lip through her teeth. “I don’t remember what I said.”
He strolled to her, hands jammed in his pockets to keep from touching her even though he really, really wanted to. “Let me refresh your memory. Last night you said you’d think about it, a minute ago you said yes.”
“I did no such thing.”
He inched a little closer until they were almost touching and braced one hand on the door, above her head. “Maybe not in so many words, but the message I got was pretty clear. So when do you want to do it?”
Her breath hitched. “Do what?”
He could think of one particular response to that but decided to give her the proper one. “Move in with me. How about this weekend?”
Her gaze roamed to his mouth. “You don’t give up easily, do you?”
Not when he wanted something badly enough, and he had to admit he wanted her badly. But she wasn’t a catch-me-if-you-can kind of girl, so he damn sure better proceed with caution. “No, I don’t give up easily, especially when a woman’s life might be at stake. So is Saturday good for you?”
Indecision warred in her expression. She opened her mouth, shut it, then opened it again. “Okay, I guess. I’m not on call, so this weekend would be fine.”
“Great. I’m not on call, either.” His first instinct was to kiss her until both of them struggled for air. He went with his second—a simple smile. “What made you decide?”
“My son.”
He expected that, admired it even, but he’d like to think that living with him wouldn’t be such a sorry prospect for either one of them. Although, come to think of it, he’d never lived with a woman for more than a weekend. He wasn’t sure how he would adjust to having her there all the time, keeping him at arm’s length, at least for the time being. But he was more than willing to try it, see where it led.
He stepped back and grinned at her stern features. “Hey, don’t look so serious. We might have a good time.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. “I’m not looking for a good time, Dr. Madrid. I’m looking for a safe place to stay. A temporary place to stay.”
She said the words with conviction, with heavy emphasis on “temporary.” That was fine by Rio. A permanent relationship wasn’t something that had remotely entered his mind, regardless of the fact that Joanna Blake seemed the type who deserved something solid and steady. “First rule, call me Rio. Second, you can stay as long as you like. Other than that, there are no rules.”
Her smile was hesitant, but had an immediate effect on Rio’s suddenly sensitive libido. “With our schedules, you won’t even know I’m there,” she said.
Unable to help himself, Rio reached out and brushed a curl from her face. He might have serious doubts about how this was going to work, but he had no doubt she wouldn’t be easy to ignore.
“Believe me, I’ll know you’re there.”
Joanna had her doubts about moving in with Rio Madrid. But when moving day came, she brought along her few possessions and a whole lot of misgivings. Being near him threatened her common sense, uncovered dormant urges best left hidden away, reminded her that she had very basic feminine needs. Needs she had no business acknowledging. But she had to do this for Joseph.
She kept telling herself that very thing while standing on Rio’s front porch, hangers full of clothing draped over her arm, waiting for the doctor—dressed in tattered jeans and black leather jacket—to open the door. Today he’d pulled his hair back on the sides and top, the rest falling to his shoulders. He looked like an A-1 fantasy, a woman’s dream. So did his residence.
She’d heard about the King William district, but nothing could compare to witnessing its splendor. The well-kept house resembled an English manor, beautiful and bigger than any home Joanna had lived in during her thirty-four years. Unlike her neighborhood, the area was absent of noisy cars and deafening music. No threatening characters and criminal activity, at least on the surface.
“There’s something I forgot to tell you.”
The declaration drew Joanna’s attention to Rio, his hand on the brass knob, a box tucked underneath his arm. Nothing in his expression gave any indication of what that “something” was.
She backed away from the porch and studied the facade all the way up to the third-story dormers. “Let me guess. You have a commune living here.”
“No, but I do have a roommate.”
Before Joanna had the chance to unpack, the secrets had already begun. Now she would have to explain to her mother that she was not living with only one man, but two. “You should have told me before I agreed to come here.”
“I didn’t want to give you any reason to change your mind. Besides, I think you’ll like her.”
Her? He had a woman living with him? A lover? That shouldn’t matter one way or the other to Joanna, but for some reason it did. “Your roommate’s female?”
“Yeah, Gabby. She’s great.” His tone was full of pride and affection.
Joanna tried to mask her shock, hide her frustration with an even tone. “What does she think about me moving in?”
He grinned, his white teeth set off against his warm brown skin. “I haven’t told her yet.”
That set Joanna’s teeth on edge. “You didn’t tell her?”
“She wouldn’t understand.”
Oh, marvelous. What had Joanna gotten herself into? What if this woman refused to let her live here, forcing Joanna to reside in her own car or a seedy motel? “Well then, maybe I should wait out here until you make sure it’s okay.”
“She won’t mind. She’s pretty friendly.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk to her first?”
“Nope. Just be prepared for the welcome.” Rio pushed open the door and waited for Joanna to move past him.
The roommate was all but forgotten when Joanna stepped inside the circular foyer. The floor’s majestic white marble tile glistened like the surface of a frozen pond. A chandelier hanging from the two-story ceiling dripped diamond-like crystals. Straight ahead, a staircase with a black iron banister climbed upward until it took a turn to the left at a large landing. Above that landing, a window set with stained glass shot laser beams of light over the walls and white-carpeted stairs. The panes shaped a black cat with exotic gold eyes. Breathtaking, but almost out of place among the traditional elegance. Joanna continued to stare as if cemented in place by the animal’s metallic gaze.
“That’s a beautiful window,” she said.
“Thanks. I designed it.”
She studied Rio Madrid, now facing her at the bottom of the stairs, amazed at how much he resembled the animal, how he possessed the ability to hold her captive with his topaz eyes. Maybe this was Rio Madrid’s idea of a self-portrait, because in Joanna’s opinion, he, too, contrasted with the environment. Rugged
