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“See, that one’s a bit snooty,” he said. “She keeps swishing her tail and looking back over her shoulder. She’s trying to make him work for it. Granted, I get why he’s pursuing her. She’s a knockout. You can tell she’s got more going on than just fluffy fur.” He lowered his head and kissed their heads, and Jill’s fluttering heart surged right out of her chest. “Let that be a lesson to you boys. A dame will run you ragged if you let them. But damn, it sure is worth it for the right one.”
For a second, her pulse ground to a stop. God, if only she could be his right woman. What would be it be like to have him look at her with more than passion in his eyes? To know he wasn’t just jealous of other men because she was a girl he’d slept with, but because she mattered on a level he couldn’t deny? Even imagining that ever being true was pure lunacy. He was going back to his team in a matter of days. Then they would be over. End of story.
“I’m telling you boys—” he said.
She cleared her throat. “Girls,” she said loudly, waiting for the pervasive warm fuzzies he’d caused to fade. He could be sweet even when he wasn’t trying to be. Especially when he wasn’t trying. “Don’t forget Bert and Ernie are females.”
“When did you name them that?”
“The other day. It seemed to fit. The orange one reminded me of Ernie. Chubby little face and all.”
“Huh. Okay. Sorry, ladies. Same advice applies about men, then.” He swiveled to face her, and if she wasn’t mistaken, his cheeks were tinged pink. “So, ah, you heard me?”
“I did.” She walked forward to press kisses on each of the kittens’ heads before meeting his gaze. “You should be glad, since that little speech has ensured you’re so getting laid tonight.”
He pulled his stool that much closer and she stifled a laugh. “That so?”
“Oh, it’s so.” She gave him a quick, glancing kiss and raised an eyebrow at his groan. “That is, if you found the outfit.”
“Uniform. Outfit sounds like you expect me to don my French Maid dress and whip out my feather duster.”
“It is a pretty impressive one.” Tongue firmly in cheek, she shot him a grin and moved around the room, completing the minor tasks she needed to finish before punching out.
“You’re not the first to say so.”
She tried not to bristle. Who was she fooling? Was this how it would always be like with him? Moments of sexy sweetness interspersed with reminders that he’d had flocks of women? His experience was awesome in the bedroom, and not so awesome when it made her feel inadequate when compared to someone so…well, larger than life. And not even referring to his feather duster.
Bryan’s world was so huge. He traveled all over, knew so many famous, well-heeled people. He had money and connections and experiences she never would. As much as she wanted adventures, she was a hometown girl. She might long for different scenery now and then, but she loved Haven. He didn’t. That would always put them at odds.
Smart money said she should squeeze every drop of juice out of their hookup, because it wasn’t ever going to be anything else, and she didn’t want to regret any step she hadn’t taken. Or any chance to push the boundaries with him physically.
Like tonight.
She removed her lab coat and hung it on a peg behind the door. “You ready?” she asked, glancing back to find him tucking the blanket around the kittens in the warming bed. Her ovaries instantly wept for their lost solidarity against him.
She just wasn’t that strong. It was going to hurt like hell when her life went back to normal, post-Bryan.
“Yeah,” he said. “I gotta make a stop though.” He tapped the warmer and turned toward her, cocky smile in place. “If you’re serious about that whole football uniform thing.”
“Oh hell, yeah. I want to see you in the outfit.”
Sighing, he patted her butt. “Jilly Bean, you try my patience.”
“Ditto, stud.”
She stopped by the desk and signed out as she always did, then waved at Pete. He’d stopped to get a drink at the fountain, but he didn’t seem in any hurry to get back to the other examination room.
“You two headed out?”
“Yes, we are. Have a good night,” she called, noticing Bryan’s so-not-subtle attempt to get closer to her side. Did he think she wasn’t aware of what he was doing? He just wanted to plant his flag before he uprooted it and left a big ol’ hole in her dirt.
“You, too. Bryan, my man, I hope to see you again.”
My man? What the heck?
“Sure thing. Take it easy, bro.”
Once they’d cleared the doors, she said, “What the hell was that about?”
