“Shouldn’t you be focused on your own blonde?” Brody waved his hand, gesturing to where Lena was dancing with her dog on the edge of the dance floor.
“I’m serious, Brody. I know Josh likes her, but she’s planning on teaching him how to bake. I didn’t go to medical school, but how is mixing sugar and butter going to help?”
“She’s the right doctor,” he said, hoping that would end the discussion. “And you’re the one who shoved the information about this clinical trial under my nose last month. Whatever they are doing, it’s working. Three former NFL players have sought Dr. Westbury out after suffering multiple concussions.”
“True,” Chad admitted. “Then mind telling me why the hell you brought her here?”
Brody turned to face his brother, his back to the party. “I couldn’t leave her alone in the hotel for the night. You probably don’t remember her, but before Kat moved to New York and became a top doctor, she was a foster kid who bounced around from home to home.”
“Kat, huh? So you brought her as your date to, what, fix the past?” Chad said, raising his drink to his lips.
“It’s not a date.”
“I saw you out there, dancing with her. If you plan on holding all of Josh’s caregivers close during a country love song, you’re going to have to fight the kid for Megan. Maybe he can’t remember what they did together last night, but he sure as shit liked what he read in his notebook this morning.”
“Guys, I have nothing against your brother’s intimate relationship with his caregiver.” Kat’s voice cut in, the low throaty quality reminding him that dancing with her had nothing to do with rescuing Kat from a lonely night in the hotel room. Kat had looked at Craig, who by all accounts was a decent guy, and a great crew chief, and Brody had wanted to claim possession of her. “But you,” she continued, poking the center of Brody’s chest with her index finger, “should probably stay away.”
Chad chuckled. “You know, Doctor, I think you might be good for him.”
“I’ve treated enough patients with traumatic brain injuries to know that depression can play a serious role in their recovery,” she said.
“Not Josh.” His brother shook his head. “You’re good for Brody.”
Chad winked at them before walking away to join his girl and her dancing golden retriever. When his brother was out of earshot, Brody turned to face Kat. Fire and determination shone in her green eyes and he knew she’d overheard too much.
“Kat—”
“Come with me.” She took his free hand, leading him past the bar and into the hallway connecting the reception to the rest of the winery.
“Where are we going?” he demanded as she made a sharp right turn, leading him down a narrow staircase into the winery’s underbelly.
“Sweet of you to worry about my past. To take pity on me and bring me as your date. And once you got me here, to think of my happiness and make sure I have a good time.” A spark of fury echoed in her low voice, bouncing off the stairwell walls. “But you saw to my happiness last night. Twice. Now it’s my turn to see to yours.”
Chapter 9
KAT SPUN ON her heels and faced the six-foot-plus towering wall of muscle hidden beneath a suit. Surrounded by wine barrels in the dimly lit storage room, she reached for his tie, drawing him close.
His hands went to her hips, but he didn’t push her away. “Kat, I shouldn’t have told my brother about your past. I couldn’t stand the thought of you alone in that hotel room. What kind of ass would hear your story and not feel for the child who grew up like you did? But this isn’t a pity date. That’s not what I see when I look at you now.”
“What do you see?” she demanded, focusing on the knot in his tie. She needed to hear him say the words, to admit that he wanted her here.
“A beautiful, smart woman who dressed to drive me crazy.” His hands ran up and down her hips, bunching the see-through top layer. “While we were dancing I couldn’t stop thinking about your skirt.” He lowered his mouth to her neck, brushing his lips over her skin. “And what’s beneath it.”
“What if I told you I’m not wearing any underwear?”
Brody growled against her neck, his grip tightening on her hips. “Show me.”
“I can’t.” She broke free from his hold, taking his undone tie with her. Standing just out of arm’s reach, her gaze locked with his. “Because when I look at you, I see a man who is holding onto his control by a thread. A man who remembers exactly where we left off last night. Tonight’s my turn to take care of you.”
“Kat, if you think last night was about seeing to your happiness, you don’t know a damn thing about what makes me happy. Feeling your hips bucking wild and out of control against my face, seeing you tied up, waiting for me to take you there—” He took a step forward, the dark, out-of-control gleam in his eyes suggesting he might pounce.
He reached for her and she danced out of his grasp. “Do you want to hear my fantasy?” she said. “I want to push you past reasonable, to drive you out of control.”
He let out a rough laugh. “You’ve done that.”
“I’m not finished.” Tossing his tie aside, she put her hands on his chest and backed him up against a barrel. “I’ve dreamed about what you would feel like.”
She left out the “for years” part. Her fingers went to work on his buttons, quickly stripping off his shirt, unveiling the hard contours she’d wanted to explore last night by the pool. So different from the boy she’d know in high school. But she preferred the man.