ed voices and expensive perfume. The waiting room was empty except for a woman in the corner, her face hidden behind a copy of Vogue, her handba

ist looked up with a smile that was pract

consultation. Dr. Evans is running slightly beh

the pain ebbing and flowing like a tide she couldn't control-and now her last sixty doll

t, too enveloping. It made her feel small. The woma

w, completely, the screen black and unresponsive. She c

ed her hand to her stomach, trying to breathe throug

t with you, Ms. Santana

Thank

lver-haired, elegant in a way that made Joanna feel even more out of place. Dr. Ev

e stopped. Looked at Joanna. Her expression softened, slightly

. "Maya, I have to run to the hospital. Emerge

s. But Ms. Santana i

assessing, the kind of eyes that missed nothing. "Yes.

pain through her pelvis, and she swayed. "Please. I reall

ealized. The kind of doctor who had gone into women's health be

not a gynecologist, but he's a physician. Board certified. He did his residency in emergency medicine before chang

mach dropped

e glanced at it, frowned. "He's finishing up some p

st, swept out the door in a cloud of e

ale doctor. She hadn't thought-she'd assumed, wit

to go somewhere else, to start this process over, to explai

was medicine. Clinical. Professional

eceptionist, smiled at her. "Ms. S

d soft watercolor paintings. The examination rooms were at the e

The opening goes in the back.

Joanna w

d against its sides, the lamp mounted on the wall. She'd been in rooms like this before. Annual exams. Pap s

memory of last night still raw in he

and pulled on the blue paper gown. It crinkled when she moved. It didn't cover enough. Her ass was cold

stared at the ceiling, counting the tiles,

avy. Male. Not the quick, ef

oor o

San

stopped

made every hair on her body stand up. Joanna'

like he'd been running his hands through it. Gray eyes that l

was

r. The voice in the dark that had sa

ming, run, hide, this isn't happening, but her body was froze

the door behind him. The click of

ached. Nothing like the rough growl she remembered

't move. "You-" Her voice

atex gloves, the snap of elastic against

her legs in three strides, his height putting him in a position to see everything-the paper gown rucked up around h

file, scanned it with eyes that gave nothing away. "Post-co

ed to die. She wanted the floor to

k at

oanna's eyes found his despite every

Like he was commenting on a symptom. "Th

e cracked. "I didn

er knees, pressed them wider in the stirrups. "Isn't appropri

luminating everything. Joanna squeezed her

whispered. "Pl

r inner thigh, hot through the latex of his gloves. "And you will.

a gentle pressure against the swollen, tender flesh

e murmured. "A

le, gripped until her knuckles turned white. "You're

Santana. And more importantly-" His fingers pressed deeper, finding the exact spot where she ached,

ion and something else-something traitorous that respon

ged. "Why are y

dy closer, closer, until his mouth was agai

er. A promise. "And I don'