Hidden Desires by Elle Kennedy Page A

man when he returned, his grief replaced with the need to work.
    This wasn’t about Jess. It was about Rachel.
    The memory of their explosive kisses filled his head. Maybe a part of him did want to save Rachel, but that wasn’t the only reason he was doing this. He wanted her. From the second he’d laid eyes on her in that department store, he’d wanted her, and the extent of his need disturbed him more than he would like to admit.
    He hadn’t been this drawn to a woman since Jessica. Before Rachel, it had been about sex. Satisfying his needs with brief affairs and the occasional one-night stand. Yet he knew that if he took Rachel to bed, he’d gain no satisfaction unless he managed to keep her there. The question was—for how long? What exactly did he want from her?
    More than a roll in the hay, he’d told her, and he’d meant it. Rachel still bore scars from the past and he got the feeling she’d never been seriously involved with a man. Hell, she could be a virgin for all he knew. Yet that didn’t deter him either. He wanted… something from Rachel. He just wished he knew what that something was.
    Focus.
    Right, he needed to focus. So what if he could still taste her lips on his mouth? So what if his cock grew hot and hard at the thought of what would have happened if he’d taken her up on her offer to come inside? Right now, they still had to understand why Carrie had done what she had.
    He reached for the file folder and spent the next ten minutes going over its contents. After he’d found what he was looking for, he reached for the phone and dialed Rachel’s number.

    “So, you see, I’ve highlighted all the names with the initials BF,” Travis explained as he and Rachel bent over the list of hospital staff.
    It was difficult to concentrate when Travis was sitting so close to her. When his spicy aftershave made her so dizzy she saw only jumbled letters on the pages in front of her.
    I should have gone to his office, Rachel thought ruefully.
    When Travis had called earlier in the afternoon, he’d suggested she drop by the station, but instead she’d asked him to come over to her apartment later. She hadn’t wanted to see Travis while surrounded by police officers, especially since her thoughts were so naughty they bordered on criminal, and probably warranted her arrest.
    God, why did she feel such need for this man? Two weeks ago, she’d been happy with her life. She hadn’t needed a man. She hadn’t wanted a man. She’d been content to work on her designs during the days and watch sitcoms in the evenings, and not once had her body shown any signs of wanting to betray the celibate existence she’d banished it to.
    And then came Travis, and suddenly her neglected body was running the show.
    “I’ve crossed out all the females on the list,” Travis continued. “But that’s because we’re working under the assumption that BF is male.”
    “Right.” She tried to follow his words, but it was hard to when he looked so darn edible. The top two buttons of his crisp white shirt were unbuttoned, tempting her to pop open a few more buttons so she could get a good look at his chest.
    “Then I crossed out all non-medical personnel, as well as all doctors who don’t perform surgery.”
    “And?” She snapped out of her sensual thoughts as she heard the triumphant tone to his voice. He’d found something, she was sure of it.
    “And that leaves us with only two possible BFs,” he finished, a satisfied grin widening his mouth.
    “Brad Frederick and Barry Forrester. Both surgeons. Both worked there at the time Carrie volunteered.” Although it was dark outside, Rachel could swear she saw a ray of sunshine seep through the closed window blinds. She suddenly felt exhilarated, as she realized just how close they were to solving this mystery. Because it really had become a mystery. All these years, she’d blamed Travis for Carrie’s demise, felt as if she’d known why her sister had decided suicide