New York City Docs

CHAPTER ELEVEN

TIME TO DO some damage control.

Practice that afternoon had been a bust. Clay hadn’t been able to keep his mind on what was happening in the ring, and neither could Tessa, evidently, since Marcos—back in royal form after his hospital stint—had excoriated both of them. Publicly. And had told them to be back tomorrow for a private session.

Everyone else was off the hook.

There’d also been no end to the questions from Clay’s mom, who’d believed him when he’d said that Tessa had merely slept over. He’d even let her assume that he’d spent the night on the couch, although he never actually said that he had.

Now she thought he’d lied to her, of all things.

And had warned him about letting himself get too involved, reminding him that they’d already tried that path once and it hadn’t worked out. She didn’t want to see him get hurt.

He was no longer a little boy, but he was still his mom’s son. She was worried about him. And probably with good reason. He’d been shocked by the depth of his response to Tessa the other night. As hard as he’d tried to keep things on an even keel, telling himself that it was all about one night of really good sex, somehow he knew it wasn’t. That was as much of a lie as letting his mom believe that he and Tessa had spent a platonic night together.

As if he and Tessa could ever remain platonic.

She drove him insane. And not in a good way.

The worst thing had been when she’d peered a little bit closer at one of the jars and seen the check his mom had made out and slid inside it. It should have grated on him that his parents had voted for Tessa and not for him, but they knew how good she was at capoeira. It would be crazy to bet on anyone but her.

Tessa’s face had blanched, turning as white as one of the paper sheets the hospital used to cover the exam tables. She hadn’t said a word, just backed away from the jars.

He had a feeling her reaction had something to do with that discussion they’d had a couple of weeks ago about his parents paying for her education.

But this wasn’t paying for anything. They were simply contributing to a worthy charity.

But Tessa might not have taken it that way.

Clay had been so worked up about his mom getting the wrong idea that he hadn’t bothered to see Tessa’s reaction as anything other than petulant. But maybe it was more than that.

Tessa was proud. Very much so. Maybe because she hadn’t been born here, she felt as if she had more to prove.

But he wasn’t a mind reader, neither did he have the time to worry about anything other than the well-being of his daughter. He was not going to drag her through another one of his failures.

Which meant he needed to cool it with Tessa. Big-time.

Only he didn’t want to.

He wanted to sleep with her. Again. Despite everything that had gone on with the hospital and with his mom and Molly.

He and Tessa had always been great together in that way. And she was a hot, giving lover who made him reach for the stars. The two of them had had some wild times together.

His body couldn’t be blamed for remembering what they’d done and wanting to grab at more of the same. Especially since his love life with Lizza had been lukewarm at best. Once they’d married, she’d tolerated his advances, but beyond that she’d seemed perfectly content to keep to her own side of the bed. The only thing she’d really seemed to like had been when he’d complimented her on an outfit or admired her beauty.

And she was beautiful.

But Tessa had a quality that Lizza could never touch.

A raw, honest sensuality that went to the very core of who she was. And Clay couldn’t believe no other man had snatched her up.

Then again, maybe she hadn’t wanted to be snatched up. Tessa was so driven to succeed. Maybe that was enough for her.

Except what he’d experienced in his bed said she wanted more.

He ducked into Mr. Phillips’s room to check on the man’s leg. Brian Perry was there as well, reading the patient’s chart. He nodded to the other doctor, who returned the gesture. Tessa had mentioned that the care team had met about his melanoma, and the recommended treatment was a grueling course of chemo. Mr. Phillips had said no.

“How’s our patient?” Clay asked. He wouldn’t admit that he was disappointed it wasn’t Tessa in the room. At least, not to the other doctor.

Mr. Phillips was the one who answered. “I’m ready to go home, that’s how I am.”

It was said with a smile but, still, he could hear a little note of impatience in the man’s voice.

“I’m sure it won’t be much longer. But you’re going to need to visit a rehab center to get back on your feet. You realize that, don’t you?”

