Marrying the Playboy Doctor (6 page)

Seth was up at bat again, and the nurses’ team had sent in a relief pitcher to give the previous one a break. He stood in the batter’s box, waiting for the pitch. The first ball went way wide, nowhere near his bat, so he didn’t swing. The pitcher tried again. This time her pitch went wild in the opposite direction, heading straight for Seth. He ducked to avoid getting hit, but too late.

Kylie heard a loud
thunk
as the ball hit him, the sound carrying all the way to her seat. For a long
moment he stood there, but then slowly sank to his knees, his hand cradling his head.

Her heart jumped into her throat.

One minute he was thinking about slamming the ball over the back fence to win the game, and the next he was lying flat on his back, staring up at the sunny sky.

His jaw throbbed. Seth squinted against the brightness, gradually remembering what had happened. Rachel’s second pitch had gone wild, smacking him in the face.

Rachel also just happened to be the nurse who’d gifted him the Romeo moniker. Had she hit him on purpose? Nah, he didn’t really think so. Pushing aside the well-meaning doctors and nurses who’d gathered around, he sat up, gingerly sliding his jaw back and forth. Man, he hoped nothing was broken. Like his mandible or his teeth.

“Seth? My gosh, are you all right?”

Kylie’s earnest expression was a little fuzzy as she hovered over him, but knowing she’d rushed to his side when he was injured made him want to smile. If his face hadn’t hurt so much, that was. “Fine,” he said in a gruff tone, embarrassed by all the attention.

He’d have felt better if he’d gotten smacked
after
hitting a game-winning home run.

She helped him upright, and damned if he didn’t feel a little dizzy. He tried to brush off the sensation, but as he took a step found himself leaning against Kylie.

He heard the umpire making arrangements for a pinch hitter to take his place. He wanted to protest—because, darn it,
he’d
wanted to be the one to score the win.

“Just sit down here for a minute,” Kylie was saying, as she led him down the few steps into the shaded area of the dugout.

“I’m fine,” he said, taking the seat farthest away at the end, to stay out of the other players’ way. “I just feel stupid—like I should have been able to avoid getting hit.”

“Why? Because you think you’re Superman or something?” she asked in an exasperated tone.

He didn’t notice who’d taken his turn at bat. He was too focused on Kylie. In her casual clothes, jeans and a tight-fitting short-sleeved shirt, she looked beautiful. “You mean I’m not?” he said lightly.

“No.” She took a cold pack out of the first aid kit and placed it against his jaw, kneeling in front of him where he sat on the bench. Her face was tipped up toward his, and he thought the touch of her slender hand felt much better than any ice pack. Her eyes were full of concern. “You scared me to death when you went down.”

“I’m sorry.” He couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away from her luscious mouth. One taste. All he wanted was one taste of her lips.

Whoever had taken his turn at bat must have hit a good one, because suddenly the dugout emptied as the MD players jumped to their feet, loudly cheering.

He ignored them. So did Kylie. She stared up at him, and suddenly he couldn’t help himself. He leaned forward and captured her mouth in a sweet, intoxicating kiss.

The moment her mouth parted for his he knew he’d lied. Because one taste of Kylie would never be enough.

K
YLIE
dropped the cold pack and clutched Seth’s shoulders, surprised and then enthralled by his kiss. His mouth was firm, yet gentle, sensual, but very masculine, as he deepened the kiss. Every nerve in her body yearned for his touch, and helplessly she leaned in, exploring his mouth with a keen intensity.

Everything faded away except the two of them.

Dear heaven, she wanted him. Wanted more. Wanted everything he had to offer. There was a reason she’d tried to avoid this, but at the moment she couldn’t think of it.

And then it hit her.
Ben
. Cripes, what was wrong with her? She’d run off to see if Seth was all right, and had completely forgotten her son.

She broke the kiss, yanked out of Seth’s embrace, and scrambled awkwardly to her feet. What kind of mother was she that she forgot her own son?

