by Allie York
The next few days were filled with one disaster after another. First, a shipment was lost somewhere in delivery oblivion, then Ziggy ate one of my favorite shoes when I forgot to put him in his crate while we went to the gym, last there was the gym. My lack of physical exertion was catching up with me in a terrible way. We started easy, putting my chunky self on the treadmill and making me jog. I thought about calling it quits because the gym was pure torture, even if I was the one torturing myself. Blair made it look so damn easy, running elegantly and barely breaking a sweat on the treadmill next to me, but my reality was way different. My legs felt like I was burning in the fires of hell within the first five minutes and my breathing came out in ragged gasps. I was dying, it was the only reasonable explanation. After fifteen minutes of pure torture, I was allowed to stop and thought my pardon had been signed, but I was so wrong. Blair put me on a bike, hopped on one next to me, and told me to pedal. The treadmill looked like a dream come true compared to Satan’s bicycle. Within fifteen seconds, I was pouring sweat and a beheading would have been a blessing. The gym was a horrible idea, but at least Blair was treating lunch at our favorite place.
“Eat the damn salad, Oz!” I jerked to attention when Blair snapped her fingers in my face from across the table. I was suddenly brought back to the The Tropicabana and my lunch. The salad in front of me looked delicious, but my mind was where it had been for nearly a week. Harris Oswin had made me crazy. I thought about him constantly. There was no way to deny how much lust I was in, and I was disgusted with myself. More than once in the past few days, I woke up midway into some seriously naughty dreams that involved piercing green eyes, large hands all over me, and me on the verge of an orgasm.
“Sorry, I was just thinking,” I grumbled at Blair.
“Thinking about tall, hot, and grumpy?” She knew me too well. I tried not to talk about him, hell, I tried not to think about him too, but it never failed. All my thoughts came back to him.
“No, just thinking about how bad my muscles ache,” I huffed a breath and groaned inwardly. I could even smell him sitting in my favorite restaurant. I’ve lost my damn mind.
“Ladies,” I shuddered at the voice behind me, sitting up straight. I knew who it was before even looking, because that damn smell was all him. Blair’s eyes met mine and the psycho smile happened. My best friend had a particular look when she was going to embarrass the hell out of me. I glared a warning at her, but it was too late. The wheels were turning and I was screwed.
“Dr. Oswin. What a pleasant surprise. Join us,” Blair smirked and Harris pulled up a chair to sit at our two-top table. I felt his eyes move over me, but I stayed focused on the salad that I couldn’t eat. The stirring in my belly wasn’t going to ever let me eat again. “What are you doing here?”
Harris pointed at his wrap, “Lunch. This place has the best wraps,” He peeled the foil off and took a bite, staring right at me until my face heated up.
“Oz,” Blair’s voice cut through my quest to ignore the situation.
“Sorry, thinking,” I lied with a smile, “How are you?” I stabbed my salad and took a bite. Geez, this is amazing.
“Good, I’m not interrupting, am I?” Harris looked between the two of us. If he only knew.
“Not at all!” Blair patted his arm and I almost came out of my chair to claw her eyes out. I blinked out of my unwarranted blind range, and shook my head to disagree with her.
Harris took another bite, chewing slowly, “We were just talking about Ziggy. He’s doing so much better. I taught him to sit and stay.” Blair had a knack for training and I let her do what she wanted with Ziggy. Blair showed Harris a video of Ziggy sitting and her walking all the way across our house before he jumped up on her command.
“Good job. You guys got lucky with him,” Harris focused back on me, “How’s the boutique?” He looked genuinely interested.
“Good. Great actually. We’ve been busy all week and have new products ordered. It’s awesome.” I took another bite, the knot in my stomach loosening, “We receive several emails daily and have a news segment set up for next week. The Blossom is so much better than we ever expected.” I felt myself smiling, and it was returned in the sexiest way.
“That’s great. Good for you. I know Rose loves it; she talks about it constantly and has sent all her friends over to shop.” Harris watched my face turn even redder because of his compliment; I forgot Blair was even with us while we talked. All of the nerves I had about him showing up disappeared. I polished off my salad, Harris finished his wrap, and our little bubble popped when his alarm pinged from his pocket.
