PRINCE CHARMING M.D. (27 page)

"What were you thinking?" she
asked,
her voice low and sultry. "About what we were doing last night?"

"Um, that, too. But don't get me started. I still have a couple of patients to see and I don't think they'd appreciate obvious proof that I'd just talked to a very sexy lady."

"It wouldn't look good, would it?"

"You don't think it looks good?" He sounded hurt.

She laughed. "You know that's not what I meant. It's lovely. More than lovely. It's incredible and perfect and I can't wait until the next time I see it. Better?"

"Definitely better."

"Okay. I always have to watch what I say around you."

"I believe in keeping you on your toes. Otherwise, you intelligent types think you can walk all over a guy."

If only that were true, she thought. Unfortunately for her, in this relationship Trevor had all the power. Still, there was something about him. She sighed. "Yeah, yeah. You're so horribly abused," she teased. "How do you stand it?"

"I figure I'm building character. You don't usually call me at the office. What's up?"

"Nothing important. A friend from college is in town for the night. We're going out for dinner." She paused, not sure what else to say. They had been spending the last few nights together, but she didn't know if she was supposed to check in with him about this kind of stuff. "I, um, thought you might want to know." She tensed, wondering if he was going to laugh at her or tell her it didn't matter.

"Oh."

Dana straightened. He sounded disappointed. "Is that okay?"

"Sure. It's just that my dad called. He and my mom invited us to join them for dinner tonight. They're going to their favorite restaurant on the west side and they thought it would be fun for us to tag along. No problem, though. I'll phone them and explain."

"I'm sorry, Trevor. I'd change my dinner, but we only have tonight. You should go with your folks anyway. You'll have fun."

"I will. Otherwise, I'll just stay home waiting for you. Will you be out late?"

"Not at all." When he traveled, Roger always hurried back to his hotel room so he could have a long chat with Marcie.

"Good. Because I'd still like to see you tonight."

She thought about seeing him. Not just the lovemaking, but being with him, talking and laughing. "I'd like that, too."

"So whoever gets home first will put on something sexy and be waiting for the other."

She laughed. "Now I
am
going to try to get home after you. I want to see you in something sexy."

"I might just surprise you."

She thought about Angie and Sally and the fact that he probably hadn't been dating them at all. "You already do," she told him. "In the most pleasant way possible. See you tonight."

"So Emma looked up at me, smiled and said, 'The water's blue now, Daddy. Just like when Momma cleans.'" Roger shook his head. "I kept telling myself the bright-blue poster paint she'd just poured down the toilet was water soluble, but I still checked with a plumber. That little girl is a constant challenge."

Dana heard the love in his voice and smiled. "You wouldn't have it any other way."

"You're right." Roger finished his beer and set the glass on the table.

They'd been at the restaurant nearly an hour and had yet to order dinner. There was too much to catch up on.

Roger leaned forward and raised his eyebrows. They were auburn, just a few shades darker than his curly red hair. "All right. You've listened to me tell you about the trials and joys of living with three kids under the age of five. I'm sure my tales of diaper rash and blocked toilets will be the subject of your dinner conversation for the next couple of weeks, but it's time to move on. What's new with Dana Rowan?"

"I already told you about my promotion, right?"

"
Yes,
and congratulations. You're doing very well."

"Thanks."

Work was the easy part. It was her personal life that was giving her trouble.

"Dana, I recognize that look. Something is bothering you. Tell Uncle Roger. You'll feel better, I promise. If nothing else, I can give you a guy's perspective on the situation."

She looked at his kind face. While he had pleasant features, he wasn't even close to Trevor's incredible physical perfection. In some ways, Dana wouldn't mind if Trevor were a little less handsome. At least then she wouldn't feel as if she had to be in competition all the time.

"I'm seeing this guy," she began, not sure what to tell Roger.

"I figured as much. You pretty much have the rest of your life in order. So is he a good guy or a bad guy?"

"Interesting question." She sipped her wine and thought. "He's good, most of the time."

"And when he isn't?"

"No, it's not that. He's…" How did she explain the phenomenon that was Trevor MacAllister? "He's one of those people who always win. He's good-looking, successful, smart,
funny
."

"Married?"

"Roger!"

Her friend grinned. "Hey, I know he's not perfect. I was just searching for a flaw."

"He has flaws, just not very many. The problem isn't as much him as everyone else, and maybe me."

"You'll have to explain that one to me."

Before she could, the waiter came over to their table. They ordered. When they were alone, Dana continued. "I knew him back when we were in high school. He was the most popular boy and all the girls wanted to go out with him." She recapped her relationship with Trevor, then and now. She explained about the nurses who claimed to be dating him and her recent realization that they were lying about some or maybe all of the time they'd spent with him.

"I just don't understand," she said. "Exaggerating is one thing, but flat-out lying? It doesn't make sense. Why bother? Didn't they know they would get caught?"

