Cindy Kirk - One Night with the Doctor

“For starters, you’re a busy man.”

“There’s more to life than practicing medicine.” Ben gestured toward the animal inspecting a small bush shaped like a globe. “He was found abandoned out on Route 22, near Brown’s curve, when he was six months old. His leg and a couple ribs were fractured.”

Poppy’s breath caught. She brought a hand to her chest. “He’d been hit by a car?”

“He’d been hit.” Benedict’s lips thinned. “But not by a vehicle.”

“Someone hurt then dumped him?” Anger warred with the shock in her voice.

“That’s how it appeared.” For a second Ben’s eyes flashed then he lifted a shoulder. “Anyway, a friend at the animal shelter told me about him. He needed a home. I had one.”

The dog appeared content and happy as he wandered from bush to bush. It was difficult to imagine he’d had such a rough beginning. As if aware of her sympathy, Groucho looked over his shoulder at her and wagged his tail.

“I bet he misses you during the day.”

“Sometimes.” Ben chuckled. “Other times I don’t think he notices...or cares. Especially on the days Angela brings her granddaughter with her. He’s crazy about kids.”

Poppy wasn’t sure what surprised her most. That the woman she’d envisioned as a dark-haired temptress was a grandmother or that the doctor could be so accommodating. “You don’t mind her bringing a child with her while she’s working?”

“Why should I?” Puzzlement filled his gray eyes. “Liliana is well-behaved. And, as I said, Angela is flexible so I try to be, too.”

Though Ben acted as if the concession was no big deal, Poppy knew it would have been a different story at her New York penthouse. Her ex obviously hadn’t minded stealing their housekeeper away from her duties for sex, but he’d have been horrified if she’d ever had the temerity to ask to bring her child with her to work.

“Looks like he’s ready to head inside,” Ben announced.

Instead of reentering the home through the garage, Ben steered her toward the front door. While he put away the leash and wiped Groucho’s feet in the entryway, Poppy’s curiosity propelled her farther into the house.

With its amber-colored walls, massive stone fireplace and intricately woven rugs on shiny hardwood, the large room with the soaring ceilings had a surprisingly cozy feel.

Feet now clean and dry, the dog padded across the room to hop onto a leather sofa. After rearranging a navy blanket into a makeshift nest, he settled down to gnaw contently on a small green bone.

Ben hung up their coats before he returned to her side. “Can I interest you in a tour?”

The gleam shimmering in his eyes told her exactly what room he’d like to show her.

Poppy shivered.

“Cold?” He captured her hand and brought her fingers to his lips. “Let’s see if I can warm you up.”

With brilliant gray eyes focused on hers, he kissed each finger lightly then pressed a kiss into her palm.

A sizzle of electricity shot up her arm. Heat flooded her body.

Ah, yes. This was the reason she was here—with him—this evening.

“I’d love to see your—” she paused and offered him what she hoped was an enigmatic smile “—the rest of your lovely home.”

Ben took her hand. “Come with me.”

With his fingers laced loosely through hers, he took her through a state-of-the-art kitchen with commercial grade appliances and enough cabinet space to make her drool. She was still thinking that those cupboards could hold anything an aspiring gourmet cook could ever want when Ben ushered her down the hall to show her several bedrooms, bathrooms and his home office. Then they headed up the curving stairs to the second level.

The suite that encompassed most of the upper floor was clearly designed for comfort. Especially if one equated comfort with space. There was a bed the size of Wyoming and a sitting area large enough to hold a couple of neighboring states, as well.

Conscious of Benedict’s perusal, Poppy strolled past a desk with triple screen monitors to peer into a closet with enough clothes and shoes to fill a small department store. But in her mind, next to the magnificent bed, the pièce de résistance was the bathroom.

With a wealth of natural lighting, sleek stone floor and a shower with knobs and spray heads reminding her of a car wash, the luxury—and the decadence of it all—stole her breath.

“That—” Poppy gestured toward the glass-enclosed shower big enough for a party of five “—is a fantasyland. If I got in there to play, you’d never get me out.”

His gaze slid slowly over her and she got the distinct feeling he was imagining her inside those glass walls...naked.

Her skin prickled. She wondered if he suspected she’d been envisioning him in there with her, also sans clothes.

Turning back to the sitting area with its arched window and massive stone fireplace, Poppy stepped toward the warmth and held out her hands.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Groucho bound into the room and make a beeline for a dog pillow next to the desk, a tiny green bone sticking out of his mouth.

Ben gestured toward a long sofa in muted peach. “Would you like some wine?”

Though a nice glass of red sounded good, more alcohol was the last thing Poppy needed. If she was going to have sex, she’d at least like to remember it. With more than a little regret, she shook her head.

Ben moved close, his hand cupping the back of her neck. “You’re right. We have something more pressing on the agenda.”

His mouth closed over hers with a hunger that made her heart stutter. Still, he didn’t rush. As if they had all the time in the world, he continued to kiss her, slow, leisurely kisses that stoked the fire in her belly.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, his lips against her hair, his arms strong around her.

Breathing in the spicy scent of him, Poppy reveled in the warmth of his embrace. She raked her fingers through his thick dark strands and found them soft as silk. “You’re kind of pretty yourself.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. He laughed softly, a deep rumbling sound that pleased her.

“I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing,” she whispered, then paused, not sure what else to say.

“Tonight we’ll be lovers.” With one finger he gently brushed back a lock of her hair that had tumbled from its glittery clip.

“Yes,” she answered, her voice as unsteady as her heartbeat. “Yes, we will.”

“It’s been a while for you.” He spoke softly.

“After my divorce I swore off men.” Poppy stepped from his arms and took a seat on the sofa, smoothing her skirt with a sweaty palm.

“What made you change your mind?” Ben took a seat next to her.

“You.”

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