“I think I’ll skip that, if it’s all the same to you, Doc.”

Clay looked at the patient’s face and saw a tiredness and grim resignation that made his chest ache.

In the end, it was Mr. Phillips’s decision, and Clay had to respect that. “Is your daughter still here?”

The man nodded. “She’s going to stay for a while. Her kids are grown, and she said she’s wanted to take a vacation for the past year.” He shifted on his bed. “I don’t think this was quite what she had in mind.”

Maybe not, but Clay was glad someone was going to be with him. Maybe she would even talk her dad into moving closer to them.

“I’m sure she’s just happy to get to see you for a while.” He did a quick check, measuring function in his damaged leg. Dr. Perry stood a few feet back, watching the proceedings without saying anything. Clay assumed he’d already done his own assessment on the site where they’d removed the melanoma. But maybe not.

Once he finished and told Mr. Phillips he’d return tomorrow with news about when he’d be released, he left the room, only to have Brian follow him.

He turned toward the other man. Maybe he’d been right the first time he’d seen Dr. Perry and Tessa doing surgery together. He’d gotten a funny feeling that the other man might like her. Could be that he was going to ask about those damned jars or warn him off.

To which he’d offer a warning of his own: that the man needed to mind his own business. He was in no mood to spare anyone’s feelings at the moment.

“You and Tessa know each other from… before, right?”

The question took him by surprise, and yet it was along the lines of what he’d expected. “We knew each other in medical school, yes.”

He was not about to admit that he’d been ready to propose to her back then.

“Did she ever express any interest in obstetrics while you were in school?”

His brows came together. “Obstetrics? No. Why?”

Brian leaned against the wall. “I expected her to apply for a fellowship in either cutaneous oncology or Mohs, but Faye Powers mentioned Tessa had an appointment with her today. When I asked her what it was about, she said she assumed it was about the fellowship positions, since applications are about to start coming in. Faye’s still officially the head of the department, at least until she retires next week. She’s decided to accept paperwork until they appoint a replacement, although she won’t be making the actual decisions about who gets the fellowships.”

Brian scuffed a toe on the linoleum. “Tessa did a rotation in Obstetrics, but I didn’t think she was headed in that direction.”

Clay tried to wrap his head around that.

“Obstetrics? Are you sure?”

The other man shrugged. “I can’t think of any other reason Tessa would want to speak with the head of Maternal Fetal medicine, can you?”

“No.” Tessa was always full of surprises, but he couldn’t imagine her wanting to change specialties midstream. Especially not with her mom’s illness driving her in the other direction. But what else could it be?

Something clicked in the back of his head, a few gears engaging the problem.

If she hadn’t been on the Pill, he might have wondered if the appointment had anything to do with the night they’d shared together. But she’d assured him she was.

Could she have been so caught up in the moment that she’d lied?

He couldn’t imagine her being that irresponsible. Besides, he’d wanted to use a condom, and she’d countered by saying she was on the Pill.

He hadn’t argued, accepting the unspoken message—they were both clean, and she was protected.

Brian moved away from the wall. “Well, I thought you might know something. Our department would hate to lose her. She stands to be one of the best we have. I’m already hearing murmurs that the hospital wants to make sure it keeps her.”

Clay already knew she was good, but he had no idea why Brian thought he’d know anything about what she was planning.

Those damn collection jars. If his mom thought they were becoming involved again, even knowing their past, everyone at the hospital probably thought the same thing. Or worse. “I’ll direct her your way, if the subject comes up.” Not that he expected it to.

Except something in him wanted to make sure. Had to make sure.

They parted ways, Clay heading down the hallway toward the bank of elevators. The first car opened its doors, and he got in just as the one coming down opened. Tessa emerged from the pack, heading with purpose down the hall toward their patient’s room. Putting his hand out, he stopped the elevator doors from closing and murmured his apologies to the other passengers as he stepped off.

“Tess.”

His voice stopped her in her tracks, but she didn’t turn around right away. When she finally did, her face was pink. What the hell was going on?

