She got up from the couch and straightened her short skirt.
Colin crossed his arms. “The timing of your being assigned to me…your coming on to me so hard…switching doctors then showing up here…it has to be more than coincidence.”
She stepped toward his desk, making his pulse leap. “Whoever this Jamie is, she really screwed you up, huh?”
Colin found it more than a bit odd that he was standing in his office with a patient—ex-patient—and she was the one doing the analyzing.
“I consider myself a little on the suspicious side, but you,” she was standing in front of him now and poked her finger into his chest, “you really take the cake, Dr. McKenna.”
Colin stared into her flushed face for long moments. Could he be wrong? Could everything that had happened between him and Lucky have been just a natural progression of events?
Even as he asked himself the question, he knew there was nothing natural about his wanting to claim her in a way he’d never claimed another woman before. Or perhaps it was purely natural, some kind of primal instinct to overpower his enemy.
She tsked as she ran her fingertip down over his buttons. “It’s a shame.”
She turned around and walked toward the exit door.
“What is?” Colin couldn’t resist asking.
“That I won’t be seeing you again.” She opened the door, then stood leaning against it.
“You see, I make it a habit not to get involved with anyone more screwed up than I am. And you, Colin, have demons not even I can compete with.”
He squinted at her as she gave him a once-over.
“It really is a shame. I have the feeling you’re very good in the sack. And I definitely was interested in finding out how good.”
Colin winced at the quiet click of the door closing.
FIVE DAYS LATER Colin was no closer to finding out the truth behind what had happened than he had been when he’d been cushioned between Lucky’s sweet thighs, literally an inch away from having sex with her.
“Come on, Mac, get your game on!”
Colin absently twirled the tennis racket in his hand and stared across the tennis court at Will who had just taken the first set and was two points into winning the next game.
The ball hit the center line then whizzed right by his left ear.
He’d agreed to meet his friend at his condo complex for tennis hoping some exercise and Will’s company would help him forget about what had transpired in his office. Instead all he could think about was that it was Saturday morning and he had two whole days to fill before he could go back to work on Monday morning. Two yawning spring days that he usually looked forward to but now dreaded.
Twenty minutes later Will called the second set and tossed him a clean towel as they left the courts.
Will grinned at him. “Well, that was certainly a nice change of events. You usually beat the crap out of me at tennis.”
Colin used the towel to wipe his face, though he didn’t need it, then draped the terry cloth around his neck. “Yeah, well, I took pity on you this morning.”
Will nudged him in the arm with his covered racket. “No, mate, you’re distracted. And I don’t think it’s one of your whackos behind this one.”
Colin grimaced at his friend. “For a doctor you can be very insensitive.”
“Me? What would make you say that?”
“Whackos?”
“I’d never call them that to their faces.”
“Your referring to them that way at all makes you insensitive.”
Will chuckled. “I’ll let you have that one. If only because I’m concerned about your mental welfare after this morning’s match.”
They walked in silence, winding around the three buildings that separated the tennis courts from the Victorian block that held Will’s condo.
Will made some comments about the quality of the women sunbathing at the pool then turned his attention back to Colin.
“So, are you going to share who she is or not?”
“Who?”
“The wily female who’s stolen your brain straight out of your head.”
“There’s no one in my life right now. You know that.”
“I know that’s what your attorney advised.”
Colin slanted him a wary look.
“Good, then. You wouldn’t mind doubling with me and Janet then tonight.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” Will feigned a couple of tennis moves then continued walking next to him again. “The pretty resident has finally agreed to go out with me, but only on the condition that I bring someone along for her girlfriend.”
“No way. If you’ll remember correctly, my attorney advised me not to date anyone.”
“This won’t be a date. This will be two pals getting together and running into a couple of girls while they’re out.”
“Mmm.”
“You wouldn’t deny a guy a chance to take the pretty pink ribbon out of Janet’s hair now, would you?”
That’s how Will always referred to the women he dated. And quite accurately at that. While it was highly unlikely Janet wore an actual pink ribbon, she was the type that would have done so in high school. While she was the head varsity cheerleader.
“I would and I am.”
Will took his keys out of his pocket as they neared his building. “Why? Has something happened on the Jamie front I don’t know about?”
Colin ran his hand over his face, not really up to talking about it just then. “Yeah, a couple things. But nothing to be worried about.”
Will held open the door for him, but when Colin would have entered, two young women bounded out, looking as if the only thing they would do with pink ribbons was tie them around their body piercings. Short, tight T-shirts and even shorter denim cutoffs revealed bodies buff enough for the cover of Playboy without the need for air-brushing.
“Hi, Willy,” the short brunette said, stopping in front of Will and smiling at him in open suggestion. “So when are we going to hook up? How about tonight?”
Colin covered his grin with a none-too-discreet cough while Will squirmed under the sex kitten’s attentions. “Another time, perhaps?”
“Mmm. Another time. I’m going to hold you to that, Willy.”
The woman gave Will a loud kiss then followed after her friend who was a good twenty feet down the walk.
“Friend of yours?” Colin asked.
“Neighbors.” Colin followed Will’s line of sight. Yes. Despite his preference for young and innocent, Will’s gaze was definitely glued to the brunette’s pert backside.
And what a backside it was, too.
“And she’s gay.”
“Is not,” Colin objected.
“Is, too. That’s her girlfriend. And when I say girlfriend, I don’t mean they’re both girls and they’re friends. I mean they share the same bed at night and they do more than sleep in it. Come on. Maybe it will be quiet now without the two of them playing their music so loudly.”
Colin