I have three hard and fast rules when it comes to one-night stands.
Don't tell her your last name.
Don't take her home with you.
Don't knock her up.
I'm screwed.
Jane Smith was supposed to be a quick fling. I saw her as a brief escape from the never-ending drama that is my life as a surgeon in New York City.
Now, she's pregnant and scared as hell.
Oh, and apparently her real name is Chloe Newell.
It's probably not the best time to tell her that I'm the guy who ruined her life two years ago.
Author's Note: This romance contains a gorgeous doctor, an unexpected pregnancy and a past connection between the hero and heroine that could change everything. HUSH is part of the Just This Once Series. Each book features a different couple and the books are not connected so they can be read in any order.
Chapter 1
Evan
"I'm not a coward. I am not a coward." A soft, smooth feminine voice catches me off guard.
I turn toward it and grab a quick glimpse of what
looks like the world's most perfect ass in a pair of black lace panties. They vanish the second the woman in question stands upright again, the red umbrella in her hand mangled from the brutal wind.
"You don't strike me as a coward, sweetheart." I raise my near-empty glass of bourbon in a mock toast because any person brave enough to venture out in December in a New York City blizzard dressed like it's the middle of July deserves a medal. This one earns bonus points for having an ass that can halt a snowstorm in its path.
That may or may not be a fact, but the timing is sure as hell spot-on.
The deluge of snow that has blanketed the city for the past five hours has stopped abruptly. That wasn't the case up until a minute ago when I was standing, alone, outside this hotel contemplating what my next move will be.
Big picture stuff, not which-of-my-casual-hookups-should-I-call-tonight stuff.
"Thanks, stranger." She smooths her hands over the short skirt of her frilly navy blue dress as she takes in the length of my six foot plus frame. "I'm not your sweetheart, though."
Wheat blonde hair, hazel eyes, glossy full pink lips, and an attitude.
Forget the big picture. My next move needs to involve this woman.
My eyes don't leave her angelic face even though I want to trail my gaze and my mouth over every inch of her body. "Fair enough. Introduce yourself, and while you're at it, I'd love to meet your imaginary friend too."
I can't resist the urge to look when her nipples furl into hard points beneath the airy fabric of her dress. As much as I want that reaction to be from the rich baritone of my voice, I suspect it's from the burst of wind that just picked up her skirt. There's a brief flash of sheer lace covering smooth skin before she yanks the hem of the skirt back in place.
My evening just got a whole hell-of-a-lot better.
"My imaginary friend?" She tucks a piece of her windswept hair behind her ear. My fist clenches in envy. I want those waves balled in my hand so tightly that the only noise she makes is one that tells me she wants my cock deeper.
I crack a smile. "You were hell bent on convincing someone that you're not a coward. Since we're the only two out here and there's no phone in your hand, I take it that your imaginary friend is the asshole who thinks you're a coward. I'll argue your case if you point me in his direction, or is it her direction?"
"Are you a lawyer?"
I'll be anything she wants me to be. I'm a surgeon, vascular to be precise, and I have to be. Tonight, I don't want to be Dr. Evan Scott. I'd rather be the star of her future fantasies; that one awe-inspiring lay all women look back on for the rest of their life when they get themselves off.
"Not guilty." I hold my hand up in mock surrender. "Your name, beautiful. What is it?"