“Is that why you already have one foot out the door?”
I wanted to be mad at Scott for calling me out like that, but he was right. “Probably.” I shrugged. “I think I inherited the wandering gene from my dad.”
“Maybe,” he said thoughtfully and I sat up straighter, recognizing the signs that he had something on his mind. “Have you ever thought about staying in one place?”
“Of course I have. Plenty of times.”
“But?”
I shrugged off the question, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. “But in the end, I didn’t stay.”
“Why?”
“A variety of reasons. The job ended, a relationship ended, or it was just time to move on.” There was never anything or anyone compelling enough to make me stay. Instead of revealing that, or worse—the fact that Scott might just be compelling enough to make me stay—I smiled and changed the subject. “Do you miss the NFL?”
He shrugged. “Some days I do, especially during football season. The game itself is amazing and some days I think I must have been crazy to let it all go, but nothing beats sunsets, wide open spaces, and blueberry wine.” His gaze lingered on mine, his eyes telling me more than his mouth would allow. “And, of course, the company.”
I pushed back my plate of half-eaten food, determined to return to it later, and raised my glass in the air. “Who can pass up blueberry wine and damn good company?”
With a surprised smile, Scott raised his own glass in the air. “Indeed.” We both took slow sips of the delicious but potent wine, our gazes locked in a dark, intense stare-off that sent heat pulsing through my veins.
“Dinner was delicious, Scott. Thank you.”
“It was my absolute pleasure, Stevie. I assure you.”
I believed it, and knew it was time to return the favor. “In that case, isn’t it about time that I make sure you get fed?” Heat instantly lit his gaze and he stood, pushing his chair back until it tipped over. In the next moment, Scott was in front of me, lifting me in his arms and kissing the hell out of me.
I didn’t resist. Instead, I melted into him like butter.
Scott
“Scott. Just the man I wanted to see.” Janey’s voice brought me up short and instantly, I regretted leaving my office. The plan had been to come up front and get a little handsy with Stevie, since we were between appointments, but now it looked like Hometown Heroes duty would rear its ugly head once again.
“What’s up, Janey?” I did my best to keep the whine out of my voice because the truth was that I was happy to help, honored, in fact. But when I had agreed to the calendar, I was under the mistaken impression that would be it, but then it had turned into town activities and community service. Now, it was just this whole thing.
“You guys might start making me believe you’re not happy to see me,” she said on a fake pout as she shared a conspiratorial glance with Stevie. “Anyway, I’m here because picture time has arrived.”
“Great,” I deadpanned, making both women laugh.
“I know, how terrible it must be that a whole town thinks you’re hot enough to buy a photo of you, and it’s for charity. Ugh, that sounds awful,” Stevie added, not bothering to skimp on the sarcasm. When I glared, she held her hands up defensively and mimicked zipping her lips.
“Better,” I growled, barely resisting the urge to leap over the reception desk and ravish her. I turned to Janey. “Just tell me when and where.” I would do my part, but I didn’t have time for any more than that.
Janey smiled at Stevie again, one brow arched in skepticism. “You have to tell me your trick, Stevie. Maybe I can use it on the rest of the Hometown Heroes to get my way.” They laughed again, but I was focused on what ‘trick’ Stevie was using on me. “I haven’t come up with a concept for you yet, Scotty boy. So, you have some more time, I just wanted you to know you were next up.”
Lucky me. Every other hero had told horror stories of Janey forcing them to talk about their feelings or trying to talk them into shirtless photos, and several had stories of the older women in town, like Eddy, showing up to ogle them during the photo sessions. None of that sounded all that appealing to me. “Thanks.”
“Why don’t you just shoot him at his house with Hershey? The dog is damn adorable, and since he’ll never go shirtless, this is as hot as you’re probably gonna get.”
Janey stared at me with her head tilted—her thinking position, as I called it—and I braced myself for whatever burst of genius she was about to unleash. “How about no shirt but with a lab coat?”
I appreciated her determination.
“No.”
“Plus a stethoscope?”
“Still no, Janey.”
She gave her best pout but it had no effect on me. I’d known her too long. “Fine. I’ll be by this week to check out your property again, and I’m shooting for next Friday.”
“Sounds good,” I told her, even though it sounded like the last thing I wanted to do.
“I hope so, because we’re down to the wire and I still have more concepts to create. This Hometown Heroes calendar is taking over my whole life,” she grumbled.
“Serves you right for coming up with this idea,” I told her unsympathetically.
“It’ll be excellent for your portfolio,” Stevie told her with a smile. “And you could probably become mayor after all this, if you wanted.”
Janey laughed. “Wouldn’t Leland just get a kick out of that?” She shook her head. “Please don’t mention that to him. Either of you.” She pointed at Stevie and then me, but I only smiled with a small shrug.
“No promises.”
With a frustrated groan and a promise to see me soon, or maybe it was a threat, Janey walked out of the office, finally giving me some alone time with Stevie.
“You enjoyed that,” I accused when she was gone.
“Maybe just a little.” Stevie smiled, her thumb and forefinger less than an inch apart. “The whole thing is fascinating, you have to admit—hot do-gooders for charity. It’s genius, and I’ve already preordered my copy.”
