Tempted by Dr. Daisy Read Online Free PDF Page B

‘I’m having the pan-fried sea bass,’ he said briskly. ‘What about you?’
    â€˜Um…’ She stared at the menu, blinked and nodded. ‘Sounds nice,’ she said, and he would have laid odds she hadn’t even seen the print, never mind made sense of it.
    â€˜Wine?’
    Stupid. Utterly stupid, on a week night, with work the next day.
    â€˜I could have a glass, I suppose,’ she said thoughtfully.
    â€˜Sauvignon blanc?’
    She nodded, and the light from the candle caught her hair and it shimmered like rich, dark silk. He wanted to reach over and catch a strand between thumb and forefinger, wind it round his fingertip and reel her in, tugging her gently towards him until those soft, full lips were in range, and then—
    â€˜Are you ready to order, sir?’
    He straightened up, sucking in a slow, silent breath and raising an eyebrow at Daisy. ‘Have you decided?’
    â€˜Oh—um—the sea bass, like you?’ she said, saving him from the embarrassment of admitting he’d forgotten everything except the shimmer of her hair and the soft sheen of her lips.
    â€˜Sounds good,’ he said, and added the wine to the list. A couple of glasses wouldn’t make any difference…
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    â€˜That was really nice. Thank you, Ben,’ she said, hesitating by her front gate.
    They’d walked back side by side, fingers brushing from time to time, shoulders nudging gently. Not holding hands, but not far off it, and she wondered, just idly—well, no, not idly at all, really—if he was going to kiss her goodnight.
    Madness! Too much wine. She shouldn’t have had the second glass.
    â€˜My pleasure. I’d offer you coffee, but the cafetière was in the box that jingled,’ he told her ruefully, and she smiled.
    â€˜I’ve got coffee,’ she told him before she could stop her mouth, and their eyes locked and he lifted his shoulders in an almost imperceptible shrug.
    â€˜Coffee would be nice. Thank you.’
    She unlocked her door, and he followed her in, all the way through to the kitchen. It was open to the dining area, and she directed him to the table to get herself a little space.
    â€˜Make yourself comfortable,’ she said, and switched the kettle on, glancing at the clock as she did so. Heavens, they’d been out for well over two hours. It was after eleven o’clock, and she had to be on the ward tomorrow at eight. Silly. She shouldn’t have invited him in. Too late, and way too dangerous.
    She frowned into the freezer, searching for the coffee, and then gave up and opened a new packet. She had no idea how long the other one had been open and her mind didn’t seem to want to work it out.
    â€˜Black or white, and hot or cold milk?’ she asked, sloshing hot water into the cafetière to warm it.
    â€˜Black, one sugar,’ he said.
    Of course. That was how he’d had it in the bistro, although he’d had a latte in the hospital that morning. Heavens. Was it only that morning? It seemed aeons ago!
    Her thoughts miles away, she picked up the tray and found herself heading automatically to the sitting room at the front of the house. She’d meant to put it down on the dining table, but before she could change tack he’d stood up and was following. Damn! It would be too cosy in there, much too intimate, and the wine was fogging her brain.
    The wine, and the company…
    â€˜Oh, this room’s lovely, Daisy,’ he said warmly as she put the coffee down, and she felt herself glow with his praise.
    â€˜Thanks. Do you want some music on?’
    â€˜Shall I?’ He was crouching down in front of her iPod dock without waiting for an answer, scrolling through her music collection, making himself at home. He put on something soft and romantic, and she could hardly tell him she didn’t like it, as it was her music. And she’d sat down already, so it was impossible to