Oh, fuck no.
Over my dead fucking body.
My hands clenched, crumpling the sides of the folder I was holding. The sound broke through Madison’s frozen shock and drew her attention. When she raised her head to look at my face again, I narrowed my eyes and her blush deepened.
I knew the situation needed to be handled carefully, so I swallowed my rage at the thought of Madison carrying another man’s baby and strolled around my desk. I took a seat and placed her file open in front of me.
Raising a single brow, I trained my penetrating gaze on her face and calmly asked, “How can I help you, Ms. Carlyle?”
Confusion floated across her face and she fiddled with a lock of her midnight hair as her head canted to the side, making the tiny stud in her nose twinkle. “Um…I want to get pregnant,” she mumbled quietly.
I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. “You want me to get you pregnant,” I deadpanned.
Madison looked momentarily stunned and stared at me with her mouth slightly open. Then she shook her head and annoyance flickered in her expression before she cleared it. “I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”
I grinned and shuffled through the papers in front of me until I found the one I wanted. “Let’s see. Gynecological history.” I glanced up at Madison who was shifting uncomfortably in her chair.
I read on. “No history of STD. Well, that’s a relief.” I looked up and winked. “I’ve got a clean bill of health too, in case you were wondering.” Her cheeks pinkened but she didn’t say anything. I scanned down until I found the section I was looking for. “Ah, sexual history. Hmmm, this section is mostly blank.” I gave her an admonishing shake of my head. “Why don’t we go over that part now?”
Madison’s face was now beet red and she was twisting her hands nervously in her lap. I wasn’t in the least bit repentant that I was making her squirm. We both knew what was coming.
“Use of lubricants”—I smirked at her and winked again. Then bent over the form and scribbled as I spoke—“I’ll just put ‘unnecessary’.”
Madison rolled her eyes.
“Is your sex drive normal or depressed?” I tapped my chin with my index finger as I pretended to ponder the question. “The answer can change depending on the partner,” I explained. “So, I’ll just write down, extremely eager, according to her most recent lover.”
Madison scoffed, and I pinned her with a hard look, daring her to disagree. We both knew she’d wanted it as much as I had. After a moment, she sighed and gave me a tiny nod.
“History of sexual partners.” I cocked my head to the side and studied her as I asked, “How many notches are on your bed post, Ms. Carlyle?” I frowned, unsure if I really wanted to know the answer. The urge to hunt down every last one was strong. I wanted to beat them until they couldn’t remember what she looked like, or even her name.
She returned my intense stare. “How many are on yours?” she retorted.
“I’m not the one we’re discussing, Madison.” I tapped the paper in front of me. “Every patient has to complete the questionnaire.”
She pinched her lips and scrunched her nose as she thought, considering whether to answer. “Three,” she clipped in a business-like tone. “And before you ask, that’s including my most recent hook-up.”
And there it was. The item I’d been working up to. “And how recent was this”—my eyes narrowed, irritated with her categorization of our night together— “experience?”
Her expression fell as she realized why I was asking. My office required patients that were using artificial insemination to abstain from the time of their most recent cycle before starting treatment. It was just a precaution, although we still did a pregnancy test before beginning the protocol.
“But, we used protection…” she mumbled.
“It’s never 100% effective, lips.”
Her shoulders sagged, and her sexy lips turned down in a pout. “I’ll have to wait for the next cycle?”
I didn’t respond to her question. I wasn’t going to make her wait to try for a baby, but I wasn’t ready to share my plan with her yet. We needed more time together first.
Fate appeared to be on my side because my stomach chose that moment to growl. “It’s been a long day, lips, and I skipped lunch to be able to fit in your appointment.” Standing, I removed my white lab coat and hung it on the stand beside my desk.
Madison gave me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry I kept you. I suppose this wasn’t a good fit anyway and…” her words died off as her eyes fell to my forearms. I was rolling up my sleeves and it revealed a portion of my tattoos.
“We’re a perfect fit, Madison,” I responded, drawing her attention away from my arms. “We’re going to discuss this further, but I need some food.”
She gave me a dubious stare but then her gaze shifted to the wall where my many degrees, certificates, and awards were displayed. When her dark eyes returned to mine, they were determined, and she gave me a brisk nod. “When can we make another appointment?”
I quickly approached her and snagged her wrist. “No need. We can continue talking over dinner.” I didn’t give her a chance to argue, just stalked towards the door, towing her along behind me.
She huffed in frustration and when we reached the lobby/waiting area, she tugged hard to get me to stop. I halted but didn’t let go. That was when I noticed one of my nurses, Melody, standing from a chair. She looked curiously at our clasped hands, then Madison’s face before settling her gaze on me.
“What’s going on? Are you going to take Madison on as a patient?”
“We’re still discussing the possibilities,” I answered cagily. “She’ll call you later.”
“I can speak for myself, Ethan,” Madison snapped. Once again, she tried unsuccessfully to break my hold on her. “Anyway, she’s my ride.”
Melody was a shit liar and her face gave away Madison’s attempt at deception. Rather than call her on it, I decided to use it to my advantage. “No problem. We’ll take my car to dinner and I’ll make sure you’re in bed at a decent hour.” I mashed my lips together to keep from smiling. She’d be in bed, all right. Mine.
Melody’s expression lightened, and a grin broke out across her face. “Have fun, kids.” She waved her fingers and high-tailed it from the office, leaving a sputtering Madison behind.
I hurried Madison out the door and locked it. I finally let go of her hand, only to place it at the small of her back and guide her to the building lobby and out to the parking lot.
She hesitated for a moment, her eyes veering towards a small, black SUV. Luckily, I was parked in a reserved space right at the front. Before she could form an excuse or make a run for her car, I had her buckled in the front seat of my Jaguar.
We drove in silence and the air inside the car began to thicken with sexual tension. Her vanilla scent reminded me of the way she tasted and made my mouth water. I placed my hand on her thigh and almost smiled at her quick inhale. She stiffened but didn’t remove it and when my fingers drew tiny circles on her inner thigh, I felt the muscles clench.
All too soon, we arrived at a little Italian place not far from my neighborhood. The valet met us at the front and I waved him away as I exited and rounded the car. Then I opened her door and helped her out before guiding her inside the restaurant.
The owner was a friend of mine and since it was one of my favorite places, they knew me well, so we were seated immediately.