Over Heated (On the Wild Side Book 3)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  A long time later, the sobs eased. She kept her face hidden against his neck and her arms around him. He wondered if she’d fallen asleep and, after that torrent of emotions, he wouldn’t blame her.

  But instinctively, he knew that she was still with him, still processing.

  When she pulled back, he looked down at her. With his thumbs, he wiped the tears from her face, gently trying to sooth her torment. Her mascara from yesterday stained her cheeks, smudging under her eyes. But in a weird way, she was even more beautiful. Perhaps it was the peace that was starting to form in her eyes. Or maybe the lessening of the tension around her lips. He wasn’t sure, but…she smiled shyly.

  “Thank you for that,” she whispered.

  “Do you feel better?” he asked softly.

  “Yes. Much.”

  As his eyes moved over her features, Abe saw the relief. He doubted that her issues with her mother’s life and passing were completely over, but at least the dam had broken. As a doctor, he knew that the mental and emotional side of a patient’s recovery was just as important as the physical aspect. The mind influenced every aspect of the body.

  “What are you going to do now?”

  Roxy laughed and his hands instinctively smoothed over her back. What was it about her that just…pulled him in? He loved touching her, more than he’d thought possible. He’d love to lift her into his arms and make love to her, but even this, holding her on his lap and touching her was pretty damn nice!

  “You ready to move on to the next step already?” he teased.

  She pulled away and looked up into his eyes, her expression telling him that she knew he had something else in mind. “What? You don’t have phase three already planned?”

  He grinned and shrugged slightly. “Well, I have some ideas on what you should do next, but you should have some say in the future.”

  “Just ‘some say’?” she teased and stood up.

  Abe followed, already missing her soft curves close to him. “Eh, you don’t have full control. But I’ll give you some options.”

  The small smile she gave him felt like a major victory.

  “Okay, I’ll bite. What would you suggest?”

  He looked over his shoulder at the house. “Well, first of all, I’d fix up this house and get it ready to sell.”

  Roxy looked at the house as well, her gaze taking in the weed-filled grass with brown patches and bare windows, the harsh lines and the dull furniture inside. “It’s not my house. The cat owns the house.”

  Abe rolled his eyes, adding in a chuckle. “Okay, how about if we talk to a lawyer friend of mine? I can call him up and ask for some advice on this cat inheritance thing.”

  She blinked and for a moment, Abe got lost in those golden eyes. She was so damn gorgeous! But understanding the hell she went through with her mother, he was starting to understand her personality a bit more. Oddly, understanding her only made his desire for her even more intense. Abe realized that he wanted to protect her, to make her smile, and give her the happy life that she obviously hadn’t had growing up. He’d only heard a small bit of the hell she’d lived through with her mother. How in the world had she come through all that with such a positive outlook and such a strong work ethic?

  She was strong, he realized. Maybe delicate in some ways, but strong and determined to survive and thrive.

  He’d been attracted to her before getting to know her. But now…damn, she was even more beautiful! Every moment in her company showed him how intensely amazing she was!

  “Abe?” she prompted.

  He blinked back to the present, shaking his head slightly as his thoughts screeched to a stop. “I think you should talk to a lawyer first. I seriously doubt that your mother’s will is legal, although Nate would be able to give you more details about that aspect.”

  “It sounds a bit extreme, leaving all of her money to a cat.”

  “Yeah, but didn’t that designer, what’s his name? I think he left his money to his cat. But…”

  “Don’t say it!” she groaned. Looking around his shoulders, she peered through the sliding glass door and, to their surprise, Chester stood there, peering out at them. Shockingly, he wasn’t hissing. In fact, he tilted his head slightly before lifting his front paw up to tap against the glass.

  “He actually looks kind of cute at the moment,” Roxy commented in an awed voice.

  Abe laughed, putting his arm around her shoulder, relieved when she didn’t pull away. “Yeah, the little Satan-cat looks a bit more docile now that he has been disarmed.”

