“I’ll be careful.”

“I know that you’ll try to be, but”

“How about this,” KT interrupted. “I’ll wear the Orthoplast splint at work and the wristlet the rest of the time.”

“This isn’t Let’s Make a Deal.” As they talked, Pia continued to hold KT’s hand, unconsciously rubbing her thumb up and down the inside of KT’s forearm, caressing her softly even as she argued. When KT rested her right hand on Pia’s, Pia reflexively intertwined her fingers with KT’s.

“I’ll be good,” KT whispered.

Pia looked down at their joined hands, aware that her heart was thudding painfully in her chest. KT’s fingers were supple and strong. And warm. Very warm as she slowly slid her fingers in and out between Pia’s. “You have beautiful hands.”

“Have dinner with me tonight.”

“We have a half hour left of the session.”

KT lifted their joined hands and rubbed the back of Pia’s against her cheek. “After that.”

“I’d need to shower and change.” Pia was helpless to stop the words as she felt herself surrendering to the intensity in KT’s dark eyes. She sensed the danger but had no desire to flee.

“So do I.”

“I want to do some ultrasound on the scar.”

KT nodded, resisting the urge, but just barely, to brush her lips over Pia’s knuckles as she had that night two weeks before. She could smell the citrus scent on Pia’s skin, and she hungered for the taste of her. “All right.”

“You have to let go of my hand.”

“No.”

Pia laughed shakily, and a second later, so did KT. Finally, Pia was able to break the spell of KT’s mesmerizing gaze and leaned back, gently withdrawing her fingers from KT’s grasp. “Doctors make the most difficult patients.”

“Oh?” KT’s brows rose. “Have you had many doctors ask you out for dinner?”

Pia blushed. “I wasn’t talking about that.” She reached over for the small ultrasound probe, dabbed a bit of the gel on KT’s palm, and began to work the oscillating probe back and forth over the scar to aid in softening the healing ridge of tissue. She kept her head down as she worked and could not see KT’s appraising glance.

“I bet you had a lot of offers, though,” KT said playfully.

“Not the kind I wanted,” Pia replied before she could censor her comment.

KT heard the undercurrent of what sounded like sadness in her voice. “Is that why you’re here? To leave the memory of someone behind?”

“Not everyone comes home to escape something painful,” Pia answered quietly.

“What about you?” KT persisted.

Pia sighed and set the probe down. “No, No one hurt me. I’m not running from a disastrous love affair. This is where I’m happiest. Simple story.”

KT studied her seriously. “Why hasn’t anyone claimed your heart?”

“Because no one has ever asked for it.”

“How can that be?” KT was genuinely confused. “You’re beautiful, you’re sexy, you’re smart.”

Pia laughed. “It’s not about those things.”

“Then what?”

Pia reached for the splint and gently placed KT’s hand into the curved plastic mold. She reattached the elastics to the small hooks glued to each of KT’s fingernails, drawing the ringers down into a protected position. Then she carefully closed the Velcro straps. When she was done, she met KT’s eyes. “It’s about forever.”

“Forever.” KT turned the word over in her mind, wondering where along the way she had stopped believing in it. It might have been when she’d lost Tory, but when she recalled her life in the years just before that final irreparable event, she realized that she had lost sight of what she had with Tory in the shadow of her unrelenting drive, her overpowering need, to excel. Almost before she knew it, it was all gone. “Is that what you’re holding out for? Forever?”

Pia nodded. She’d seen the shadow pass over KT’s face and wondered what painful memory the word had evoked. “Still interested in dinner?”

“Absolutely.” Even as she said it, KT wondered if she had anything more than a casual evening to offer, knowing with certainty that that would never be enough for this woman. Still, even knowing that Pia wanted something she’d once had, then squandered, and finally forgotten, KT couldn’t bring herself to walk away.

Reese pushed through the back door with two bags of Chinese takeout in her arms. Tory looked over from the sofa where she’d been half asleep watching the evening news.

“Tell me that I smell dinner,” Tory said with a note of reverence in her voice.

“Kung Pao chicken, Moo Shu shrimp, and wonton soup, at your service, Madame.” Reese set the bags down on the breakfast counter. “And enough for leftovers, including breakfast, if you should so desire.”

Tory grasped Reese around the waist and turned her so her back was to the breakfast counter before pressing full-length against her. As she wrapped both arms around Reese’s neck, she murmured, “I adore you.”

