Sizzling Nights with Dr. Off-Limits by Janice Lynn Page A

figured you liked eating healthy. Greens are good for you. If you’ll have a seat—” she gestured to the round table that sat four “—I’ll serve dinner.”
    Something about the idea of sitting at her table with her waiting on him struck him as wrong. “I don’t want you to serve me, Emily.”
    â€œIt’s no problem. You’re my guest.”
    Reluctantly, he sat down in the indicated chair and watched as she picked up his plate and piled on large portions of each dish, put a sprig of green to the side of the meat and set it before him.
    She then prepared the second plate, a much less full one, and put it on the table opposite where he sat. “Can I get you something to drink?”
    â€œI should have brought us a bottle of wine.” He hadn’t brought anything. No wine. No flowers. No anything. He hadn’t been thinking. Not about anything but the person’s company he wanted. Emily’s.
    â€œIt’s just as well you didn’t,” she assured him. “I have no desire to drink something that lowers my inhibitions and makes me not think as clearly.”
    â€œEspecially around me?”
    â€œLowering my inhibitions was never something you had a problem with.”
    â€œYou said no that first night and quite a few after.”
    â€œBarely.” She laughed, a low sound that was more self-derision than humor.
    He regarded her for long moments. She didn’t look at him but stared at her plate. Her cheekbones had the slightest bit of blush on them, accenting their height and the beauty of her face. When her gaze lifted to his, the intense color of her green eyes beneath darkly fringed lashes stole his breath.
    â€œYou want me to tell you I’m sorry I wanted you so much?”
    â€œI don’t want you to tell me anything.” Her voice was too calm. “I just want you to eat your food.”
    â€œFair enough,” he agreed, wondering at the ache that had settled deep into his gut when he’d yet to even take a bite of her specially prepared meal. “Let’s talk about work, then. What’s your favorite thing about Children’s?”
    â€œThe kids.” She forked a piece of meat, liver no doubt, and popped it into her mouth. “Mmm, that’s good.”
    Lucas would never believe that anyone could make eating liver look sexy. Emily had. Who knew it was even possible?
    He picked up his fork, but, rather than take a bite, he toyed with the food. He really didn’t like liver. “What about the kids?”
    â€œEverything about them.” She gestured to his plate. “Not hungry?”
    â€œNot very.”
    Her eyes sparkled. “A shame to let good food go to waste.”
    He agreed. He didn’t believe in being wasteful, but he wasn’t mentally psyched up to take a bite of liver just yet, either.
    So he forked some broccoli and took a tentative bite.
    The garlic and butter flavor lightly coating the vegetable surprised him. “This isn’t bad.”
    Her brow arched. “Did you think it would be?”
    â€œBroccoli has never been my favorite dish.”
    She blinked innocently. “Really?”
    â€œReally.” He ate all his broccoli, then eyed the asparagus and liver.
    â€œSometimes in life we learn to like things we once didn’t and vice versa.”
    â€œAre we talking about food or how you feel about me?”
    â€œYou tell me.” She pointed her fork at his plate. “Try the asparagus. It’s delicious.”
    No doubt.
    He cut a piece of the long green stalk with his fork. “Here goes.”
    The butter cream sauce on the asparagus really was delicious. He ate every bite she’d put on his plate.
    â€œNow, for the main dish,” she encouraged. “The meat is exquisitely tender and flavored with my own special sauce.”
    Based on the other two dishes, no doubt he’d have to revise his lifelong claims that he