“I just checked in on Mr. Phillips, if that’s where you’re headed. Brian Perry was there, as well.” No reason to beat around the bush, but he certainly didn’t want to do it standing here in the hall, where anyone could overhear them. “Would you come to my office for a minute? I’d like to talk to you.”

He thought she was going to refuse, but then she nodded.

Leading the way, he was careful not to touch her as they got back on the elevator and made their way up to the fifth floor. Neither of them said anything as there were a few other people in the car. Finally they got off and headed down the corridor to Clay’s small office. Once inside, he shut the door and motioned her to a seat, while he perched on the front of the desk.

“Like I said, I saw Brian Perry while I was in Mr. Phillips’s room.”

“Oh?” She looked up at him, clearly confused. “That’s what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“In part. He’s worried you might be changing specialties.”

“Changing specialties? What gave him that idea?”

He crossed one ankle over the other. “Your trip down to the obstetrics department.”

Her mouth popped open for several seconds before she closed it again, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. Then she sat up a little straighter. “I—I’m not sure I follow. Why would he think I was changing specialties?”

She hadn’t denied going to Obstetrics. It was more as if she was avoiding the word altogether.

“Maybe because you had an appointment with Dr. Powers, who’s collecting fellowship applications until she retires.”

Every ounce of color leached from her face. “How did he find out about my appointment?”

“She thought you were applying for a fellowship as well and mentioned it. If Brian Perry knows, others probably do, as well.” He leaned forward a bit. “What’s going on, Tessa?”

“Nothing.” Her voice shook the tiniest bit, belying the word.

His brief moment of suspicion flared back up, finding new fuel and licking at it for all it was worth.

“Does this have anything to do with the other night?” He gripped the edge of his desk with both hands. “We still have capoeira practice to contend with, so we’re going to have to work to get past this.”

“I know. It’s just awkward. I don’t think either of us expected what happened.”

“I certainly didn’t expect to hear about you running down to Obstetrics within days of our encounter.”

“What do you mean?”

He studied her for a moment or two then decided to be blunt. “You said you were on the Pill. You are, right? Your visit to Faye Powers had nothing to do with our time together.”

“Clay, I…” He thought she was going to say something else, but she simply shook her head.

An eerie premonition began to march up his spine. Lizza had gotten pregnant with Molly unexpectedly, and he’d asked her to marry him to make things right. But Tessa hadn’t wanted to be married to him back when they’d been dating, and he didn’t expect her to want it now. Not that they’d need to.

She’s not pregnant.

Time to get that thought out in the open and verify it for his own peace of mind. “Did you take your Pill the night we were together?”

Her hands twisted in front of her. “I—I’d been so busy over the past week and had several night shifts. By the time I got off… I was exhausted. I should carry them in my purse, but I haven’t been involved with…” She shook her head. “The short answer is no, I missed a few days without realizing it. I didn’t do it on purpose, Clay, I swear it.”

A field of white danced in front of his eyes. He had no doubt she was telling the truth. He could see it in her face. Hear the anguish in her voice.

She might become pregnant. Hell, she might already be. And she’d said nothing.

“That was what your appointment with Faye was about?”

“Yes.”

She wanted to know what her options were. They ran through his head. Start back on the Pill and hope for the best. Morning-after pill. Abortion. Adoption.

Each of those made his gut churn and his throat tighten. But it wasn’t up to him. Although he damn well would have liked some kind of say in the matter. “What did Faye say?”

“She said since I missed several doses at this point…”

Her words trailed away.

A few tense muscles relaxed. Did that mean she hadn’t gone back on the Pill?

“What about Plan B?”

Her brows came together. “I’m right at the limit for time. I need to do it now, if I’m going to.”

Something made him lean forward. “Don’t take it, Tess.” In that moment a crash of realization had him off the desk and reaching for her, hauling her out of the seat and into his arms. He loved her. Had never really stopped loving her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, unaware of the thoughts veering around inside his head. “I don’t know what to do. Please, believe me, Clay. I never meant this to happen. Any of it. Not that it has.”

