Anna swallowed and nodded. She understood the situation — but she didn’t understandhim.
“You could have told me. If I’d known…”
“Why would I have done that, Anna?” he asked harshly.
She furrowed her eyebrows in irritation. “Because we had sex regularly for six months?”
“Yes. Sex. Nothing more.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not saying we were in a relationship, Lucas, but I believed we were at least on friendly terms.”
“No,” he said calmly. “We havenothingin common.”
With her mouth gaping, she stared at him…while a stabbing pain filled her chest. It shouldn’t have, but her heart disagreed vehemently with his words. In fact, Lucas’ words felt like a long, thin needle being pushed through her breastbone into the right atrium of her heart.
Because, yes, it may have been a purely physical relationship…but Lucas had saved her every week fromdrowning in the hectic waves of her own mind. He had made her forget all her doubts, even if only for a short time. He had erased her insecurity. He’d washed away the stress in one fell swoop. Anna had thought that, for him…it had at least meantsomething. Sometimes, he had kissed her as if he were drowning, and sometimes, he had touched her as if she were the only thing keeping him on the ground.
She had obviously been wrong.
Maybe that should have made her sad, but instead, she grew angry. He was looking at her as if she were wrong, as if she had imagined things that weren’t there.
“Nice,” she said through gritted teeth. “That’s real nice. Since I seem to be just your doctor, nothing more…” She jerked the pill bottle out of her jacket pocket. “Here!”
Lucas ignored her outstretched hand. “I don’t need them.”
She snorted. “Are you in pain?”
“No.”
She stared at his legs — his weight was shifted so clearly to the right that he might as well be the Leaning Tower of Pisa. “I canseeyou’re in pain!”
“Yeah, I have a headache from this conversation.”
Anna pressed her lips together. Oh, she could see he got a headache, if she slammed the pill bottle against his temple.
“Lucas, I don’t know if you realize this, but things have changed.” She lowered her voice and took a step closer, gazing up at him coolly. “You may have been in charge in bed, but this is real life, and I’m your doctor.Itell you what to do. Not the other way around. So take the damn pills. I’m not leaving until you do.”
Lucas raised his other eyebrow too — but remained silent.
She let out a frustrated breath. “It’s not only about the pain! It’s about preventing infections. You’re no longer young, Lucas.” She looked at him with pity. “I know, in fact, that thirty-three israther old, in the hockey world. And that young hotshot, Blake Ford, who has the prettiest pair of functioning knees in the league, is on your heels.”
Lucas’ expression darkened, but Anna kept talking. Their non-relationship was clearly over.No talkingwas no longer a rule.
“That must be frustrating. If I were you, I would do everything to keep my job a little longer. Penny mentioned that your contract extension is still being negotiated. You know, most goalies get knee problems at some point and few recover from them. Your knee will never be one hundred percent again. But if you damn well do what we tell you, we might keep it at ninety-five!”
For a full minute, Lucas merely glared at her, his gray eyes as cold and meaningless as a refrigerator door. Finally, he whispered threateningly, “Why are you trying to make me angry?”
Anna snorted. Please, she wasn’t trying...she had succeeded! The muscles on his forearms were bulging. She might not know him, but she knew his stupid body!
“Because you’re driving me crazy!” she replied sweetly. “You know, people always say that sex makes everything complicated. But right now, I feel likeno sexmakes it complicated!”
“It’s you who’s making it complicated, Anna. By standing here, by talking…”
“I wouldn’t be standing here or talking to you if you took your pills,” she interrupted, annoyed. “In case you missed it, I only enjoy your company when you’re naked. So, you either take off your clothes now or take the damn pills!”
Lucas’ jaw cracked, but the next moment, he snatched the bottle from her, tipped two pills into his palm, and swallowed them.
“Great,” she stated tonelessly as she turned and stomped back down the gravel path.
