Chapter 2

      SEBASTIAN, who didn’t miss a trick, noticed where the nurse’s gaze went and he suppressed a smile. “Hi, I’m Mr. Black.”

      “I’ve been waiting for you,” she murmured.

      Oh, no, whispered his impudent ego, where have you been all my life? A sexually confident woman bold enough to overtly check out his package in public? He gave her the once-over and the first thing he noticed was that she wasn’t wear a wedding band.

       Hmm.

      Her tongue flicked out and she ran it across her full, strawberry-colored lips.

      Spellbound, he simply stared. He liked her. He liked her a lot.

      She stood at the end of the corridor in front of a floor-to-ceiling stained glass window. The late-afternoon sun filtering in through the myriad of colors cast a radiant rainbow over her smooth, creamy skin. The center of the stained glass art was an unfurling red rose. The sunlight shimmered, bathing her honey-blond hair, which was pulled back so appealingly in a long ponytail, in a blushing pink glow.

       Like zinfandel. Sweet, light, innocent.

      The sight was evocative enough to cause instant sweat to bead on his brow in spite of the temperate climate inside the hospital.

      Sebastian had an almost irresistible urge to pull the clasp from her hair and run his fingers through those silky locks. He couldn’t pry his eyes off her and he had no idea why. He normally went for leggy redheads with big boobs, not diminutive waifs with vulnerable eyes. His heart literally skipped a beat and the unexpected reaction disturbed him. Usually the only time his pulse skittered was when he successfully steered a client’s reputation out of the skids.

      His gaze dropped to the round curve of her breasts. Her name tag said Julie. A sweet romantic name.

      He glanced up.

      Their gazes met.

      Cemented.

      She possessed the most interesting blue eyes he’d ever seen. Eyes the same color of the Pacific Ocean.

      Her lips parted.

      Sebastian gulped.

      Quickly, she glanced away, but then a second later her gaze was on his again, assessing him with slow, deliberate intent until he began to feel like a bug under a microscope.

      She narrowed her eyes, pressed her lips together in a firm line and crooked a finger at him. “Come with me.”

      He followed. At this point, he would have gone straight to hell if that’s where she was leading.

      Her rubber-soled shoes squeaked quietly against the marble tile. The lemony smell of cleaning solution filled the air. His gaze fixated on the sway of her spectacular ass.

      She took a key from her pocket, unlocked a heavy oak door, turned the handle and pushed inside. He went in with her and found himself standing in a state-of-the-art examination room. The leather exam table was obviously new and covered with crisp white butcher paper. The fixtures on the walls were shiny, polished chrome.

      Was this where he’d be taking his meeting with the hospital’s owners? Unexpected, but okay. Or maybe she was just putting him in here while she went to round up the Confidential Rejuvenations executives.

      He shrugged out of his raincoat and hung it on the coatrack beside the door. The room was bigger than a run-of-the-mill exam room, but still small. He turned and found himself face-to-face with her.

      She stole his breath with a reassuring smile. The woman made him think of sunflowers and golden retriever puppies and hand-squeezed lemonade. Not a combo he’d ordinarily think of as sensual, but somehow she made wholesome look hot.

      Sebastian was acutely aware of a steady strumming of sexual energy flowing from him to her and back again. Her impact was not the full-on whammy of a classic beauty, but instead it was more like the comforting appeal of hot chocolate with miniature marshmallows on an icy winter’s day.

       You’re from L.A., what do you know about an icy winter’s day?

      Ah, there was the voice of reason struggling to break through the odd spell she’d cast over him. She possessed a certain earthy quality that called to something deep inside him. Something basic, raw and entirely new.

      His pulse accelerated. Amazed by his body’s overt reaction, Sebastian had to clear his throat in order to speak. “I want…” Dammit, how could he think with her staring at him that way?

      “Yes?” she coaxed, low-voiced as a priest in confessional.

       I want. I want. I want.

      What did he want? Sebastian frowned, yanked his gaze from her sweet lips and looked deeply into her blue eyes, fringed with long lashes. “Uh…”

      Terrific, Black, a speechless spin doctor? He couldn’t ever recall a woman leaving him tongue-tied.

      “Why don’t you go ahead and take your clothes off?”

      “Huh?” For one wild, incomprehensible moment, he thought she was suggesting they get naked together.

      She reached for a pair of purple latex examination gloves resting on the green granite countertop. “I need for you to get undressed so I can do an initial assessment on you and report my findings to Dr. Carpenter.”

      He blew out a breath of air on a tense laugh. “Oh, no, no, there’s been some kind of mix-up.”

      “There’s no need to be ashamed. Many men experience erectile dysfunction.”

      “Hey, hey, hey. I do not have erectile dysfunction.”

      “Then why were you taking sexual enhancement supplements? Because you know, using impotency drugs—even when it’s an herbal medication—simply for fun and games can be deadly for your sexual health.”

      “Huh?”

      “How long have you had the erection?” Her gaze drifted down the length of his body.

      He felt the heat of her glance straight to his bones. “Wait, wait.” He held up his palms. “You’ve obviously got me confused with someone else.”

      At least this explained why she’d been staring at his crotch. Just the thought of having her examine him with those latex gloves on her lithe fingers shot chills up his spine. He didn’t know if they were chills of dread or anticipation. The prospect was oddly erotic, but in a scary kind of way.

      “You’re