“I know.” He pulled her tight against him, memories of the other night chasing him down a fast-moving stream. One he couldn’t seem to get out of. Tipping her head back, he kissed her. And just like that, things exploded between them. Mouths sealing together, hands traveling over each other’s bodies in a mixture of anguish and desperation.

Clay turned with her still in his arms and pressed her against the desk, not even attempting to hide what she did to him. He pulled his mouth free. “Say yes.”

He had no idea what he was asking for. Say yes to having sex with him in his office? Say yes to having his baby? He didn’t care. He just wanted to hear the word.

Her hands went to the back of his head. “Yes,” she whispered, just before she hauled him back to her.

Holding her against him with one hand, he swept papers and a pencil cup onto the floor and lifted her onto the desk. She leaned back, her light blue scrubs the only thing stopping him from finishing the job. He would soon remedy that. But first no more misunderstandings. “Stay right there.”

He grabbed his wallet out of one of the desk drawers and removed a condom. If she wasn’t already pregnant, he sure as hell wasn’t going to purposely try to make it come true. No matter what his heart was saying.

He pushed down the front of his own navy scrubs, sure there had to be some kind of rule against attendings having sex with residents, but he and Tessa weren’t just any mismatched pair. They had history. One that had repeated itself a few days ago.

Ripping open the condom, he frowned when Tessa sat up.

Rather than leaping off his desk and hightailing it out of his office, she simply took the packet from his hand and set it on the desk. “I know we have to hurry, but give me a second.”

She palmed him, her eyes closing as she gently squeezed then trailed her fingertips down the underside and slowly back up to encircle him again.

His breath hissed in his lungs. Yes. This felt so right. So good.

Before he could move to stop her, Tessa slid off the desk and knelt in front of him, her lips sliding down the side of his erection in a slow, languorous journey. Then she came back the way she’d gone, opening her mouth and taking him inside. Yellow lights flashed in his head at the bevy of sensations that crawled over every part of him, threatening him with imminent meltdown.

Pushing his fingers deep into her hair and closing around the silky strands, he allowed himself the luxury of closing his eyes and pumping into her heat, once, twice, before slowly pulling free. He sucked down a couple of breaths then reached to bring her back to her feet. It had to be now or he wouldn’t find the strength to stop.

Setting her back on the desk once again, he eased her back in an act of reverence this time rather than a rush toward completion. Her arms curled above her head, eyes on his as he reached for the condom and rolled it down himself. He wrapped his hands around the backs of her knees and tugged her toward the edge of the desk, her hair fanning behind her. Rather than wait for him to pull the bottoms of her scrubs off, she rolled over until she was on her stomach then pushed the garment down her hips, baring her luscious bottom to his view. A much more practical—and quick—solution than getting undressed all the way.

“You sure?” he gritted.

She wiggled her ass. “Does it look like I’m sure?”

Leaning down to nip her neck and trail his lips up to her ear, capturing it between his teeth, he muttered, “Tell me you want me, then.”

“I want you.”

With that he found her, amazed that she was already moist and ready against his tip. With a hard push he entered her, going deep and holding himself there while he absorbed the tightness of the fit—the heat he could feel even through the protective barrier.

Her muttered “Meu Deus” in her native tongue said the feeling was mutual.

Gripping her wrists, he moved them above her head and held them there with one hand as he began to thrust inside her. Lord, she fired him up as no other woman ever had, bringing him immediately to the brink of release whenever he touched her.

He slid the fingers of his other hand beneath her right hip as he continued to press deep, finding that sensitive little bud between her legs and stroking gently. He wasn’t going to be able to hold on for long, no matter what he did.

It didn’t look as if it was going to matter, because Tessa began moving her hips as he continued to manipulate and squeeze, hoping he could at least hold on long enough for her to…

Just then, she pushed up against him in a couple of hard, fast thrusts and went off with a raw whimper that reached deep inside him and set him free. He came in a series of disjointed bursts that only slowed when the hands he still held went lax.