  Roxy tilted her head slightly and he felt her soft hair tickle his arm. It felt erotic and teasing, making him think of her kissing his chest while that tumble of silk drifted over his skin.

  Focus! Cat! House! She needed his help and advice, not his lust. At least, not at this moment. His body tightened in anticipation because he was determined that he would offer his lust as well. When she was ready, though. Right at this moment, she had too much going on. He wasn’t going to add his lust onto her plate.

  “Let’s give my lawyer friend a call.” He glanced at his watch. “He’s probably just getting onto the golf course right about now.”

  She jerked upright and shook her head. “We can’t interrupt his weekend!”

  Abe laughed. “Are you kidding me? Nate interrupts my weekend all the time for free medical advice. He has five kids and even I’m surprised at some of the stupid stunts those kids have pulled. He may have logged more hours at the hospital than I have.”

  Abe pulled out his phone and dialed a number while Roxanne stepped back and observed. What was it about this man that drew her to him? Her eyes drifted over his arms, her mouth watered at the thought of touching that long, sexy tattoo, running her fingers over the design. It seemed almost alive, or maybe that was just him. Abe McCullough…doctor extraordinaire…was definitely alive, vital, and powerful!

  Obviously, his friend answered the phone and they laughed for a moment, exchanging friendly insults. For a moment, Roxanne wondered why men felt it necessary to say horrid things to each other as a greeting. But then Abe turned serious, watching her as he explained the problem to his friend.

  A long pause and then he shook his head. “Hold on, Nate. Roxy is here with me. Let me put you on speakerphone.”

  Roxanne smiled at the thoughtful gesture and felt warm. Not from the August heat, but warm as in a piece of ice inside of her chest melted just a wee bit.

  She stepped closer to hear the conversation.

  “Roxy?” a voice issued from the phone.

  “Yes. I’m here,” she replied.

  “Okay, so I’m hearing your mother left everything but some pieces of glass to her cat. How much are we talking about?”

  “About half a million dollars and a house,” she replied.

  A low whistle was heard, followed by a chuckle. “Okay, so here’s the deal. I’d need to review the documents to be sure, but our laws don’t recognize an animal as a legal entity. The cat can’t sign the papers accepting responsibility for the house. The cat can’t legally pay the taxes or the utilities. And the cat can’t go shopping for his food and care. So legally, the will is null and void and it should be relatively easy to get a judge to sign off on it.”

  “Wonderful! That’s promising news!” she replied, as hope flooded her.

  “Yeah, that’s the good news. The bad news is that contesting a will takes time and money. Your mother’s will has to go through probate and that could take months, sometimes years, to resolve.”

  “That’s bad,” she groaned, rubbing her forehead.

  “Yeah. You don’t want that. Go ahead and send me the documents this afternoon and I’ll see what I can do to expedite this. I think there might be a way to keep your mother’s will in place, but transfer the money to you in the guise of the cat’s care and maintenance. You can sell your mother’s possessions and her house, transfer all of the savings into the cat’s name, but with you as the caretaker. In an odd way, the cat
will still maintain rights to the money and the proceeds from the sale of the house. But will the cat protest how you spend your mother’s money?” Nate laughed as if he’d just issued out a hilarious joke.

  “But…is that legal?”

  “Sure is. I’ll walk you through the process and we can get a judge to sign off on everything. Just e-mail everything to me and I’ll take care of any issues.”

  Roxanne hesitated, looking at Abe. “How about if I send it to you on Monday along with a check for your time?”

  The man laughed again. “Don’t even think about paying me a dime. Just ask Abe about my son and his surfing lesson. Secondly, this story is awesome! I can’t wait to spread word about how I resolved an issue with a cat inheriting over half a million bucks! It’s golden!”

  Abe chuckled as well. “I’ll send all the documents to you in about a half hour.”

  “Thanks. I’ll have something for you by tonight.”

  They hung up and Abe pocketed his cell phone. “Okay, so the inheritance is figured out. Now what?”

