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  Catherine reached down to pick him up, heedless of the cat hairs being deposited on her dress. She could take care of that later. Right now she just wanted to snuggle her cheek against her pet’s soft fur.

  She’d had a perfectly nice evening. Bill had been an ideal escort, a true gentleman in the best, old-fashioned sense of the word. She was reasonably sure he would ask her out again. He seemed to have noticed that so many others considered them a good match.

  She couldn’t imagine why the evening had left her feeling vaguely depressed.

  Catherine worked late Friday evening, returning home weary and frustrated after a day when almost everything that could go wrong had. To make it worse, gossip had spread rapidly about her accompanying Bill James to Dr. McNulty’s retirement party, and quite a few of her associates had felt compelled to comment. The matchmaking had been blatant, and as a result Catherine’s nerves were on edge by the end of the day.

  She was hungry, but too tired to cook, so she ate a bowl of cereal and a banana for dinner, ignoring the disapproving echo of her mother’s voice in her head. There were several things she should have done that evening—some laundry and other household chores, bills stacked on the desk in the bedroom she used as an office, papers to look over for the classes she taught on Mondays and Wednesdays—but those things required more energy than she had left over. Instead, she crashed in front of the television with a cup of hot tea and tried to lose herself in a crime-solving drama featuring two attractive brothers.

  The first commercial break had just begun when someone knocked on the door. Snoozing in her lap, Norman raised his head with an inquiring meow.

  Catherine set the cat on the sofa cushions beside her and rose. She had changed into comfortable black yoga pants and a lime-green long-sleeved T-shirt when she’d arrived home, so she was decently dressed for visitors, but she wasn’t expecting anyone.

  She checked the viewer in her door. Her heart gave a jump in her chest.

  She opened the door. “Mike.”

  “Hi.” Looking a little sheepish, he shifted on his feet. Along with his usual jeans and athletic shoes, he wore a thin black sweatshirt with what she assumed was a sports mascot emblazoned on the chest. “Is this a bad time?”

  “No, of course not. Come in. Is something wrong?”

  “No.” He pushed a hand through his hair as he entered, leaving it tumbled around his forehead.

  Closing the door behind him, Catherine studied his unusually somber expression. “You look so serious. I thought maybe—”

  “No, everything’s fine,” he assured her with a quick shake of his head. “I was just having second thoughts about intruding on you like this.”

  “You aren’t interrupting anything. Norman and I were just watching TV.”

  He glanced down at the cat, who sat attentively at his feet, gazing up at him as if waiting to be entertained. Mike reached down belatedly to scratch the cat’s ears. “Hey, Norman. Sorry to interrupt your program.”

  “Can I get you anything?” Catherine offered, still uncertain of his mood. “Soda? Tea?”

  “No, I’m fine.” Mike straightened and pushed his fingertips into his jeans pockets. “I just thought I’d let you know I got an A on my quiz today. The professor posted the answers after class and I only missed one out of twenty questions.”

  “That’s great,” she said with a smile. “You must be pleased.”

  “Yeah. It was pretty easy material this time.”

  “Or maybe it’s just starting to seem easier to you because you’ve learned how to study.”

  He shrugged. “Could be. Anyway, you said you wanted me to let you know how it went.”

  “Yes, I did. Thank you.” She hadn’t necessarily meant that he should stop by this evening, but she supposed he was justifiably proud of his achievement. Funny thing was, he didn’t look all that excited about it.

  Mike sighed deeply. “I’ve got to come clean with you, Catherine.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “You didn’t really make an A?”

  “No, that part was true. I got the A. But I didn’t stop by tonight just to tell you about it.”

  “You didn’t?”

  “No.”

  “So,” she prodded after another moment, “you really came tonight because…?”

  “That guy you were with last night,” he said, startling her again. “That doctor. Did you tell him you’ve been tutoring me?”

  “No. Why?”

  “I just thought—well, maybe he wouldn’t like me spending time here. In your apartment. Alone with you.”

  Catherine planted her hands on her hips and looked at him in bewilderment. “Why would Bill care about that?”

  “Well, you know. If you and he are—”

  “We’re friends,” she supplied when he paused. “Colleagues. We attended a hospital function together last night. That’s it.”

  “So you’re not—”

  “No. We’re not.”

  Mike reached down to pick up Norman, who had fallen onto his back and was shamelessly begging for attention. He looked down at the cat when he spoke again, avoiding Catherine’s eyes. “He seemed like a decent guy. Just your type, I would imagine.”

  “My type?” she repeated coolly, her hands drawing into fists on her hips.

  “Well, yeah. You’ve both got advanced degrees. Successful careers. You’ve got a lot in common.”

  “I suppose.”

  “A lot more than you’d have in common with a maintenance guy who only has a high school diploma and is struggling to get a few gen ed credits at the local university.”

  “Surely you aren’t implying that I am an educational snob when it comes to choosing my friends.”

  “I didn’t say that,” he replied just a shade too quickly.

  “You certainly hinted at it.” Catherine didn’t lose her temper very often, but she was quite capable of expressing her displeasure when necessary. “Have I ever acted as though I thought less of you because you don’t have a college degree?”

