PRINCE CHARMING M.D. (26 page)

She supposed what made her nervous was that she really cared about Trevor. He'd become a good friend and someone she enjoyed having in her life. She was also starting to sense the potential for something more on her part, and that terrified her. She couldn't risk their getting close because she wasn't about to put her heart on the line. Intellectually, she understood that if she really wanted to achieve her goal of a husband and children, she would have to risk trusting a man. But the concept frightened her. She'd watched her mother for too many years to be comfortable with letting someone have that kind of power over her. She didn't want to be dependent. She wanted to make it on her own.

Of course she'd already done that. She'd set career goals and achieved them. She tried telling herself that getting married didn't necessarily mean handing over the power to her life. With the right partner, she could still retain her identity. At least, that was the theory. When she thought about Katie and Mike, she believed it was possible, at least for them. But what about for her?

Maybe … with someone she could trust. Someone not so dynamic. Trevor would be too risky. She was afraid of him because she knew she could love him too much. Far easier to keep things as they were, using him for practice, then finding someone suitable later.

She diced vegetables,
then
grated cheese. After getting out the omelette pan, she reached for the carton of eggs.

"What are you doing?" Trevor asked, horrified.

She looked up. He stood in the doorway to the kitchen, hair still damp from his shower, a towel wrapped around his waist. Her body responded to his perfection with the same muscle-twitching, bone-melting, everything-quivering dance it always did in his presence.

"Making breakfast," she said. "Omelettes."

He crossed to her side and snatched the carton from her.

"Eggs? You want to cook eggs? What will the children think?"

It took her a second to get the joke. "You can't mean T.J."

"Who else? I'm shocked, Dana. I thought you were more sensitive than this."

She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say to him.

He set the carton on the counter and wrapped his arms around her. "Bagels," he said. "I'll take you out for bagels or pancakes or waffles. Anything but eggs."

"But I—"

His mouth settled on hers and she decided she didn't want to talk all that much. The heat flared.

"What about breakfast?" she asked when she caught her breath.

"Later," he murmured, leading her back to the bedroom and stretching out beside her. "Much later."

Chapter Fourteen

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D
ana sipped her morning coffee and didn't care that it had that burned tinge the hospital cafeteria seemed to pride itself on. She didn't care about the rain, the six calls she had to return before
noon
, the run in her panty hose or the three surgeries that would require rescheduling and completely mess up two days' worth of work.

She felt like Snow White from the Disney movie. Everything was lovely as she went about her days. She would swear that she heard singing and that little forest creatures greeted her at every turn.

Dana laughed. Okay, the little forest creatures were a bit of a stretch, but she was one happy lady. Her weekend had been perfect. Except for going home to get a couple of changes of clothing and some more condoms, Trevor hadn't left her place until Monday, when they'd both had to be at the hospital. They'd made love, laughed, ordered in food, cooked, made love again … and again, talked about their pasts, their futures, their hopes. Oh, and they'd made love some more.

She leaned back in her chair and sighed in contentment. It was Wednesday and she was still glowing. Perhaps it was because they'd spent the past two nights together, too. Monday at his place and Tuesday at hers. It was very convenient for both of them. If either forgot something, it wasn't far to go pick it up.

Dana stared at the paperwork on her desk, but didn't really see it. She couldn't remember being happier with anyone before, ever. It wasn't just the sex, although that was quite amazing. There was more. Something about being with Trevor that made her
feel
good about herself. It was as if, with him, she felt complete.

"I'm not getting serious, though," she reminded herself aloud. "This is dating fun. A temporary, albeit lovely, situation. Nothing more."

She would be a fool to expect more. After all, she was talking about Trevor MacAllister here, not some regular guy.

Angie strolled into her office and sat in the chair opposite hers. "'Morning, boss. You're looking really happy about something."

Dana smiled. "I'm having a good hair day. What's going on?"

"You'd asked me if I could trade shifts and it's not a problem. I'm happy to do it."

"Thanks." Dana made a note on her schedule. "I know you hate working in the late afternoon, but I need someone with your experience for the OR."

Angie shrugged. "I'll be forced to sleep in, so that works for me. After all, I've been having some very late nights."

A knot formed in Dana's stomach and she would have sworn the temperature in the room dropped about thirty degrees. Did Angie mean what Dana thought she meant? She couldn't be talking about Trevor. Dana knew exactly what he'd been doing every night since Friday. They'd been together … sleeping in the same bed.

She swallowed hard. Except for Monday night, when they'd agreed that they actually had to spend some time sleeping, so she'd gone home about ten-thirty.

"Wild social life?" she asked, working hard to make her voice sound normal. She wasn't completely successful, but she didn't think Angie would notice the difference.

"Hmm, you bet." The pretty young nurse leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "I can't believe how wonderful Trevor is. And not just in bed. While he's a real—" She stopped and shrugged. "Sorry. I'm sure you don't want details."

"That statement couldn't be
more true
."

