Don’t Fall for the Doctor by Lacey Bolt
Chapter 19
“Shoot-shoot-bugger-shoot.” Ashley stared at her phone.
A light tap on her window startled her. She released her phone and slammed her hand into the car door. The automatic door locks clicked in response. She looked up and groaned. Michael.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” She rubbed her forehead.
He moved his mouth and waved his hand near his face. Muffled sound passed through the closed car window. She frowned and held up a finger to stop him. The light mist in the air left small water droplets in his hair, which glistened in the glow from the lights of Kelly’s house. She bit her lip. She’d never kissed a guy in the rain.
He tapped the window again with one finger. Her breath caught in her lungs as she realized what he wanted. She placed her key in the ignition and turned it enough to roll down the window. The window inched down slowly, as if unconvinced that removing the obstacle between them was wise.
He waited until she pulled the key back out of the ignition to speak. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. You should go back in there and join Kelly. I’ll leave if you want.” His voice was deeper than usual.
She blinked. His eyes were darker than ever, like he could see directly into her thoughts. She shivered. The light must be playing tricks on her eyes. Or she needed something to eat.
He took a step back and held up his hands. “Look, I know I tried to kiss you last night, and I’m sorry. You have every right to report me for sexual harassment, and I won’t try to stop you.”
Ashley’s mouth dropped open. She shook her head. “I didn’t even think about reporting you. I just—well . . .” She cleared her throat and forced herself to keep eye contact. “I just changed my mind.”
A look of relief passed over his face. “Well, you should come inside and eat.” He tilted his head towards the house.
Ashley sighed. If she went inside, she’d have to remember who he really was—an arrogant doctor who could get any woman he wanted.
“I’ll leave if I make you uncomfortable.” He raised his hands, palms facing out in defeat.
She pinched the back of her hand. She needed to focus. He wasn’t a good guy, no matter how much his eyes made her knees melt. “I really don’t feel like being around anyone tonight. I’m just going to head home.”
She gave him a wave and pressed the button to raise her car window, but the window didn’t budge.
She groaned silently. Of course the window wouldn’t move; she hadn’t turned the key to activate the battery.
She tried again to raise the window. It raised a fraction of an inch, then stopped and wouldn’t budge.
Michael stood there, watching.
“Everything ok?”
“My car is temperamental. She’ll be fine, though.” Ashley turned the key to start the engine, but nothing happened. She tried again. And again. She closed her eyes and held her breath, and tried again. Nothing.
She would not be the damsel in distress. She reached down and jabbed the button to release the car hood. Michael took a few steps back as she opened the car door and walked to the front of the vehicle, rain falling gently the whole time. She opened the hood and gazed thoughtfully. If she acted like she knew what she was looking at, then maybe he would walk away.
No luck. He stepped next to her.
“What do you think the problem is?” Michael asked her quietly.
She thought for a minute, keeping her eyes on the engine. “I got a new battery last month. The mechanic said something about the low level of coolant. Could be a problem with that or the oil or the fan belt or the internal combustors.” She ticked the possibilities off her fingers.
He raised an eyebrow and scratched his chin. “Sounds reasonable.”
The muscles surrounding her mouth twitched. She placed her hand over her mouth, but it didn’t help. A chuckle escaped her lips.
He bent forward and touched something near the car battery. “What’s so funny?”
“I think you know as much about cars as I do.” She stopped trying to cover her laugh.
He stopped poking the engine. “I know enough about cars.”
“You do? Go ahead, show off what you know.” She stepped back and placed her hands on her hips.
He hesitated, then started laughing. “I have no idea what’s wrong with your car. I completely destroyed my chance to come to your rescue.”
Her smile morphed into a gasp. “You want to come to my rescue?” No one had said anything like that to her since her parents died.
He stopped laughing and looked back at the car engine. “I’m sure you can take care of yourself. I just thought I might impress you if I took care of this for you. Give you a little help. But clearly, I spent too much time studying and not enough time learning basic mechanics.” He spoke softly. “The best I can do is call a tow truck.”
“Thank you?” She cleared her throat. “I mean, thanks. I don’t need a tow truck, though. Kelly never minds keeping my car for a few days when it breaks down. At least I didn’t block her in this time.”
She closed the hood and walked back to the driver’s seat. She turned the key a few more times, but the car refused to cooperate. She gripped the steering wheel and stuck her head out the open car door. “You can head inside. Tell Kelly I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
He stepped forward. “It’s about to rain hard.”
She closed her eyes for a second. A vision of kissing him in the rain popped into her imagination. She opened her eyes again quickly. “I know. I don’t need much time. You can go inside without me.”
He shook his head and placed his hand on top of the open car door. “What if a robber stopped by?”
She narrowed her eyes and tried not to laugh. “I’d let them take my car. They wouldn’t get far in it.” She turned back to the wheel and removed the keys from the ignition. “Seriously, you should go back inside. You aren’t even wearing shoes.” She bit her lip and looked through the car, out the passenger side window. The street lamp threw off a weak beam of light, and the clouds threatened to break into a downpour at any second. No one would be around to witness a robber or mugger sneak up on her. She shivered.
Michael let out a loud breath. He walked away without speaking.
Ashley leaned out the car door. She would not call him back. She could protect herself. She stepped out of the car, opened the trunk, and grabbed the roll of duct tape.
Footsteps approached from behind her, and she whirled around. Michael stood in front of her, holding a heavy jacket in his outstretched hand. “You look cold.” His eyes darted from her eyes to her lips, where they lingered for a moment before moving back to her eyes. He stepped forward and wrapped the jacket around her shoulders. His scent immediately surrounded her.
She searched his eyes, and her stomach turned to knots. She bit her lip. He wasn’t a regular guy. He was a doctor, the man who demanded attention when he roamed the hallways of the hospital. He drove a car that cost more than she made in a year. Two years. She shuddered. Maybe more than she even made in three years. She shouldn’t feel anything for him. She had her own life, and he had his. They lived in two completely different worlds. And if she didn’t act quickly, her world would include a broken car soaked with rainwater.
She sucked in a deep breath. “Kelly’s recycle bin is in the garage. Can you find a large piece of cardboard?” She looked down.
His hand gently touched her chin, raising her face until her gaze met his again. “Do you need duct tape too?”
She lowered her gaze to his lips. “I have a roll here.” She held up her hand between them. He placed his other hand on her shoulder and traced his fingers down the length of her arm until he reached her hand. Her skin tingled as he took the tape.
When he released her chin and walked over to the garage door, she leaned against the side of the car and closed her eyes. She needed to get a handle on things before her imagination took over.
Michael returned with a thick piece of cardboard. He meticulously taped the cardboard to the open section of the car window, sealing it with layers of duct tape.
Her head started to spin, and her heart beat wildly. Not even a cold shower could save her now.