The Greek Doctor's Proposal

“Come on.” Miklo grinned and took her hand in his as they worked their way through the crowd. “I forgot this is Greek Week at the university. It’s absolute madness,” he said close to her ear, and she shivered as his lips touched her skin. “Plus, it’s Friday night. We’ll find a spot, though.”

Jeannine nodded as they plowed their way through the throng of people. She clasped Miklo’s hand tightly, not wanting to lose him in the crowd. And she liked the feel of his hand tight around hers, the feel of his long fingers wrapped around her hand. A man hadn’t held her hand in a very long time, and the gesture of Miklo keeping her close made her remember things long ago and best forgotten.

“Miklo! Over here!” An older gentleman wearing a white apron and waving a bar towel gestured them toward the bar. “How are you, nephew?” he asked, kissing Miklo on both cheeks and giving him a hearty hug. “You’ve waited too long to come and see me. Your auntie misses you, too.”

“Yes, Uncle Seferino,” he said. “But how could you have missed me with all of these people to keep you busy?” Miklo embraced the man with great enthusiasm.

“Oh, the heart knows, my boy. The heart knows,” he said with a slight nod, and then his focus changed to Jeannine. Miklo introduced them. After welcoming Jeannine to his establishment, Seferino led them to the bar and squished two stools together. “Make room for my famous nephew, the surgeon,” he said, and waved his hands to move people out of the way.

Though crowded, space opened up. Miklo assisted Jeannine onto a barstool and took the one beside her. He stiffened slightly as he brushed by her, and her fragrance filled his mind. Though the end of the workday, she smelled clean and fresh and very appealing. Squelching the sudden heat of desire down, he took a gulp of iced water that his uncle placed in front of him.

Uncle Seferino leaned over the bar. “What will you have, my dear?” he asked.

Jeannine glanced at Miklo. “We just came in for a beer.”

“Bah! You can’t survive on that, not with all the hard work you do,” he said, and reached beneath the bar and pulled out two long-necks anyway. “Christo!” he yelled in the general direction of the kitchen. “We need food for your cousin Miklo and his nurse. Make them something.”

Wide eyed, Jeannine reached for the beer and took a sip. Miklo reached for his as well, needing the refreshment the cold drink offered. “Don’t worry. He’s always like that.” Speaking conversationally over the noise and music was impossible, and Miklo leaned closer to Jeannine to hear her response.

“I haven’t been in this sort of crowd since college. I’d kind of forgotten how loud a place like this can be.”

“Did you go to school here?” he asked.

“Yes, but I lived off campus. It was better that way. Not tempted to engage in much socializing.”

“I didn’t think that was possible in the first two years of college,” he said.

“Well, I was very shy and very serious back then.” She shook her head. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

“But not any more?” His gleaming eyes told her that he’d already formed an opinion about that.

“I’ve sort of…come out of my shell in the last year or so.” Had been forced to was more like it.

Miklo glanced from her face down her body and then back up again. “You have a very nice shell.”

CHAPTER FIVE

A SLOW heat burned inside her. Echoes of the past whispered through her, and she struggled to ignore them. Sudden tears formed in her eyes, and she blinked quickly, hoping that Miklo didn’t see.

“I’ve offended you, haven’t I?” he asked, and placed his warm hand on her arm.

“No. I’m just incredibly surprised.” She reached for the beer and took another sip.

“Tears don’t usually form because of surprise,” he said, his breath hot in her ear.

Turning her face slightly, she was close enough to see tiny flecks of gold within the irises of his eyes that were framed by long, dark lashes. The shadow of a beard didn’t make him any less appealing. His mouth was the most sensual thing about him. The way his lips moved, the way he formed her name, made her want to reach out to touch him in a way that was totally inappropriate. A way she was totally unprepared for, and she had to clench her fist to keep it in her lap.

Moistening her lips, she tried to get hold of her senses. If she were a smart woman she would have pulled away from him at that moment. But his pupils dilated as his gaze lingered on her mouth. When he returned his gaze to her eyes, she saw questions in his eyes, the wondering, the hesitation, the hint of desire, and she couldn’t move away from him.

She was definitely not a smart woman. At least not tonight.

All it would take would be moving half an inch forward and her mouth would be pressed against his. Her heart raced and her breathing caught tightly in her throat. Could she do it? Should she do it? Could she take that initiative and reach out to a man again? Or would she have her heart abused all over again?

Miklo’s body tensed at Jeannine’s close presence. She was so very appealing. She laughed, she didn’t take herself too seriously, and she made his heart beat like it hadn’t in way too long. This close to her, even in the middle of a crowded restaurant, he wanted to reach out to her, taste her lips and see if she was as sweet as she looked.

A dancer fell into Miklo’s back, and he pitched forward, almost landing in Jeannine’s lap. She clutched his shoulders to steady him. He grabbed the bar with one hand and her upper thigh with the other, easing his weight off her. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?” he asked, and tried to return to his seat. But he was too close to her. Too close to resist temptation any longer.

Before he could think better of it, he turned his face, opened his mouth over hers and pressed a kiss to her startled lips. A tangle of emotions raced through him as her soft mouth trembled beneath his. Though the kiss lasted for just a second or two, he felt the desire vibrate off her.

And then he was back in his seat, the crowded restaurant loud in his ears again, Jeannine’s startled gaze on his.

“Did you just kiss me?” she asked, her eyes still wide with shock.

“I did.”

“Why?” Now the shock turned to suspicion, and he didn’t like that in her eyes.

“I don’t know. I just wanted to.” Indeed, he had.

She touched her lips with trembling fingers. “No one has kissed me in a very long time,” she said.

“Me neither,” Miklo admitted.

Jeannine flopped back against her chair. “Now, I find that hard to believe,” she said, disbelief bright in her eyes.

“It’s an unfortunate truth,” he said, amused at her reaction.

“You work with a zillion nurses.”

“Doesn’t mean I kiss any of them.”

“No, but surely you’ve been out with dozens of them, haven’t you?”

“At one time, but that was long ago and far away.” He took her hand and held it in his. He needed her touch, her warmth. He hadn’t known he needed to be so close to another human being until now. He’d refused to admit he’d needed it for a long time. But he had once been a man who had laughed and loved deeply. And then his world had come crashing down around him.

“Miklo? What are you doing?” she asked, a husky tremor in her voice he heard even over the crowd, but she didn’t pull away from his touch.

“There is something about you that makes me want to touch you, Jeannine. I don’t know why, but touching you is a very pleasant experience.”

“Until you see me naked,” she said, and scoffed.

Miklo roared with laughter. “What makes you say that? I’ve seen plenty of naked women and haven’t fainted yet.”

She glanced down at their entwined hands. “My hands are about the only thing on me that’s pleasing.”

“Now it’s my turn to say I find that hard to believe. You’re a lovely woman, Jeannine. I’m sure every part of you is equally as lovely.”

Adjusting her position, she couldn’t hold his gaze for long and looked away. “I’m not terribly comfortable telling you this, but we’ll be working together, so I’m sure you’ll find out sooner or later.” She drew in a deep breath. “My recent illness was a tubal pregnancy that almost killed me. That’s why I have the trach scar. I was ventilated for a few months. My abdomen and chest are covered in scars from multiple surgeries, so are my arms. That’s why you would run away screaming if you saw me naked.” She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have said anything. It doesn’t have to interfere in our working relationship and won’t affect my work performance.”

“I’m not worried about that at all, Jeannine.” He moved one hand and brushed her hair back off of her shoulder. Her hair felt like silk. “But you seem quite bothered by the scars.”

“My fiancé left me because of them and the whole situation.”

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