Satin Pleasures Read Online Free PDF Page B

fooled in the least.
    An hour later the clinic doctor followed her back into the waiting room, handing her chart to the receptionist as she continued the disagreement they’d been having in the examination room. “Tess, I said I don’t see a skull fracture in the x-rays. That doesn’t mean you’re free and clear. It’s still a good idea to keep an eye out for symptoms of concussion. There must be someone who can check on you for the next twenty-four hours."
    The sad thing was there was no one unless she drove to her parents’ house on the coast or called her secretary back to work to babysit. Tess had had it with all the fuss. There were a multitude of things to do before she could go home and crawl into bed. "Anthony will watch me when I get home." She crossed her fingers behind her back. Her male canary would watch her, although he was hardly the support the doctor meant. If there wasn't a concussion, there wasn't a problem.
    “Excellent!” The doctor nodded her satisfaction. “If you run into any problems tonight, have him take you directly to the emergency room.” She handed her a small prescription bottle. "Here are your pain pills. Don't take them without eating something substantial first. They can pack a wallop on an empty stomach."
    "I'll stop at the food court." She’d intended to grab a bite to take back to her desk anyway.
    Much to her dismay, Dan rose unexpectedly from a chair in the corner. Why was he still here? "I'll make sure she gets home okay," he assured the doctor.
    His look dared Tess to contradict him, yet she wasn't prepared to reassert her independence. Not then. She waited until she stared at him across a food court table, not quite sure how she came to be sitting there, a huge gyro stuffed with chunks of beef, tomatoes, and onions clutched in her hands.
    "Okay, lay it on me."
    Irritated at his highhanded manner, she played dumb. "What?"
    His expression was wary in the glare of overhead lights that brightened the food court. "You've been fighting the need to bite my head off since you laid eyes on me again."
    "Fine." Tess propped her overflowing Greek sandwich in the plastic serving basket. "Let's start with why you lied to me."
    "I never lied to you."
    "Dan, you told me you were a fisherman. I spent two hours with you, and I don't know who you are!"
    His gaze didn't waver. "I said I fished and, until this week, that's what I've been doing. I never claimed to fish for a living."
    She thought over their meeting. "I'll accept that. But you said nothing about owning a store in my mall."
    "I didn't know until I followed you here, and then it was too late. There's a lot we didn't discuss...world peace, fashion, Anthony."
    That observation snatched the wind from her sails. How could she be upset with Dan considering the whopper she’d told the doctor? She should have corrected Dan's impression, then and there. A second look at his handsome face made her hesitate. A canary was a flimsy barrier to throw between them, but she was afraid to trust in her ability to keep the man at a distance. She was taking all the help she could get! "I'm sorry. Can we start this conversation over?"
    He stared pointedly at the abandoned gyro in her basket. "Not until you eat everything in front of you."
    She frowned at him, then picked up a fry and ate it.
    As good as his word, Dan didn't speak again until she popped the last piece of pita into her mouth. She hated to admit that she felt immensely better by the time he asked her to grab the ketchup off the table behind her.
    Her nose wrinkled when he drowned his remaining French fries in red goo. "That can't be good for you."
    Dan raised an eyebrow. "You're a fine one to talk."
    "I don't know what you mean."
    He jabbed a lone fry into the air. "What have you eaten today besides that gyro?"
    When she fidgeted silently in her chair, he nodded. "You can't remember because there's nothing to remember."
    Her defenses snapped into place. "I drank your tea."
    "Tea is not