Read Online The Secret Sin by Darlene Gardner - Free Book Online Page B

was stunned into walking with him.
    “See you tonight, Lindsey,” he called.
    “Bye, Dr. Whitmore.”
    “I’m only Dr. Whitmore during office hours,” he said. “Call me Ryan.”
    “Okay,” Lindsey agreed happily. “Bye, Ryan.”
    He kept moving, the right side of his body touching Annie’s left, his heat transferring itself to her. He not only felt wonderful, he smelled fantastic, like shampoo, soap and man. Her bones seemed to melt, her physical reaction to him not much different than it had been in high school. And look where that had landed her. She stiffened.
    She was about to tell him to take his arm off her whenhe dropped it. “Sorry about that. I couldn’t let you tell Lindsey we weren’t dating.”
    “We’re not dating!”
    “As of tonight,” he said, “we are.”
    They reached his car, the flashiest one in the parking lot. It figured that the new young doctor in town would drive a Lexus. He leaned against it, looking cool despite the summer sun that beat down on him, appearing far too pleased with the situation he’d manipulated her into. It was time to set the matter straight.
    “I’ll go out with you tonight,” she began, “but only because I understand the date thing is so you can spend time with Lindsey.”
    “I appreciate that.”
    She didn’t let his charming smile make her lose focus. “Now you need to be aware that there’s a difference between going on a single date and dating.”
    “I do and what we’ll be doing is dating.” He frowned. “Unless you’re already dating somebody else. Are you?”
    “Not now,” she said, noting his look of relief. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll date you.”
    “Then how can I get to know Lindsey?”
    “The same way anybody gets to know anybody,” she said. “By being around her.”
    “Nobody in town except you knows I’m Lindsey’s birth father,” he said. “It wouldn’t look right for me to be around her unless I’m also hanging around you.”
    She squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to argue that his argument wasn’t valid, but she still saw his point. “There has to be some other way.”
    “There is. We could tell her who we are.”
    Her eyes snapped open. “No! We’ve been over this. We can’t tell her.”
    He trained his gaze on her. For once, he wasn’t smiling. “Then what do you say? Will you let me get to know our daughter?”
    Her throat hitched. Neither of them could afford to think of Lindsey as their own, not when they’d given her away and would soon have to say goodbye again. “I already told you. She’s Ted Thompson’s daughter.”
    “Not while she’s in town. While she’s in town, she’s ours. If, that is, you’ll share her with me.” His voice was low and beseeching, his handsome features strained. Annie had hardened her heart against him long ago but felt the outer layer softening.
    “Okay,” she said softly, knowing she’d regret the answer but unable to give another, acknowledging that a part of her had anticipated this would happen when she’d told him who Lindsey was. His eyes crinkled at the corners, the way they had all those years ago when he’d lied and told her he cared about her. Even though he hadn’t mentioned her birthmark, it felt as though it was searing her cheek.
    “See you tonight,” he said. “I’ll pick you and Lindsey up at eight.”
    He unlocked the Lexus with his remote, pulled open the door and hopped inside. Within moments, he’d started the ignition and pulled away.
    She stared after him, furious at herself for reacting to him.
    She reminded herself she was no longer a sixteen-year-old girl thrilled that one of the most popular boys in school was paying attention to her. She was a poised, self-confident woman who’d recovered from the blow of finding out the truth about their night together.
    She’d go along with Ryan’s fiction that they were dating, but she intended to set down some ground rules.
    He’d hurt her once.
    She was determined it wouldn’t