by Allie York
I dropped my eyeliner back in the bag, “I haven’t seen him since the office, so no, no fucking, Roch.” I dabbed on my mascara in the mirror and turned to study my profile. A full week of hitting the gym every morning and walking Ziggy every night was showing a little progress. Maybe it was all in my head, but it seemed like my round face was a little slimmer. More than that, I felt amazing. I had so much more energy and could almost go as long as Blair without wanting to die on the treadmill.
“But why?” Rochelle shrieked, “If I had a man that big and sexy taking me out, I would insist on going home with him and demanding to see if the curtains match the carpet.” Then I laughed and Blair nearly spewed Coke across the room. She had a damn good point. The knock on the door made me pack my things up really quick and Ziggy scrambled out of the bathroom to bark. I glared at my friends, giving them a warning look, and made my way to let my big, sexy date in. My friends asking me about sex had me all flustered.
As soon as I opened the door, I knew something was wrong, “I came to apologize,” Harris was not dressed for a date. He was in scrubs and my stomach sank, “Angie has a sick kid and Rick has worked emergency for the last ten nights, I have to go in.” Harris looked genuinely apologetic, but it didn’t really make me any less sad.
I forced a smile through my disappointment, “It’s fine, we can reschedule.” I didn’t want to reschedule, I wanted to go bowling with Harris and stare at him all night. I wanted to get lost in another kiss like the one in my office. More than that, I wanted to find out if the curtains match the carpet, or at least fantasize while we bowled.
Harris was quiet for a minute, eyebrows drawn together, “Unless you want to go with me? It’s a late shift, but it will be mostly waiting around for calls.” He looked proud to have discovered that loophole as an on-call doctor.
My heart sped back up, “Is that allowed?” Bowling could wait, I just really wanted to be with him.
“Yeah, it might be boring, and I was really looking forward to kicking your ass at bowling, but it’s better than nothing.” I had grabbed my bag and a jacket before he finished his sentence. I backed him on to the porch, waving at my two best friends, and shutting the door, “I guess it’s settled.”
“For the record, it would have been you getting your ass kicked, just so we’re clear.” Harris laughed, but I was dead serious. I was a hell of a bowler. “So, how does emergency work? Are you sure I can come?” We still hadn’t left the little stoop in front of the door and that sexy smile moved across his face. He took two steps toward me, making me back into the bricks, and dipped down to kiss me. Harris braced one hand on the wall next to my head and the other found my waist. The electricity shot through every nerve ending and my head went all fuzzy. Dear God, the man can kiss. He backed off a little, pulling his mouth from mine. I was suddenly very aware of his fingers digging into my hip and his hard length pressed against me. I pulled his hand from my waist, keeping it in mine for balance. Every kiss was like a shot of one stiff drink. And speaking of stiff.
“Now, what were you asking?” I rolled my eyes and pulled him to the car, holding tight to his hand for stability, “We wait for calls, deal with emergencies, and repeat. If you get tired and can’t stay, I’ll understand. I can have Jax cover while I run you back home, but as long as you want to stay, it’s my pleasure to have you around.” He cut his eyes to me for a second at the word pleasure. We backed out of the driveway and headed toward The Shores. The man was going to change my mind about sex, and I honestly don’t think I’m going to fight it.
The animal hospital was a little eerie at night even with two other cars in the lot and it being well lit. As soon as we pulled in, Jax hopped out of his truck and the little red car opened to reveal a petite brunette. I followed Harris in, trailed by Jax and the girl. Not seeing Ember at the counter was weird.
“Who are you?” The brunette had her hair in a high ponytail and fuchsia scrubs hugged her thin frame. She looked at me like something a cat coughed up and I immediately went on the defensive.
Harris spoke before I could, “Layla, this is my girlfriend, Ozma. Ozma, this is our head emergency tech, Layla. She can be a little blunt, but is a damn good worker,” A twinge of jealousy ran through me when I acknowledged her. All weekend while he was working overnight, it was with Layla. The way she was looking at him didn’t help either.
