Doctor’s Duties by K.C. Crowne

Chapter 1

GRACE

Ihad to do something.

The poor girl had no idea what she was getting into.

And how old was she, anyway? Twenty-five? She was practically a baby. As a matter of fact, I remembered reading something about how people’s brains didn’t finish forming until twenty-six or so. Either way, she was far too young to know better.

But he should’ve.

Hayden Frost, playboy jerk extraordinaire, was in the middle of laying down some of his patented game. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, he looked good. Hell, he looked better than good. With his sleek, dark suit, perfectly tailored for his tall, powerfully built body, he looked like an extra from a James Bond movie, if not the spy himself.

“You alright?”

The voice of my mum snapped me out of my angry little trance and brought me back to the moment.

I’d gotten so caught up in the Hayden affair that I’d almost forgotten that I was at a wedding. And not just any wedding – the wedding of my brother Ryan to his gorgeous and super amazing fiancé, Carly.

The scene was stunning. The venue was the Alpine View Country Club, a high-end, private club situated in one of the most breathtaking parts of Colorado. The Rockies rose high to our west, a stunning, emerald-green valley dipping low to the east. If all went well, the ceremony would happen right as the sun dipped below the peaks.

The wedding itself? Beautiful, of course. Hell, calling it beautiful seemed like something of an insult. The entire main hall had been rented out with lovely white gossamer draped everywhere, towering, colorful bouquets of flowers adorning every surface. A twelve-piece orchestra was set to take the stage after the ceremony. There would be dancing and drinks and delicious food. Everything was set for a night to remember.

On top of it all, I was the maid of honor. That hadn’t been the original plan, of course. Carly’s best friend Allie had been given that role. But a skiing accident two days before the wedding had put the kibosh on that plan. Allie was fine, thankfully, but the accident had left her too banged up to participate in the wedding. That’s where I, the always reliable sister of the groom, had stepped in.

“Ah, Gracey?” Mum spoke again.

“Fine,” I said, shaking my head and turning my attention from Hayden and his prey. “Just thinking about the ceremony.”

“It looked like you had something more on your mind than that.”

“What? What on earth are you talking about?”

She glanced ahead and smiled. Hayden, of course, was still laying on his charm to the poor girl.

“Looks like the wedding is getting you thinking about romance, too.”

“Not a chance. Not even a little.”

“Is that right?”

“It’s right.” I shifted my weight from one heel to the other. “What I’m thinking about right now is that I ought to swoop in there and save that poor girl from getting caught in the clutches of the biggest cad east of the Rockies.”

“Hayden?” she asked, confused. “You mean your brother’s best man? The friend he’s had since they were both boys back in New Zealand?”

“That’s the one.”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about. He’s always been such a good kid.”

I jutted my finger into the air, like I was a detective solving a crime, and the suspect I’d been interrogating had let slip the incriminating bit of information I needed.

“That’s just it, Mum!” I exclaimed. “When you look at Hayden, you see that cute kid he was back in the day. But he’s not like that anymore.”

“I’ll say,” Mum said, a slight, sly smile on her lips. “There’s nothing cute about him anymore.”

“Huh?”

“He’s bloody gorgeous!”

I sighed, shaking my head a bit. “Mum! You can’t get distracted by his looks, alright?”

“Which looks are we talking about here, Gracey? Those stunning, ice-blue eyes of his? Or those cheekbones that could cut glass? Hell, how about those gigantic hands?” Mum let out a wistful noise. “I’ve always loved a man with big, strong hands. That’s the first thing I noticed about your father, you know. Back when I was younger than you and I saw him working on his father’s, your grandfather’s, farm, pulling on a big rope. My eyes went right to those hands of his and I found myself wondering what else he could do with them.”

“Mum!” I exclaimed, this time loud enough to get the attention of a few guests around us. My face turned a deep red when I realized I’d caused a bit of a show, and I glanced away until I stopped attracting attention.

“What?” she asked. “Hayden’s a good-looking man. Tall, handsome, and a doctor. You know, it’s a real wonder that he hasn’t gotten snatched up yet.”