“Let’s roll, Oz,” Blair was already on her feet, reaching for my plate, and smiling.
“I’m going to be late,” Harris stood, towering over me even more than usual, and I quickly joined them, “It was good to see you, Ozma.” His emerald eyes locked on mine and nothing short of a nuclear blast could have moved me. “You too, Blair.”
“You too.” I whispered and before I could blink Harris was gone, leaving my entire body on fire.
Blair hit me in the shoulder, “Skank.” She winked at me, took my hand and dragged me out of The Tropicabana. She drove back to the Blossom, talking about some up and coming designer that would be perfect for our place, but I was smitten. My mind went back to that place where I was not a man hater and Harris Oswin had his hands on every inch of me. By the time we got back to work, I was a flushed mess and Blair started on me again about giving in to my lusty attraction to one very sexy vet. I wish I had her boldness.
Every day was the same special brand of torture while my friend tried to whip me into shape, except Friday. Even I had to admit it though, I did feel better. Even if I couldn’t have made any real progress in a few days, it felt good to know I was on my way to being healthier. My diet was better, and I felt great. I got a little gym break on Friday when I had to leave early to grab Ziggy and go to the vet for his checkup. The burns on his feet were mostly healed. At night when I was rubbing my sore muscles, I was also rubbing ointment into the pads of his feet. The scabs were falling off, but I kept his red boots on to help protect them. My regimen seemed to be working and his little paws were soft and healthy. Zig had also put on some weight.
I chatted with Ember for a minute at the counter, hoping for an update on Dr. Jenkins, but nothing had really changed. He was still in the hospital, but at least he was in a regular room, and not in intensive care. She mentioned being slammed at the clinic, but hoped he’d be back soon. Ziggy sat next to me, wagging his little butt every time some new dog came in. As bad as he wanted to run over and greet them, he only sat by my side, whimpering slightly. It was like the dog was made just for me. He knew to stay by my side, and when to follow me. I didn’t have to teach him anything, except maybe not to eat my shoes or ice cream. I knew dog training was nothing to laugh at, but Ziggy seemed so grateful to have me, that he didn’t need much training.
“Oz,” My head snapped up at Jax’s voice, and he took us back to the room. He told me how great Ziggy looked and asked about Blair. Jax was a handsome guy. Not Harris handsome, but definitely a pretty sight. His sandy blond hair was cropped short and his light brown eyes were always happy, plus he had some nice tattoos. Jax gave me a high five, patted Ziggy, and closed the door quietly behind him, leaving us to wait for Harris.
Instead of Harris walking in next, I got Rick, “Hey Oz!” He greeted me with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Rick was a cute guy, about forty and only a little taller than me. Dr. Jenkins was short too and Rick had the same dark curls, dark skin, and darker eyes. Bill Jenkins could never deny his kids, they both looked just like him. Rick was always smiling, just like his dad, and had the gentlest way of dealing with animals and talking to clients. When it came to vets, Rick and Harris were polar opposite and even more different where appearance was concerned, but they were both good vets.
“Hey, I wasn’t expecting to see you.” I patted my leg and Ziggy appeared at my side, “Isn’t he sweet?”
Rick got on his knees, rubbing Ziggy all over and getting his face assaulted with doggy kisses.
“He is sweet. I never saw you with a cocker spaniel, but he is a good one.” Rick hoisted Ziggy up on the metal table and we watched the numbers change until they landed on fourteen. I smiled. Ziggy had spent a week scaring the shit out of me and leaving me a worried mess, but he had gained weight, so I had to be doing something right.
“He was twelve before all the gross hair came off, so he’s gained some weight.” I helped Rick take the boots from Ziggy’s feet and smiled harder when he nodded at the healing burns.
“He’s doing better.” Rick patted my arm. “Dr. Oswin’s notes aren’t very nice, but I can’t blame him considering the condition the dog was in, and Harris can be a little harsh.” I gave Rick a look. “Or he can be an ass. Where did you find this one?” Rick wrote some notes on the folder and I went over my story about Annie, getting angrier as I talked. Annie had neglected the world’s best dog. I was just glad I got to Ziggy before my cousin killed him.
