Tempted By Dr Patera
He’s gotten right under her skin...
But will she end up getting burned?
In this Hot Greek Docs story, since losing her fiancé, Dr. Lea Risi doesn’t do complicated. But helping after an earthquake, Lea’s thrown together with Dr. Deakin Patera in all his sexy, rugged glory! Scarred inside and out, Deakin’s everything Lea’s tried to avoid—but she’s still tempted. As their chemistry becomes something deeper, can Lea help him leave the past behind?
Three-time Golden Heart® finalist TINA BECKETT learned to pack her suitcases almost before she learned to read. Born to a military family, she has lived in the United States, Puerto Rico, Portugal and Brazil. In addition to travelling, Tina loves to cuddle with her pug, Alex, spend time with her family, and hit the trails on her horse. Learn more about Tina from her website, or ‘friend’ her on Facebook.
Also by Tina Beckett
Rafael’s One Night Bombshell
The Doctors’ Baby Miracle
Hot Brazilian Docs! miniseries
To Play with Fire
The Dangers of Dating Dr Carvalho
The Doctor’s Forbidden Temptation
From Passion to Pregnancy
Hot Greek Docs collection
One Night with Dr Nikolaides by Annie O’Neil Tempted by Dr Patera
And look out for the next two books
Back in Dr Xenakis’ Arms by Amalie Berlin A Date with Dr Moustakas by Amy Ruttan Available July 2018
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.
Tempted by Dr Patera
Tina Beckett
www.millsandboon.co.uk
ISBN: 978-1-474-07514-5
TEMPTED BY DR PATERA
© 2018 Tina Beckett
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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Version: 2020-03-02
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To my family.
You are my home.
Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
About the Author
Booklist
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
EPILOGUE
Extract
About the Publisher
PROLOGUE
THE IMAGES FLASHING across the television screen were...horrific.
Deakin Patera’s gut became a tight ball of fear as he strained to make out the words. He couldn’t hear the newscaster’s voice over the noise in the bar, but he knew that landscape—that shoreline—by heart. And the text crawling along the bottom of the screen told snippets of the story: Eight point one earthquake rocks Greek island. Hundreds injured. Death toll not yet available. A few still missing.
Who?
Hell! Who?
Pulling out his phone, he checked for text messages. He had one from his aunt.
Safe for now. Will advise about aftershocks. No damage on the house, thank God. Where are you?
No damage on the house. Unlike that other time. His palm scrubbed over the rough skin on the side of his neck, even though that particular damage had faded long ago.
He typed a quick message back.
Glad you’re safe. I’m in Africa on medical mission. Any word from the others?
She would know who he was talking about. His best friends from childhood. They had all partnered together to open a much-needed clinic on their home island—just as their parents had all partnered together to found Mopaxeni Shipping, the company that had made them all rich.
Deakin rarely saw the clinic nowadays, but Theo kept him apprised of how it was doing. Their joint trust funds paid the bulk of the expenses, but a crisis like this one was going to stretch its finances to breaking point.
He kept half an eye on the reports as he scrolled through the contacts on his phone.
There were worries over tsunamis rolling in from the sea. His aunt hadn’t said anything about that, and nor had she texted back about his friends.
He sent off another question.
Tsunamis?
Within seconds he had a reply.
So far, no, thank God. But we’re on high ground. Should be okay. I have a message out to Theo. Chris and Ares aren’t on the island. Haven’t heard of damage to the clinic. The airstrip is a wreck, though. No flights in or out at the moment.
No flights. Well, at least they were able to get messages in and out—although that could change at any moment as more and more people tried to get a hold of loved ones.
His aunt hadn’t heard from Theo. Where was he?
Even as he thought it, his phone began to vibrate in his hand. The readout was exactly what he wanted to see.
Thank God!
He shot off a final text to his aunt.
Will write more soon.
Then he answered the call.
“Theo, glad to hear from you.”
“Don’t be glad. Not yet. You’ve heard?”
Was his friend injured? The clinic decimated?
“I’m just seeing the news. Is it as bad as it looks?”
“If you mean does the island look like it’s been through a meat grinder...almost. Where are you?”
The same question his aunt had asked.
“Africa. I still have a bit more than a month left on my contract.”
