Skin Deep (2 page)

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he whispered, leaning into her, his hot breath fanning the hair covering her ear.

She swallowed, wondering if the erotic fantasies were etched on her face. Were her eyes glossy, her cheeks flushed? She knew her breathing was erratic. Could he tell? Was the scent of her arousal as obvious to him as it was to her? “I was just thinking…” Lina saw fit to rescue her before she made an even bigger fool of herself. The poor man must think she was needy and desperate. Unfortunately, he would be right. He probably saw her as easy prey. She had to pull herself together before she lived up to that assumption.

“I have your identification right here, Dr. Lang,” Lina said, handing the documents back to him. She looked at Alana, as though trying to send her a silent message, before turning her attention back to Ryan. “So, how do you like living in Beverly Hills?”

Ryan shrugged, taking a step back to include Lina in their circle. “It’s okay, I guess.”

Lina laughed. “Just okay? You must have pretty high standards, doctor.”

Looking uncomfortable, his gaze darted to Alana. “No, not really. In fact, it’s a little too pretentious for my liking, but my office is there, so it’s convenient.”

“What’s your specialty?” Lina asked, clearly not willing to back down. The woman was worse than a dog with a rawhide bone.

“I’m a cosmetic surgeon.”

“Of course you are,” Alana muttered. She didn’t realize she’d said it aloud until both of them turned to look at her. She felt the color creeping up her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

He smiled. “It’s okay. I get that a lot.”

At least he earned points for having a sense of humor. Most of the men she’d dated were so full of themselves; they’d be affronted if she dared to make disparaging comments.

“Are you ready to go?” she asked, knowing if they lingered, Lina would continue to subject him to her no-holds barred inquisition.

Of course, one important question remained: was he single? Trying to be subtle, she glanced at his left hand. No ring or tan line; a good sign, but it didn’t mean anything. Few of the married men she knew wore a wedding ring. In the land of beautiful people, one never knew when a better offer may come along. God, she was getting cynical.

“More than ready.”

Ignoring the thrill that shot though her as she imagined what he might be ready for, she asked, “Lina, do me a favor? Ask Jeff to bring the car around front. We’ll meet him out there.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Lina grinned, saluting her behind Ryan’s back. “Should I reschedule that sales meeting for this afternoon?”

Damn it, she’d forgotten all about that sales meeting. As much as she hated to, she might have to pass the test drive off to one of her salespeople after all. “You know what? Why don’t you ask Jeff to accompany Dr. Lang? I really have to prepare for this meeting.”

Tongue in cheek, Ryan asked, “Does Dr. Lang get a vote?”

“I’m afraid not,” she said, wishing for once she could shirk her responsibilities.

Looking disappointed, he said, “You know what? Maybe I’ll just come back another time.”

She couldn’t let him and his Beverly Hills check book walk out the door. She needed this sale; the dealership needed this sale. After sighing, she said, “Push the meeting back to 3:00, Lina.”

“You got it.” She raised her hand, wiggling her fingers as she turned and walked away. She took a step back, leaned in, and whispered in Alana’s ear, “I’m letting you have this one because I know you need to get laid, but you’d better not waste this opportunity. By the way, if he has a single brother, he’s mine.”

Ryan had waited months to get this woman alone. Ever since the first time he laid eyes on her at the Christmas party, he knew he had to have her. But he was seeing someone else at the time, and she refused to give up on their relationship without a fight. He spent months extricating himself by setting her up with one of his friends. Now that she was out of the picture, he was free to pursue the woman he really wanted: Alana Miller.

Gripping the steering wheel, he listened to her list the car’s impressive features. He knew everything he needed to know about the car; he’d bought a similar model two years ago, but he was willing to upgrade if it would help his cause. He decided to come clean and said, “Uh, Alana, you don’t have to give me the sales pitch. I’m already sold on the car.”