“So, now he’s with me and even Blair doesn’t hate him anymore. He did eat my shoe though, and the ice cream incident a few nights ago. Being a pet parent is stressful,” I tried to keep my humor about the ice cream, but the reminder of how bad that could have been was fresh on my mind. I could have lost Ziggy before I even got to know him.
“Sounds like it’s going good. Let us know when you want him neutered, and you know you can call me in an emergency, too. Oswin isn’t the only one who can make house calls.” Rick winked at me and I put his cell number into my phone. It might end up helpful to have two vets on call if Ziggy got into any more trouble. Or I could have done the normal thing and called the emergency clinic.
I said goodbye to Rick, waved at Ember on the phone, and led Ziggy back out to the car. He hopped in his seat so I could hook his harness to the seatbelt and as I shut the door, I hit a body. A hard, warm body that smelled like heaven. Clean, masculine heaven. A hand landed on my shoulder and I squealed like a freak, jumping like a guilty person.
“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to scare you.” That amazing deep voice made my knees weak and I turned to look up at Harris, “Surgery took longer than I expected, so Rick covered your appointment. Everything good?” He was so close. My body barely brushed against his and it was rebelling in every way possible. My pulse picked up, my knees were shaky, and I had the insane urge to touch his face. I tried not to think about how tall he was. I had to tilt my head all the way back to see him. I also tried to keep my mind from wandering to all the dreams I had woken up from. Operative word there was ‘tried’. What the hell is happening to me?
“Yeah,” the word squeaked out of my throat, “It’s all good. I’ll get him neutered soon, but other than that, Ziggy’s awesome. Except for his taste for expensive shoes.” Harris laughed and I had to take a step back into the car. Tiny crinkles popped up next to his eyes and he dragged his hand over that lust-worthy beard. Since when do I have a thing for beards?
“Thanks again for hiring Rose. She would only settle for a job at your boutique.” The space I put between us vanished suddenly when Harris stepped forward. Shit. Shit. Shit. Say something.
I nodded, “No need to thank me, she’s perfect for the job. I’m glad she’s enjoying it. I need to get back to work before Blair kills me. It was good to see you, Harris.” Oh, it was way more than good to see him, but his proximity was making my thoughts a little too cloudy for my liking, so I was ready to make my hasty exit. Unfortunately, I couldn’t leave until he backed up “Thanks for running out here to say bye.” God, I sound like a babbling moron. When he didn’t move to let me leave, I looked back up into those eyes.
“Now that you don’t think I’m a jackass or an asshole, can I ask you to dinner or something?” A cocky smirk moved across his mouth. It looks so soft. I blinked back to his eyes, realizing he was speaking to me.
“I-uh… I don’t understand.” Ask me to dinner? Like a date? As in big, sexy, orgasm on legs, is asking me on a date? I don’t date. I hate men. Right?
Harris got even closer making me need to brace myself on the car to stay on my feet, “What’s confusing? I want to take you to dinner, or coffee, or whatever.” My fingers curled under the door handle, giving me something tangible to hang on to, grounding me. Is this real life?
“You want to take me to dinner?” I babbled like a fricking idiot, gripping the door handle like it was the only thing keeping me from floating off or melting into a puddle at his feet. Harris nodded slowly, still smiling. Panty melting, lust inducing, need to kick up the AC kind of smile. “Why would you want to do that?” The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them and I quickly covered my traitorous mouth with the hand not keeping me standing.
“Why do I want to take you to dinner? Do you want a list?” The drop-dead-sexy-as-hell smile turned into a chuckle that made me shudder. I couldn’t answer, so I just waited, “You take no shit, and you are gorgeous. Does the short list work, or do you need a longer one? I can add your driven personality and your love for that crazy dog to the list. Oh, and your willingness to call me a jackass.” His hand came to my face, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, and raking down my cheek before it disappeared into his scrub pocket. Tingles slid down my cheek behind his fingers. My lungs started burning and I realized that I wasn’t breathing. “So, tonight? I can pick you up.” I sucked in a much-needed breath, and my head stopped spinning.