“Find a way to get out of it, then. Mythelios needs you.”
“No, it doesn’t. It’s done fine without me—better without me.”
A sigh came over the phone. “Stop with the tired excuses, already. That was ages ago. Everyone who matters has already forgotten.”
His parents were dead, so they certainly had. But everyone?
“I haven’t forgotten. And I bet if you asked Ville neither has he.”
He scrubbed a hand over his neck once again. Even without the obvious reminders looking back at him in the mirror he would never be able to erase those images from his head. Of his best friend’s grin right before the world exploded before his eyes.
“Ville’s family moved off the island ten years ago. Besides, it doesn’t matter.”
Before he had time to draw enough breath to throw another excuse at his friend Theo brushed it aside with a sharp expletive.
“No buts, Deak. We’ve had this argument before. Mythelios is suffering. So put aside your self-pity for once. It’s time for you to do the right thing. Come home. The sooner, the better.”
CHAPTER ONE
THE CRUSH OF people in the inner sanctum of the clinic made Leanora Risi wince. Just over a month since the earthquake and the flow of those emotionally and physically wounded had not completely abated.
Many were drawn to the steady presence of the clinic and its outside garden. It had gotten so it was hard for her to find a quiet corner in which to hear from those who were still having problems dealing with the after-effects. She was well past the end of her vacation and her savings were slowly dwindling. She was going to have to make a decision about whether to leave or not...soon.
But not right now.
A man with dark shaggy hair and a jaw shadowed with what had to be a three-week growth of whiskers made his way to the front desk. There was an exhaustion about him that went beyond physical tiredness. It was in the way his eyes shifted slowly from one person to the next. He greeted several of them, shaking their hands, but it was a rapid clasp and release. Not the hearty greeting most of the islanders gave each other.
He reached the desk, but didn’t take the pen to sign in. Instead he flipped over the top sheet with his right hand and started studying the entries.
An internal alarm went off inside her. While it wasn’t against the rules for patients to glance at the list of other patients to see how long the wait would be—at least she didn’t think it was—the way he was acting was odd, making her gut tighten.
The number of patients they’d had right after the earthquake was staggering, and they had ended up just stacking new sheets on top of the old ones, since they hadn’t had time to sit down and collate the data and put the sign-in times on charts yet. Even though things had evened out quite a bit, there were still things they hadn’t completely caught up with.
When those long fingers flicked another sheet over, it was Lea’s signal to move. Murmuring an apology as she accidentally brushed shoulders with an older woman, she hurried forward, arriving beside the man and firmly placing her hand on the first couple of sheets, trapping his beneath them.
“Can I help you with something?”
His gaze swiveled from the stack of papers to her face. Up went dark brows, a hint of irritation marring his rugged features. “You can let me see how many patients have been treated today.”
That inner alarm became less certain. Those low growled words didn’t sound apologetic. At all. No sign of the nosy-neighbor-caught-with-binoculars-up-to-his-eyes syndrome. Instead he acted as if he had a right to look at those pages. But she didn’t recognize him. She would have remembered those high cheekbones, that bump in an otherwise straight nose.
Although...wasn’t there...?
What?
Despite the whiskers, his strong jaw was clearly visible. This was a man who wasn’t easily deterred from something he wanted. She just wasn’t sure what that something was.
She blinked to bring the room back into focus. Still filled with people. A few of them were on the list, waiting to be seen, but many just needed the solid presence of the clinic to ground them.
She lifted her hand from the papers, although she probably shouldn’t. He still hadn’t explained who he was.
“May I ask what you’re looking for, specifically?”
“I believe I already explained that, Ms....?”
Her chin tilted. “It’s Dr. Dr. Risi.”
“I wasn’t aware the clinic had hired a new doctor.” His voice downshifted, becoming a little less gruff. “Where is Petra?”
“Petra’s mom hasn’t felt well since the earthquake. She’s been going home during her lunch break to check on her.”
How did he know the clinic receptionist’s name? Although most of the islanders in this area seemed to know each other.
And now he was flipping through those patient sheets once again. “I don’t see a list of symptoms or injuries.”
“There isn’t one. Things got too chaotic, trying to separate them out, so we just did triage, taking the critical patients first. We put the ones who were stable but needed a specialist in a secondary waiting area in the Serenity Gardens.”