“Nice to meet you, cool name. I didn’t know Dr. Oswin had a girlfriend,” Layla’s words made my jealous mind come to a halt and I cocked my head to see my newly declared boyfriend.
“Me neither. Nice to meet you too. Hey, Jax.” He started to hug me, but offered me a fist bump instead. I was led toward the back of the building, Jax hurrying to catch up. It was like getting to see behind the scenes at a movie theater or something; all the fun stuff being revealed to a layman like me.
“Hey Oz. Sure you can handle the dirty side of this?” Jax tipped his head for me to follow him while Harris ducked into an office, winking at me before he vanished. I chased after Jax down the hall and into a room stocked with supplies. Blankets and towels line one side while boxes filled the other.
“After Ziggy’s puke-stravaganza, I’m sure. What do we do first?” I was definitely not sure I could handle it, but I had agreed, so I was going to give it a shot. Jax showed me the ropes of how to set up cages for dogs and cats coming in. According to him it was feast or famine in emergency. One minute you are twiddling your thumbs, the next there are five bleeding animals hanging on to life, but only barely. Jax went into some gory details, and I swallowed down my fear, remembering how I couldn’t hold it together when Ziggy ate the ice cream.
Once all the cages were set up, we found Harris on the phone, instructing a person through the policies and fees for an emergency visit. Seventy-five dollars just to walk in the door. I saw both sides of that hefty fee. On one hand, the vets sacrificing sleep and time at home to be there deserved compensation, on the other, that was a big chunk of money when you are already upset about a potentially dying pet.
“Maybe this was a mistake,” Harris hung up the phone, looking me over and furrowing his brow. While I agreed, I was not about to give up and tell him that. Layla smirked at me behind him, making me square my shoulders. The knowledge that he had been practically spending the night with her every few nights turned me into a jealous monster, but I just smiled back. Harris asked me to go with him and I was sticking it out.
“I’ll be fine. If you think I can help, tell me, otherwise tell me to stay out of your way,” Layla rolled her eyes, but Harris nodded just as a doorbell rang. A distinct veil fell over his face, switching him from fun Harris to vet Harris. No one else would have noticed it, but I did. It was the same veil that lifted after he helped me clean up after Ziggy.
“Okay, we have a Shepherd, HBC. The person bringing him isn’t the owner, but has agreed to be responsible for the bill.” Harris and Jax walked briskly toward the door, disappearing into the night, leaving me alone with Layla. I glanced at her just in time to see her roll her eyes at me before the guys rushed back in with a sheet stretched between them carrying a dog. I stepped back while Layla went toward the person crying behind the men.
“Oz, snag this collar.” Jax nodded at me and I hurried toward them to find a huge German Shepherd, breathing heavy and bleeding from his nose. I unhooked the collar and slid it off gently. The dog’s pupils were tiny, and he was shaking out of pain, or fear, or both. “Give it to Layla to trace the tag.”
“Then come to room one, I have a job for you.” Harris added. I jumped to it, giving the collar to Layla, and taking a deep breath before following them down the hall. I wasn’t cut out for Harris’ job, but could at least try to help, so I steadied myself and went to find the poor dog. With an ache in my chest, I pushed into the exam room to find it empty. A shout from the back had me running down the hallway and into a dark x-ray room.
Jax shoved a clear mask in my hand and handed me a lead vest, “Put this on and the dog’s muzzle goes
in the mask, then turn it up to here.” He pointed to a mark near a nozzle on a gas tank. “We need an x-ray, but the sedative is going to take too long, and we need him still. Got it?” Then I was alone with the big, scared dog. The lead vest weighed me down, but I dragged a stool over to the table where the dog was strapped down, panting and terrified. I slipped the mask on his furry nose and followed the instructions Jax gave me, petting the dog gently, and telling him he was going to be okay. I told him that Harris would make him all better and that he would be running again soon. A closer look told me what HBC meant. Hit by car. The poor dog had road rash all over his feet and side with a gash on his head. I bit back tears, refusing to be the overemotional one this time. I could cry over the poor dog later.