The baseball game was over. She climbed from the dugout, catching a glimpse of the large scoreboard to see the MDs had taken the lead with that last run. Spectators streamed down from the bleachers and Kylie
frantically pushed against them, searching wildly for the spot where she’d left her son.

“Ben? Where are you? Ben!”

Surprisingly, Seth had followed her, his deep voice booming above hers, helping her to call her son. “Ben.
Ben!
”

“Mom?”

Miraculously she spotted him, holding on to his playmate Raelynn’s hand. She in turn was hanging on to her mother’s. Relief swept over her as she rushed forward, making her way as quickly as she could against the mob of people vying to go in the opposite direction.

“Ben!” She enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug. Her apologetic gaze caught Marla’s. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you like that. I’m
so
sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Marla responded, surprisingly calm and not the least bit annoyed. “I knew we’d find you eventually. Besides, I was waiting for Eric to find
us
. He’s one of the OB doctors on the MD team.”

She closed her eyes, realizing that she’d overreacted and willing her rioting fear to settle down. Ben was safe. Cedar Bluff wasn’t Chicago. Cedar Bluff was safe.

She didn’t have to relive the fear of the past anymore.

“Dr. Seth!” Ben exclaimed, looking past her to where Seth stood. “Did you get hurt?”

“I’m fine, Ben,” he reassured him. “I wasn’t hurt nearly as bad as you were the day that car hit you.”

Kylie was glad Ben didn’t seem to be upset by her disappearance. And she was grateful her son hadn’t witnessed the kiss. She forced herself to relax and take
Ben’s hand, even though she knew there was no way she could now go to the post-game party with Seth.

Not after the way she’d practically drowned in his kiss.

Not after the way she’d almost lost her son.

She turned toward Seth. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’re up for that post-game pizza after all.” She was babbling, but somehow couldn’t make herself stop. When her son’s face fell, she added, “Ben, we’ll make frozen pizza at home, all right?”

“Aw, Mom,” Ben protested. “I wanna go to the party.”

His dejected expression almost made her change her mind.

Almost.

“I’m not in the mood for a party, either,” Seth admitted, fingering the bruise that was just starting to darken the skin along his jaw. “Do you mind if I come with you instead? Pizza at home sounds like heaven at the moment.”

“Cool,” Ben piped up.

“Yes. No. I mean—sure.” Flustered, she agreed, not wanting to sound rude, and unable to think of a graceful way out. Helplessly she shrugged. “If you really want to.”

“I do.” His gaze bored into hers, as if he knew full well she’d been trying to get away from him. “Thanks.”

So Seth was coming over to her house. Fine. He’d been there before, when he’d driven her and Ben home from the hospital after Ben’s accident. She’d just have to feed him pizza and then shoo him out.

She swiped suddenly damp palms on the seat of her jeans and glanced around, realizing with relief that the crowd had thinned. “We—uh—walked here from the house.”

“No problem. I’ll walk back with you.” Seth fell into step beside her, but then stopped. “Wait, I almost forgot my gear—my bat and glove. Will you give me a quick minute?”

“Of course.” What did he think? That she’d take off the second his back was turned? Tempting, but she wasn’t that much of a coward. Well, maybe she was. But she still refused to give in to the cowardly thought, regardless.

“Can I come with you?” Ben asked. “I’ll carry your glove.”

“Absolutely. As long as your Mom says it’s okay.”

“Go ahead,” she said, forcing a smile. “I’ll wait for you both here.”

Ben eagerly turned toward Seth. As if Seth had read her mind, he held out his hand. “Grab on, so I don’t lose you in the crowd.”

Ben took Seth’s hand with his non-casted one.

Her throat tightened as she watched the two of them walk hand in hand to the dugout, where Seth had accidentally left his equipment. She couldn’t hear what Ben was saying, but Seth was nodding, listening intently to her son. As much as she hated to admit it, Seth would make a great father someday.

Not a good husband, perhaps, but a great father.

Tristan had seemed to be a good potential husband, yet had turned out to be a lousy father.