He leaned down and kissed her neck, allowing his tongue to travel up it.

It evidently tickled, because she squirmed, letting out a strangled laugh. “Clay, I need to get up.”

Aware that he might be crushing her, he hurriedly stood, pulling out of her and wincing when he immediately missed the contact.

He removed the condom, aware of her scent clinging to his body, despite the fact that he’d been mostly covered in clothes.

Tessa was slower to move and he couldn’t help but admire the view, his hands itching to cup her butt and absorb the firm softness—two words that should have been at odds with one another but somehow weren’t.

When she finally did get to her feet and pulled her panties—black lace, he noted—and scrubs back into place, she turned toward him with a smile. “I certainly didn’t see that in the residency tips manual.”

He relaxed, surprised at how tense he’d been a second ago.

“Didn’t you?” He smiled back. “I’m sure I saw it listed somewhere in there. Maybe in the FAQs.”

She came over and lifted her hands to his face, rubbing her thumbs along his cheeks. “Thank you for not freaking out about everything. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Oh, he was freaked out, all right. He was just good at hiding certain things. Sometimes even from himself. Surely they could work something out. Especially now.

“What did Dr. Powers say about the festival—about training? Did you ask her?”

“We don’t even know if I’m pregnant yet, but she said there shouldn’t be any problem as I’ve been doing the workouts for years. Sitting at home and doing nothing would be the worst thing I could do. I just need to make sure my core temperature doesn’t climb too high.”

“Good to hear. And if you do end up pregnant—” he leaned against the desk “—we’ll figure something out. I can help with expenses—”

“No.” The hands on his face went still and then fell to her sides as she backed up, her smile fading in a second.

“Tessa…” His patience dried up just as fast. “I’m not asking. I’m telling.”

“Excuse me?” Her eyes turned to frost. “If I am pregnant—and if I decide to keep it—I can take care of the baby on my own. With no help from anyone. Not you. Not your parents.”

A reference to them paying her tuition? That was just damned ridiculous. That was years ago, and Tessa had done a great job proving she could do a lot of things. But taking care of a baby while tackling the crazy hours that went along with residency? Why would she, when people were willing to pitch in and lend a hand? Besides, it was his baby, too. And his parents would want to know that they were about to become grandparents again.

“Why are you being so stubborn? You’re still doing your residency, for God’s sake.” He tried for a more conciliatory tone. “Let’s meet for dinner and talk about this.”

“I’ve said all I’m going to say.” She ran her fingers through her hair, no longer looking directly at him. “I won’t keep the baby from you, if there ends up being a baby. But I don’t want any financial help.” This time she did look at him. “Please, Clay.”

Anger washed over him, reminding him of all those fights they’d had in the past. Nothing had changed. She was still as unreasonable as ever. He put his hands up. “Have it your way. I guess I’ll see you at practice this afternoon.”

“I guess you will.”

With that she opened the door to his office and strode out with an air of confidence. As if she hadn’t just been sprawled across his desk.

He slowly walked around and picked up the items he’d scattered in his haste to have her, shaking his head. She might not be willing to let him help her but that didn’t mean he had to listen to her.

And if he couldn’t help her directly, he could always help their child, if there was one.

Surely she wouldn’t stop him from assuring himself the baby had the chance for a bright future.

He plunked the pencil cup back onto his desk and sat down to come up with a plan.

One not even Tessa could refuse.

CHAPTER TWELVE

SHE COULDN’T CONCENTRATE.

No matter what she did, Tessa couldn’t seem to get the upper hand on Clay during practice. They’d come to a kind of uneasy truce over the past week and a half, coming to practice and performing in a way that even Marcos seemed happy with.

Only not today.

Because her period was late. It was to be expected that her system would be messed up, as she’d stopped taking the Pill, so one day was no national tragedy. But she couldn’t shake the feeling there might be another reason behind it.