Dante watched as Sarah’s face flushed, and she stammered, “Oh, no . . . we aren’t . . . we don’t . . . he’s my patient.”
Dante winked at Randi. “We actually are, and we do. And I just changed doctors so she isn’t my physician anymore.” Because I want to fuck her too desperately to have her as my doctor. Dante was damn tired of Sarah trying to ignore the attraction between the two of them.
“Difference of opinion?” Randi asked mischievously.
“Maybe for now. But I’ll convince her,” Dante told Randi adamantly as he grabbed Sarah’s hand and pulled her out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
“I can’t believe you just said that,” Sarah whispered harshly as they walked toward the front entrance. “You lied. I’m your physician. I can’t be seeing you in any other way.”
“One of the things we need to talk about,” Dante answered, squeezing her hand as she tried to pull away. “We’re going to settle this now, Sarah.”
“There’s nothing to settle,” she answered angrily. “I trust Randi, but if you don’t let go of my hand, the whole town will think we’re . . . together.”
It was dark as they walked outside, and Dante headed for the boardwalk. There might still be people around, but it was a little more private. “I can’t keep pretending that you’re just my doctor, that I don’t feel the need to rip your clothes off and fuck you until we’re both satisfied.”
“What happened at my house shouldn’t ever have happened. You were under the influence of narcotics. I shouldn’t have responded the way I did. I should have taken you home. I’m your doctor and I shouldn’t have taken advantage of the whole situation. I’m sorry,” she said breathlessly.
Dante halted underneath one of the lamps along the boardwalk to see her face clearly. Nope. She wasn’t messing with him. He could see the remorse and regret on her face.
Shit. Was she really that innocent? She has to be. That guilty expression is real.
And damned if that didn’t just make his cock that much harder.
“Are you under the impression that you somehow molested me? That I wasn’t totally aware of every single thing that was happening?” Dante couldn’t keep the amusement out of his voice.
“It’s not funny.” Sarah glared up at him. “Maybe I didn’t exactly try to seduce you, but I contributed to what happened. I didn’t stop it. I even encouraged it.”
“That’s what happens when two people get all hot and bothered, when they need to fuck so desperately that they can’t even remember their own names,” he told her gutturally, his mind focused on nothing except how badly he wanted to make her come. Really, he couldn’t say he had a whole lot of experience with this particular situation. He’d never felt like this about a woman before.
“I don’t get that way,” Sarah protested.
That was a challenge if Dante had ever heard one. Maybe Sarah didn’t mean it to be, but he’d certainly be willing to prove her wrong. “You wanted the same thing I did. Admit it.” His need to hear her say the words wasn’t something he could ignore. Possessive instincts were pounding at him, and he knew that the gnawing pain in his gut wasn’t going away until she admitted that she wanted him just as damn desperately as he wanted her.
“It doesn’t matter what I wanted. You weren’t in your right mind, and I’m your doctor.” She turned away from him to stare out at the ocean beyond the boardwalk.
Dante wanted desperately to laugh, but he didn’t. Sarah was obviously upset and troubled, and no matter how strange her notions might be to him, they meant something to her. She really felt guilty for what had happened. It might be funny to him that she thought she’d somehow coerced him. Hell, he wished. He fucking fantasized about that.
He tried to tell her calmly, “I wasn’t under the influence of the drugs. They had already worn off, and I didn’t take any more of them until I got back home again. When I said they made me feel strange, I just meant I wouldn’t drive while I was taking them, and I was speaking in past tense.” He tugged on her hand, leading her down to a beach that was lit only by moonlight. Reaching down, he let Coco off her leash and dropped it into the sand. “I don’t think she’ll go far.”
“She won’t,” Sarah agreed nervously.