My brows arched and I closed the distance between us, gripping the circular desk so Stevie was trapped by my arms. “You get to see all this whenever you want and still, it’s not enough?”
“Never said it wasn’t enough, just that a calendar includes eleven other hotties and I like man candy as much as the next woman.” Her gaze heated. “I suppose, though, there is something to be said for live, in-your-face man candy.”
I didn’t miss the heat or the intent in her gaze, and when she took a step back, I grinned. “Where are you going, Stevie?”
“Nowhere,” she said, and took another step back. Then another, and another, until she was halfway down the hall.
When she took off, my feet were on the move, following her into the supply closet. “A little cramped for my tastes, but I like it.”
She turned with an admonishing finger. “Work, Dr. Henderson. It’s time to work.”
“Oh, I plan to put in some work. Some very hard work,” I said, making her laugh.
“Cheesy,” she accused with a laugh and I took my moment, fusing our mouths together in a long, hot kiss that would have steamed up all the windows if the supply closet had them. Her lips and her tongue mingled with mine and something happened. I couldn’t possibly explain it, other than to say it felt like it was a lot more than fun. It was absolutely fun and exhilarating, but it had turned into something more.
“You like cheesy,” I growled and pulled her in for just one more taste. My hands fisted in her thick black locks, fingers twirling around the heavy waves to pull her closer, to get more of her. For a better taste.
Just one more taste.
One more taste turned into two, and then into three before we were interrupted by the sound of the next appointment arriving.
Luckily, we had plenty of time to pick up where we’d left off later.
Stevie
Picking up lunch for Scott while I was out on my own l
unch break had become kind of a habit—and one I wasn’t all that comfortable with, thanks to a past relationship. But the man worked hard and he refused to even consider adding another doctor to his practice until he’d repaid Eddy and started operating fully in the black, something that could happen sooner rather than later if he wasn’t so damn stubborn.
“Hey, Stevie!” Ginger’s smoky voice sounded across the diner, her wide smile always a welcome sight. “Your order will be up in a minute. Want some coffee?”
I shook my head. “If I have any more coffee today, my heart will explode.” She laughed, and I joined in with her. “But tea sounds good. Earl Grey, please.”
“Coming right up!” Ginger bounced from table to table wearing a wide smile that might make some customers think her shift had just started when the truth was, I saw her almost every morning on my way to the clinic. She took the morning shift at Big Mama’s and then headed over to the newspaper office for the rest of the day. She worked hard and had somehow made a life for herself, though no one knew her story, which kind of reminded me of… myself.
Tulip was such a good place, a nice place, the kind of place a certain type of city folk moved to so they could raise a family and live a simpler life. I didn’t belong in this town any more than I belonged anywhere else, especially with Scott, but somehow, both had wrapped tightly around my heart. Somehow, this place and this man had me floating instead of walking, humming and smiling instead of scowling and complaining. I wasn’t just happy, I was satisfied. And constantly aroused.
And it was all Scott’s fault. “Here ya go.” Ginger dropped off the bags and took my cash before flashing a hurried smile and dashing off once again.
My thoughts returned to Scott and this damn postcard of a town. Last night, I hadn’t been able to sleep, even though my body was exhausted and wrapped in Scott’s arms. I’d realized that this was the first time since my mom died that I’d actively reached out and tried to be happy. There was something about this place that allowed you to just be happy without a lot of effort, it was so organic you hardly realized it was happening until you were one of those people who stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to hold a full conversation with a random person.
Instead of yelling at them for screwing up the flow of traffic, I was now that person. Even though, now, I was reluctantly that person. “Elizabeth. Eddy. Fancy running into you ladies.” Not really, since I knew they saw me go into Big Mama’s and had then maneuvered themselves into my path before I reached the office.
“Seems like you plan on sticking around, after all.” Eddy folded her arms and tried hard for a scowl, but it never materialized.
Here we go. “I’m not sure,” I told her honestly, refusing to tell the old lady what she wanted to hear simply because I was sleeping with her grandson. The truth was that Scott didn’t need me, didn’t need a full-time assistant at all now that everything was all caught up.
“That’s too bad,” Elizabeth said ominously, sending the tiny hairs on my body standing in an upright position. “Well, Mayor Ashford has an opportunity to discuss with you when you have time. If I were you, I’d make it a priority,” she added with a pat on my shoulder before both women walked away.
I stared after them for a long time, wondering what in the hell they were up to now, because news of my temporary stay in town didn’t seem to leave as much impact as it had a month ago. Two months ago, even. “What the hell is wrong with me?” Was I now upset that the matchmaking old ladies had given up?
A little bit, yeah.
But that was crazy, so I shook the thought off and made a note to figure out how I could get in to see the mayor of Tulip. How did one even go about setting that up? I wasn’t a meet-the-mayor kind of girl and therefore, totally out of my element. But I was always on the lookout for my next opportunity, and this could very well be it.
After I finished my work today, anyway. My feet were back on the move, carrying me and lunch back to the quiet office where Hershey and the pony were our only animal visitors. Usually, there were a few animals that spent a night or two, but this week we were blessedly empty, which was why it felt so quiet when I walked through the front door.
