From Doctor...to Daddy by Karen Rose Smith

minutes later, Erika paced Dillon’s living room. She’d agreed to stay until he was finished in the shower. What if the pain in his ribs suddenly got worse?
    Dillon had left his cell phone on the occasional table next to the sofa. Just as she heard the shower turn off in the bathroom, his phone chimed. Crossing to it, she picked it up and saw Dr. Babchek’s number in the caller ID.
    Hurrying to Dillon’s bedroom, she peeked inside the open door. Apparently Dillon was still in the bathroom. “Dr. Babchek’s on your cell,” she called. “Should I answer?”
    The bathroom door opened a crack. “Yes. Thanks. I’ll be out in two minutes.”
    She opened the phone and greeted the caller, just as she would if she were sitting outside Dillon’s office. “Good evening, Dr. Babchek. This is Erika Rodriguez,Dr. Traub’s receptionist. Can you hold for about two minutes?”
    â€œI can hold,” Dr. Babchek told her in a deep voice that wasn’t the least bit impatient.
    Erika retreated to the hall outside of Dillon’s bedroom. It didn’t seem right to be inside.
    When he finally emerged, her breath caught. His hair was still damp from his shower and looked tousled, as though he’d run a towel over it. He was wearing black jogging shorts but there were still beads of water in his chest hair and on his very muscled upper arms. He might as well have been naked the way her heart was racing.
    When his gaze landed on her, she blushed and handed him the phone. Although she’d been overwhelmed by the virility emanating from Dillon, she’d still caught sight of the bruising on his left side, which looked bad even to her untrained eye.
    She walked beside him into the living room as he said into his phone, “Ron. It’s good to talk to you again. I wondered if you could cover for me tomorrow morning at the resort. I have an appointment at Thunder Canyon General Hospital.”
    The doctor must have answered him in the affirmative because Dillon stopped before heading into the living room and nodded. “That’s great. I’ll let Ruthann know you’ll be there until noon.”
    When Dillon closed his phone, Erika couldn’t help but ask, “Are you getting checked out at the hospital?”
    He shook his head. “You worry too much. No, this is business. I have an appointment with the Chief of Staff.”
    She supposed it wasn’t unusual for doctors to consult with each other and she had no right to delve into Dillon’s business.
    â€œIf you didn’t have to get home to Emilia, I’d ask you to have dinner with me tonight,” he said casually.
    Her gaze lingered on his eyes and then his lips and then his upper body. She swallowed hard. “I do have to get home.”
    When he set his hands on her shoulders, her stomach somersaulted. He asked, “Why did you come up to my suite tonight?”
    She licked suddenly dry lips. “I told you I was worried about you.”
    Silence wound about them, intensifying pheromones, need and awareness. Whatever bond they were forming drew them closer together. Erika breathed in Dillon’s freshly showered scent, longed to feel his skin against hers.
    When Dillon wrapped his arms around her, she wound hers around his neck. His body was hard against hers. His mouth took its time with her as he nibbled at her upper lip and lined it with his tongue. She touched his upper lip with hers, thinking that would be the tinder that burst their kiss into flame. But he apparently had more self-control than she did because his lips trailed kisses across her cheek and down her neck. She moaned, feeling weightless in his arms.
    Every thought skittered away into pure physical sensation. Then his hands were in her hair, his lips sealed to hers, and the taut pressure gave way to erotic invasion. His kiss seemed to go on forever. She responded to every thrust of his tongue, playing a game of