Her cheeks colored and she dipped her head. “Sorry, the hard sell isn’t really my style. I guess you unnerved me a little back there.”

Finally, they were getting somewhere. At least she was willing to acknowledge the proverbial elephant between them. “This attraction,” he said, carefully, “please tell me I’m not the only one feeling it.”

She smiled, glancing out the window. “No, you’re not the only one.” She sighed.“My life is complicated right now, Ryan.”

At least she was calling him by his first name now; he supposed that was progress. Still, it was a long way from the date he hoped to secure. He had a fundraiser to attend for the hospital, and he hadn’t invited a date simply because she was the only person who’d appealed to him in a long time. “Tell me about it. Why is your life so complicated?”

She looked at him a long time before answering, as though she was considering whether she was ready to confide in him. “My father had a stroke a while back…”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, keeping one eye on her, the other on the road. After deciding to navigate out of the city traffic, where he couldn’t focus his attention on her, he signaled and merged onto the freeway.

She didn’t seem to notice, or if she did, she didn’t comment on the change in direction. “He’s been running this business for thirty years, since I was just a little girl.”

“The stroke left him incapacitated?” he asked, pushing the button to turn the radio off. He knew confiding in him must be difficult for her. He didn’t need or want any distractions.

“He’s learned to do everything all over again: walking, talking, dressing himself…” Her voice broke. “Watching him struggle is so hard.”

“I can imagine,” he said, quietly. “I lost my father a few years ago, a heart attack.” He was still getting used to life without him. Sometimes he would pick up the phone on a Sunday afternoon to ask him whether he wanted to play a round of golf, and he would remember he was gone. The pain hit him all over again every time he realized his father, his friend, wasn’t going to share the big moments, like his wedding, the birth of his first child…

“I’m so sorry,” she said, reaching out to touch his leg. “Here I am complaining about my situation. At least I still have my father.”

He turned down the street toward his house, almost on auto-pilot. He hadn’t intended to bring her here, but the need to be alone with her was obviously fueling his subconscious. “It’s okay,” he said, reveling in her genuine compassion. He hadn’t shared his pain with anyone outside of his immediate family in a long time. His sister and mother were the only ones who could begin to understand, so while they often shared fond memories, he’d chosen not to burden his friends and colleagues with his private pain. “I just wanted you to know that I understand, and I’m a good listener, if you want to talk about it.”

He lowered the window and pressed the buttons to open the gilded wrought iron gates leading up to his home. He wasn’t trying to impress her; he just wanted to invite her into his inner sanctuary so she could begin to understand him. “I hope you don’t mind? I thought we could grab some lunch and talk for a while before you have to go back to work?”

She drew her plump bottom lip between her teeth as he studied her. She was gorgeous, but real, something he rarely saw in his line of work. Her lips were full and sensuous, but he knew they weren’t filled with Botox. Her teeth were straight and white, but one was ever so slightly tilted, which told him they weren’t veneers.

She laughed. “Why do I feel like you’re sizing me up?”

God, was he being that obvious? “I’m sorry,” he said, cutting the engine. “Occupational hazard, I guess.”

“Thinking about all the ways you’d like to mold and shape me if you ever got me under the knife?”

He heard the edge to her voice and knew his comment was misconstrued. “You can’t be serious? In my mind, nothing is sexier than a natural beauty.”

She rolled her eyes as she reached for the door handle. “Whatever you say, Doc.”

He grabbed her other hand. “Alana, I’m serious. I think you’re gorgeous.” He leaned in, brushing his lips against her cheek. “Why do you think I haven’t been able to get you out of my head?”

She pulled away, obviously unimpressed by his declaration, and opened the door.

He cursed himself for feeding her what must sound like a cheesy line and met her around the front of the car. After following the direction of her gaze, he knew he was busted.

“I can see why I didn’t have to sell you on the features of the car. You already own one.”

He shrugged. “It’s a couple of years old. I’m thinking it might be time for an upgrade.”

