He’d done a great job with her. He had a right to a little increase in his pulse.

The soundman walked toward Theo and nodded. “She’s looking awesome,” he said, stopping in front of Theo.

“Thanks.” As soon as Theo said it, he realized the guy’s compliment wasn’t really meant for him but for Lucy. Theo heard his own nervous laugh.

He continued to study Lucy as she chatted with one of the morning show’s assistant producers. Lucy smiled at the young woman confidently, nodding and listening as the producer waved her hands and laughed. Theo stared at the soft curve of Lucy’s cheek and felt a jolt of surprise when she tucked a thick segment of hair behind her ear.

Lucy had pretty hands. Long fingers. He’d seen them a hundred times-why hadn’t he ever really seen them? And what was with her hair today? It almost looked like it had red in it, and he could have sworn it had been just plain brown. Why couldn’t he take his eyes off her face? Why was he feeling like this while looking at Lucy?

Theo wiped his palms on his pants and looked around the room uncomfortably. He’d never seen Lucy dressed up. That had to be it. She’d worn sweatpants the first two times they’d done the show. And he knew he’d never seen her with her hair down or with makeup on, at least never anything on her lips, which looked shiny and soft today.

He had to get out of there.

“Hey, Theo!” Lucy waved to him, her beautiful eyes looking right into his. Theo felt his heart thud in his chest as she stood up from the edge of the table and smiled.

She wanted him to look. She stood tall, with her shoulders back, showing herself to him. She looked at him like she knew something he didn’t, and frankly, it left him a little unhinged. It was like Lucy was daring him to accept the changes in her. Theo took the dare and let his eyes devour her from head to toe and back again. Lucy Cunningham was curvy and female and flat-out beautiful. Oh hell…

Right then, Ramona walked into the green room along with Lola and Tyson. In today’s installment of Wake Up Miami, the trainers were scheduled to work with four members of the studio audience. The theme of today’s show was designing a personalized motivation strategy.

Lola sat down next to Theo and he caught a whiff of her perfume. Theo glanced her way and quickly tried to figure out what he’d ever thought was attractive about her. Lola’s quads were so hard you could bounce a quarter off them. Her arms were nothing but corded muscle. Her collarbones stuck out in the vee of her shirt. He recalled how the tanned skin pulled tight over every one of Lola’s ribs, the corrugated surface of her abs, and the sharp bones at the barely there swell of her hips.

Then he looked at Lucy. She was soft and round and glowing. She was funny and sweet. She was complicated. She was brave. She was feminine. And she was smiling at him like they were sharing a very private joke.

And he wondered, Who’s the one with doe eyes today?

Tyson plunked down on the chair next to him. “Day-um. She’s looking fine.”

Theo turned to see Tyson leaning forward, his elbows balanced on his knees as he stared at Lucy. Theo didn’t like the laserlike focus of his friend’s expression. Not one bit: He glared at him.

Tyson looked Theo’s way and laughed. “What? What I do?”

Just then, the assistant producer left the room and

Lucy turned to pick up her laptop from the floor. Tyson let out a big rush of air. “She’s getting a real nice booty on her, Redmond. Squats? Lunges?”

Theo’s brain started to burn hot. He couldn’t see straight. “Her booty is none of your business.”

“Hey, it’s just part of my continuing education refresher course. Gotta keep my booty-ologist certification up-to-date, you know.”

“Go refresh yourself with someone else’s booty,” Theo said.

Tyson laughed. “Don’t tell me you hadn’t noticed what you’ve been working with! C’mon, Theo-open your eyes. She’s a nice-looking woman, and in about another ten pounds I plan to ask her out, so don’t you even think about slackin‘ off now.”

Before Theo could recover enough from the shock of anger to respond, Tyson gave him a playful punch and strolled across the room to chat with Lucy. Theo watched his friend elicit a shy smile from her and was shocked again-this time by the stab of jealousy. He was jealous?

The realization sobered him up but quick.

This was not a part of his plan. Since Jenna left him six months ago, he’d decided to shut down his heart and focus on his own dreams. Of course his heart still did the job for Buddy and Uncle Viv and Aunt Martin, but not for women. That was the plan-there was no time or energy to waste on a woman. All Theo’s life, all he’d ever wanted to do was be a doctor, and it was finally within reach again. He could not afford the distraction.

Besides, Lucy was not just any woman-she was his

job, for God’s sake, not to mention his ticket back to med school.

Theo watched Tyson put his big hands on Lucy and guide her into the hallway. It took everything he had not to run after them.

April

Theo heard the familiar sound of Jenna’s Acura pulling up to the curb. He brushed the sandy soil from his knees and stood up, turning away from the rhododendrons in time to see Jenna pop out of her shiny sedan. She strolled up the driveway, her long, smooth legs carrying her with the same sensual strength she’d always possessed.

“Theo.” She stopped in front of him and crooked her head. Her straight light hair fell against a shoulder and her smile was sweet and a little sad. Then she broke eye contact with him and studied the yard. “The place looks great. Do you have a minute?”

Theo tossed down the pruning sheers he’d been holding in a death grip and nodded, trying not to stare at the way her skirt hugged her slim hips or the soft skin at her opening of her blouse. It had been a few weeks since he’d last talked to her and seven months since he’d kissed her, and he wasn’t sure if the steady in-and-out of his breathing meant he’d finally gotten over her or if he was in a daze. ‘To what do I owe this honor?“ he asked.

“How’ve you been, Theo?”

Jenna’s face was aglow with her bedside manner persona. He’d seen it often enough when they were med students, and he didn’t like that it was directed his way this morning-it implied bad news was on its way.

“Fine, but we’re going to have to talk out here. Buddy’s home and I don’t want to confuse him.”

Jenna’s eyes lit up. “How is he? God, I miss him. Would you tell him I miss him?”

Theo nodded, watching as Norton strolled through the pine bark mulch and approached Jenna’s ankle as if he planned to rub against it. At the last instant he stopped, arched his spine, and hissed like the demon-possessed thing he was.

“Norton! You’ve gotten so fat!” Jenna reached down to stroke his large orange head and he slashed at her with a declawed paw. “Well, I see you’re still quite the sociopath.”

“You did call him fat.”

Jenna laughed.

“I’ll tell Buddy you said hi.” Of course, there was no way in hell Theo would mention her name to his brother. It would only result in weeks of nonstop questions about when she was coming back. “So what’s up, Jenna?”

“I’ve been watching you on TV. You’re famous now!” Jenna watched Norton skitter away. “I can’t tell you how I feel for that client of yours! I don’t know how she could have let herself go like that. She seems fairly intelligent. But you’re doing great with her. I even saw your billboard at a bus stop near the med center. I guess you’ve been able to quit the bouncer job at the club?”

Theo sighed, trying to tally up all the vaguely condescending things she’d managed in one breath. “Did you come here to get my autograph or something?”