Reese had no chance to reply before Tory’s mouth covered hers. Surprised, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the welcome heat of Tory in her arms. After twenty seconds, she forgot that she was hungry. After thirty, she forgot that she had to be back on patrol in half an hour. She slid her hand beneath the loose T-shirt that Tory wore and caressed her palm up the center of Tory’s back until her fingers rested against the nape of Tory’s neck. With the other hand, she cupped Tory’s rear, pulled her closer, and rocked her hips into her lover, “Mmm. You feel so good.”

“Reese,” Tory murmured, moving her mouth away an inch. “You don’t really want to do that.”

“Yes, I do,” Reese answered, her voice thick and deep.

“Well…I can always eat later,” Tory whispered, pulling Reese’s shirt from her trousers.

“Baby asleep?” Reese asked breathlessly as she hurriedly unbuttoned her pants and jerked down the fly.

“Uh-huh.” Tory stripped off her T-shirt and dropped it on the floor. She wore nothing beneath.

As Reese reached for Tory’s breasts and Tory slid a hand down the front of Reese’s abdomen and under the waistband of her briefs, the phone rang. They froze, listening to the mechanical voice announce the caller ID. It was a Boston prefix.

“Who?” Reese gasped.

“Don’t know,” Tory replied desperately. “Hospital, maybe.”

“Better answer.”

“Yes.” Tory snatched up the phone in frustration and snapped, “Dr. King.”

She stiffened and, after a second, held out the phone to Reese. “Your father.”

Reese encircled Tory’s waist with one arm as she reached for the receiver with the other. Holding Tory near, she said crisply, “Hello, sir.”

Chapter Sixteen

“Tory?” KT narrowed her eyes and studied Tory contemplatively. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” Tory said quickly, running her hand through her hair distractedly. She glanced at the clock opposite her desk and then back to KT. Seven p.m. “I’m sorry. You were saying that Mr. Abbot is complaining of increasing intermittent claudication?”

“Yes. According to him, there’s been a big change in the last six months.” KT glanced down at the chart in her hand. “By history, he used to be able to walk…” She couldn’t suppress a grin as she read from her notes. “From the Lobster Pot to the Coast Guard station at a pretty steady clip, but now he has to stop in front of the town hall and ‘rest a spell’ because his right leg cramps so bad.” She looked up from the file in time to see Tory glance at the clock again. KT closed the folder, tucked it under her arm, and settled her hip on the edge of Tory’s desk. “What’s going on?”

“Sorry,” Tory muttered. She leaned back in her chair and sighed. “It’s nothing. It’s silly. It’s just that…it’s nothing.” She was getting used to seeing KT every day, at least to the extent that her heart didn’t give a painful lurch whenever she looked up and saw her former lover’s face. After the first few days, she’d come to realize that her reaction wasn’t one of anger or even pain, but of pure and simple surprise. She had effectively, or nearly effectively, erased KT from her consciousness. Suddenly seeing KT daily, having her so much a part of her life again so abruptly, reminded her forcefully of all the things she had once liked about her. Despite her growing comfort with KT’s presence, however, she hadn’t quite gotten to the point where she was able to confide in her. Their conversations had been strictly limited to patient care.

“Come on, Vic s ” KT prodded with a grin. “Oops, Sorry. Tory.”

Tory waved a hand at the offered apology. “Reese went to Boston today to meet her father. That’s all. I just thought she might be home by now.”

KT recognized the undercurrent of worry in Tory’s voice. Despite their years of separation, she hadn’t forgotten how to read Tory’s moods. “Some kind of problem there?”

“You could say that,” Tory said with a grim chuckle. Forgetting that she hadn’t intended to talk to KT about anything personal, she went on, “Reese’s father is a Marine Corps general. Very by the book. He raised her to be a Marine Corps officer as well. Until four years ago, she was everything he ever expected her to be. Then she left active duty, came here, and came out.”

“I guess Daddy isn’t entirely pleased.”

“That would be an understatement.” Tory rose and walked around to the front of the desk until she stood by KT’s side. She rested her hips against the front edge of the desk and folded her arms beneath her breasts in an unconsciously self-protective posture. “He actually threatened to have her court-martialed at one point if she didn’t stop seeing me.”

“Jesus. Her own father?”

Tory nodded. “I have a feeling he expected that threatening her career would bring her into line.” She smiled. “He doesn’t really know her very well.”

“She wouldn’t choose her career over you, I take it.” KT spoke softly, watching Tory carefully.