The Doctor's Damsel in Distress

Because Madison felt different.

Everything about her felt different from any woman he’d ever known.

Maybe he’d heard wrong that day. Maybe she really was the innocent he sometimes thought he caught a glimpse of.

Maybe he should give her the opportunity to come clean, to tell him once and for all what type of person she was.

“Madison?”

Her gaze lifted to his, all soft and expectant, making him hopeful that she’d tell him to go to hell, that he couldn’t have her without giving her his heart first. “I should warn you…” he leaned in closer to her. “…I’m not a nice guy. Not when it comes to women, and particularly not when it comes to you. Think you can handle that?”

Madison stared at Levi, trying to figure out why she felt like he was saying one thing and asking another. Wondering at his hot/cold attitude. Was he trying to scare her off? Or was he truly just warning her not to expect anything of him? Not to think that she was any different from other women?

That was the great thing about being a player. Madison no longer thought she was different from any other woman. Just as he wouldn’t be different from any other man.only he sort of was.

But that was probably just because she wanted him so much physically. Because he was the first guy she’d chosen to try out her new persona.

“I’ve heard that about you.” Even to her ears, her tone was hardly condemning, more of an acceptance of who he was. Did he think his way with women a secret? Hardly. She’d heard tell of the irresistible Dr. Fielding from Karen prior to even starting at Angel Creek.

“Normally, I’d say you shouldn’t believe everything you hear,” he drawled lazily, his to-die-for-hot-fudge-sundae eyes not leaving hers, “but in my case, maybe you should.”

Madison gulped down the baseball wedged in her throat. “Because you’re not nice to women?”

A startled look passed over his face. One that held a hint of darkness that surprised her, but almost as fast as the look appeared it disappeared and his gaze took on one of possession.

“Oh, I’m nice.” His eyes defined nice in a way that made her inner thighs clench. “It’s just that in the past, women have always wanted more than I was prepared to give.”

Which said it all.

What woman could be with Levi and not want more? More of everything him? Was she a fool to think she could really be a player with someone like Levi? Was she a fool to have ever thought she could move to a different town and start over as someone new? Someone who was impervious to having her heart broken? Would she end up just wanting more from Levi, too? Recalling how badly she’d wanted him to kiss her on Saturday night, she admitted she already wanted more from Levi than he was prepared to give.