  Mike’s tone turned defensive when he snapped back, “I don’t see you going out with me, either.”

  “You haven’t asked me to go out with you!” she retorted in exasperation.

  “I—” He stopped with a funny expression on his face. “No, I guess I haven’t.”

  “And why is that?”

  “I didn’t think you would say yes.”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Well…because. I’m the maintenance guy.”

  She sighed gustily. “You know what, Mike? I’m not the educational snob. You are.”

  He looked stunned by the accusation. “I am?”

  “Exactly.” She nodded in satisfaction at having so neatly turned the tables on him. “You’re the one with the hang-up about our educational differences. You made it such a big deal that you wouldn’t even ask if I would be interested in going out with you.”

  “So what would you have said if I had asked?”

  She looked at him standing there, flushed and rumpled, her cat draped over his arm, and she gulped. “I would have said yes.”

  He studied her face as if trying to determine her sincerity. “You would?”

  She nodded.

  After a moment Mike grimaced. “Did this argument sound as stupid to you as it did to me?”

  Her cheeks going warm, she nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

  Shaking his head, he set Norman on the floor. “I’m sorry. I guess I came primed for a fight.”

  “Why?” she asked, confused.

  Taking two steps toward her, he rested his hands on her shoulders, setting off the usual cascades of reaction inside her as a result of the contact between them. “Because I’m an idiot. And because when I watched you leave with that guy yesterday, I realized that I was a fool for not having asked you sooner myself.”

  Now that their tempers had cooled, Catherine felt rather self-conscious. She moistened her lips as she gazed up at him. “I, um…”

&
nbsp; “Since I’ve already got so much to apologize for tonight,” he murmured.

  And he lowered his head…slowly, his eyes locked with hers, giving her plenty of time to stop him if she wanted to.

  She didn’t want to stop him. Instead she lifted her face to his.

  Chapter Six

  Catherine’s eyes closed when Mike’s mouth settled onto hers. She thought perhaps her heart stopped, as well, but then it kicked into high gear, racing so hard in her chest that she knew he had to feel it, too.

  She should have expected this extreme reaction to his kiss. After all, just the feel of his hand on her arm had had a profound effect on her. But this: the feel of his solid body against hers; his muscular arms around her; the slight roughness of five o’clock shadow; his lips firm and warm against hers, moving with an easy skill that made every nerve ending in her body tingle.

  This was more than she could have possibly imagined. It was more than she had ever experienced from a simple kiss—which said a great deal about the kisses that had preceded it, she thought dazedly.

  He finally lifted his head, though he didn’t release her. She forced her heavy eyelids upward, almost reluctant to see his expression. She was quite sure that she would be able to tell right away that the kiss had not affected Mike the way it had her. That to him, it had just been an ordinary kiss—and that he would probably be startled to learn that it had pretty much been a life-changing experience for her.

  She didn’t know what to think when she saw that he looked almost as dazed as she felt.

  There was always the chance that she was reading him wrong, of course. Maybe he always looked as though he’d been blindsided after he kissed someone.

  He cleared his throat, but his voice was just a bit rough-edged when he said, “I’m prepared to apologize, if you want—but I’ve got to tell you I’m not at all sorry we did that.”

  Her hands still rested on his chest. She flexed her fingers, savoring the tensile strength beneath his sweatshirt. “Neither am I.”

  His smile made her bare toes curl into the carpet. “I’m really glad to hear that. I hope you’ll feel the same way after this—”

  And his mouth was on hers again, the kiss deeper this time. Hungrier. Catherine wrapped her arms around his neck and molded herself into his embrace. There was no mistaking his reaction this time.

  It was only a need for oxygen that finally ended this kiss. They gasped in unison, and both were breathing rapidly as they stood locked together, exploring the newness of being this close.

  “This has been building for a while,” Mike admitted at length, speaking softly into her ear. “For me, at least. I was attracted to you from the first time we met, and it has only gotten stronger the more time we spent together. I guess I didn’t realize how strong the attraction had become until I saw you leave with that doctor last night.”

  “Bill is just a friend,” she told him again, though she couldn’t help feeling just a bit pleased by his admission of jealousy. As irrational as it might be, she was only human, and woman enough to take pleasure in having this delectable male confess his attraction to her.

  “You and I have been ‘just friends,’ too,” Mike said with a crooked smile. “But that doesn’t mean I haven’t wanted it to be more. Judging from the way he looked at you last night, I suspect Dr. Bill would understand.”

  She started to deny that, then remembered the way Bill had looked at her when he had suggested that maybe they could get together again sometime. Perhaps he was considering the possibility that there could be more than friendship between them.

  Catherine might have contemplated pursuing that possibility herself, had she not been so obsessed with Mike. The fact that she had known Mike only six weeks while she had been acquainted with Bill for almost a year was probably a clue that there was something lacking in the chemistry between her and the cardiologist.

  Mike drew a deep breath and dropped his arms to his sides. He took a quick step back from her, as though to place himself out of reach of temptation. “I’d better go.”

  As much as she would have liked to ask him to stay, she knew it was too soon for that. “I’m glad you came by.”

