guess. Especially a kid like me.” His voice bore the huskiness of emotion he’d tried to bury years ago. “I couldn’t figure out why modern medicine couldn’t heal my friend. Or others like him. In fact, I was so determined to get some answers, that I went to the library and hit the books, trying to learn everything I could about e-coli and the effect it had on the human body. That focus triggered a deep interest in medicine. And research.”
She nodded in understanding, but maybe that’s because she hadn’t known him growing up. Hadn’t known the hell-raiser he’d once been.
When he told his high school guidance counselor that he’d decided to go to medical school, the guy had been shocked. But in spite of the counselor’s disbelief, Kyle made a dramatic academic turnaround, which surprised the entire teaching staff, as well as all of his friends. Within one semester, his teachers and peers were amazed when the campus bad boy aced every class.
“I found my niche in human biology and anatomy,” he said.
“So you decided to be a doctor.”
“Sort of.” He shrugged, then slid her a crooked grin. “Actually, when my residency is done, I’m going into research.”
“Around here?” she asked.
“No. Back in Boston. I have no intention of staying in Merlyn County longer than the time it takes me to complete my residency.” He could have explained that his decision to stay here that long was a way of compromising with his mother, of making her happy until he moved on for good.
His playboy daddy had provided well for his illegitimate kids, particularly Kyle. And for that reason, Kyle had been able to attend Harvard medical school. His mom hoped that he would eventually make his home in Merlyn County and take up his rightful place with the Binghams.
But Kyle had no intention of elbowing into his father’s family.
“That’s too bad,” Milla said. “You’re a great pediatrician and have a lot to offer the community.”
He shrugged. “Maybe so. But I can do more good at a research hospital.”
“To study pediatric pathology?”
“Kids shouldn’t die before they get a chance to live.” Kyle didn’t usually open up like this, but for some reason it felt right sharing memories and dreams with Milla. Dinner was over before he knew it.
As the waiter took the last of their plates away, Kyle studied the woman across from him. The candlelight glistened off the strands of her hair, bathing her in a romantic glow. Tonight, more than ever, she had some kind of blood-pumping effect on him.
She declined coffee and dessert, which was fine with him. But he wasn’t ready for the evening to end, not even after he’d paid the bill and walked her out to where she’d parked her car.
His hands ached to reach out and pull her near. But he waited, biding his time until Milla gave him reason to believe she would welcome his touch. He wasn’t sure why, but this particular woman made him feel like an awkward adolescent with a bad haircut and a ketchup stain on his white T-shirt. And he hadn’t felt that way since he’d had sex for the first time. After that, his confidence level had skyrocketed.
Until this moment.
The summer night was silent, save for the sound of their shoes crunching on the pavement. And the parking lot, now nearly empty, reminded Kyle it was time to call it a day. To end the pleasant evening they’d shared.
Milla paused by the car door, and her eyes caught his. Something passed between them; although, for the life of him, he wasn’t sure what it was. If it hadn’t rocked his sex drive to the core, he might have been scared and looked for a reason to escape. As it was, he stood still, savoring the woman and the moment.
A full moon peered from a lone cloud in the evening sky, watching over them, it seemed.
Always relaxed and confident with women, Kyle wasn’t sure what had gotten into him. Maybe it was the moonlight dancing in a star-filled summer sky. And maybe it was the fact he hadn’t had sex since coming back to Merlyn County. Or maybe it was some kind of spell Milla Johnson had cast on him.
Either way, he couldn’t imagine letting her drive away without brushing his lips across hers. And as he did so, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close, allowing the kiss to deepen and their tongues to touch and taste.
She whimpered softly, and he was lost in a swirl of heat, a fire of desire.
A sense of urgency swept over him, and he pulled her close, felt her fingers snake through his hair. A jolt of heat damn near sent him over the edge, and he wanted more. Far more than he could have, standing out in the open, in a parking lot.
He wanted this woman. Tonight.
The strength of his desire should have scared him, should have caused him to turn tail and get his happy-to-be-a-bachelor butt out of Dodge.
Instead he savored her scent, her touch, and lost himself in one of the most arousing kisses he’d ever had.
Still, it didn’t take him long to realize this public display of raw, sexual hunger needed to be taken indoors. With great reluctance he broke the kiss long enough to whisper against the silky strands of her hair.
“Come home with me.”
Chapter Two
Come home with me.
As the words echoed through Milla’s core, her own physical need chimed in.
Kyle wanted her. And she wanted him, too. The strength of her arousal surprised her, as did the decision hovering in the sultry night air.
Her knees still wobbly from the sensual assault of Kyle’s mouth, she tried to catch her breath, to gain control of her runaway desire. But she wasn’t having any luck.
Kyle leaned against the side of her car. Had his knees nearly given out on him, too?
Their bodies no longer touched, but his gaze held her transfixed. “There’s something powerful going on between us.”
He had that right. The kiss they’d shared had been so hot, so unlike anything she’d ever experienced, that her ability to think or reason seemed to have disappeared. For good.
And right now she wasn’t so sure that was a bad thing. Her feelings were too strong, charged and close to the surface.
“You feel it, too,” he told her.
She nodded. “Yes, I do.”
“What are we going to do about it?”
As she saw it, they had two options. She could get in her car and drive away, knowing regret would follow her home. And this darn whatever-it-was would haunt her
