Heart Surgeon To Single Dad

She’d always been focused on school, on her patients, her research, her career. Focusing on a man hadn’t ever been a priority. But she liked flirting with Matthew, liked the quick smile that transformed his handsome face.

Reaching for her skirt, she tugged the wrinkled material down her hips, then pressed a quick kiss to his lips. Aware that his gaze tracked her every move, she walked to the mini-fridge, took out a bottled water, twisted off the lid and took a drink.

“Thirsty?” She offered the bottle.

He took a long swig, then handed it back to her. “Not now.”

His tone implied it hadn’t been the water that had quenched his thirst.

Eyeing him, Natalie placed her lips over where his had been and took another drink, letting the water cool her throat.

“Thank you, Natalie.”

“For?”

“You know.” Winking at her, he went to the bathroom, she assumed to dispose of the used condom, then returned to the room with his pants restored.

That was when she got her first real look at his chest and abdomen. Earlier, she’d been distracted with need and sex, and had been up close to his body, but now... Oh, my.

Matthew without a shirt was a beautiful sight.

She’d touched that chest, kissed that chest, been pressed up against that chest, all hot and sweaty.

Feeling quite smug that she’d just had sex with the hottest man alive, she couldn’t help but smile. “Now what?”

He shrugged. “Not any more of that, unless we make a protection run, I’m sad to say.”

She eyed him curiously. She’d not really considered that they could have a repeat that night. Jonathan had never more than once... Oh, forget Jonathan. “Would you really be able to do that again?”

“Just say the word.”

Surely he was exaggerating, but his answer still stroked her ego. She knew she shouldn’t keep comparing what had just happened to her relationship with her ex, but he’d have rolled over and been asleep already.

Then again, she would have been, too.

Intrigued, and more than a little smug, she asked, “If I said now, you’d want to again tonight?”

He arched a brow. “You have to ask after what we just did? Of course I want to do that again.”

* * *

“One box isn’t enough. Buy two.”

Matthew grinned at the woman tugging at his arm and grabbed another box off the shelf. “Two boxes for three nights? You trying to kill me?”

“You’re the one who bragged you were able to repeat the deed anytime I said the word,” she reminded with a saucy flash of her eyes.

Wondering why he’d ever hesitated in allowing himself this three-day break from reality, Matthew laughed. “You saying the word? If so, I’m sure we can find a vacant corridor.”

Her eyes widened momentarily, but she quickly looked intrigued. So much for his prim and proper impression of her at the airport. Thank God he’d given himself permission to forget the real world and just play for three days. Three days to spend with this surprising woman.

Chuckling, he grabbed her hand. “Come on, Natalie. Let’s go pay for our two boxes.”

They’d opted to walk the beach to a neighboring hotel’s gift shop rather than risk one of their colleagues seeing them stock up at the conference hotel. Matthew had enjoyed the sea air and having Natalie’s hand clasped within his during the nighttime walk, but the fifteen minutes back to their hotel suddenly seemed like a long time.

“How did you get involved with the Libertine robot project?” she asked once they were back on the beach and headed toward their hotel.

“You want to talk shop?” He just wanted to get back to the hotel and get her naked. Completely this time. He had a lot of exploring to do and was looking forward to discovering every nook and cranny.

“The Libertine fascinates me,” she continued, her hand snug in his. “I’ve watched you perform surgery with it, you know.”

He shot a look at her, the moonlight casting just enough light across her face to illuminate her beautiful features. “No, I didn’t know.”

“I couldn’t tell much about you, since you were wearing a surgical mask, glasses and cap and the film clip pretty much only showed the surgery. I guess technically I watched a video of your hands doing miraculous things, because I don’t recall anything of your face and I wouldn’t have forgotten your eyes had I ever seen them.” She smiled sheepishly, then went on. “From how long I’ve been seeing your name quoted in the cardiology world, I had thought you much older.”

He got that a lot. He’d been fortunate to become involved with the Libertine from early in its inception as a surgical tool. Near the end of med school, his passion had shifted his interest to surgical advances being made in treating congenital defects in utero. Robert had followed suit.

Working for a robotics company, Carolyn had been one of the key design engineers on the Libertine. It was how they’d all met. He and Robert had been practically inseparable since grade school. Carolyn had changed that somewhat, but Matthew had felt more as if they’d added a third player to their team, rather than their friendship losing anything, when his best friend married the brilliant engineer.

He missed them so much. Three months and it didn’t seem real that he’d never see them again, never discuss the Libertine, or difficult cases. Never catch another football game while Carolyn laughed at their long-term rivalry of the Cowboys against the Steelers. Never again—

“You okay?” Natalie’s voice broke into Matthew’s memories.

Fighting back the hollow ache in his gut, he clenched his teeth. How had he let such depressing thoughts in tonight when he felt alive, truly alive, for the first time since before he’d gotten the call that Robert and Carolyn’s plane had gone down?

“Just got lost in thought.” He flashed a smile that wasn’t as real as he’d like, but there wasn’t enough light that she’d likely be able to tell. “How old do you think I am?”

She glanced his way a few moments, making him wonder if perhaps she saw better in the low light than he’d given her credit for, but she seemed to make the decision not to push. Maybe because she didn’t want to know what he’d really been thinking about.

“Uh-uh.” Her smile was wide, bright, not so over-the-top as to come across as completely fake. “I’m not guessing your age. If I go too high you might be offended. If I go too low, you’ll accuse me of robbing the cradle.”

Her voice was light, but her grip on his hand had tightened, offering a comfort he soaked up and was amazed at how much better her smile and touch left him feeling.

He chuckled. “No chance you robbed the cradle, Natalie. That would be me. I’m probably a good ten years older than you.”

“I seriously doubt it.” She told him her age.

“Eight years older,” he corrected. “I’m the one who robbed the cradle, it seems.”

“Eight years isn’t that much,” she assured. “You’re barely into your forties.”

A memory of his fortieth birthday, spent with Robert and Carolyn, popped into his head. They’d rented out their favorite restaurant’s back room, invited a ton of mutual friends and acquaintances and surprised him with a birthday bash.

“Hey—you okay?” she asked again.

Why had his friends popped back into his head so quickly when he’d just scolded himself for letting them in on a night meant to drown them out?

His gaze cut to Natalie. Why did he find himself wanting to tell her about them?