  His smile pushed a sexy dimple into his left cheek. “So am I. And by the way—I apologize for my bad behavior.”

  Though there wasn’t even a hint of real regret in his voice, she returned the smile and said, “Apology accepted.”

  “So I’ll pick you up tomorrow? Seven o’clock?”

  She hadn’t officially agreed to go out with him, but she supposed that was a moot point now. “I’ll be ready.”

  “Great.” He lingered a bit longer, his gaze drifting down to her mouth. And then he resolutely straightened his shoulders and moved toward the door.

  Catherine stood right where she was for several minutes after he left, reliving every moment that had passed since he’d knocked on her door. She could still feel the imprint of his arms around her, hear the echo of his heart beating wildly against her own, feel his mouth moving against hers. She lifted her fingertips to her mouth, and her lips felt warm and slightly swollen. Deliciously so.

  Perhaps concerned that she had been standing there so long without moving, Norman meowed and butted his head against her ankle. Roused from her reverie, she started and looked around. Her apartment appeared exactly the same as it had earlier. The television was still playing unheeded in its cabinet, though the credits were now rolling for the program she had been watching.

  Very little time had actually passed since Mike had shown up at her door, but so much had changed.

  “This,” she told Norman, lifting him into her arms, “could prove to be complicated.”

  Catherine should have expected Karen to call her Saturday morning. Karen had been out of town at a meeting in Memphis Thursday and Friday and hadn’t been around to hear about Catherine’s date with Bill. Catherine had known, however, that Karen would hear about it quickly and would have plenty to say about it.

  Karen didn’t even bother to say hello when Catherine answered the phone. “What’s this I hear about you going out with Bill James?”

  Catherine sighed and put down the pen she’d been using to make comments on a grad student’s paper. “How was your meeting?”

  “Forget that. I want to know about you and Bill. I’ve thought for a long time that you and Bill would make a great couple. I’d actually considered trying to set up something between you. But I guess he beat me to the punch, hmm? Did you have a good time?”

  “Yes, it was very pleasant.”

  “Anna Vincent said you looked really good together. Everyone thought so.”

  “Well. Um.” What was she supposed to say to that?

  “So why don’t you come to dinner tonight and tell me all about it? I’ll make your favorite,” Karen added enticingly. “Lemon chicken.”

  “As good as that sounds, I can’t. I have plans.”

  “Oh? Are you and Bill going out again?”

  “No.” Catherine thought about not telling her friend who she was seeing that evening, but that would be pointless. Karen would find out, and then she’d be annoyed that Catherine hadn’t told her sooner. “I have a date with Mike.”

  “Mike?” Karen repeated in confusion. “Who’s Mike?”

  “You know. Mike Clancy. The guy from the restaurant?”

  “The gorgeous blond?” Karen asked with a gasp.

  “Um, yeah. I guess.”

  “When did that happen?”

  “He asked me yesterday.” As for the details, she had no intention of sharing those, even with Karen.

  “Wow. You’ve got quite a social life going this week, don’t you?”

  It was a sad commentary on Catherine’s usual routines that two dates would count to Karen as a thriving “social life.” Catherine managed a weak laugh. “I guess so.”

  “Wow,” Karen said again. “Mike is really good-looking. That should be an interesting evening.”

  Interesting. The same wor
d Catherine herself had used the night before. And not necessarily a good thing.

  “So, anyway, do you think Bill will ask you out again?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. He said he would.”

  “That would be great. You and Bill have so much in common. You’d make a wonderful couple.” Implying, of course, that it was less likely that she and Mike were destined to be together.

  “You know, Karen, I have several papers to read before Mike arrives this evening…”

  “Oh. Okay, sorry. Have fun tonight, and I’ll see you Monday, okay?”

  “Yeah, sure. Monday.” Maybe by then she would be better prepared to deal with her well-meaning but inquisitive friend.

  Mike was running behind, but only by twenty minutes, so he wasn’t too worried about it. He had gotten tied up with a repair project in the complex, and then an old baseball buddy had called and time, as it so often did, had somehow slipped away from him.

  Remembering how pleased she had seemed the last time, he almost brought flowers again. But that would have made him even later, and besides, he didn’t like to repeat himself.

  His steps were quick with anticipation as he approached her apartment. No backpack this time, he thought in satisfaction. The only biology they would be studying tonight was their own.

  Who would have thought quiet, serious, brainy Dr. Catherine Travis would turn him into six feet of quivering jelly with only a kiss? And yet somehow he had known from the first time he’d met her that there was more to her than she let people see.

  He stopped at her door, running his hands down the front of his khaki slacks as if to dry palms damp with nerves. Three days before the end of October, the air was just a little chilly, so he’d worn a thin brown-and-buff patterned sweater over a khaki-colored T-shirt. Hardly an expensive tailored suit, like the one Dr. Bill had worn the other night, but he thought he looked pretty good.

  Picturing the way Catherine had looked in her sleek red dress, he gulped, wondering if pretty good was adequate tonight. They hadn’t discussed plans for the evening. What if she was expecting a fancy outing at a jacket-and-tie place where he would have to pay for dinner on the credit-card installment plan?