Page 43 of Planned Seduction
Chapter Nine
It wasn’t her usual practice to visit clients in hospital, but for Mary Stevens, Amy made an exception. The woman had been a patient at the clinic for over five years, and Amy knew her well. Knew the incredible lengths Mary had gone to in order to fall pregnant and the heartbreaking agony she’d experienced with each failed attempt. She had a pretty good idea how Mary felt after the birth of her healthy baby boy. For this one time, it was appropriate to visit the hospital.
Besides, it would do her the world of good to move away from the chaos of her disordered thoughts about Daniel to the chaos of the maternity ward where Mary lay, happy, content, and tired.
Amy was plain tired. Tired of wondering what the hell to do about Daniel. Of dreaming and fantasizing about him. Of wanting him and not wanting to want him. What a messed-up bitch of a situation. She wished they could go back to what they’d been before. Friends.
She wasn’t particularly thrilled by his request that she look at him in a different light. She’d been doing her best to switch that damn light off. There were suddenly too many unexpected dynamics happening in their friendship. Too many physical interactions. Whenever they touched of late, no matter how meaningless the gesture, sparks flared. The usual jokes and teasing were now supercharged with sexual tension. The air between them seemed to shimmer with unspoken lust and desire.
Lust and desire did not fare well with platonic friendship. Perhaps if Daniel had mentioned a shift in his emotions, or made her feel she was somehow different from the women he usually dated, she’d be less reluctant to become involved with him. But truthfully, she didn’t believe he could separate her from his long string of lovers.
She couldn’t help but remember his words on the Coogee promenade, when she’d tried to rationalize away their behavior at his exhibition. Couldn’t forget the laughter in his eyes, or the impish grin that teased her as he’d asked, “Are you saying you want a long-term commitment from me?” As if the very idea was hilarious.
In Daniel’s opinion, it was.
Was she willing to take the risk? No way.
It’s what made her situation so unbearable. While she wasn’t prepared to become his lover, fucking him was practically the only thing she thought about. Night after night, awake or asleep, she’d lie in bed dreaming about him. Images of him consumed her. Dressed, naked, wearing a towel, kissing her mouth, kissing her breasts, kissing her intimately. Making love to her.
Wherever she went, she saw him. She mistook strangers for her best friend. As soon as she blinked and her vision cleared, she realized she was being foolish. But it was how she lived at the moment—in a state of perpetual arousal, with her body a voracious pit of desire.
She didn’t want their relationship to change. Had no yearning for the added complication of sex. All she wanted was the same old friendship they always had. Period.
Amy closed the door to Mary’s room and left the maternity ward. She yawned. The situation between her and Daniel was all messed up. She was losing sleep over the man. What she needed right now was a good dose of caffeine. It was only noon, and she still had the rest of the day to get through.
As she walked into the hospital coffee shop, she cursed herself for tumbling into another one of her daydreams. Sitting at a table, innocently drinking a Coke, was none other than the cause of all her grief.
However, no matter how many times she blinked, Daniel’s features did not change. It took her a good couple of seconds to realize she was staring at the real thing and not some conjured vision of him.
“Danny?”
He looked up and his eyes flashed with surprise a heartbeat before a very wicked smile spread across his face. “Hey, babe.”
Uh-oh.She’d seen that smile before. Alarm bells shrieked in her head as he stood, his eyes gleaming with intent.
“What are you doing here?”
“Visiting.” His voice was low and seductive. The bells rang louder. “Come here. Let me say a proper hello.” And right there in the middle of the hospital canteen, he took her hand, pulled her close, and kissed her.
Had he completely lost his mind? Oh God, did it even matter?
Amy simply melted, her body liquefying. Chaste as his kiss was, his lips were warm and sexy and held a hint of a million forbidden fantasies. In the space of a couple of seconds, she identified every single one of them.
Then Daniel pulled away and it was over. Well, for him, maybe. Her knees were weak, and she was left craving more. Much, much more.
Holy crap.What was it about Daniel and kissing her in public? He seemed to be developing a bit of a thing for it. Never mind public places—what was he doing kissing her, period? She agreed to think about him differently, not act differently toward him.
Her temper simmered. Of all the inappropriate places for him to try his luck. They were in a hospital. “What the hell—”
He cut her off with his mouth, kissing her until the last drop of anger drained from her body and she clutched him helplessly. His taste lingered on her tongue when he withdrew. It had become familiar. Too familiar. Friends shouldn’t recognize each other’s flavor. Then again, his mouth wasn’t the only taste she was familiar with, was it?
Bottom line, she’d sampled several parts of Daniel, and each one was better than the last. She’d never forget the tang of his desire for her, not when she’d relished every last drop. She licked her lips as the salty memory of Daniel’s come filled her mouth, replacing the sweetness of the Coke he’d been drinking.
A soft, strangled groan came from Daniel. “Christ, babe. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
She poked his chest. “You kissed me.”
“Yeah, but that look in your eyes. You’re begging to be—”
