The Doctor's Pregnant Bride? Read Online Free

hallway, shutting the door behind her.
    Ted glanced around her living room. The house was probably built around the turn of the twentieth century, but had been remodeled recently, although still using original-looking hardwood floors, and an up-to-date kitchen with stainless-steel appliances. And yet the combined living room/dining area/kitchen space was also feminine. Flowers and pottery and bright colors and…comfort. Her furniture was built for sinking into, and looked inviting.
    One of these days he would get around to buying his own sofa.
    She had a nice view of the street. Most of the houses were from the same era, some better taken care of than others. She lived only blocks from the Red Line. She could take the subway or a bus to work, the bus being more practical—
    What if he factored in twice as much of the primary enzyme…?
    Ted grabbed a piece of paper and pen from her kitchen counter, sat down and started making notes, getting lost in a possibility he hadn’t considered before. Later—and he had no idea how much later—he felt a tap on his shoulder.
    He lifted his head so sharply he knocked into her. She yelped, fell back, grabbed her chin. He caught her by the arm to keep her from falling, the back of his hand accidentally pressing into her breast, her firm breast, surprisingly full for such a petite woman.
    He let go. She steadied herself, repeatedly rubbing her chin, her cheeks flushing a little, too.
    “I apologize, Sara Beth.” He gestured toward the three pieces of paper he’d been using to capture his thoughts. “I didn’t hear you. Are you all right? May I take a look?”
    “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
    “I am a doctor, you know.”
    “And I know nothing about medicine?”
    He smiled at the teasing tone in her voice, ran his thumb over her chin. “Move your jaw.” Her lemon-scented perfume made his nose twitch and drew him closer. “Everything feel normal?”
    “I’m fine. Really.” She stepped back, and he finally got a full picture of her. Basic black dress, with long sleeves, the neckline not too low or too high, a gold locket, her hair down and curled, high heels that gave her a few inches extra height, which was probably why he’d banged directly into her chin.
    “You look nice,” he said, an understatement.
    “Thank you.” She frowned slightly. “Are you sure we can pull this off? It’s kind of hard to pretend we’ve been dating when we really don’t know anything about each other.”
    “We can exchange bios during the drive. If we saywe’ve only recently started dating, they won’t expect us to know everything about each other.”
    “Well, that much is the truth, anyway.” She grabbed her evening bag and keys. “It should be an adventure.”
    “You think so?”
    She nodded. “And adventure is my middle name.”
    He couldn’t tell if she was serious or joking, then her eyes twinkled mischievously, and he found that appealing. He tended to date serious women—
    Whoa. Wait. This wasn’t a date date. This was a please-rescue-me date. No kiss good-night at the door. No how-long-should-I-wait-to-call-her? dilemma. He’d see her at work in the morning, thank her again for her favor, then it would be business as usual.
    It was a good plan, a solid plan. He liked plans.
    “When will we break up?” Sara Beth asked as they walked to his car.
    “When you’re fed up with my lack of attention.” As usual . The most common complaint he heard from women as they exited his life was, “You forgot I existed.”
    He didn’t mean to. It just happened. He put most of his energies into his research. He had a good reason to find a solution to male infertility issues soon. A very good reason.
    Yes, he wanted to help mankind, but he particularly wanted to help one man. Until then, Ted had given up his goal to be more social for a personal vow instead, a promise to devote his time and energy to the cause, putting his personal life on hold until he’d accomplished his