“You want to know why he hasn’t been snatched up? That’s why.” I swept my hand toward him. As if on cue, the girl he was in the process of smooth talking into bed burst out into bright, chiming laughter at one of his endless quips. “He’s not snatched up because he doesn’t want to be. All he wants is to get girls between the sheets, have some fun until he gets bored, and then it’s on to the next one. It’s the ultimate example in using his powers for evil instead of good.”

“That only means he hasn’t met the right woman. Another thing about your father –”

“Oh no,” I said, having heard this enough to know where she was going.

“He had a way with girls, too. I did a little fact-finding after that first time I saw him and found out from a few of the ladies that yes, he did know how to use those hands of his.”

“Lord in heaven.”

“But they said how he was the love-them-and-leave-them type. One day he’d be all flowers-and-sweet-words and then the next he’d turn off, like a bloody light switch. So, you know what I did?”

“What’d you do, Mum?” I asked, knowing full well the answer.

“I decided right on the spot that I was going to be the one to get him. And I did.”

“I love the story, Mum,” I said. “I really do. But right now, I need to figure out how to warn this poor girl.”

Mum was confused as all get out. “From where I’m standing it doesn’t look like she needs warning about anything.”

As if to prove Mum’s point, the woman laughed again. This time she leaned forward through the laugh, placing her hand on his shoulder as if Hayden were so damn funny that she was about to chuckle herself into a faceplant.

“No, you don’t get it, Mum. Hayden’s going to dazzle her with charm and wit and all that crap then sleep with her, and never call her again.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad, either. That’s the fun of weddings, Gracie – you might meet the love of your life, or you might meet your fun for the evening.” She followed this up with a wink, and I did all I could to stop myself from letting out a grunt of frustration.

“It’s even worse,” I said. “Carly dropped on me last night that she wanted me to walk down the aisle with him. You know, arm-in-arm. I mean, I know he’s the best man and I’m the maid of honor. But still!”

“Ah, that sounds lovely. If I were you, I’d loosen up and have some fun with it. Not every day your brother gets married, you know. Maybe you should try focusing on that instead of pulling out all the stops to make sure handsome Hayden doesn’t get to add another notch to his bed post.” Mum gave my arm a squeeze as she smiled at me. “Now, I’m going to find your father before he eats half the buffet. Can’t wait to see you down the aisle, love! Maybe it’ll be hint of things to come for you.”

“Ugh, as if! Marriage is the last thing on my mind these days.”

“That’s what everyone says until they get married.”

“Well, I’ve got my career to worry about.”

“Running a Zumba course at the gym isn’t a career, daughter-of-mine.”

“Hey! It’s more work than it looks, Mum. And more than that, it’s only one step on the long road of opening my own gym someday.”

“I don’t even know what Zumba is. Isn’t that the pants with the zebra stripes and such?”

“No, Mum, that’s – you know what, never mind.”

“I’m just joshing you.”

“Fu-nny.”

“See you in a bit, Gracey.” Mum gave my arm once more squeeze before taking off.

With that, she left me by myself. I hurried over to one of the servers carrying a tray of bubbly and quickly swiped one. I sipped it and tried to think of my next step.

Herpes.

It was perfect. All I’d have to do is wait until Hayden went to the bathroom and then I could swoop in, take the poor girl aside and “let it slip” that the man she was talking to had a little problem down below. Of course, that would raise the question of how I knew that. But I was sure I could think of something on the spot.

Truthfully, it was amazing that Hayden didn’t have a full-on petri dish full of STDs down the front of his Tom Ford slacks. The guy was a cad, no other way to put it. Well, there were other ways to put it, but none of them were nice. Not that he deserved nice.

Hayden Frost had always been handsome enough to get what he wanted. Even when he was a kid, barely into the double-digit ages, he had the kind of face that made adult women want to pinch his cheeks like mad – or so I heard. I was a good seven or so years younger than him, which meant I got to hear all about his exploits when I came of age.