“Ready?” Harris appeared at my side, also wearing a vest, and I nodded, refusing to cry like I really wanted to. This big, beautiful dog was going to die and I would have to watch, but I was going to help first.
An x-ray later and we were back in the room. I stroked the sleeping dog’s head and watched the IV drip while he slept. Jax was dealing with a dog that had popped some sutures and Harris was talking to the people who hit the dog. I was left with a sleeping dog on a lot of pain meds.
“Looks like we get to do surgery. It’s a broken pelvis, but nothing I can’t fix. No internal bleeding, nothing but some broken bones and superficial abrasions. The pain has probably put him into shock.” Harris smiled weakly and ran his hand down the dog on the metal table. “When Jax is done, he can help me, can you help me keep him monitored?” Relief flooded me. I didn’t have to watch the big guy die.
“Of course. Whatever you need.” I nodded, not wanting to leave the dog’s side. Harris went over what to look for during surgery and what the process would be while I kept rhythmically petting the dog and trying to process every detail of his instructions for me. He went to scrub up and I was left with the dog again, glad he had gotten some relief with sedatives in an IV.
A blue paper sheet was draped over Duke the German Shepherd and every few minutes either Jax or Harris would ask how he was doing. I would tell them the dog’s gums were pink and his breathing was normal, and they would go on with the surgery. Something about a drill being used on bones made my stomach clench, but I was determined to stay focused on not puking or fainting. When Layla came in to check on things and get a report for the poor woman who hit Duke, she made a point to touch Harris and glare at me, but I only smiled and pet the dog. No fainting: check. No puking: check. No ugly jealous monster: yeah, right. I wanted to beat the girl’s ass, and had never in my life had a single violent thought.
Some undetermined amount of time later, we moved Duke to a cage, hooked up his IV, and Harris went to tell the people how the surgery went. I was sitting on the floor against the cage when Harris came back in and stopped in front of me. My head was leaned against the cold metal and my fingers were touching the soft pad of Duke’s foot, petting it softly, not realizing I fell asleep.
“We have a couch,” I pried my eyes open to see his hand held out for me. After he hauled me off the floor, I followed him to a small white room with a TV, a couch, and a white board. A small round table at the other end had a pizza box on it and a mini fridge next to it. “How are you holding up?” I was pulled back on the couch and Harris immediately curled me against him. I hesitantly rested a hand on his chest and he immediately picked it up to hold it in his. It was like I had fallen into a dream. Granted, there was nothing the least bit romantic about an after-hours vet clinic, but we were in a very intimate bubble at that moment. I had been against him before, but not like this. He played with my fingers, stroking each one individually while I listened to his heart in his chest. Even after surgery, Harris smelled divine, and I couldn’t get close enough.
“I’m fine, but I think my adrenaline is wearing off,” I had been pumped when Duke came in and during surgery, but with everything calm and quiet, I was crashing.
“It happens. We need something to do until the next call,” There was a hint of mischief in his voice that sent a thrill through me. No, we weren’t going to be fooling around here, but the fact that his tone implied it was exciting. I shoved my stupid insecurities down and tipped my head to see him.
“I’m open to suggestions,” I hoped I sounded half as seductive as he did, but figured I only sounded like a moron. I sucked at flirting.
“Oh, I have some suggestions,” Harris dropped my hand to tip my chin up further, “But we need something a little more public friendly.” Oh. My. God. My entire body went a little tense and I had to swallow. His striking green eyes were locked entirely on mine when he said it, leaving no doubt exactly what he was implying. Screw being a virgin, if he was going to look at me like that, I’d give it up right there on the couch, “Hangman.”
I blinked out of the drugged state he had me in, “Hangman?” Harris kissed my forehead lightly and slid out from under me. And there goes my high.
“Yeah, on the whiteboard,” Harris grabbed a green marker and drew a gallows to one side, then drew blanks for the puzzle on the other. I watched his back flex and pull while he wrote, not quite ready to let go of the breathlessness he had caused. Above the blanks, he wrote, ‘book’.
When he turned back, I was given that amazing boyish smile, “Okay, start guessing.” I loved Hangman.