Facing the ocean, the courtyard led to a spacious garden that faced the sea. Lea’s tiny treatment area had been carved out of a dead-end path, shielded on two sides by vine-covered trellises.
It was the perfect place for her to see patients who needed to work through what they’d experienced during the quake. It was wonderful, and restful, and despite the tragedy she loved what she was doing there. More than she’d ever dreamed possible.
The people in the waiting area weren’t the only ones who needed to be grounded. She’d come to Greece to do just that. And had ended up on the island just as the quake hit. She’d stayed to help.
Her attention came back with a bump when the man in front of her made a slight scoffing noise.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
It was then that she realized she still didn’t know who he was. He could be a psychiatric patient for all she knew. “Do you need to leave a message for Petra?”
He frowned. “Is Theo—Dr. Nikolaides—back yet?”
Theo had just gotten engaged. His whirlwind romance with Cailey had been a bright spot for the clinic, and probably one of the reasons why there were more people than normal here. It was as if folks wanted to catch a glimpse of the couple—live vicariously through those who had been able to find happiness in the midst of tragedy. Cailey was also nearly two months pregnant, and the baby had become a symbol of hope.
“He’s taking a much-needed personal day. Did you have a consultation scheduled with him?”
Maybe he actually was a patient.
“Not exactly.” One side of his mouth went up in a half-smile that sent her pulse tripping over itself. “He called me. Basically said I was an emotionless so-and-so if I didn’t come home as soon as I could.”
Home...
Home?
Then she swallowed—hard—an awful suspicion crashing like a boulder in the pit of her stomach. “You live here?”
His smile widened and he let the papers fall back into place as he turned toward her. “I don’t live in the clinic, if that’s what you mean.”
“No, I don’t mean that, I just...” She was at a loss for words—which was unusual, since talking was what she was paid to do. What she loved to do. No, it wasn’t the words. It was the listening...the empathizing...the helping that she loved.
Although she couldn’t help everyone.
Her eyes closed as a shot of pain punched through her chest.
No, don’t think about that. Not now.
Something touched her hand. “Hey. Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She forced herself to smile. “I’m just tired. And I forgot to ask who you are.”
“Of course. Sorry, I just always assume that everyone knows who I am.” Something dark slithered through his brown eyes. Then it was gone again as quickly as it had come. “I’m Deakin Patera. I’m one of the four founding partners of the clinic.”
Ack!
God, she should have realized. Theo had said Dr. Patera was due to arrive in the next couple of days. She just hadn’t expected someone who looked like he’d stepped straight off the cover of a wilderness backpacking magazine. He could have told her who he was sooner. Emphasized his medical title like she had.
She wasn’t even sure why she’d done that. Maybe because she’d expected him to talk down to her like a few colleagues had over the years. But those people had been few and far between.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you.”
He dragged a hand through his hair. “It’s okay. It’s been a long flight, and it’s not like our portraits are on the walls or anything. Thank God.”
What an odd thing to say. She smiled. “Maybe they should be. Your reputations seem to be known far and wide.”
The softness to his eyes disappeared. “I’m sure they are.”
Those four words might have come across as arrogant boasting if not for the strange tone in which they were said. It was as if he despised that fact.
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s nothing.” His glance turned to the occupants of the room. “Where do we begin?”
The words to a famous old musical song came to mind, but there was no way she was breaking into song. Not around this particular man. Besides she couldn’t compete with the likes of Julie Andrews.
“A lot of these people are just meeting friends and family here.” She nodded at the foursome who were even now passing through the wooden and glass doors off to the left. “The clinic seems to have become almost as much of a meeting place as Stavros’s taverna. And, since the bar is within walking distance, it makes it ideal.”
With its traditional white stucco exterior and well-manicured gardens to the side of it, the clinic was a beautiful building, combining old-world charm with all the modern amenities of a medical facility. The Serenity Gardens boasted many nooks and crannies, ideal for intimate conversations, and benches were sprinkled along a curving walkway which was wide enough for wheelchairs and yet rustic enough to invite exploring. A white sea wall and a boat dock were newer additions.
“I can see that. Theo always did want this place to be more than just a medical clinic. Hence the so-called Tranquility Gardens.”
