Free Harlequin Medical Romance December 2015, Box Set 1 of 2 by Tina Beckett

she’d simply hazarded a guess. She didn’t know he hated it. Or why. There was no way she could know that when his father had sat at the dinner table guzzling whatever his liquor du jour had been, a too young Dean—wanting to be like his dad—had begged his mum for whatever his father was drinking. She’d served him tonic water, instead, and pretended it was the real thing. By the time he’d been old enough to know what was going on and to equate the drinking with the abuse, he’d hated his “grown up” drink.
    He was not about to admit that now, though. So he took another sip, albeit a more cautious one this time, forcing the cold fizzy liquid to sit in his mouth for a second before swallowing it down in a rush. “Just trying to develop a taste for it, that’s all.”
    Something that was never going to happen.
    Gloria reached for his plate and placed a generous portion of the meat pie on it. “Well, isn’t that sweet? That’s true love for you. I can’t tell you the number of things that Norm has learned to like for me.”
    Another pang went through Dean’s chest. This was what love was supposed to be like. Unfortunately, it didn’t usually work out that way. Look at his folks. Or even Jess’s sister and her husband, for that matter. Fighting and bickering seemed to come with the territory. As did problems like drinking and abuse and jealousy.
    No, thanks. He was glad he’d steered clear of all that. His life was fine just the way it was.
    Jess took his plate from her mum and put it in front of him. Then she covered his hand with hers. “Dean does all kinds of nice things for me. Don’t you, honey?”
    He almost choked again, but not because he had anything in his mouth. It was because of the image that suddenly went through his head. He could do all kinds of nice things for her, if she let him.
    Not going to happen.
    Not in this lifetime. And not in the next. Besides, he’d tried to take her home for a fun-filled night of sex, only to have her turn him down flat. Something Dean wasn’t used to. It still stung to remember the way her eyes had sparkled with anger as she’d turned and walked away from him.
    Although as she started to withdraw her hand her fingers slid along his in a way that made his skin heat and caused certain muscles to tighten in warning. Had she done that on purpose?
    Before he could think it through, he turned his hand over and stopped her fingers from leaving his, smiling when he heard her soft intake of breath.
    She wanted to play games, did she? She had no idea who she was dealing with. He was a tactical expert when it came to this kind of war. “I love doing things for you.” He put a wealth of meaning into those words, smiling when sudden color flared along her cheekbones and slid into her hairline.
    Her mum’s brows went up. She’d certainly gotten it.
    â€œI have to admit, Jess, I’d almost given up hope. I’m so glad you’ve decided that work isn’t all there is to life.” She handed a plate to Norman. “They’re almost as cheeky as we were at their age.”
    Cheeky wasn’t exactly the word he would use. Lustful. Needy. Wanting. Those were all terms that described him right now.
    He wanted her. In spite of the fact that she didn’t seem to want him in return.
    They were simply playing a part. A part that would end the second her family went home to London.
    But that didn’t stop him from wishing he could take her back to his place and see just how far they could take this little charade.
    â€œWe were, weren’t we?” her dad said.
    Jess tugged at her hand, and this time he let her go. Besides her mum was now dishing out the rest of their food and making sure everyone had what they needed.
    Not by a long shot. But this was the hand he’d been dealt. And from where he was standing, it looked as if two things needed to