Terri Reed - The Doctor's Defender

Ned gestured to the man and said, “Dr. Brenda Storm, I’d like you to meet Kyle Martin. Your bodyguard.”

* * *

“Hi there, Dr. Storm, I’ve heard good things about you.” Kyle Martin extended his hand toward the brunette beauty sitting perfectly straight in the leather armchair.

She didn’t move. Her lips pressed into a firm line. She couldn’t disapprove of him already, could she? No matter, she wouldn’t be the last.

Odd that she’d wear all black beneath her white lab coat on a hot late-September day. Black slacks, black buttoned-up blouse. Okay, not everything was black. Her red pumps sporting little embroidered roses were in vivid contrast to the stark outfit. Not as somber as she wanted others to believe? Interesting. And intriguing.

Her dark hair was twisted up in a fancy bun in the back. He wondered what she’d do if he undid the pins holding her hair. She’d look softer with all that mass spilling about her shoulders.

Probably slug him. His lips twitched with a suppressed chuckle.

“Okay, we’ll skip the pleasantries,” he said. “I hear you’ve had a tough time lately.” He’d read the dossier on her during the plane ride from Boston. A lot of facts but no real hint of her personality.

She slanted him a glance. Were those tears shimmering in her dark eyes? “If you mean someone trying to poison me and instead killing a sweet man who’d done nothing wrong except indulge in a pretty cupcake, then yeah, I’d say a tough time.”

She was not impressed. Tough. Like it or not, she was stuck with him.

“And being sued for malpractice. I’d say that qualifies, as well.”

With a quick glance at her boss, she said, “Well, you can hardly protect me from that, now can you?”

“You’d be surprised what I can do,” Kyle quipped.

She jumped to her feet, her dark eyes no longer filled with tears. Now they flashed with indignation. “I do not need you.”

Kyle grinned. “Yes, you do need me. I’ll be sticking to you like surf wax to a surfboard until the police catch the person who tried to harm you. No one’s getting near you without going through me.”

Her eyes widened. Her mouth clamped shut. She swung her gaze to the boss man. “This won’t work. I can’t have him—” she waved a hand in Kyle’s direction “—with me in the O.R. The man has on flip-flops. Please, Ned. This isn’t a good idea.”

“It’s an excellent idea.” Ned tipped his chin in Kyle’s direction. “Mr. Martin will take very good care of you.”

“I don’t need to be taken care of,” she argued. “I need to get back to work.”

Ned slipped an arm around her shoulders. “Once the police find who tried to hurt you, everything should all settle down.”

“If it doesn’t, then what?” she asked with a quick glance toward Kyle.

Kyle widened his grin, enjoying the myriad emotions traipsing across her expressive face. She’d bounced from sorrow, to fear, to anger to more anger in the space of a heartbeat.

Her frown deepened.

Okay, shadowing the doctor for the next few days was going to be a challenge. But man, she was easy on the eyes. That was a huge plus. Not that it mattered what she looked like. Protection was protection. He’d do his job and then walk away like always. That was why he liked his job. Each assignment was different, mostly interesting and always temporary.

He was a temporary type of guy.

Especially when it came to women. Prickly women, like the doctor, in particular.

“All we can do is pray the police find whoever did this and arrests them quickly,” Ned said.

“What if they don’t?” she asked, her voice rising slightly.

Clearly, she was more freaked out by the threat hanging over her head than she’d like to admit. Kyle figured the doctor was used to being in charge and having everything under control. Most doctors he knew did.

But this was a situation she couldn’t control. He’d have to pick his battles. He didn’t need to be distracted by fighting her for control when a very real and dangerous threat loomed on the horizon. Who knew when this nut job would strike again?

“The police department is top-notch. They’ll find the suspect soon,” Kyle said, hoping to alleviate her stress.

Fear marched across her pretty face. “Fine. You can protect me.” Her voice hitched on the last word. She glanced at the thin gold watch on her delicate wrist. “I’m due in the O.R. in ten.” She gestured to his feet. “Do you have other shoes?”

He grinned and gave her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

Her lips thinned as she turned away and stepped toward the door. “Just stay out of my way.”

Kyle snagged her wrist. His palm came in contact with her bare skin, soft and smooth. Her pulse jumped beneath his fingers. Kyle couldn’t figure out what he’d done to upset her. It usually took longer before he offended someone.

“I promise this won’t be so bad,” he said, his voice coming out huskier than he liked. “You’ll hardly even know I’m around.”

She arched a raven-black eyebrow but didn’t shy away from his touch. “That’ll be a feat.”

Not sure what to make of her remark, he shrugged and let go of her. “I can be unobtrusive.”

“We’ll see.” She shimmied past him and exited the room.

Ned clapped Kyle on the back. “You have your work cut out for you. But I trust you’ll keep her safe.”

His gaze remained on the door. “On my life.”

He only hoped the prickly doctor let him do his job.

* * *

Five hours later, exhausted from the stress of her bodyguard’s watchful eye during two minor surgeries, Brenda led the way to her condo. They took the elevator to the fifteenth floor. Her stomach fluttered with nerves. The space was too confining. He was too close. She was having way too much trouble ignoring the waves of attraction sizzling between them. She met his gaze in the reflection off the smooth metal doors. He seemed to see right through her, to her very core.

She averted her gaze, mad at herself for the ridiculous thought.

Just how was this going to play out? Surely he wasn’t expecting to sleep in her apartment. She could only pray he’d make sure she was safely inside and then disappear until morning.

Wishful thinking.

As she approached her door, she dug inside the bag slung over her shoulder and pulled out a set of keys. She reached to insert the key in the doorknob. As quick as lightning, her new bodyguard snaked an arm around her waist and hauled her backward, against his hard chest. Awareness of his muscles and strength slipped over her like a sheet of silk.

Maybe she’d been wrong to think this man couldn’t be tough and intimidating.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, trying to reconcile the warmth spreading through her to the outrage she should be feeling at being manhandled so unceremoniously. She couldn’t quite get there though.

His corded arm and the musky scent of his aftershave distracted her. Not to mention the fact that she hadn’t had this kind of close contact with a man in...well, a long time.

“Saving you from yourself.” His whispered answer tickled her ear and caused a rippling effect of shivers to course through her. “The door could be booby-trapped. Someone wants you dead, remember?”

If he was trying to frighten her, he succeeded. Her stomach rolled. She hated how vulnerable she felt. Someone out there wanted to hurt her and didn’t care who they hurt in the process. And she didn’t know who or why. She could only guess and make assumptions. She bit her lip, a habit she’d dropped years ago but fear had resurrected.

Kyle set her aside. Impossibly she felt even more vulnerable without his strong arms around her. He moved closer to the door and slowly ran his hand around the edges of the frame, inspected the lock and then held out his hand. “Keys?”