Almost too quiet, since I’d gotten use to the chaos of working with Scott. A veterinarian’s office was about as calm and quiet as a pediatrician’s, so to find the lobby area empty and completely silent in the middle of a weekday was kind of disconcerting. I shook off that thought, chalking it up to the fact that I’d let the matchmakers get in my head, and walked to my desk. I set down the bag containing my nacho fries and shook off my jacket, hanging it on coat rack in the corner. I took a moment to organize and straighten the piles of magazines it seemed that Scott never tossed away before the next round of appointments started to arrive, a half an hour from now.
A quick scan showed the front of the office was set to rights, which meant I could drop off Scott’s lunch and have my own in peace before things got crazy again. The office still seemed too quiet, especially since I knew Scott was probably still hunched over his laptop, working, and my steps turned careful. It wouldn’t be the first time I found a tweaker inside a doctor’s office, but this time I would be prepared.
If I needed to be.
A quick knock and then I pushed open his door, ready to see Scott’s bent head or a shaky addict looking to score. What I saw when I stepped inside shocked the hell out of me. Clara was there, and she was standing close enough to Scott that I’d bet he could tell whether that small strip of red peeking out the top of her shirt was, in fact, lace or silk. Whatever they were talking about, it was serious. And intimate.
“I brought you lunch.” It was the most asinine thing I could have said in the moment, I knew that, but this was my job and I couldn’t risk it for anything.
Or anyone. Not even my own stupid heart.
Before Scott could say anything, I darted from his office, ignoring the triumphant look on Clara’s face that I didn’t buy for one damn minute. I knew her type, had known girls and women like her my entire life, and I had never let them get to me. Not even now, because I knew her game.
That wasn’t what bothered me when I yanked my bag off the desk and marched into the seldom used break room to enjoy my damn nacho fries. No, it wasn’t that I thought that Scott had somehow found time in his busy schedule to screw around on me. Nope, I was more worried about my response in that breath of a moment, when I’d thought maybe there was something going on between them. In that flash of a second, my heart broke. It ached, like someone had torn it straight down the middle with their bare hands, and that was not the response of a woman having a good time, just enjoying some casual sex with a very gorgeous man.
That was the response of a woman who didn’t just want more, but she was expecting more, and that was just stupid. It was especially stupid since I was that woman and I knew there was no future with me and Scott. He would eventually marry a woman like Clara—maybe not as ice cold and shallow, but a woman as sophisticated and put together as he was. He wouldn’t go for a career assistant with no family to speak of, because that wasn’t appropriate. And Scott was only inappropriate in the bedroom.
The thought produced a shiver straight down my spine that I was determined to ignore. None of this was good news, not one damn bit of it. I couldn’t start having serious feelings for Scott. He was my boss—my very temporary boss, but still—and he was all wrong for me. As wrong as I was for him, which meant it was a thought I needed to put away where I kept other things I didn’t have time or energy to think about.
“You’re upset.” Scott’s deep voice tore through my racing thoughts, startling me, and I glared up at him.
“I’m not upset.” But if he asked that question more than once, there was a good chance I would be—and soon. I mean, I was upset, but not for the reasons he thought, because men were clueless. “What’s up, Scott?”
“There’s nothing going on with me and Clara.”
I believed him and didn’t need to hear the wo
rds, but since he felt compelled to say them, I took in the details. The lack of lines and creases on his face, the calm way he delivered the words with just enough annoyance to let me know he was offended I’d thought so. Even though I hadn’t thought a damn thing.
Other than for that briefest of moments.
“I didn’t think there was,” I told him honestly, nearly bursting out laughing at the scowl he sent my way.
Confused, Scott folded his arms over his massive chest, showing off sun-kissed skin and arm hair that was practically blond from exposure. “Then why are you mad?”
I was mad because this thing between us was supposed to be fun. Really hot and temporary fun, and now that I knew it had moved well beyond just fun and into something else, I couldn’t ignore it. But I didn’t say any of that. “You said I was mad, not me.”
Scott sighed, trying hard to rein in his temper. “You’re acting mad, Stevie. I’m not making this up.”
“Am not.” Yep, it was the height of childish arguing, and it was all I had.
“You’re doing a damn good impression of a pissed off woman, then.” He sat down, but instead of choosing the chair across from me like a normal human being, he dropped down into the chair right beside me and faced me, pulling me and my chair between his thighs so we were close. Legs touching and breaths mingling, we stared at each other for a long, breathless moment.
“Maybe I have just have a resting bitch face.” My chin tilted up in defiance, daring him to call me out on my lie, but this was Scott and he wasn’t at all moved by my tough-girl act.
He laughed and shook his head. “Or maybe, you’re bothered by the thought of me with another woman. That’s okay, Stevie, I like seeing you a little jealous.”
I barked out the fakest laugh in my arsenal. “Jealous? Why would I be jealous when a woman like Clara is exactly who you’ll end up with?” I was still ignoring the pang that had returned to my general chest area.
Misters of Love: A Small Town Romance Boxset Page 43