"But it's not just that," she continued. "He's also funny and sweet and wonderful to be with. The only fly in the ointment is Sally. I hate that he's seeing her, too."

Dana couldn't believe it. No way was Trevor seeing all three of them. He just plain didn't have time. Besides, she knew in her heart he wouldn't do that to her. Would he?

While part of her wanted to believe in him, another part wondered how well she really knew him. Was she expecting too much? Did she have the right to assume their relationship meant as much to him as to her?

There was one way to find out. She sucked in a breath and clenched her hands into fists. "When did you see him?"

"Saturday and last night. He saw Sally on Friday, but I don't think he's seen her since. So that means I'm winning, right?"

If she hadn't been sitting, she would have collapsed with relief. Since Friday, the only night she and Trevor hadn't spent together was Monday, although they'd shared the evening. So he couldn't have seen Angie or Sally.

She opened her mouth to ask the young woman why she was lying,
then
pressed her lips together. She didn't want to get into this right now. Asking Angie that question was the same as announcing her relationship with Trevor to the entire hospital, and she wasn't ready to do that. She didn't want to deal with the rumors and speculation. To be completely honest with herself, she didn't want everyone to know they were dating because she didn't want any pity when they broke up. Even if she were the one to end the relationship, everyone would assume it was the other way around. She'd already had enough humiliation where he was concerned.

Angie looked at her and raised her eyebrows. "You're not answering. Don't tell me there are things going on with Sally that I don't know about."

"Not that I'm aware of," Dana said. "I can't say if you're winning or not. I suspect you're both in the same boat where Trevor is concerned."

Both lying. But why?

After Angie got her new schedule and left, Dana wrestled with that question. Why would two young attractive women lie about dating someone? Was it the challenge? Did they need people to believe the most eligible doctor in the hospital wanted each of them? If Angie and Sally were both lying, who else had lied? Joel? Girls in high school?

She remembered what Trevor had said about his reputation having little basis in fact. She was starting to believe that was true. He'd claimed to have made love with only four women in his life, including her. She had no reason to doubt that, either. She smiled. Okay, she had a little reason to doubt. He was an extraordinary lover, but some of that was because he took the time to find out what she enjoyed. He was attentive and caring, two qualities tough to resist in bed.

Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She picked it up. "Dana Rowan."

"Nurse? You've gotta help me. I'm running this fever and there are spots all over my body. Is it fatal?"

The voice was familiar, but it took her a couple of seconds to place it. The memories stirred in the back of her mind and then she laughed. "Roger, is that you?"

"Hi, hot staff. What's going on?"

"I can't believe you called me. It's been forever. What? At least a couple of years."

The man on the phone chuckled. "How many kids did I have the last time we talked?"

Dana thought about the question. Roger was a man she'd dated in college. When the romance hadn't worked out, they'd stayed friends. She'd attended his wedding and had even spent a long weekend with him and his wife a few years back. Their happiness had left her with a combination of pleasure for them and longing for
herself
. She wanted what they had.

"You had two. Little Emma was about three and R.J. was less than a year."

"Well, Marcie just had another boy and R.J. is nearly two. So it's been way too long.
Which is the reason I'm calling.
I'm in town on business. I have an unexpected free night tonight and wondered if you'd like to have dinner."

The invitation was tempting. Not only did she always have a good time with Roger, but he was someone she trusted, and a male. Maybe he could give her some advice about Trevor. She could use the opinion of a relatively disinterested third party, not to mention a man's point of view on the situation.

She and Trevor hadn't made any plans for the evening.

She'd assumed they would spend it together, but Trevor would understand.

"I'd love to join you."

"Great. Where?"

She named a local restaurant. "About seven-thirty?"

"Works for me. I'll see you then. Oh, and I can't wait to call Marcie and tell her I'll be seeing a beautiful blonde tonight. Think she'll be jealous?"

Dana laughed. "Not a chance. She knows you adore her so much the rest of the female population barely exists. My bet is she'll tell you to say hi and not give it another moment's thought."

"Yeah, I know." He gave an exaggerated sigh. "I've tried explaining that the male ego likes to know that the woman in a guy's life is at least a little worried about keeping him faithful, but not Marcie. She's got me good and hooked. What can I do?"

"Enjoy," Dana said firmly. "After all, the alternative is to do without her."

"Never. She's my whole life. But we're not going to spend tonight talking about me. Happiness is a thrill for
those living it, but it makes
boring dinner conversation. Plan to be the entertainment, kid. See you at seven-thirty."

"Bye."

Dana hung up. This was exactly what she needed. A distraction from Trevor and the chance to get some good advice. She glanced at the clock and figured she could still catch him at his office.

After dialing the number, she waited for the receptionist to answer. She gave her name,
then
prepared herself to explain that this was a personal call. Sometimes getting through to doctors was not simple. But to her surprise, the receptionist immediately asked her to hold on. Less than a minute later, Trevor was on the phone.

"You read my mind," he said. "I was just thinking about you."

A quiver shot through her stomach. The man sure had a way about him. He could disarm her with a phrase.