“Uh, um, yeah. Sure.” I sounded like a disaster. Get it together, woman.
“Seven. I’ll see you at seven.” I nodded stupidly and watched Harris turn and walk back into the hospital, his hands in his pockets stretched the fabric across his amazing ass. I stared until I heard a whimper behind me and the haze of Harris lust lifted. Holy shit. I had just agreed to a date with the hottest man I had ever seen and he called me gorgeous. Is it a date? Is it a joke? Is he just teasing me? Am I even awake right now? As the door closed behind him, Harris tossed a hand up to wave at me and I tried to smile, waving back like a complete loser. I needed to get to work and beg Blair to help me, because I had no idea what to do with a man, much less a man like Harris. Adopting Ziggy had landed me with more than just a dog. I was getting so much more than I bargained for.
Chapter Nine
Harris
I pulled open the door to the back of the clinic after ignoring the accusing look from Ember, and ran into Rick, hard, “Shit! I’m sorry.” His head slammed into my shoulder, like he had been running down the hall toward the door. I stepped out of his space, coming down from my high. Not that I didn’t like Rick, but the constant boner courtesy of Ozma was getting to be too much, and I really didn’t want things awkward with my coworkers. Plus, Rick was obviously in a hurry.
“Where did you go? If you went and got lunch without bringing me back food, I’ll fire your ass.” Rick laughed, rubbing his head where it hit my shoulder.
“Nah, no food. I just went to thank Ozma for hiring Rose.” And I may have asked her out. I left Rick near the door to finish my trek to the back to check on the dog that ate a sock or three. That surgery had been touch and go. I was genuinely worried that the dog’s taste for dirty socks would be the death of him, but he finally pulled through. Before I could get to the door, Rick grabbed my forearm and my body tensed.
“So, you followed Oz outside?” Rick’s grip tightened and I nearly hit him right there in the hallway. I liked the guy and my job, but he was about to push me over a line where Ozma was concerned. I knew he was staring a little hard at the bowling alley, but I let it go. I was like some crazed psycho when it came to her, and the jealousy on his face pissed me off, “Just so there are no questions about this, I’ve had my eyes on her since before she was legal. So, don’t go breaking any guy codes. If anyone gets to take a crack at Ozma, it’s me.” I knew her grandparents had a whole farm of dogs they brought to Dr. Jenkins and that the entire staff knew her, but Rick was getting a little bold with that one. Not that she flirt
ed with me, but I highly doubt she’s ever flirted with Rick, considering the age difference, and Ozma was mine. She had no idea, but I only had a few more hours before she found out.
“I’ll make sure to let her know at dinner tonight, but I don’t think she’s the type to let you dictate her relationships,” I took his wrist and removed it from my arm before pushing the door open. If Rick wanted her, he had plenty of time to stake his claim before the feisty little blonde had her finger in my face calling me a judgmental jackass. I was not a man to half-ass anything. I worked hard to get through vet school. I worked long hours at my last job and at The Shores. I never had time for a woman, but that wasn’t stopping me. I was going for what I wanted with all I had, and I wanted Ozma.
The day was tense after I let it spill to Rick that I didn’t give a shit that he wanted Ozma. I had a feeling if I told him I was after Blair, he would have said the same thing. He was just about a pissing contest, not the girl of my dreams. He was always trying to be faster at surgery, get more clients in than I could, or diagnose something faster, but I didn’t realize how competitive he really was, until he decided he wanted my girl.
I went through the rest of the work day with nothing but her on my mind, making clients repeat things and forgetting to take notes. Names I’d forget, but not important shit, like taking notes. It would all be better after I got to see her, be alone with her, and made sure she knew how I was feeling. She looked so confused when I asked her out. The fact that she asked me why spoke volumes. Ember said Ozma hadn’t dated in years. Good thing I didn’t want to date her, I wanted to own her, wanted to let her own me. It was like the second she yelled in my face, some slumbering beast was awakened, and he only had eyes for Ozma Greenlee. The pull to her scared the shit out of me, but that wasn’t stopping me either. At nearly thirty, and after working my ass off for years, it was time for me to enjoy myself and part of that included her.