She rubbed a weary hand over her eyes. Somehow she needed to find a man who could be both.

Or, better still, stay single until Ben was old enough to go off to college.

Seth knew Kylie was anxiously waiting for him and Ben to return, but he needed a few minutes to get himself under control.

Kissing her had caused his hormones to play laser tag with his emotions. When she’d broken away from him it had taken several seconds for the sensual haze to clear, and then he’d figured out that Kylie was running away.

Never had a woman gotten to him so fast. Especially not a woman with a son. He’d realized Kylie was desperately searching for Ben when she’d taken off so abruptly.

The mere memory of their kiss still had the potency to make his blood heat. And it wasn’t as if he’d kissed her in a private place. Oh, no, he’d chosen the romantic aura of the dugout to kiss her. He didn’t think anyone else had noticed, though, since Michael had hit the game-winning home run.

“Can I wear your glove?” Ben asked, sliding his blue-and-orange casted hand into the palm of his large leather glove. Even despite the bulky cast, the mitt slipped drunkenly to one side on his tiny fist.

“Sure, but be careful you don’t drop it.” He didn’t really care if Ben dropped the mitt or not. He was still too busy trying to figure out what had happened between him and Kylie in the dugout.

Okay, so it was possible that kissing her hadn’t been the smartest idea he’d ever had. But, smart or not, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her again.

Which was why he’d boldly invited himself to her house after she’d begged off the pizza outing. Talk about being a glutton for punishment.

“Idiot,” he muttered under his breath.

“Who’s an idiot?” Ben asked.

He let out his breath in a heavy sigh. “No one. Sorry. I was thinking about something else.” Kissing Kylie broke every no-strings rule he possessed. She was a mother with a son. Unless it was possible Kylie wasn’t looking for anything serious, either? Warming to the idea, he reached for the boy’s non-casted hand. “Come on, let’s go back to meet your mom.”

He and Kylie needed to talk. Soon. That electrifying kiss they’d shared had convinced him they couldn’t ignore the desire simmering between them.

And maybe they could have a little fun without risking a full-blown relationship? Because he still wanted her. Not that he expected Kylie to end up in his bedroom on a casual whim. But it would be better if the rules were clear up front.

“Mom, Seth’s glove almost fits me—see?” Ben ran the few feet necessary to catch up to Kylie, carrying the oversize glove on his casted hand.

“Wow, that’s amazing. I bet that glove will fit you perfectly in a couple of years,” Kylie gallantly agreed. She seemed to be avoiding Seth’s gaze, though, keeping her attention centered on her son.

“Seth said I can carry it for him if I don’t drop it.”

“Don’t you mean
Dr
. Seth?” she corrected gently.

“Yeah. That’s what I said. Dr. Seth.” Ben skipped ahead of them on the sidewalk, clearly not getting what his mother meant.

Seth lengthened his stride to catch up with her. “It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

“I know, but that’s not the point.” Kylie was walking fast, as if she were on a marathon mission to get home. “He needs to respect his elders.”

He cocked a brow, striving for a light tone. “Isn’t that an old-fashioned view in this day and age?”

“Not as far as I’m concerned.” Kylie still refused to look directly at him. “Good game, by the way. Although I don’t think it’s really fair how the MDs have so many men on the team compared to the nurses.”

Ben wasn’t far enough ahead for a private conversation, so he played along, keeping things light. “Obviously you can’t count very well. There were at least five guys on the RN team. We had four women on ours, including Leila, who is a great trauma surgeon but doesn’t have an athletic bone in her body. Didn’t you notice she dropped every ball the nurses hit in her direction? Heck, we were almost perfectly matched.”

“Oh, please!” she scoffed. “Each team had eleven players. Obviously you can’t count very well.”

He chuckled, liking the way she jumped to defend the underdogs. They’d been actually trying to even out the teams, but the nurses didn’t seem to mind. Every year they continued to issue the challenge. “Yeah, but that Rachel packs a powerful punch. I mean pitch.”

