Tamara emerged from the hospital to find Victor sitting astride a gleaming black-and-silver motorcycle. His long legs were covered in dark Leviâs that stretched taut across his strong, muscular thighs.
Her mouth ran dry. âVictor.â
âHey, beautiful,â he murmured. âWant a ride?â
She wanted a ride all right, but not necessarily the kind he was offering. Sheâd thought he couldnât look any sexier than he did in his scrubs, but damn, was she wrong. He looked hot as hell on his Harley, straddling the powerful bike with an innate, dangerous-edged masculinity that sent her hormones into overdrive. She wanted to hop onto the seat with him, thrust her breasts into his face and wrap her legs around his back.
âLet me give you a ride home.â
She swallowed hard, shaking her head. âThatâs okay. I can walk.â
âWhy walk,â he drawled, âwhen you can ride?â
Her bones turned to gelatin. âI only live fifteen minutes away.â
âIâll get you there in five.â
She glanced pointedly at the black helmet dangling from the motorcycleâs handlebar. âYou donât have one of those for me.â
âActually,â he said, reaching inside a compartment next to the gas tank and producing another helmet, âI do.â He held her gaze. âSo let me take you home.â
Tamara wavered, biting her lower lip.
âGet on, cariño.â His voice dropped an octave, going indecently husky. âYou know you want to.â
Dear Reader,
I hope youâve been enjoying the Hopewell General continuity series.
In the third installment, Romancing the M.D., the scandal and drama continue with the story of rival interns Victor and Tamara. These brilliant cardiac surgeons share a sizzling attraction that they have been fighting for months. But even as they find themselves competing for the same research grant, theyâre already losing their hearts to each other⦠.
It was fun for me to revisit Alexandria, Virginia, the setting for the fictitious Hopewell General Hospital. I grew up near Alexandria and worked in that lovely, historic city for three years. Victor and Tamara are about to create their own special memories there ⦠if they donât kill each other first!
As always, please share your thoughts with me at [email protected].
Until next time, happy reading!
Maureen Smith
Romancing the M.D. Glossary of Spanish Terms
Me importa un carajoâI donât give a damn
Vete al carajoâGo to hell
CariñoâSweetheart (term of endearment)
GraciasâThank you
Muchas graciasâThank you very much
De nadaâYouâre welcome
MierdaâShit
Maldito seaâDamn it
CarajoâDamn it
PendejoâJerk
Vámos corre rápidoâLetâs go, run fast
Hermanoteâaffectionate nickname for an older brother (variant of hermano)
CuloâAss
Muy bonitaâVery beautiful
Mijo/mijaâMy son/my daughter
PapitoâDaddy (often used as a Colombian term of endearment for sons)
TÃaâAunt
ApellidoâLast name
MiraâLook
BésameâKiss me
Te necesitoâI need you
Te adoroâI adore you
Te amoâI love you
No puedo vivir sin tiâI canât live without you
Quiero estar contigo para siempreâI want to be with you forever
Special thanks and acknowledgment
are given to Maureen Smith for her contribution to the Hopewell General miniseries.
For the men and women everywhere who have devoted their lives to healing others.
My utmost gratitude to Zora Bilicich, who patiently answered
my questions about her native Colombia and provided the Spanish translations for this book.
A heartfelt thanks to Sylvia Hightower, R.N., my go-to expert on all things medical.
Dr. Tamara St. John was feeling murderous.
It was too bad sheâd taken an oath to do no harm. Otherwise, Victor Aguilar GarcÃa would be a dead man. A gorgeous one, but a corpse nevertheless.
They squared off in the hallway outside the room of a patient whoâd been readmitted to the hospital after developing a postoperative wound infection. The two interns had struck combative poses, hands on hips, lab coats spread open as they argued with each other. Tamara hated that Victorâs six-two frame forced her to angle her head back to meet his flashing gaze, and she hated that the dark blue color of his eyes reminded her of the most beautiful sapphire sheâd ever seen.
âYouâre not listening to me,â he said, the words gritted through straight white teeth. âNaphtomycinââ
ââis still in the clinical trial stage,â Tamara interrupted sharply. âSo that means the juryâs still out on the drugâs safety and effectiveness. Unlike you, I donât like hedging my bets on a wildcard. I think we need to administer another course of antibioticsââ
âBecause thatâs been working so well, right?â Victor countered mockingly.
Tamara bristled. âLetâs not forget that this is my patientââ
ââwhoâs been readmitted twice for a postoperative sternal wound that wonât heal. Itâs time to pursue more aggressive treatment options.â
âNaphtomycin isnât an option,â Tamara said unequivocally.
âWell, it should be.â