A Royal Wager. Kristi Gold
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and now here I am. By the way, I was very sorry to hear about your brother’s car accident.”
She saw a flash of sadness in his eyes before it vanished as quickly as it had come. “Did you attend medical school at Harvard?”
Considering his swift change of subject, Kate made a mental note not to bring up his brother’s death again. “Actually, I returned home to Tennessee and went to Vanderbilt. I needed to be close to my family.”
“Was someone ill?” he asked with concern.
“Not really.” Only needy, and very overprotective as always, which was one of the reasons why Kate had decided to apply for the position—the other was sitting before her. She’d grown tired of being the perfect, reliable daughter—the person both her parents depended upon for everything. She loved them dearly, but at times she wished she’d had siblings to ease some of her burden.
Marc crossed his arms over his chest, looking commanding and no less sexy. “You say you needed to be close to your family yet you have traveled thousands of miles away to work in our hospital?”
“I’ve been looking for a change of pace.” A change of scenery. A change in her life.
“What is your medical specialty?” he asked in an all-business tone, confirming that he was only interested in the interview.
“Family practice,” she said. “But I enjoy treating children the most. I’ve always loved children.”
“They’re our hope for future generations,” he replied. “We’ve made some strides in pediatric health care, but not enough for my satisfaction.”
“I’d enjoy that challenge, Marc. I mean, Your Highness.” Her first breach of royal protocol, and probably not her last. “I’m sorry.”
“No apology necessary, Dr. Milner.”
“I really prefer you call me Kate. I’m just a simple kind of person.”
“But you’re also a physician,” he said. “Not many can lay claim to that.”
Kate felt the bloom of a blush on her cheeks. She’d never been well versed in accepting flattery graciously, but then compliments hadn’t been a common occurrence in her life. “Speaking of doctors, how soon do you plan to reach a decision on who you’ll be hiring?”
“The decision will come when we find the right candidate. And on that thought, could you tell me about your experience?”
“Exactly what experience are you referring to?” How could she have asked such a stupid question? Easy. The man was sucking her brain dry of lucid thought with his high-powered aura.
She noted a spark of amusement in his eyes and the first signs of a smile, but not enough to reveal the dimples framing his mouth. “Medical experience, of course. Unless you have other experience that you believe might interest me.”
If only that were true. “Medically speaking, I’ve only recently completed my residency. I haven’t been in private practice at all.”
His dark gaze pinned her in place, even though she wanted to fidget. “I assume you’ve been adequately trained.”
She lifted her chin a notch. “In one of the top programs in the country.”
“Then I would say you could handle our hospital clinic.”
“I’m sure I could.” Now for the nitty-gritty. “And the pay?”
Marc leaned forward, bringing with him another trace scent of cologne. “If we come to an agreement, I would be willing to match whatever salary you were making in the States.”
“Believe me, my salary barely enabled me to make ends meet. Long hours, low pay. I still have some student loans to take care of.”
“I could at least double it,” he said. “More if necessary.”
This deal was getting sweeter by the minute. “Why would you do that?”
“Because we are in need of good doctors. And after all, we’re old friends.”
“Lab partners,” she corrected. “I never really considered us friends.”
He leaned back, but kept his eyes fixed on hers. “Why is that, Kate?”
“That’s fairly obvious, considering you’re a king and I’m, well, me.”
“But when we knew each other before, I wasn’t a king.”
And she’d been far removed from royalty. She still was. “No, you were a prince. I was never all that comfortable around you because of that.”
“Do I still make you uncomfortable?” he asked in a deep, deadly voice that held both challenge and temptation.
Very. “Not really. I’ve had interviews before. I consider this opportunity an adventure.”
“Then I’m to assume you’re looking for adventure?”
“And a job.”
“We have the job covered. So what type of adventure are you looking for, aside from your career?”
The question hung in the air for a time until she finally said, “I’m not sure. Do you have any suggestions?”
The dark look he sent her said he probably had plenty. “Unfortunately, Doriana is a rather sedate place in July. But if you’re here during the winter season, you could take advantage of our ski resorts. We have some challenging slopes, if you’re not afraid to attempt something that could be deemed dangerous.”
Now why had that sounded like an invitation to sin? “I’ve never tried skiing, but it sounds like fun.”
“I wouldn’t object to teaching you as repayment for what you taught me. I doubt I would have passed biology had it not been for you.”
She certainly wouldn’t object to anything he wanted to teach her. “Are you good?” Great, Kate. “At skiing, I mean.”
His eyes seemed to grow even darker, effectively dispensing the last of Kate’s calm. “Yes.”
“I imagine you’re probably very good at everything you do.” Imagined it in great detail, she did. “Aside from biology, that is.”
“I would imagine the same applies to you, Kate, considering how well you handled me during that first year.” She made a shaky one-handed sweep through her hair. “Funny, I don’t remember handling you at all.”
He assumed an almost insolent posture, his gaze now centered on her lap where she ran her fingertips up and down her purse strap. “Well, if you had literally handled me, I would not have forgotten, I assure you.”
If he only knew how many times she’d imagined “handling” him in her wildest fantasies. How many times she had imagined this moment when they were again face-to-face. How strongly she was reacting to him on a very primal level.
Following a brief span of tense silence, reality finally drilled its way into Kate’s psyche. She could not let him get to her again. Not this time. All those years ago, she had fallen hopelessly in love with him, knowing he could never feel the same—a mistake she didn’t dare repeat.
But that was then, and this was now. She had matured beyond the point of having puppy-love crushes on unattainable men. She had only fond feelings for Marc DeLoria.
Okay, maybe fond wasn’t a good assessment. She was unequivocally ready to jump his aristocratic bones. But she wouldn’t.
Marc DeLoria was a dynamic king, a magnetic man. And from all news accounts, he was also a rounder, a rogue and one of the world’s most notorious playboys. She needed to remember that—even if she was still seriously attracted to him, whether she wanted to be or not.
Kate tried to appear nonchalant when her overheated body was