By the time I was a teenager he was already off to the states with my brother, both of them heading out with big dreams of becoming wealthy and successful doctors. And Hayden Frost had made sure to leave a string of broken hearts in his wake. When I finally reached secondary school, I got the chance to hear the stories from my friends’ older sisters about him, how he’d put them all through the same routine of a few weeks of undying affection only to be dropped like a rotten kiwi when he’d had his fun.

And he was still up to his same shite! I can understand when a guy’s a stupid kid who didn’t know any better, hadn’t developed empathy. But the man was in his mid-thirties!

The worst part, however, was how there was no denying he was as handsome as they came. Hayden would visit now and then, and with each passing year his hotness somehow went up a notch, like he was a flower in a never-ending state of bloom. On top of it all, he was brilliant and ambitious, a leading cardiologist in the nation.

I pushed all of that out of my head as I prepared to put my plot into motion. I took one more sip of my drink and then turned around, ready to march over there the moment the poor girl was alone.

But to my shock, they were both gone.

I stopped and stared, as if I’d forgotten where they’d been standing and just needed to scan the party to find them. Nope – long gone.

What a prick. It was the day of his best friend’s wedding and all he could think about was sex. I let out a quiet urgh of frustration before taking my drink and going outside for a breath of fresh air.

The courtyard of the country club was stunning, perfectly manicured and affording a breathtaking view of the mountains ahead. The sun had begun its dip into the horizon, deep oranges setting the outline of the peaks aglow. I went over to the eastern railing and leaned against it, the valley ahead shimmering as the great beams of sunlight cutting through the mountains set the water alight.

It was the most beautiful glimpse of nature I’d seen in a long while.

But all I could think about was him.

I assumed that jackass Hayden took his girl-of-the-moment up to some second-floor supply closet, slipping in with her and shutting the door. I imagined him putting his hands on her body, his powerful grip exploring her curves.

The fantasy played out in my mind. And to my shock, I caught myself as I realized the girl, whoever she was, had been long gone from my little mental movie.

I’d replaced her with me.

It was as if it were out of my control. I was there with Hayden in that imaginary supply closet, his big, skilled hands grabbing my hips, his lips falling onto the soft curve of my neck. I imagined my chest rising and falling as my heart thudded harder in my ribcage, my breasts pressing against his broad, solid chest.

And then I pictured him reaching down, slipping his rough fingers under the elastic waistband of my panties, my pussy clenching as his hand continued. His other hand would stay on the small of my back, holding me in place, a knowing smirk on that stupidly handsome face of his as he moved lower and lower.

In the real world, I bit my lip, pressing my thighs together and trying to hide how fucking turned-on I was at the thought of Hayden touching me. It was freaking unfair, really. How was it that a guy like him could be such a jerk, but I’d still want him anyway?

I went back to the fantasy, imagining the sensation of his hand drifting down the hair above my pussy, his fingertips teasing me as he pressed onto my clit with the tip of his middle finger. I’d sigh with pleasure, his other fingers spreading my lips then moving inside of me and –

“You know the party’s inside, right, kid?”

A deep, baritone voice spoke from behind me, my eyes flashing wide as I spun around on my feet.

Hayden himself, in the flesh.

However good-looking he was from a distance, up close and personal he was like something from another world, or like a robot built in a factory with the “gorgeous” setting cranked up to eleven.

Hayden was tall, nearly six and a half feet, his bright blue, almost grey eyes the most fitting color imaginable given his last name. His skin was tanned, his lashes long and dark, and his face looked like it had been sculpted out of a block of granite. That same cocky smile he always wore was plastered on that sculpted face; the one that made him always seem like he knew something you didn’t, like he’d gotten all the angles worked out before you’d even gotten out of bed in the morning. He was dressed in an India-ink dark tux that fit his body perfectly, shoes polished to a mirror shine.

And, of course, he’d called me kid.

I hated when he called me kid.

“And you know I’m a grown woman, right?”

He chuckled as he stepped over to where I stood. Right away I could smell his scent, that musky, rugged smell that reminded me of a leather workshop, all manly and tempting.

