Read Online Marked for Marriage by Jackie Merritt - Free Book Online Page A

unbalanced, you…you retard!”
    Noah glared right back at her. “You want me to think you’re a tough little nut, don’t you? Well, you’re not, and I don’t, and what’s more, you are going to get a medical exam today. Now, are you going to let me do what’s necessary or should I phone for an ambulance?”
    She was livid, or as livid as she could be under the circumstances. Looking horrible and feeling almost as horrible all but destroyed her normal ability to hold her own in just about any situation. Maddie never looked for a fight—or even a mild disagreement—with anyone, but she’d been a self-sufficient grownup for too long to take orders that went against her grain. It really galled her when Noah Martin folded his arms across his chest and then sat there waiting for her to give in.
    â€œI really hate you,” she said, meaning it heart and soul.
    â€œNo, you don’t. You just hate being told what to do.” Maddie couldn’t help being startled, and her wide-eyed expression made Noah grin. “You’ll get over it.”
    â€œDon’t hold your breath,” she snapped. “And don’t you dare laugh at me one more time!”
    Noah’s grin vanished. “Fine, I won’t laugh or even smile for the rest of this perfectly delightful day. So, what’s your decision about that examination?”
    Maddie hadn’t missed the sarcasm in his voice when he’dcalled the day “perfectly delightful.” Oddly, the fact that he wasn’t enjoying this fiasco any more than she was made her feel a little less like throttling him, if she had the strength to throttle anything, that is.
    â€œWhat kind of examination are you talking about?” she asked.
    â€œLet me ask you a question before I answer that. Besides the injuries to your hand and face, were you hurt in any other way? Any other area of your body?”
    â€œIf you think for one minute that I’m undressing for you, think again! Now I’m on to your game, buster!”
    â€œOh, good Lord,” Noah muttered. “I don’t know what kind of accident caused all of this, but to have such screwy ideas you must have landed on your head. Listen to me. I couldn’t care less about seeing you undressed. I’m a doctor, and, speaking professionally, the human body, clothed or unclothed, does not affect me. What I know about your condition so far is just enough to warrant further examination. You’re taking painkillers and running a low-grade temperature. It’s possible that your blood pressure is elevated, but without prior records I can’t be positive of that. At any rate, I need to know…and see…the extent of your injuries, and if that means undressing, then you will undress. I brought a gown from the hospital to make an exam easier for both of us.”
    Noah reached into his medical bag for the gown and laid it on the comforter. “Can you get up and change into this by yourself?”
    Maddie had become stiff with fury. “This is not a doctor’s office! This is a house, my brother’s house!”
    â€œIt’s here or the hospital, Maddie. Take your pick.” Noah spoke quietly, impersonally, firmly. Even though patience had all but vanished from his system—not a new experience for him—he managed to convey professional concern to his patient, which he considered Maddie Kincaid to be at thispoint. Yes, that ludicrous tingle was still nudging his libido, but he’d go down in flames before doing anything about it.
    She crooked her good left arm over her eyes so he wouldn’t see how degraded and defeated she felt.
    â€œMaddie?”
    He would phone for an ambulance, the wretch. She knew it as surely as she knew anything, and she was going to have to look him in the eye and admit defeat.
    â€œI’m not getting up with you watching. Wait in the kitchen. I’ll change in the