LITMIR.BIZ

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certainly felt ready. More than ready, and willing. “How can you say that?”

      “Because you can’t say my name. I’ll be damned if I make love to a woman who calls me ‘doctor.’”

      Her gaping shirt forgotten, she braced her hands on her hips. “Rio. There, I said it. Are you happy now?”

      His gaze went to her exposed bra and a half smile curled the corners of his mouth. “Yeah, you said it, but not like you meant it.”

      He was driving her to distraction, making her insane. “I don’t understand this at all.”

      “You understand it. You won’t acknowledge it.”

      She redid her blouse with shaking fingers. “Forget it. This was a mistake anyway. All of it.”

      “Is it, mi amante?”

      Her eyes snapped from the buttons to him. “I’m not your lover, remember?”

      His smile disappeared, making way for a look that could dissolve the pool table behind her. “You will be, Joanna. When you’re ready.”

      She hugged her arms to her middle. “You’re mighty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

      He folded his arms across his chest, his face an unreadable mask. “You can lie to yourself. You can pretend that nothing’s going on between us. But I can’t lie. I know how I feel when I’m holding you, and it’s not just minor affection.”

      Why, oh, why hadn’t she stayed home New Year’s Eve? Stayed in her wretched apartment? She’d been comfortable with her existence, her celibacy, her choices. Why did he have to come along and disrupt her life? Why him, of all people—a man who made her ache, made her want, made her realize she possessed desires beyond all bounds?

      The shrill of the phone startled Joanna and caused her to physically jump.

      Rio grabbed up the cordless phone. “Dr. Madrid.” He paced with his back to Joanna. After a time, he said, “Okay, I’m on my way.”

      He replaced his phone on the charger and turned. “I’ve got to go into the hospital.”

      Already she was missing him, and she hated that. “I thought you weren’t on call.”

      “I’m not, but this is a special case. First baby. She’s sixteen, scared. Her boyfriend didn’t stick around. She wants me to deliver.”

      Her admiration for him increased more than she thought possible. “I guess she needs you.”

      “Yeah. Nice to know someone does now and then.” He sounded almost sad, as alone as Joanna felt much of the time.

      He stopped in the doorway. “Make yourself at home. There’s a casserole in the fridge you can heat up for dinner. My housekeeper left it for me.”

      “I’ll make do.” She needed to say something, but she wasn’t sure what. “Rio?” The word rolled easily off her tongue.

      His smile appeared, slowly. A satisfied smile. “Yeah?”

      “Since this is a first baby, you might be a while, so I just wanted to say goodnight and thanks for everything. I hope you get some sleep.”

      He braced one hip against the door frame and released a mirthless laugh. “Sleep? Not in a million years.”

      Five

      Joanna couldn’t sleep. Maybe it was the strange house, the strange bed, the knowledge that she was all alone again.

      Since retiring for the night, she had listened carefully for the sound of Rio’s return but hadn’t heard a thing, even from Gabby who was still outside, as far as she knew. Of course, Gabby didn’t strike her as being much of a watchdog.

      Joanna had gone to her room following a meager dinner of tuna casserole and an hour spent watching some inane sitcom. Now she sat in bed and tried to read materials to prepare for a continuing-education course she was due to take in the spring. She quickly abandoned that for a glitzy magazine heralding the breakups of rich and indulgent celebrities. Tiring of that, she tossed the magazine aside and stared at the ceiling.

      Maybe if she took another shower, she might relax. A hot bath…The hot tub? Well, that was an option. Since Rio was gone, she could hide away in there without notice. But what if he came home? Gabby would warn her, hopefully giving her enough time to sneak back inside.

      Joanna rose from the bed and rummaged in the dresser for the only swimsuit she owned. It was black, basic, the only thing daring about it came in the form of sheer netting that covered the midriff but revealed little more than a hint of flesh.

      After donning the suit, she retrieved an oversize towel from the linen closet and padded down the stairs. Just to be on the safe side, she tiptoed to Rio’s room. The door was partially open and it creaked when she gave it a push. Her heart jumped, but thankfully she found the king-size bed still made, its owner absent. She took a chance and snapped on the light for a better look.

      The bedroom was without embellishments, masculine, from the heavy pine bed covered in a black and gold spread to the posh tan carpeting. Several artifacts were set out on the tables in a small sitting area to her right, clay pots of every shape and size, a few polished stones, some small sculptures. On the wall over the black marble fireplace’s mantel hung an odd-looking calendar sporting a moon, stars and the sun. Yet the enticing scent exclusive to Rio appealed to her most of all.

      Feeling nervous over invading his privacy, Joanna retreated out of the room and started down the stairs and into the backyard. The night was moonless, cold, and she almost reconsidered, but she’d already come this far, no use turning back now. After her eyes adjusted to the limited light, she headed for the hot tub, pulling up short a few feet away when she caught sight of the dark, imposing figure cast in shadows spilling across the water’s surface.

       Rio.

      Joanna saw a chance at escape until Gabby whined from her perch on the ground near the steps that led to the tub.

      “Looks like you and I had the same idea.”

      His deep voice stopped Joanna’s departure, nearly stopped her heart. “I couldn’t sleep, so I thought this might help me relax.” She was anything but relaxed at the moment. “But since you’re—”

      “There’s plenty of room for us both.”

      Even if the tub spanned the length of the yard, she doubted there would be enough room for her and Rio Madrid, together. Not if she wanted to keep her guard up, her head on straight and her clothes on.

      “Join me,” he said in a seductive voice that promised untold pleasure. “The water’s great.”

      The water wasn’t her main concern at the moment. Rio’s unexpected presence was. Did she dare join him?

      She was afraid to move forward, afraid to move at all. She could do this, act like an adult, not some flighty, smitten teenager. Stay for a little while. Only a little while.

      Clasping the towel to her chest, she moved on sluggish legs. She managed the steps but couldn’t manage to take her eyes off him once she reached the top. The darkness didn’t allow her to make out much more than his shadowy form. Probably a good thing since she noted that his clothes were piled on the bench in the corner. All of them, she suspected.

      Keeping the towel close to her body, she sat on the ledge opposite him and dangled her feet in the water. “Wow. This is much hotter than I realized.”

      She saw a flash of white teeth. “The temperature just rose a few degrees, among other things.”

      Don’t look, Joanna. But she did, and luckily she couldn’t see anything much, not that she didn’t really want to.

      Then he reached behind him and snapped on the light. The jets whirred to life, setting a foaming mound of bubbles into action, along with Joanna’s

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