He laughed softly at her snippy tone, unzipped his jacket, and crouched down beside her. ‘This is becoming a habit.’
‘Not a good one,’ she said tersely.
She felt like a fool sitting on a gravel driveway in a tiny bikini while this man was encased in black leather like some marauding invader. ‘I can do it,’ she insisted when he went to examine her foot.
‘I’m sure you can.’ He ignored her and wrapped his hand around her ankle, igniting every one of her raw nerve endings in his wake.
And of course he noted her shiver, his brilliant blue eyes searching out hers.
Carly kept her head down and winced when he gently brushed his thumb over the ball of her foot.
‘Hold still,’ he murmured before squeezing hard.
‘Ouch!’ Carly jerked her foot clean out of his hold. She knew she was being a baby but being a doctor didn’t mean she was able to cope with pain any better than anyone else. In fact she was the ultimate wuss, if the truth be told.
Dare’s soft chuckle washed over her and made her shiver again. He reached for her foot, moistened the pad of his thumb with his tongue and then pressed it against her skin. ‘Does that hurt?’
Not trusting herself to speak, Carly shook her head and he lowered her foot to the ground but didn’t let go of her ankle.
‘It should be fine now,’ he said, ‘and it’s not bleeding.’
Carly knew her cheeks must be flushed because her whole body felt hot as she half sat, half sprawled in front of him, but she couldn’t move.
She was also aware of how she must look in her nearly nude state. Her chest heaving and her legs splayed apart.
A deep longing rolled through her and she willed Dare to get up. To release her and pretend the chemistry between them didn’t exist.
‘Carly?’
His fingers flexed around her ankle and Carly shuddered. ‘Benson’s not here,’ she said hoarsely.
She’d meant to say the words to let him know he had wasted his trip, but as soon as she spoke she knew why she had said them. She wanted him. It didn’t make sense but what was the point in denying it to herself?
And by the heated glitter in Dare’s eyes he knew it too.
Rocks bit into her bottom and a flight of swallows conversed in a nearby hedge, but all Carly could focus on was the frantic beating of her own heart and Dare’s darkening eyes. ‘Dare, I—’
She stopped as he planted his hands one either side of her waist and leaned over her. Heat suffused the surface of her skin and she breathed in his scent, her tongue coming out to moisten her lips in readiness—
‘Damn,’ he swore softly and yanked her to her feet.
Her senses scattered to the wind, Carly blinked up at him until the sound of an approaching car finally penetrated the fog of her brain.
‘To be continued...’ Dare drawled as Benson’s Rolls Royce pulled up beside his bike.
‘Dare!’
Dare scratched his jaw. Of all the rotten luck in the world...
‘Benson. Ma.’
‘You didn’t call and tell me you were coming,’ his mother admonished.
‘I wanted to surprise you.’
‘Well, you certainly did that. Carly, how was the pool?’
‘Fine.’
Dare cast her a sideways look. Her lovely mouth was set in a firm line, her body as stiff as a post. So maybe what had nearly happened would not be continued...
He let out a sigh and looked at Benson. ‘I have information for you.’ And they might as well get that part of his visit over with and move on to more palatable topics. Maybe he might see if he could entice the good doctor back into the pool...
‘Okay.’ His grandfather nodded tersely. He seemed incredibly frail and Dare realised he really had been blinkered by anger a week ago to have not picked up on the fact that he was not a well man. Had he really grown that cynical?
‘Shall we head to the library?’ Benson offered.
Dare cast Carly a quick glance but she wasn’t looking at him. He’d wanted to check if her foot was all right but she’d likely say yes, and it had only been a small splinter.
‘I’ll follow you,’ Dare said.
‘Benson, I should check your pulse first,’ Carly called after him.
‘How long will this take, Dare?’ Benson asked.