“Grace, you’re my best friend’s little sister – you’re alwaysgoing to be a kid to me.”

“Still condescending as all hell.”

“I don’t mean it like that – more of a term of endearment.”

I opened my mouth to give him a little more piece of my mind but thought better of it. No point in getting into it with him, since I’d told him time and time again to drop the kid thing over the years, to no avail.

“It’s good to see you, Grace.” He still had his accent after all these years, and there was no doubt that little touch of exoticness did him plenty of favors when it came to picking up women.

“Yeah, totally awesome.”

He laughed. “’Totally awesome?’ It’s not enough that you’ve all but dropped your accent, but now you’re really talking like an American. They’re all about the superlatives, haven’t you noticed? Everything’s awesome or amazing or the best ever.”

I laughed at his observation. He wasn’t wrong.

“Yanks are always keyed up about one thing or another,” I agreed.

He turned his eyes from the vista before us and put them on me, as if I were ten times more interesting than any sweeping landscape.

“Been too long, Grace. It’d be nice if we saw each other when it wasn’t just big to-dos like this.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Knowing Hayden, whenever he said a nice word there were usually five smart-ass ones following right behind.

“Well, that’s what weddings are all about, yeah?”

“It’s true. You see people you haven’t bumped into in months, or years, tell them that you ought to catch up over drinks or coffee, and then you never do.”

“That’s usually how it goes.”

We turned our attention back to the valley. Hayden chuckled, as if he were in on some joke that I had no idea about.

“Alright, what is it?” I asked.

“Nothing. Just thinking about how you looked like you were about to have a stroke when you turned around and saw that it was me.”

“Hey!” I said, putting my hand on his arm and giving him a shove.

And, of course, I couldn’t help but notice how solid and thick his bicep was when I did it.

“Well, you totally snuck up on me!” I said. “I was thinking things over and you start talking with that way-too-loud voice of yours.”

“Hey, couldn’t help it,” he said with a grin, not missing a beat. “You looked so damn cute standing there staring at the scenery. I had to come over and say something.”

“You didn’t have to do anything. And what’re you doing bothering me? Don’t you have some girl who doesn’t know your reputation to hit on?”

“Oh, Julia? We were just chatting. Why? Are you jealous?”

“Not jealous at all. Just want to make sure you’re not thinking of something other than your duties as best man.”

“Duties? It’s giving a speech and walking down the aisle with one of the bridesmaids. By the way, did you happen to know which one it was? Feel like I should know…”

I let out an annoyed grunt before giving him another shove.

“Cute. But seriously, Doc, you’d better get a lid on this immature BS before we walk down the aisle. Last thing I want is for you to embarrass me in front of all our friends and family.”

“Oh, perish the thought, kid! Last thing I’d ever do would be to make a scene at an occasion like this.” He gave me an up-and-down with his eyes. “That doesn’t exactly look like proper bridesmaid attire.”

At that moment, I was wearing a white blouse and a pair of leggings, along with some casual flats.

“Still have to get dressed,” I said. “There’s a little more that goes into getting ready for women than just throwing on a tux.”

“Sure, sure,” he said. “Can’t wait to see what you look like in your dress.”

He glanced back to the valley one last time before turning on his fancy shoes and preparing to leave.

“Anyway,” he said. “I should get back to it. Great to see you again, kid.”

“You call me kid again and I just might stick those cap-toe brogues where the sun doesn’t shine.”

He laughed. “Now you’re really sounding like a yank. See you in there.”

“Not if I see you first!”

I wasn’t sure why I said that, almost as if I needed to beat him at something. Without waiting for his response, I zipped past him and made my way back to the ballroom.

I was steamed. Hayden had been the same man he’d always been – a cocky smart-ass with self-confidence to the max. I should’ve hated the prick.

But I didn’t. In fact, every time I saw him, I had the same thought, a thought that shocked me to the core whenever it popped into my head.

All I could think about was how I, ever since I was a teenager, had wanted him to be the one to take my virginity. A decade and a half later, part of me still wanted him to be the first man to show me what that was like.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.