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Seven a.m.? That meant no all-nighter with Jill, even if she forgave him. From her rigid pose in the examination room he found her in, the same one they’d been in the other night, that seemed like a dubious prospect.
She was cuddling the orange kitten she’d found while she stroked the black one with two fingers. That one was curled up in what looked like a small plastic egg, cradled by a soft blanket.
They were both pretty cute, he had to admit. And Jill frigging dazzled him, just standing there in her white lab coat with her hair wrapped up in a tight bun.
“You’re rocking the nurse look right now,” he said, realizing from her narrow-eyed look that he’d chosen unwisely when it came to conversation openers. Jesus, where was that famous quarterback charm when he needed it? “I mean, you seem very competent.”
“Uh-huh.”
“No, seriously. If my dog wasn’t a dog, I’d totally come to you for service. I mean help.” He shut his mouth, hoping she’d say something, but from the look she gave him—half frown, half giggle—she wasn’t about to do him any favors. He said, “So…do you give dogs shots?”
She shook her head, but now he had her attention.
“You have a dog?” she asked. “What’s his name?”
“Bingo. He’s staying with my agent while I’m in town. He’s kind of big, so that makes it hard to travel with him.” Sensing an opening, he edged closer. “He’s a five-year-old Fox Hound mix. Part Shepherd. A lot of Unknown. Smart and affectionate. Sometimes he gets a little rowdy, but if you hold out your hand and speak to him in a low voice, he’ll calm right down. Basically, all he wants is a gentle touch.”
She tucked the orange kitten beside the black one in the egg. “Oh really. Is that all?”
“Pretty much. Though I gotta say,” he said as he slid his hand up her arm, then went for broke and threaded his fingers through the base of her hair along her neck, “I don’t mind a rough one, either.”
“I’m at work, Bryan.”
“Mmm-hmm. I know. And looking at you in your professional gear is turning me on big time.” He leaned in and brushed a kiss along her temple, pleased when she didn’t pull away. “Yeah, gotta say that naughty nurse thing is really working for me, baby.”
She eased back and picked up her clipboard, making a few notes while he suffered in silent, cock-constricted agony. Then she shot him a glance under her lashes. “I may have bought something along those lines this afternoon. But you know, since you’ve developed that burgeoning career in porn, I think you need to dress up for me.”
It was usually him giving the demands, but he wasn’t about to dismiss her out of hand. Not with the prospect of hot sex on the table. And oh, it would be molten hot from that look in her baby blues. “Keep talking.”
She angled toward him and ran the cap of her pen down her throat, stopping just above the collar of her lab coat. “I’ll wear what I bought this afternoon if you’ll wear one of your football outfits.”
“What?” He had to laugh. “It’s not an outfit, it’s a uniform.”
“Potato, potahto.”
“I don’t have access to my gear here. Where am I supposed to get that at this time of night?” It was actually early evening, but still.
She jerked a shoulder and glanced down at her phone as it beeped. Dr. Pete probably desperately needed her to hold his scalpel. “I did my part. You handle yours,” she said, smiling as she moved past him. “Or you’ll be handling things alone.”
“Burn,” he said over his shoulder, shamelessly turning to watch her go.
One thing was clear. He might be jealous as hell over the fact that the vet was about fifty times more well-suited for Jill, but he couldn’t deny that being in her midst had helped get his mind off his problems.
Now he had a new one. Somehow he had to find a football uniform that fit him, stat.
…
She was stupid, insanely,
ridiculously dumb. Why else would she be buying naughty outfits to sleep with a man who clearly only wanted to be seen with her with her in public when no one could recognize them? He’d gone caveman in front of Dr. Pete, but she knew that was only because Pete never interacted with anyone they knew.
Well, that and because he’d scented another guy on the trail. She’d only made that dopey Dr. Pete reference in bed because she hadn’t wanted Bry to think she was angling for a wedding invite. Then Bryan had invited her all on his own. She should probably admit she’d never intended to take Dr. Pete in the first place, but it had been too much fun seeing her caveman get all possessive about her. It made her feel wanted. Cherished. Even if it reminded her that all too soon, her time with Bryan would run out.
Yeah, she had it bad. And she couldn’t have it bad, because he’d already mentioned he needed to leave early the next morning without telling her why. If he was already finding excuses to slip away despite knowing they only had a few dates planned before he left town, then that proved what she’d suspected all along. She would never be enough to satisfy all of Bryan’s needs.
Hearing his voice, she stopped at the back of the exam room. He was perched on a stool that barely seemed capable of containing his bulk, his arms full of squirming, squalling kittens. He’d turned on the small TV on the counter and had tuned it to what appeared to be one of those adorable cat shows on Animal Planet.
And he was talking to the kittens. Gah. She leaned against the wall, grateful to have the support.
