Never Let Go by Sherryl Woods Read Free Book Online

but it could be a little distracting at the hospital. The paging system is bad enough.”
    Steadier on her feet now and all-too-aware of the proximity of Justin’s scantily clad body, Mallory tried to inch away from him, but his hands around her waist held firm. Those hands, so supple and powerful, made her feel incredibly delicate. When his thumbs absentmindedly began a slow, up-and-down massage of her ribs, a jolt of electricity raced through her.
    Whether by accident or design, her arms were wedged between her body and Justin’s chest. He was wearing one of those jogging shirts that consisted of little more than a scrap of cloth and some sort of open-weave fabric. Mallory had always had difficulty deciding what to do with her hands under the best of conditions. With Justin’s broad chest tempting her, she felt exactly the way Adam must have when Eve waved an apple under his nose.
    Then she thoughtabout how he’d walked away before, after kissing her practically senseless. If the man thought he could come on to her any time he liked and then vanish at the first sign of an honest emotion, he could just think again!
    “Well, nice to see you,” she said blithely, taking a determined step backward. “I suppose we’ll run into each other at the hospital sooner or later. See you around.”
    She had taken exactly two strides in her pink sneakers, when a shadow loomed over her. Justin fell into step beside her, which wasn’t the easiest thing in the world for him to do, considering the difference in the length of their legs. He probably could have crawled faster than she jogged.
    “Mallory, about the other night.”
    She felt her throat go dry, and it had nothing to do with being parched from the heat. In fact, it was a lovely, cool day. “Yes,” she said tightly.
    “It shouldn’t have happened.”
    “Probably not,” she said agreeably, though her heart seemed to thud to a miserable halt at his declaration. “But it did.”
    “That doesn’t mean it can happen again.”
    She stopped so quickly he almost tripped over her. Putting her hands on her hips, she glared at him furiously. “Exactly what are you trying to say, Dr. Whitmore? Do you object to the kiss itself, the location or the fact that it was me?”
    “There can’t be anything between us,” he said stoutly, avoiding the specifics of her question.
    “And exactly why not, doctor? Is a mere Ph.D. not good enough for you?”
    “Damn it, that’s not it at all. We’re just not right for each other.” Justin glowered back at her, his body tense with a feeling of frustration and an unfamiliar longing that went counter to every hypocritical word he was uttering. He was trying to tell a woman who made the blood surge through his veins that there was nothing between them, when both of them knew perfectly well that there was. The fact that his jogging shorts were growing increasingly uncomfortable was proof enough of that.
    But, he remindedhimself, he had long since outgrown the days when you bedded a woman just because your body told you to. The irony for him, of course, was the fact that he didn’t dare sleep with a woman who threatened his independence either. It made for a damn lonely existence, which was probably why he’d been doomed from the minute he’d run across this little hellcat. She was not about to let him take the easy way out.
    Even now, she was saying, “Would you care to elaborate on that? If it’s not my degree that’s bothering you, is our difference in height the problem? Or maybe it’s our backgrounds? Do you come from old money? Would your family look down on someone who works for a living?”
    Suddenly Justin couldn’t bear to hear another sarcastic word. Before he could think about what he was doing, his lips were on hers. She was still muttering accusations, which only made the kiss that much more provocative. She was also wriggling to get away from him, her body slippery and fluid as a snake’s when she writhed in his