Stepping into the familiar ER, she took in the dingy sterility and people everywhere. The phones were ringing, and a nurse was behind the glass. The waiting room was about half full. Really a bad idea. She’d have been more comfortable with the clinic.

A throat cleared beside her. “Well, are we standing here all day?”

This was horrible, the fact that her dad hadn’t just dropped her off at school. In fact, he’d driven right past and kept going to the hospital. She’d been horrified, panicked, and here he was now beside her, waiting for her not to chicken out and ask for the guy who was responsible for putting her in the mess she was in.

She gave her father a withering look. “Dad, you’re not coming in with me.”

She wasn’t sure what she saw in his expression, why he was being so obstinate and tagging along. This was so unlike him. He gestured with his chin to the nurse behind the glass. “Ask for Tom or I will.”

She knew he would, so she stepped up to the counter and the holes in the glass to speak. “Can you page Tom Campbell for me? It’s Becky Friessen. He’s expecting me.”

The receptionist nodded and picked up the phone, and Becky stepped back, taking in her dad standing there. She was starting to get the feeling he was of a mind to know everything that was going on in her life now, along with a stubbornness she’d never experienced before.

“Dad, really, you can’t tag along. You need to go,” she said. His expression, though, as he glanced away, was filled with a worry she’d never wanted to see on his face, not caused by her. “Dad, really, I screwed up, but you’re making this really embarrassing for me…”

“Becky.”

She turned to see Tom in the doorway, holding it open. He nodded to her dad.

“I’ll wait here for you and drive you back to school” was all her dad said as she walked to Tom, who was taking them both in.

“Come with me,” he said, then escorted her back to the emergency room area, past gurneys and patients in curtained-off rooms, other medical personnel, to a room with cabinets, medical equipment, and a gurney. He closed the door. “You brought your dad?” he said as he ran water from the tap into a paper cup. He had his back to her and seemed so in his element.

“No, he brought me. I basically had no choice, since he knew I was coming here to see you. I’m sorry. Never seen my dad like this. It’s embarrassing, having him in my personal life.”

Tom turned around after turning off the tap and handed the cup to Becky, then pulled a packet from his pocket and held pills in his hand. “Take this.”

She dry swallowed the two pills and followed with a swallow of water, then handed the cup back to Tom, who was dressed in faded blue scrubs and appeared freshly shaved. A nice look, handsome, and distant. So this was it?

“Okay, so I need to get to school,” she said and took a step, but Tom’s hand went right to her arm, holding her still.

“We’re not done,” he said in that tone of his that she realized meant he was telling her what to do, so close in her space.

“What else is there?”

He lifted his hand to her jaw, her cheek, and he seemed to study her for a minute. She didn’t have a clue what he was thinking. It was disconcerting, considering her father was outside in the waiting room right now. “We need to talk about what happened.”

“What is there to talk about? You being a doctor and me being old enough to know better, yet we both forgot the very basic principle of using a condom?” She hadn’t realized how angry she was until she said it and his very intent gaze locked on to hers. It wasn’t the sheepish, sorry look a guy should have had. It was unreadable, back to mister mysterious.

“You’re right, but I also want you on birth control now, because I’m not using a condom forever. For now, until it’s safe, we’ll be more careful, understand?”

That was exactly what she hadn’t been expecting. She wanted to step back and away from him, from how close he was, when his fingers again touched her chin, lifting. He leaned in and kissed her, stirring feelings she couldn’t have now and then walk out of there, pretending to be unaffected, to her dad in the waiting room. So she shut her eyes to block him out, but he was still there. She could feel him as he touched his nose to hers and pressed another kiss to her lips.

“I’ll take care of it, or your doctor, but it happens today,” he added.

So why was she feeling as if her life was stepping out of her control? She had a mind of her own. She’d never needed someone making decisions for her. She wanted to say no to him and started to shake her head. “Tom, even after my parents and all of this, you want me…”

“I told you before that I want you in my bed. I want all of you, Becky, and that little taste last night was only the beginning of what I want.” He skimmed his knuckles over her cheek, and she was speechless. Maybe he didn’t understand her father, her family.

“Tom, my dad would freak if he knew. He’s already in a place I haven’t seen before, like right now he’s sitting out in the waiting room for me to finish up in here with you so he can take me back to school, as if I’m not responsible enough to make it back in time for class. I guarantee you he likely has a few more things to say to me, and my mom, too, over getting caught the way I did with you. You never told me what my dad said to you last night, but I can tell you what he said to me this morning. He expects you to come to dinner, to be the kind of guy to show up at the ranch so he can have one-on-one time with you and make sure you’re up to his standards.”

That wasn’t really what he’d said, but she knew her dad was likely to make him squirm.

She continued. “So you thinking I’m, what, your official bed warmer, at your beck and call, can’t happen. My parents are on to you.” She was shaking her head and stepped back as Tom stepped closer, glancing to the door, a trace of humor, she thought, touching his lips. What would it be like to actually see him smile? She thought his entire face would light up, and it would only make him irresistible. Damn him already.

“Becky, I’m aware of what your father expects” was all he said, and she wanted to yell at him to tell her everything, but then his eyes narrowed. “But first things first. Birth control, today.” He wasn’t asking, and he was being rather high handed, even though that was something she’d been planning on taking care of with her doctor before her mom could drag her along as if she were five years old.

“I’ll go to my doctor,” she said and glanced to the door.

“Today.” He ran his hand over her arm, and it was a gentle touch, confusing the hell out of her.

“I have tutoring after school. I’ll make an appointment this week.” She knew she was just being stubborn and took great delight in seeing the way he took that. Not well, from the dark look he bestowed on her.

“With Slick?” The way he said it, she knew Ian was very much a sore point. Maybe he would never come around.

“Ian is my tutor, and he happens to be very good,” she said, seeing the clock and the fact that she only had about twenty minutes before she’d be late.

“No tutor, I told you. Cancel Ian, and I’ll take care of your birth control.” Then his hand was on the door, pulling it open and walking her out from a very busy ER when the only thing she wanted to do was put her foot down and tell him no.

Then she was back in the waiting room. Her dad was standing by the snack machine, and two women were smiling appreciatively at him.

Tom slid his hand around her hips, pulled her back, and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Be good” was all he said as he glanced once to her dad, who seemed far from impressed. “I’ll call you later.”

Then he was gone.