She didn’t mean to, but her eyes followed the cut of his light blue dress shirt at his trim waist and the way he filled in his charcoal slacks. She forced her gaze back to his. “No. You shouldn’t be talking to me. You’re withMarcelle.”She spoke the name with acid, and inside she cringed at how juvenile she sounded.
What the hell is the matter with me?
“No, I’m not. We broke up two weeks ago.”
Her mouth fell open in shock, and words tumbled out. “Because you kissed me?”
One side of Lee’s mouth turned up in a smile, and his dark blue eyes glinted. He was laughing at her yet again. “No… because we were wrong for each other, and Victor helped us see that.” Then he cleared his throat and smiled wider. “And, for the record, you kissed me back.”
Wren’s eyes narrowed and she started walking again. “Your two minutes are up.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
HE CUT INfront of her a second time, and though he wanted to, Lee didn’t touch her.
“In what universe? That was like twelve seconds." He walked backward to stay ahead of her, hoping he wouldn’t trip and fall on his ass. “I still have at least a minute and a half.”
Wren stopped and glared. She seemed angry, but the flutter in his gut told him it wasn’t really anger. She was on guard, and it was his fault. But before she’d seen him, Wren had clung to the tree branch wearing a look of torture. What the hell was wrong? And why was her Mustang parked outside the drug treatment center?
He’d noticed the unmistakable turquoise classic parked in front of ARC, and he’d slowed down on his way to lunch. He was meeting Dr. Garrett Spokes and Dr. Jem Yeng at Don’s Seafood & Steakhouse. They were going to discuss the position he’d take at the hospital after his residency ended in just three short weeks. It wasn’t the sort of meeting one could miss. But as soon as Lee saw Wren under the oaks at the courthouse, he knew the Chief of Medicine and the Chief of Obstetrics would have to wait.
“Go on, then,” Wren said, still glaring. She may have been on guard, but Lee knew he might not get this chance again, and he didn’t have time to waste.
“You’ve been on my mind,” he said, uttering the understatement of the century. Even before he and Marcelle had ended things, she’d been in the shadows of every thought. And after the breakup, trying to keep her image at bay had been pointless. No matter how much he fought it, she was there. “I don’t think two minutes is really enough. Can I call you?”
He watched her face change, like maybe her guard had slipped for a second — but just a second — before she secured it back in place. It was a ray of hope, and Lee smiled again. And then his smile triggered that same scowl, and he wanted to kiss her so bad it hurt.
“I don’t think so.” Wren said the words with force, but she didn’t try to push past him again.
“Why not? There’s something between us.” He dared to take a step closer, almost certain that if he pulled her into his arms, she’d yield. And he really wanted to pull her into his arms. “Are you saying you don’t feel it?”
Her chin tilted up in defiance. “All I feel are warnings.” And this time, she did push past him. He chased after her, feeling about eighteen years old.
“Wait, beautiful Wren, I still have one minute.” He wasn’t sure she’d stop, but she did. Still, she eyed him with caution.
“Well, if you think I’m going to let you call me, we might as well cut this short.”
Lee changed course. “But you haven’t even asked about Victor.”
There it was. The crack in her armor. A hint of a softening beneath her scowl.
“Alright. How’s Victor?”
Lee felt his smile break open. “Victor’s great. I’ve taught him how to sit and come, but we’re still working on stay.”
Her left brow, which today sported a sexy little barbell, arched with sass. “Doyouknow how to stay?”
Everything in her look referenced the kiss he took from her, the one that violated his bond with Marcelle. She thought he couldn’t stay… that he wouldn’t stay with her.
“Oh, I can stay,” he vowed, the solemn promise deep in his voice.
“Good,” she said, her own smile breaking through now. She held up her hand. “Stay.”
And then she turned and headed for her car.
Despite every urge in his body, Lee did not let himself move. “I’m staying, Wren,” he said, hoping she’d turn and come back to him. “This is me staying.”
She kept walking, her long gray skirt hugging the curve of her hips and only hinting at the shape of her lovely legs. He watched Wren look both ways — and he looked, too — before she stepped into the crosswalk.