  “I think that I need to get some boxes and start packing stuff up. I have no idea what could be sold and what I should just give away.”

  “Is there anything in the house that you’d like to keep?”

  She looked through the glass doors at the cat who…oddly enough, actually looked pretty sweet right now.

  “I guess I have to keep the cat, don’t I?” She looked over at him. “Not because of the money. I don’t really care about that.” She paused and sighed. “That’s such a lie! I wish I was one of those people who could stand on principles and say that I didn’t care about the money.” She paused and peeked up at him through her lashes. “But I do care about the money.”

  Abe threw back his head, laughing as he pulled her into his arms. Even through his amusement, he noticed that she didn’t hesitate, leaning into him, and he kissed the top of her head. “I think it’s great that you’re honest enough to admit that, Roxy.” He kissed her again, just because it felt good. “There are a lot of people who would say that, but they would be lying. Ninety-nine percent of the population care about money. It’s part of how we survive and our natural instincts are to survive. So yeah, most of us care about the money.”

  “I wish I were more altruistic,” she grumbled.

  He rubbed her back, but pulled away before he went too far. “I’m a surgeon and happy to admit that I’m relieved to know that I earn a good salary for my skills. So I’m not shocked you can admit money makes life easier.”

  “Yeah, well…” She didn’t finish the thought, turning to face the cat who was still watching them through the window. “I suppose I should go inside and see what I can do about the beasty.”

  “You’re on your own there,” he said, lifting his hand that was marked with welts and cuts where the cat had clawed him. “That animal is vicious.”

  She looked at the cat who stared right back at her. “I wonder if he just…”

  “Where are you going with that thought?” he demanded, adding in a grunt when the cat lifted his paw up again, those bright pink tips adding a bit of cuteness to the feline’s personality.

  She looked up at Abe, her smile a bit lopsided. “Maybe he’s just like me? Maybe he just needs a bit of affection and attention?”

  Abe pulled her into his arms. “Is that what you need, Roxy? Do you need some loving?”

  She giggled, and again he noticed that she didn’t pull away. “Everyone needs love. Love and money, right?”

  He bent down to nuzzle her ear. “I’m more than happy to provide part of that equation,” he offered.

  Roxanne shivered as she felt his lips against her neck, right under her ear. No one had ever nuzzled her neck, so this was a new experience. “Um…I think…” She couldn’t finish that statement because he nipped her earlobe and her thoughts vanished completely.

  “What do you think?”

  She shivered and his arms tightened around her waist, pulling her body closer to his.

  Abe smiled against her neck, then nipped another spot that had her shivering, her fingers clinging to his shoulders. “I think you should come back to my place and we should explore your need for attention.”

  Roxanne laughed nervously, a little turned on. Pushing against his shoulders, she tried to step away from him. “Be serious!”

  He released her, but looked at her with a curious expression. “Why would you think I was teasing?”

  Immediately, she stopped laughing, stopped walking away and turned back around to face him. “You…you are kidding, right?”

  He eliminated the distance between their bodies. “Not even a little, Roxy.”

  Her mouth opened and closed, her eyes moving over his features. “But Abe…you’re…!”

  “I’m interested in you, Roxy. I have been since I met you.”

  She shook her head slightly. “But…you could have anyone you wanted. The entire hospital would jump at the chance to be with you.”

  “The entire hospital but you?” he asked gently, tucking a lock of her beautiful, strawberry blond hair behind her ear, allowing his fingers to slide down the elegant curve of her throat.

  “Well,” she started to say, but his hand curved around her neck and she couldn’t finish the lie. She couldn’t tell him that she wasn’t interested. Because…she was. Very interested! “I don’t like being part of the crowd,” she commented. That was the truth, but not the whole reason why she was wary of…whatever was happening between the two of them.

  “I suspect that the perception around the hospital is that my bed has a revolving door.” He slid his hands against her waist, but thankfully, didn’t go any higher. “It’s not true. First of all, I don’t date coworkers. I prefer to keep business and pleasure separate.”

