Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Ralph sprang from his chair and said, “Time for me to go.”
“No, don’t. This is purely clinical and you know it. Besides, I want you to observe the measurements I’m taking in case I need you to take them at some point—in an emergency,” Charline said.
“All set, Doc. You can turn around now.”
She turned to see the mischievous grin on Trent’s face teasing her. Tightening herself from the core to prevent a telltale blush, she compressed her lips to a reluctant smile.
“This won’t hurt a bit.” She picked up a clawlike tool and aimed it at him.
Tightening the calipers on a stingy pinch of skin at his waist, she noted the measurement and tapped it into her iPad.
“You’re officially in excellent condition.” She met his eyes and tried not to think of him as he’d been the day before, standing over her with his pants unzipped while she—
Her phone rang. At that same moment. Again. She felt heat warm her face and she dropped the calipers in the tray to her right as she whirled around to reach for her bag—as if she’d been caught compromised. Again.
But he couldn’t possibly have read her thoughts so she forced herself with a deep breath to steady herself as she reached into her bag for her phone. It had to be important. Not many people had her cell number. She thought of her mother and put the phone to her ear.
Kevin’s voice boomed on the other end. Her blush deepened. She darted her eyes away from Trent’s and realized there was no place she could go to take this call.
“Kevin, I’m busy right now—”
“What else is new? I’m there with you. In fact, I’m calling to let you know I won’t be able to make it this weekend. Sorry to let you down for the Trustees’ holiday soiree on Saturday. The good news is I can come up for the following weekend—all weekend. Is it a plan?”
Wishing she could disappear through the floor, she said the one thing that would end the call the quickest. “Yes, It’s a plan. I’ll call you later about the details.”
She shoved the phone as deep into her bag as she could bury it, tempted to shut off the ringer. But that would be like the barn-door-closing-and-the-horses-already-gone thing. She sighed and turned back to Trent.
“Problem?” He looked nothing less than amused.
“I—it’s personal.”
“Sounds like you had a date canceled,” Ralph said. She tensed and darted him a poisonous glare.
Ralph continued undaunted, “Maybe Trent could—”
“No.”
“Sure,” Trent said at the same time as she’d automatically objected.
That surprised her and she gave him a speculative look. “You’d go to a boring hospital trustee party with me this Saturday night? I would have thought you already had plans.”
“As it happens, I’m in between lady friends. And I’ve been too distracted ever since you first called me to think about anything else except . . . you.” He smiled at her. His careless, flirting smile again.
“It’s formal wear.”
“I have a tux. I ain’t just a big rough-and-tough hunk of muscle, you know.” His drawl taunted her.
That deepened the color in her cheeks and the shameless heat in her gut. She shook her head. This was a complication she didn’t need. Then she remembered her commitment to their charade—and her conversation with the newsman.
Trent didn’t like the fact that she did not instantly respond to his offer. He knew she was attracted. Maybe that was the problem. He sighed. “We just told the press that we were an item. May as well act the part to keep it up.”
“There won’t be any press at this particular party.”
“We could use the practice.” He shouldn’t be forcing the issue, practically begging her, which showed a shameful lack of pride. But this was at least partly about business. Should be all about business.
The reluctant, almost scared look on her face bothered him.
More than annoyed but not yet angry, he said, “Look, we need to make the John Doe secret stick. For now, the reality is we’re putting our respective love lives on hold so we can do this drug trial thing and keep it all quiet.
” She looked at him with her eyes large and her mouth tight, still considering him as dangerous.
He felt her reluctance. It vibrated around her.
“You can go back to Kevin after it’s all over,” he continued. “Honestly, I don’t care about your personal life,” he lied. The churn in his gut told him he did care. Way too much about a woman he hardly knew. Except he knew she was trouble.
She shut her eyes and then opened them again.
“All right. But he’s not—we’re not serious.
You can be my date for the soiree Saturday night.
No one you know will be there. No media to speak of.
Most of the attendees won’t know who you are.
They’re not a football crowd.” She turned and looked at Nunley.
“You’re the only one, Ralph. I haven’t even told my boss who the John Doe is.
” But her family knew all about her secret research.
And she’d told her sister that Trent donated the money, but not that he was a John Doe in the drug trials.
Suzette might figure it out eventually. She shut the thought out.
“We’ll need your help to carry off the charade. What do you think?” she asked.
“Piece of cake,” Ralph answered. “I can see the chemistry plain as day. I’d almost guess it was real.”
She turned to Trent with the calipers again. He leaned back against the cabinets that lined one wall, grinning, and then he folded his arms across his bare chest.
“Not so fast,” he said. “I have one condition.”