“E,” His shoulders immediately slumped and he wrote a few ‘E’s on the board. “M?” I studied the puzzle, realizing my mistake immediately, and groaned. Harris donned a confident smirk, drew a head for our hanging man, and scrawled an M at the bottom. He may have thought he was clever, but I had solved the puzzle. The Wheel of Fortune master in me had to show off. I pushed off the couch, and snatched the marker from him, filling in the title, and handing it back. ‘Sense and Sensibility.’
“Damn,” Harris tried to sound disappointed, but he was smiling and moving closer to me. “Thanks for coming. I know this is a shitty excuse for a date, but I’m glad I get to see you. I couldn’t have waited much longer.” His arm circled my waist and I was pulled against him.
“This is fun, it’s different, but I’ll be tired in the morning,” Harris leaned close until we were breathing the same air and my pulse picked up.
“Take a nap, I’ll wake you up if I think something fun is about to happen,” His nose rubbed against mine and I bit back a whimper. It was almost painful how badly I wanted to kiss him. Something fun is already happening.
“Maybe I should,” I whispered, before pushing to my toes and kissing him. I gripped his bicep, and he held my waist, kissing me like he would never get the chance again only for Layla to come barreling in. I tried to jump back, but Harris held me tight against him and the heat took over my face. Getting caught by her was worse than if Jax had walked in.
“We have a call.” Layla looked between us and rolled her eyes. Harris gave me one more chaste kiss and took off behind her, leaving me and our game of Hangman alone. I erased the board, put my own puzzle up, and laid back on the couch. It was almost one in the morning and I had to work at nine, but I was glad I came, if nothing else, I felt like I helped with Duke.
I woke from my light sleep when the couch dipped and my legs were thrown over a warm lap. Harris sighed, slouching and rubbing his bearded chin. His eyes were closed so I just watched him. He had a slight bump in his nose, making his perfect face even sexier and more rugged. One hand worked under the leg of my pants to my shin and he rubbed down to my ankle and back, head thrown back and eyes closed.
“What time is it?” I hated to bother him when he looked so peaceful and so damn sexy, but he also looked tired.
His hand stopped on my leg and Harris cleared his throat, “It’s four-thirty.” Shit, I slept a long time. “We can leave in about thirty. I want to show you something first.” I sat up, stretching my back with my arms over my head while Harris watched intently. Once I was on my feet, he yawned and nodded at the board. ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’. I rolled my eyes and trailed after him to the room w
here Duke was still resting and through another door to find a kids’ plastic pool full of puppies.
“Oh my goodness!” Yeah, I was being that girl who squealed over puppies. I dropped down on my knees and let the black fluffy mama dog sniff my hand before stroking her head. She was tiny, maybe half the size of Ziggy, and all the black puppies were small enough to fit two in my hand at a time. “What happened?” Tears were springing up in my eyes. Always the crier.
“Mom was having some trouble getting the puppies out. We did a C-section and delivered six healthy puppies. They will go home in a few hours once we know everyone is good,” Mama dog licked my fingers, loving the attention.
“Pekingese?” I cocked my head from my place on the floor right in front of him so I could see him nod his head. “Well, they are adorable,” I reached for him to help me up and Harris pulled me to my feet, “You look exhausted.” Without thinking, I reached up, running my nails through his beard at his cheek. Harris’ bright green eyes dilated slightly and he gave me his sexy smile.
“I am exhausted, and I get to sleep all day and do it all again tomorrow,” He yawned and I dropped my hand to his shoulder. “It’s you I’m worried about, let’s get you to bed.” I gave mama dog one more scratch on her head and followed Harris out to where Rick was going over charts at the desk with Layla.
“Oz, what are you doing here?” Rick stepped around the desk, dark eyes narrowing at Harris then at me.
“Harris invited me,” I had never seen Rick look angry, ever. He was always smiling and friendly, “Our bowling date got postponed, so I tagged along.” Harris’ hand tightened around mine, and an uneasy pit formed in my stomach. What the hell is going on?
