Page 34 of PSYCHOlogical

He sauntered to the fridge, got another beer, and turned around. “You look remarkable. I’ll probably need to make this my last beer, or I just might forget you’re my psychiatrist.”

I laughed jokingly. “We don’t want that.”

His mouth curled into a smirk. Wearing that playful smile, he stepped so close he could have kissed me. I noticed a scar across his eyebrow. I wondered how he got it.

“We don’t?” he asked.

I ached to have a man in my life. His golden eyes were wreaking havoc on my ability to resist him. Despite my attraction to Vincent, he wasn’t the answer. With our chests nearly touching, I turned my head to the side and gulped down what remained of my wine.

I swallowed heavily and met his licentious gaze. “I…don’t,” I stammered. “I don’t think so.”

He took a step back and looked me up and down. “It’s hard not to think about.”

An inaudible breath escaped me. “What’s hard not to think about?”

“You and me.”

I fumbled to pour another glass of wine. “In what context?”

“The context where I take your clothes off and seduce you.”

My face flushed. I couldn’t say I hadn’t thought about it, but I wasn’t about to admit it to him. I couldn’t believe he admitted it to me. I stammered to assemble my verbal escape and came up with nothing.

“How long have you been thinking about it?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Since we met. Three years, I guess. More lately, though. After that night we talked, I’ve been thinking about it quite a bit. I could share my thoughts with you one of these nights, but we’d have to be naked.”

I took an overly eager drink of wine, sloshing it out of the glass and down my cheeks. Nervously, I stepped to his side and wet a paper towel.

While I dabbed the wine from my face, he flashed a sly grin.

“Sorry,” he said with a laugh. “Seriously. After we had that talk the other day, I realized you’re the only one I wouldn’t have to lie to. You know me better than anyone on earth, really. You know the truth about me, and what I do. I think I let my imagination run wild after that night.”

Now that he mentioned it, my imagination was running wild. Daydreaming about being seduced by Vincent—and not acting on it—wasn’t going to be an easy thing to do.

I felt hot. Horny. Half-drunk. Vincent was right. I knew him better than anyone. We could be truthful with one another about our feelings and the events that brought them on. At some point, however, Director Martin would find out, and we’d both be in serious trouble.

I threw away the paper towel and faced him. “It’s not a good idea. We’d both be reprimanded. We’d likely lose our jobs.”

“It’s a great idea.” He took a drink of his beer. “Implementing it is not advisable, though.”

I wanted to admit that I’d thought about it as much as he had, but I didn’t dare. Instead, I seduced him mentally while wearing a look of indifference.

I raised my wine glass. “Agreed.”

He finished his beer and set the bottle aside. “Things might go to hell tomorrow when I talk to Lt. Colonel Martin. Either way, I’ll come see you.”

I didn’t want him to go, but I knew it would be best. If he stayed, we’d continue to drink until nothing was left. It would be anyone’s guess where the night would take us.

“Does this mean you’re leaving?” I asked.

He moved so close that his chest brushed against mine. “I am.”

Mischief glistened in his golden orbs. The what-ifs and why-nots of proceeding danced around in my head. While I was lost in a daydream, he did what I least expected.

He kissed me.

It was as simple as a kiss could be. His lips pressed against my cheek, just beside my mouth.

Despite its simplicity, it rocked me to my core. My mind swam in the possibilities of what might follow. For one night with him, I could cast ethics and aversion aside. One night together wouldn’t hurt either of us.

One wonderful sex-filled night.

As if he sensed the satisfaction I derived from the kiss, his lips remained in place for fractionally longer than I would have expected. Not an awkward amount of time. Just enough to cause me to escape from reality and slip into a world of hope.

While I was lost in what the immediate future might hold, he leaned away and looked me in the eyes. Standing on shaking legs, I waited for him to take the next step. He swept my hair behind my ear with his index finger.

I drew an unsteady breath.

One side of his mouth curled upward. “See you tomorrow, Doc.”