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The Doctor's Secret Bride(57)



She stood in front of a mahogany dresser laden with trophies and medals he’d won in cross-country and sprint races at Granite Falls School. He’d told her that he ran to keep the weight off, but now she realized that running was really a passion for him.

“Hey, are you coming out anytime soon?” she heard Erik ask from outside the closed door.

“In a minute.” Michelle picked up a brush from the dresser—Erik’s brush—and fixed her hair. She slid a finger across her tongue and creased down her eyebrows. Satisfied that she looked decent again, she shoved her feet into her sandals and opened the door. “I was admiring your trophies,” she said to Erik.

“Oh, those.” He shrugged.

“Yes, those. You didn’t tell me running was your passion.”

He gave a seductive smile. “I have many passions, Michelle.”

“I’m sure you do,” Michelle said slyly.

“Where are you taking me tonight?” she asked as he took her hand and led her toward the back of the house.

“To a very special place. You’ll like it.”

“Have you already asked your father to watch Precious?”

“Nope, but it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Wouldn’t he be surprised that you want to take your daughter’s nanny out on the town for a romantic evening?”

He chuckled. “He’d be surprised if I didn’t. Are you forgetting his reaction when he met you this afternoon? He’s not stupid.”

But I am, Michelle thought as her heart skipped a fast beat. What the heck was she doing?

***

“You look beautiful.”

Michelle pulled her gaze from the window of the restaurant overlooking Crystal Lake to admire her date in a green silk sports-shirt and dark slacks. “Thanks. And thanks for bringing me to this lovely restaurant,” she added, looking around the packed room. She wanted to add ‘expensive,’ but that would be too cheesy.#p#分页标题#e#

She’d almost choked at the prices on the menu. Even the appetizers they had decided to skip were in the double digits. This would definitely be the most expensive meal she ever had.

“Andreas is the best in town—in food and venue. This dining room is far less formal than the one upstairs. I’ll take you upstairs on our next trip.” He smiled. “Tables are booked months in advance with a non-refundable deposit.”

“So, how did you get one at such short notice?”

“I know the owner, Adam Andreas. He was one of my three best friends growing up, and still is. This location is the first of what is now an exclusive international chain of hotels and restaurants. Andreas has been a hit since opening night.” He paused. “I used to come here a lot with...”

“It’s okay, Erik,” Michelle said when his voice trailed off and a faraway look came into his eyes. “You can talk about Cassie.” She reached across the table and laced her fingers with his. Yesterday, she probably would not have been so bold. But after the intimacies they’d shared today, she felt confident enough to initiate physical contact with him.

“I don't want to talk about Cassie tonight. Let’s talk about you instead.”

“Me?”

“You and your father. Is he the one who hurt you, Michelle?” His fingers tightened about hers.

Michelle’s throat dried up. She took a sip of water. The absolute last person she wanted to talk about was her father. She tugged her hand from Erik’s and folded her arms across the table. “There’s nothing much to talk about.”

“There might not be much, but there is something. Every time I bring him up, you get nervous or quiet. Can you not forgive him for turning his back on you after your mother died?”

Michelle dropped her gaze. There was only one way to end this constant barrage of questions about her father. After what they shared today, she felt she could tell him anything. He said he wanted her to trust him, and strangely enough, she did.

She swallowed the anxiety in her throat and raised her lids to find Erik watching her with tenderness and patience she’d seen only in one other man—her brother.





CHAPTER TWELVE



“My father didn’t just ignore Robert and me, Erik. He used to hit us.”

His jaws tightened and the gold specks in his eyes that had beamed with patience just a moment ago, now glowed with fury.

“That is until Robert was old enough to fight back,” she continued when he said nothing. “Even when I was older and Robert wasn’t home to protect me, he let into me.”

“He hit you. Your father hit you,” he said through clenched teeth.