  She looked up at him, not sure she believed him. Especially since they were standing so close to each other.

  “Sorry Abe, but I’m not a one-night stand kind of person either.”

  He laughed. “I don’t have sex with anyone from the hospital either. No way. That is even more complicated than dating. But you, Roxy…I’d make an exception for you.”

  “Why me?”

  His eyes moved over her features. “I don’t know exactly. The only thing I can figure is that you’re different.”

  She bit her lip, as if contemplating his answer, then shook her head. “I’m pretty average.”

  He barked a laugh, his hands tightening on her waist. “You’re about as non-average as a woman can be.”

  Roxanne had no response to that and sighed. “Abe, I just…”

  “I know, honey,” he told her, kissing her gently. “You have a lot of things on your mind now and I promise, I won’t add to your troubles. Let me help you.”

  “Don’t you have anything better to do than help me deal with a vicious cat and a bunch of tacky glass?”

  He grinned. “Ah, but you’re missing out on just being with you.”

  That comment seemed to startle her. “I’m not that interesting.”

  “Actually, you’re fascinating. Did you know that I enjoy watching you talk?”

  She stared up at him, not sure she understood. “Talk? You watch me talk?”

  “Yeah,” he laughed at himself. “You’re so precise in the way you talk to me. And your zingers, dry wit, and the way you gently handle everyone’s problems, it’s pretty amazing. I like watching you talk. I like listening to you. And I sure as hell love watching you bustle around the hallways of the surgery area!”

  Skeptically, she pulled her head away an inch. “The way I bustle through the hallways?”

  His grin widened even as his eyes lowered slightly. “Yeah. I like the way you bustle. You’re always so serious and determined, fixing problems before we even realize that there’s an issue. But Roxy, you’re beautiful and sexy! It’s hot watching you work!”

  She wasn’t sure if he was referring to her skill or her breasts. Probably both. “I think I should be offended.” But she wa
sn’t and the slight lifting of the corners of her lips indicated that. “Are you objectifying me?”

  He chuckled. “I completely respect your intelligence. Nothing would work around the surgical units as well without you.”

  She sighed, relaxing slightly. “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “It is very much a compliment, honey.” He straightened slightly. Well, he didn’t really straighten, because the man never seemed to slouch. But he shifted in a way that announced that he was ready to move on to the next issue. “So, my goal today is to help you work through this mess your mother left you so that you can be in my bed. Hopefully, by tonight.”

  Huh?! “Wait. What?” she demanded. All of those soft, mushy feelings derived from his compliment were obliterated. Panic closed in.

  “Oh yeah,” he moved closer again, his eyes searching hers as his hands pulled her against him. “I want you, Roxy. Have no doubt about that.”

  “But…” she floundered, feeling a rush of fear and excitement. “Abe, you just said that you don’t have sex with co-workers!”

  “True, but remember, you’re the exception.”

  She looked up at him, startled and tempted! No, not tempted, she reminded herself. She couldn’t be tempted. “What if I don’t want to be the exception?”

  He chuckled. “All you have to do is say no, honey. I don’t ever pressure a woman to have sex.”

  Yeah, that might be a problem, she thought as he brushed his mouth against hers. Her lips were still tingling from the last caress. So, when he brushed them this time, she sighed, her whole body tingling now.

  “You feel it too, don’t you?”

  She sighed, not sure how to handle Abe. Deciding that she should be honest with him, she went with that issue first.

  “Abe, you’re a very charming man and…”

  “And sexy,” he interjected.

  Roxanne smiled slightly, and nodded. “Yes. You’re a very handsome, charming and sexy man.”

  “And you want me.”

  Another laugh, but she pressed her lips together. “I won’t confirm or deny that statement. But my issue is that I don’t really know how to handle someone like you. Ever since you arrived, you’ve teased and tortured me with your flirting.”