She smirked. “You’re a good liar. I’ll give you that.”

He wasn’t lying. He wouldn’t hesitate to buy the car if it would convince her he was serious about pursuing her. “I can write you a check for the car right now.”

She gaped at him. “You would do that? Why?”

“Because I like you, a lot.” He tucked a strand of her long, platinum blonde hair behind her ear and smiled when she turned into his palm, closing her eyes. He would bet the cost of that car that she hadn’t been with a man in a long time, too long. “And I want to get to know you better.” He moved in, circling his arms around her waist. “I’d like to see where this could go, Alana.”

She shook her head, flattening her palms against his chest. “I already know where it’s going. Nowhere.”

Chapter Two

She could tell Dr. Ryan Lang was not well-acquainted with rejection. He probably had his choice of perfect specimens lining up to share his bed; he wouldn’t take more than a minute to move on to one of them. “I hope you’re not too disappointed?”

Without a word, he took her hand, and led her up the cobblestone walkway to the front door of his impressive estate home. He unlocked the door and de-activated the alarm before leading her inside.

“I really don’t have a lot of time,” she said, hoping to break the uncomfortable silence.

“You have to eat,” he said, apparently careful not to move beyond the invisible barriers she’d erected to keep him at a safe distance. “Might as well be here, with me. Unless you think you might get a better offer?”

She realized her rejection hurt him, and that surprised her. Surely a man as handsome and successful as he was must know the package he presented was difficult, if not impossible, for a woman to resist. “Ryan, please try to understand. This has nothing to do with you.” 

He shook his head, holding his hand up. “Please, spare me the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech. I’ve heard it all before.”

She wanted to say something to help him understand, but that required her to open up to him, and she wasn’t prepared to take that kind of risk. “You must know I’m attracted to you. I’d have to be blind not to be.”

“I get it. So you think this is just a physical attraction? We’d get our fill of each other and that would be the end of it. Am I right?”

She imagined what he would be like, how long getting her fill of this man would take. Weeks? Months? Maybe years. “Something like that.”

“I’m okay with that,” he said, the hint of a smile on his lips.

“You’re okay with what?” she said warily. The smile morphed into a full-blown grin, making her feel as though she’d just been taken by a hustler.

“Sex.”

The word conjured up all kinds of images. Sex. Standing up, lying down, from behind, in the shower, on the floor, right there…

He tipped her chin, looking her in the eye. “You’re thinking about it. Admit it.”

His eyes were hazel, with flecks of gold and chocolate. Unforgettable, just like everything else about him. She knew she was venturing into dangerous territory, but retreating now would make her seem like a coward, and for once, she wanted to put her own needs first. Needs she’d denied for too many months. She wanted to feel a man’s intimate caress, his hard cock thrusting into her as she pleaded for him to help her reach that unforeseen peak.

“Okay,” she whispered, wondering if he would retreat now that she’d surrendered. Would the thrill of the chase be as exciting to him now that he’d caught her?

“You’re serious?”

“What’s wrong, Doc? Were you just baiting me?”

“Hell no,” he growled, stripping her jacket off and letting it fall to the ground at their feet.

She was wearing a matching black dress with thin straps and a wide belt cinching her waist.

“It’s a sin to cover this body, baby.”

She found it hard to believe a man who specialized in perfection wouldn’t find fault with her. She was proud of the body she spent hours in the gym maintaining, but she was also a realist. Perfection came at a steep price, one she wasn’t willing or able to pay. Her friends at the gym often talked about their latest enhancements, boasting how much it cost and how much they gained. She’d be lying if she claimed she wasn’t tempted, but cosmetic surgery didn’t fit into her budget now or in the foreseeable future. Her main priority was paying her father’s medical bills, covering her brother’s tuition, and meeting her payroll. She drew a small salary to cover her monthly expenses, but she refused to take more than she needed to survive.