The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood Read Free Book Online

was.”
    “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” she replied.
    Max moved around the room as though he were inspecting it. He seemed uptight, unlike the man she had met earlier who appeared to be so relaxed.
    “Is there something you need, Agent Daniels?” she asked.
    “Max,” he reminded her. “No, I just noticed you don’t have anything on your walls.”
    “No, I don’t.”
    “How come?”
    “Everything I like is too expensive, and I don’t want to put up posters. I had enough of those in college.”
    “So you’re poor,” Ben said.
    She laughed. “Yes.”
    “I thought doctors made a lot of money.” Max made the comment.
    “Some do,” she agreed. “But, like many of my colleagues, I have substantial student loans.”
    “Don’t they pay you at that hospital?” Max snapped the question.
    “Yes, they do.”
    “Must not be much.”
    “No, it isn’t.”
    He slowly circled her living room, acting like a caged animal searching for a way out. Ellie had the feeling he was angry about something and trying to keep it in check.
    “What about photos? I know you have family. Don’t you like them?” Max asked, frowning.
    “I like some of them, and, yes, I do have photos. They’re packed away.”
    “Why are they packed away?” he demanded.
    “I’m finished at St. Vincent’s Hospital on Tuesday.”
    The rapid-fire questions continued until she began to feel like a suspect, not a witness. Irritated, she started to answer just as rapidly.
    “Those boxes in the corner by the window have been sitting there a long time. There’s dust on top of them. Why is that?”
    “I’m a bad housekeeper,” she said with a straight face.
    “You never unpacked them?” He made the question sound like an accusation.
    “No, I never did.”
    “Why not?”
    “I like to be ready.”
    “Ready for what?”
    “Ready to pick up and leave at a moment’s notice,” she snapped back.
    “Where are you going?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
    He stopped pacing and was now standing over her, making her extremely nervous. How could she have ever thought he was relaxed? She was beginning to think she should confess something just to get him to stop interrogating her.
    Ben was watching the exchange, astounded by Max’s aggressive behavior. Had he been alone with his partner, he would have asked him what in God’s name was wrong with him. He was acting as though he were about to pounce on her.
    “You must have some idea where you’d like to go,” Max challenged.
    “No, I don’t,” she answered sharply. “Is there any other personal information you need?”
    Seeing Ellie’s indignation and suddenly realizing he’d sounded as though he were grilling her, he said, “I guess I’m not very good at small talk.”
    That was small talk?
    “No kidding,” Ben drawled.
    Max could see the scowl deepening on Ellie’s face, and he could almost feel the fire flashing from her eyes. He would have laughed had she not looked so annoyed. When he’d first met her, his opinion of her had been rather indifferent. Of course, he’d noticed that she was a beautiful, sexy woman he would love to take to bed. Nothing unusual about that. But then he’d watched how great she was with Sean Goodman. She was so calm and reassuring as she worked on him. Maybe it was all part of her job, but her kindness seemed genuine. Then, when she went back to the hospital to perform Sean’s surgery, Max’s impression of her expanded. Not only did he want to go to bed with her, he admired her as well. And when she gave him a little attitude in the stairwell and let him see her sense of humor, he realized he actually liked her . . . and wanted her. Nothing unusual about that.
    He saw everything in a different light, however, when he’d checked into her background. Not quite everything, he qualified. He wanted her in bed—that didn’t change—but he was filled with an overwhelming need to protect her. After reading her file, which was only a small portion