“They’re called the Serenity Gardens, and it doesn’t sound like you approve of the addition.”
He shrugged, his dark shirt pulling tight over muscular shoulders. Shoulders her eyes had no business lingering on. She hauled her attention back to his face.
“It’s not that I disapprove,” he said. “I just don’t believe a manufactured place can bring tranquility. Serenity,” he corrected. His smile came back, although the left side of his mouth didn’t quite lift as high as the other. “Although Theo is convinced it can.”
“I think it can as well. It’s where I see most of my patients.”
“How does that work? Did Theo put an exam room out there?”
The image of a hospital bed nestled between the flower pots made her smile back. “No. Not yet, anyway. I use the exam rooms, obviously, for physical investigation, but the garden is much more conducive to talking things through.”
“Things? Such as unfavorable diagnoses?”
“Not exactly. I guess this is where I should say that I’m a psychiatrist.” She held up her hands. “No couch jokes, please.”
His head jerked back, a muscle in his jaw twitching for a second before going still. “Couch jokes are the farthest thing from my mind at the moment. Theo hired you?”
She bit her lip. Maybe the Serenity Gardens wasn’t the only thing Dr. Patera would disapprove of. “I just happened to be on the island when the earthquake hit. I stayed to help. It’s on a volunteer basis at the moment.”
“The quake happened over a month ago. What about your own practice?”
It was her turn to shrug. “I’d already given notice at my hospital, so I’m kind of between jobs.”
“And where was that? In Athens?”
Ah, he thought she actually lived in Greece. One of the perks of having parents who had immigrated to Canada from Greece when she was a kid was that she was bilingual. The fact that he hadn’t heard any trace of an accent made her happy. As did the ease with which the islanders seemed to have accepted her.
“No, I lived in Canada. Toronto.”
“Your family is Greek, though.”
It wasn’t a question. “Yes. They moved there when I was young.”
Someone came up on his right and said something to him. Dr. Patera turned his head to give the man his attention and Lea’s breath stalled in her lungs at what that shift of position revealed.
Scars. Big ones.
Wickedly thick, they began at the lower half of his strong square jaw and formed twin streams that coursed down the side of his neck, disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt. Continuing on to those shoulders she’d just been admiring? Probably. The scars were paler than the rest of his skin. So they were old.
How old?
God. Those wounds must have been agonizing when they were fresh. Debriding. Skin grafts. Therapy to allow for movement. All part of third-degree burn treatment.
What had caused them? An explosive device? Some kind of caustic agent? Maybe he’d been in the military or something. She had a feeling that what she’d thought was an attractive lopsidedness to his smile might be due to the contracture of skin and muscle drawing everything down. Her gaze traveled to his chest. How many more scars were hidden beneath his clothes?
Her mind tossed an image of a very naked Dr. Patera at her—one who aimed that scrumptious crooked smile right at her and sent her brain into overdrive. She swallowed hard, feeling a weird shifting sensation burrowing through her midsection. Her teeth dug into her bottom lip.
Oh, Lord, what was once seen could not be unseen.
Except she hadn’t really seen him naked. She’d just—
His attention shifted back to her with a suddenness she hadn’t expected. She released her lip in a hurry, but it was too late. She knew it the second his eyes flickered to her mouth and back up.
* * *
She’d seen them. His damned scars.
He gave an inner grimace. They were kind of obvious. His tendency to keep his right profile to a person was ingrained from years of trying to keep the damage to his skin out of sight. Hidden, but not forgotten.
Along with his sense of shame?
Probably. The two things seemed to go hand in hand. It was one of the things that had kept him from wanting to come back to the island. Almost every person on Mythelios knew what he’d done. Or at least they thought they did.
Except Dr. Risi, here. And now even she had seen the evidence—she just didn’t know the reason for it.
He wasn’t even sure why he’d participated in the founding of this clinic. He’d wanted to leave after medical school and never come back. And for the most part he’d done exactly that. But his three best friends in the world had been determined to take their parents’ tarnished legacies and turn them into something good. And as long as he could give his input from a distance he was good with that. His traveling did the trick for the most part. He was able to give his nods of approval from afar, except when they absolutely needed his physical presence.
Like now.