Her Honourable Playboy. Kate Hardy

walked over to her. She looked drained and miserable—drained because she’d done so much to keep their patient going, and miserable because she wasn’t staff and could do absolutely nothing to help the boy now. He knew exactly where she was coming from, so he wrapped his arms round her and held her close.

      ‘He’s in Resus. Critical,’ she said, her voice shaking.

      ‘Hey. You got him here. That’s a hell of a lot better than we hoped for.’

      ‘He’s only eighteen, Seb. He made a stupid mistake, yes, but he’s so young!’

      ‘I know.’ He stroked her hair. ‘I feel bad now. I was going to chase after him and yell at him.’

      ‘Maybe if someone had done that before…’She added bitterly, ‘His dad didn’t bother to stick around and help guide him. What the hell is wrong with men?’

      Seb knew that wasn’t a dig aimed at him—he had a feeling it went far deeper than that. Did Alyssa have issues with her father? Then again, he thought wryly, they couldn’t be much worse than his own issues with his mother.

      He said nothing, just held her until she’d calmed down enough to pull away.

      ‘Before you say it,’ he said softly, ‘that was a professional hug. That was a “we’ve got a patient critically ill in Resus and it’s a bad day” hug from one doctor to another. An “I know how you feel because I’ve been there” type of thing. No strings, no expectations.’

      She didn’t say anything, but the hard look in her eyes softened.

      Did she really think he was that much of a louse—that he’d see she was emotionally drained and use it as a lever to get her into bed? Is that what everyone else in the hospital thought of him?

      Suddenly, Seb didn’t like himself very much.

      ‘Look, you can’t do anything else for him now. We’re not staff—not here,’ he said. ‘Let’s call it a day. Go home, get some rest. And ring in tomorrow.’

      ‘And they’ll tell me he’s “comfortable”. Patient confidentiality,’ she said bitterly.

      ‘Explain who you are. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll lean on the consultant for you,’ he said.

      She didn’t look convinced. ‘Alyssa, if you stay here all night, he might still be critical in the morning,’ he said gently. ‘You need to get some rest. Come on.’

      They drove back to her flat in silence.

      ‘Thank you for tonight,’ she said stiltedly.

      ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘And I’m sorry.’

      ‘The accident wasn’t your fault.’

      ‘I didn’t mean that.’

      She frowned. ‘What, then?’

      She already thought the worst of him, so she may as well know the truth. ‘This night out was supposed to be a make-over for you, dinner and a show. Except it annoyed me that you were throwing it back in my face—so I decided on the spur of the moment to make you go out with me tonight. Which meant I didn’t have time to get tickets for a show or organise a make-over.’

      That was the last thing she’d expected from him. A confession—and an apology. Despite her misery—and the fact that she felt so very, very cold—she smiled. ‘You’re admitting to being a spoiled brat and having a temper tantrum?’

      ‘Yep.’ A hint of dimple. ‘Forgive me?’

      And then she realised what he was doing. Charming her. She’d say yes; he’d ask for a kiss to prove it; and, the next thing she knew, she’d be inviting him in for coffee. No—worse than that. She’d be inviting him in for sex. Partly because she found him attractive, and partly because, after the accident they’d just helped to deal with, she needed to celebrate life.

      Hell. Not this way. Not a one-night stand with Seb Radley.

      ‘Nothing to forgive,’ she said, and unclipped her seat belt. ‘Thank you for dinner.’

      ‘My pleasure.’ His expression was odd, unreadable.

      ‘Goodnight,’ she said, and climbed out of the car before he could come round and open the door for her.

      As if he guessed why, he stayed put and didn’t suggest seeing her to her door. Though she noticed that he waited until she’d unlocked her door, switched on her light and closed the door again behind her before he pulled away. Politeness? Genuine concern? Or just hoping that she’d change her mind and make an offer?

      She wasn’t sure which. Maybe a bit of all three.

      One thing she was sure about. Sebastian Radley had the power to unsettle her, if she let him. So she’d keep her distance in future.