her since the first time she’d met him not quite two months ago, had fantasized about doing exactly what he was asking of her now, only keys hadn’t been involved.
The current circumstances hadn’t been anywhere close to what she’d had in mind, though.
Neither had her embarrassing choking episode where he’d had to Heimlich her into upchucking the piece of ice that had lodged in her throat.
Ice that had lodged because she’d been staring at him, lost in her private fantasy, and been caught.
Caught when he’d turned, his hot fudge-sundae eyes colliding with hers with heated awareness. Awareness that she’d been looking at him like she wanted to eat him up and lick the spoon clean. Hot fudge sundae, indeed!
She’d thought there had been a spark between them when they’d first met. She’d have sworn there was. But he’d ignored all her smiles, all her attempts at flirting, at showing him she was a player, the kind of woman he reportedly liked.
To see blatant interest in his unguarded eyes today had startled her. She’d decided she’d been wrong about the chemistry between them when they’d first met, had decided she should find another carefree man to try out her new improved persona on, her new love ‘em-and-leave-’em attitude, because she was never again falling in love for real.
Carefree because that was the only type of man she’d date after Simon. Because he’d hurt her so badly she’d never allow another man to worm his way into her heart, make her believe in happily-ever-after. Happily-ever-after didn’t exist. A fairy-tale. A myth. Pure propaganda to make women long for what they’d never find. Just look at her. At her friend Susan. At so many women she knew who’d been taken for a ride emotionally, and often financially.
At least Simon hadn’t abused her pocketbook. That was about the only thing he’d let alone, though.
If Levi had been interested in her, he’d lost it almost immediately and nothing she’d done had seemed to reignite that spark.
So, seeing his matching look when he’d brushed aside all her attempts to get to know him better had taken her by storm. Face burning, she’d taken a drink of her diet soda and gulped a half-melted piece of ice right into her trachea. Of all the stupid things to do!
First choking. Then, while he’d performed the Heimlich maneuver on her, having the absurd thought that at least if she died, she’d go happy, having his arms wrapped around her.
Yep, totally insane when men were nothing but trouble. Hadn’t she learned anything from her Simon experience? To be looking at Levi with such thoughts, obviously she hadn’t. She was certifiable.
But could she really help it if she’d been gaga over him since the day she’d started working at Angel Creek Hospital?
Her and every other female who’d ever laid eyes on the gorgeous general practitioner. Which was the problem with men like Levi and Simon. Totally gorgeous, and they and the rest of the world knew it. They used their many charms to lure unsuspecting hearts into their lairs.
Now he was telling her to get in his pants? Um, well, not in his pants, just to put her hand in his pants. Well, his pants pocket. To get his keys. Same difference, right?
Clearly, she’d died from a freak ice cube in the throat choking accident and angel Levi was her heavenly reward for all those years of being a way, way too good girl and having her heart trampled on.
“Madison?”
She blinked up at Levi, still not quite believing that she was in his arms, that he’d carried her from the park’s picnic area to the parking lot. No one would be talking about this at the hospital for weeks to come. Right.
But what did she care? She was in the afterlife in the arms of her fantasy man. A man she’d watched interact with his patients, watched smile and laugh with his co-workers, watched with longing deep in her gut because when she looked at him she saw stars and rainbows and fireworks and things so marvelous she didn’t even have a label, and for a few brief moments she could forget all the hell Simon had put her heart through.
Not that she’d fall for Levi. She wouldn’t. She might think him the best thing since chocolate, but her heart was off limits.
Only today, when she’d needed him, he’d come to her rescue just like a proverbial white knight. Only, rather than having to wake her with a kiss, he’d had to Heimlich her.
She glanced up, met his eyes and melted.
That did it. If she’d had any doubt before, she no longer did. The ice really hadn’t dislodged. She’d bitten the big one. Had to be true. Because she’d swear that was concern in Levi’s eyes. Not indifferent concern, but real concern. For her. Why would he care?
And, oh, baby, if she didn’t know better, she might think that was physical awareness in his eyes, too. Physical awareness as in he felt the same bing-badaboom at the contact of their bodies.
Thank goodness, she did know better, that she knew she was pushing up daisies.
Seeing a woman regurgitate a chunk of ice wasn’t exactly the kind of event that made a man suddenly aware of what he’d been overlooking for almost two months.
“My keys?” he prompted when she continued to stare up at him, probably with stars in her eyes and drool on her chin. “If you’ll grab them and hit the unlock button…”
“Oh, right.” Embarrassed that she’d left him standing, holding the bag so to speak, she reached down for his pocket.
That so wasn’t his pocket, but my, oh, my, what a package.
He cleared his throat and Madison tried again, finally sliding her fingers into the pocket of his loose cargo shorts.
She pulled out his keys, pressed the unlock button twice, and sighed in relief at the resounding click of the lock.
“You can put me down now.” Or hold me for ever, your choice. No, not for ever, that didn’t fit with her new never-have-her-heart-broken again persona. Just for however long the fun lasted. Yep, that was better.
“I know.”
But he didn’t until he’d maneuvered the door open. And had that been her imagination or had Levi’s voice sounded hoarse? As if maybe she wasn’t the only one affected by his arms around her, by how close her entire body was to his.
Just how long had she gone without oxygen anyway? Maybe she’d suffered brain damage and just didn’t know it.
“Feeling okay?” He gently settled her in the passenger seat. “No light-headedness or dizziness? Shortness of breath?”
Only from you holding me. She rolled her eyes, determined to get her thoughts under control, to focus on her promise to herself to never again be made a fool of, to never again feel as if her entire world had come crumbling down around her.
“I choked on an ice cube.” Because she’d been ogling him. “I’m fine. Really.”
He reached across her, secured her seat belt into place, his arm grazing across her breasts, sending shockwaves of tingles through her.
“You’re a tiny little thing,” he pointed out, sounding a bit breathy himself, “and I did the Heimlich maneuver on you.”
She could think of a few other maneuvers he could do on her.
No. Thoughts like those were what had gotten her into this mess to begin with. Thoughts that had blasted off with his very buff body working up a sweat during the softball game earlier.
After the game, she’d still been distracted by his lean physique, by the sinewy calves on display. She’d never seen him in anything other than scrubs or dressed casually. She’d never seen his bare legs, that was for sure.
Oh, baby, she was a legs woman, if there was even such a thing. But surely if there could be legs men, there could be women with