Kylie finally turned to look at him, frowning when her gaze landed on his bruised jaw. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Damn, the caring concern in her eyes made him want to kiss her again. And now Ben was far enough away that he could speak his mind. “Yes. And you should know—your kiss completely healed my pain.”

Her eyes widened and she quickly turned away. “I don’t know why you’re so anxious to come and eat frozen pizza,” she said abruptly, changing the subject. “Di Vinci’s Pizza is much better.”

“I don’t care about the pizza.” He decided he’d had enough of her light and fluffy conversation. They’d come abreast of her house anyway—he recognized it from the other day, when he’d given her a ride home. He caught her hand to stop her. “Kylie, there’s a sizzling attraction between us. Why are you pretending it doesn’t exist?”

She sucked in a harsh breath and tugged against his hand. “Don’t,” she said softly. “Don’t do this.”

“Do what?”

“Make me fall for you.”

The seriousness of her tone made him drop her arm and take a step back. “Okay, that’s fine. Neither one of us is looking for a long-term relationship. Does that mean we can’t have any fun?”

Her gaze narrowed. “Fun? That kiss was a mistake. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. Now, if you really want pizza you’re welcome to join us, but only as friends.”

Disappointment burned as she yanked out of his grip and hurried up the driveway after her son. “Ben, why don’t you talk to Dr. Seth while I put the pizza in the oven?”

He sighed and tried to smile. Clearly this wasn’t going to work. But at the same time he couldn’t just leave. At least not without hurting Ben. And, besides, he didn’t mind spending time with the boy. Ben was eager to talk sports—one of his favorite subjects.

So instead of making a polite excuse to leave he
stayed, and entertained Ben while enjoying every bite of the pizza and garlic bread she’d made.

When the meal was over, he insisted on doing cleanup duty, while Kylie and Ben went into the living room to relax.

At least he assumed Ben was relaxing. Kylie had seemed tense throughout dinner. He suspected she’d remain tense until he went home.

Alone.

Dammit.

Kylie surprised him by returning to the kitchen a few minutes later. “Seth, really. You don’t have to do this.”

“Where’s Ben?” he asked, continuing to wash the dishes. Her modest home didn’t have the luxury of a dishwasher.

“He’s watching some football game on television.” She wrinkled her nose. “Someday I’m going to have to learn the finer points of that game.”

“I’d be happy to teach you,” he offered, before he could stop himself. “Ben’s probably watching a college game—they’re generally on Saturdays. The professionals play every Sunday.”

“Hmm.” She picked up a towel and began drying the dishes he’d stacked in the sink. “I should take you up on that.”

“Football was always a big game at our house,” he explained. “My dad used to coach our high school team. My oldest brother Caleb was a better player than I was, and my sister Tess was a cheerleader. We always spent every single Sunday watching the game on television, no exceptions.”

Kylie smiled. “Your mother must have been a saint to put up with all of you watching football.”

“Nah, she didn’t mind so much. Honestly, I think she learned to love the game, too. Maybe just because my dad did.” Seth finished washing and rinsing the dishes and took the towel from her hands to dry his own. Instead of giving it back, he took over the task of drying dishes. “When my dad died, the summer before my junior year of high school, we were pretty shocked. Caleb had already been accepted into college, but he tried to back out. Mom wouldn’t hear of it. She insisted he go. So he compromised by changing the campus he’d planned to attend so he’d be closer to home. Tess and I went back to high school in the fall, but it wasn’t the same without him.”

Kylie’s hand lightly rested on his arm. “That must have been hard for you, losing your father so young. Especially since he was such a big part of your life.”

“It was. But we hung together, and Mom was great. When she died unexpectedly six months ago…” He shook his head. “That was almost worse, because she was pretty much the rock that had held us together.”

“Oh, Seth.” Kylie’s eyes softened with empathy. “I’m so sorry.”

He tried to smile. “Yeah. I loved her. But I’m also a little ticked at her. Because after going through a box of family photos I discovered my dad—the one who died when I was in high school—wasn’t really my biological father after all.”