"Maybe they have their own reputation to think about," Roger said. He shrugged out of his sport coat and hung it over the back of the chair. "These are young, attractive women. He's a successful, single doctor. I would guess they're interested, not only in him, but also in being perceived as desirable. If the hottest thing to hit town in twenty years is taking them out, or so everyone thinks, then they can ride his coattails. Women are just as concerned about status and perceptions as men."

"Agreed." What he said made sense … sort of. "I'm starting to get the impression this has happened to Trevor all his life. Everywhere he goes people—women, really—assume the worst about him."

"Based on how you described the guy, I should hate him without even meeting him," Roger said. "But if this is the price he pays for being so high up on the food chain, count me out. It's not worth it." He shrugged. "Of course, no one is offering me his position, and no one is going to let him walk away from his."

"You mean he's trapped?"

"Sure." Roger leaned toward her. "Let me fill you in on a little secret about men. There's a lot of talk that guys aren't interested in love and commitment. That we all want to score with a different woman every night. That's just not true. Sure, at times every man looks at an attractive woman and thinks, 'Yeah, I'd like to bag her.' But it's just a passing thought. Cheap talk and wayward hormones. Nothing else. The truth is
,
we want to be married. We like knowing that someone in the world loves us and cares about us. Someone who will be there when we get home. We like the familiarity, the routine. We really love our wives and our families."

"I know you're like that," she said. "I've seen those qualities in other men, too. But Trevor—"

"Sounds to me like Trevor hasn't had a chance to experience that yet. Has anyone bothered to look past the reputation to the man underneath?"

"He was married before."

"Obviously it didn't work out, and I'm willing to bet he wasn't the reason."

She remembered what Trevor had said about Vanessa's cheating on him. "No, his wife was the problem."

Brown eyes softened with concern. "You're going to have to think about this, Dana, because the man is important to you. I've known you a long time and I've watched you grow up. You're a wonderful woman and you deserve an equally wonderful man in your life. Trevor sounds decent. You might have to give him a chance."

"I'm dating him." Well, they were doing more than dating, but she wasn't about to discuss that with Roger.

"You're going through the motions, but it seems to me that you're holding something back. Be careful when you do that. If you don't give it all, you'll risk losing him. Don't let it take losing him for you to figure out what you've got."

The waiter brought their salads. Dana waited until he was gone. "I'm not sure what I have."

"Does it matter? You're already in love with him."

She'd speared a piece of lettuce and was in the process of bringing the fork to her mouth. She froze,
then
carefully lowered the utensil to the plate. She felt hot and cold at the same time. Love? Never! Their relationship was about having fun and friends having sex. Nothing more.

"I am
not
in love with him." The idea was insane. Love Trevor? She'd learned her lesson already. Besides, loving anyone would be too risky. She didn't want to be that vulnerable ever.

"He's a doctor," she continued. "I refuse to be involved with a doctor. I know what that's like. They're never around. They care about everyone but their family. It's insane and impossible."

Roger chewed,
then
swallowed. "Maybe, but it's also too late. Face it, Dana. You're gone on the guy."

"No, I'm not. He would never be interested in someone like me. Not in the long term."

"Why?"

"Because…" Her mind went blank. "Well, just because. Besides, I'd be crazy to trust him."

"Seems to me you'd be crazy to let him go."

"Trevor wants someone glamorous."

Roger shook his head. "Trevor wants someone who will love him for himself. Take away the good looks and you'll find a guy just like everyone else on the inside. He wants what we all want. Loving acceptance and a place to feel safe. You can do that, Dana. I suspect you already do. Why won't you admit you're crazy about him?"

Because if he betrays me again, he'll destroy me.
But she didn't say that aloud. Roger might guess the truth, but she refused to confirm it by broadcasting all her faults to the world.

"It's not that I don't like him. It's just—"

The hairs on the back of her neck rose. Dana stiffened,
then
raised her gaze. Their table was in the back of the main dining room. Secluded, but with a clear view of the entrance. Standing by the front door were Maggie, Walter and a very angry Trevor. His gaze locked with hers. His expression was hard, his eyes dark with betrayal. Dana felt the blood drain from her face.

"What's wrong?" Roger asked. "You look as if—" He turned around and saw the trio by the door, then returned his attention to her. "Tell me you told him what you were doing tonight."

"I said I was having dinner with a friend."

He swore. "But you didn't happen to mention that friend was male, right? Don't answer that." He glanced at Trevor again.

As Dana watched, the three of them spoke quietly to the hostess,
then
left the restaurant. Dana realized she was shaking. She put down her fork and tried to draw in a steadying breath.

"The good news is
,
the man has it bad for you. The bad news is
,
he thinks you just cheated on him. That isn't why his first marriage broke up, is it?"

Dana stared at him in horror,
then
nodded.

"So this is a major button for him."

Her stomach knotted, but for once not from tension. What had she done? "I—I don't know what to do."

Roger stood, walked around the table and pulled her to her feet. "You're going to go to his place and wait for him. When he gets there, you're going to tell him that it's not what he thinks." Roger pressed one of his business cards into her hand. "If he doesn't believe you, he can call me. Hell, he can call my wife. Unlike some people, I was bright enough to tell her who I was having dinner with."