In that moment, I hated them and the ridiculously beautiful way they looked together. I bit my lip hard to keep from saying something snarky. Gabe looked shocked by the way his ex reached out to him, because the hand holding Buddy’s leash – the one I picked out – went slack and Buddy made a run straight for me.
Fuck! I had hoped Gabe wouldn’t discover me, but that must’ve been just too damn much to hope for. Buddy stopped when he reached me and put a paw on my knee as if to introduce himself. I couldn’t help but smile at his soulful brown eyes and big doggy grin. No wonder Gabe was crazy about him.
“Hi there, Buddy,” I focused on him as I gave his ears a good scratching. The dog closed his eyes and a blissful expression crossed his face. Too bad it wasn’t enough to calm my anxiety when I saw his human break off his conversation with Doctor Fuck Me and head my way.
“I didn’t expect to see you here tonight. You’re not following me, are you?” His attempt at humor might’ve worked on someone else, but I wasn’t in the mood. I was feeling pretty bitchy at witnessing him getting groped by his ex-boyfriend – the one he had shared a home with.
“Hardly,” I said harshly. “Chaz’s cat is sick and he was too upset to drive.”
Gabe squatted down, looking into the cat carrier as he grabbed Buddy’s leash. “That’s a cat?”
“Yes, a hairless one,” Chaz said when he returned from completing the paperwork.
“Chaz, come on and follow me back to exam room two,” Doctor Smooth Talker said. “Let’s see what’s going on with Harry.”
I swore I could see an excited shiver work its way through Chaz as he picked up the carrier and followed the vet. I could barely refrain from rolling my eyes. Okay, so Kyle Vaughan was a sexy beast, but a person should at least aim for a bit of self-control. I mean, he wasn’t as good looking to me since he became the enemy.Wait? What, and since when?
Once we were the only two people in the waiting room, Gabe just had to open his mouth and make me angrier. “You don’t have to be jealous,” he said softly. He started to walk backwards, which was a good thing because I could feel my temper begin to boil. Especially when he said, “It’s not what it looked like so there’s no need for you to be upset or angry.”
I sat stunned for a whopping ten seconds, which was enough for him to exit the building. I don’t know why I didn’t leave it alone, but I just couldn’t. I was up and following him out the door. I heard his remote start fire up on his Charger and stood there as he put Buddy inside the warm car before he stood and faced me.
“I’m not jealous of you and Kyle,” I told him. “I can’t imagine why you’d think that.”
“You wouldn’t look me in the eye and you had your teeth clenched so damn hard I was afraid you’d snap off a tooth.” He let out a frustrated breath and added, “It was probably exactly how I looked today when I learned you had an overnight guest Friday night.”
“Listen, Detective Ego,” I said marching toward him. “I’m not a bit jealous of you. Someday I might meet the man who makes me lose my mind and makes me want to fight some other guy to the finish to have him. Today is not that day, and you are definitely not that man.” I was pretty proud of my little speech until Gabe narrowed his eyes as if I had just tossed down a challenge.
He grabbed two fistfuls of my coat and hauled me to him. He lowered his head until his mouth hovered just above mine and said, “Bullshit.” It was my only warning before his lips were pressed against mine and his eager tongue sought entrance into my mouth.
It was the surprise that had me parting my lips for him, not want. I did not want him and all the trouble he would bring. Yet, the nip I gave his tongue was more of a playful one than a warning. The growl emanating from his throat was a warning, but not one I heeded. I clutched to his strong biceps as he ravaged my mouth. I went from semi hard to capable of drilling concrete in seconds. I hated that I wanted him so much, but there was no point in lying to myself any longer. I just didn’t know what I was willing to do about it.
In that moment, I was willing to rub my tongue against his before I sucked it into my mouth. I admitted to myself that I’d rather be sucking his cock, but I wasn’t willing to jump back into bed with him. He was bad for me; I knew it with every fiber in my being. He would hurt me, probably worse than the others and then where would I be? I’d worked too hard to build a protective shield to keep guys like him away.
Gabe broke the kiss to get some air. I stood staring at him as our puffs or breath were visible in the cold night air. “Come to my house tonight after you drop off Chaz.” It was more of a plea than a demand, which I appreciated, even though it didn’t change anything.
I was tempted, good God was I tempted. “I can’t.” That was the only answer I was willing to give him and I hoped he didn’t ask for more.
“Aren’t you at least a little tired of ignoring this thing,” he gestured with his hand between us, “we have going on? You want me and I want you; so why the resistance?” Gabe turned his back on me and ran both hands angrily through his hair when I refused to answer him. “Look, I’ve apologized to you for my behavior that first night we met. I’ve gone out of my way to try and bridge this chasm between us, because I can’t get you out of my mind, Josh. The reasons for it are unknown to me. You obviously want to pretend you don’t want me, or something in your past is preventing you from taking a leap here. I can’t fight what I don’t know, so I’m just going to step back and let you decide what you want.”
God, I wanted to be able to trust him. It was pathetic how much I wanted to believe him, but I just couldn’t. I knew when he saw my decision in my eyes. He shook his head, more in resignation than disgust, and then walked around to the driver’s door of his car.
“Josh, I won’t bother you again. If you change your mind just knock on my door. I won’t need an explanation from you or a confession. I’ll just open the door and let you in – no questions asked.” He got in his car and drove away.
I tried to convince myself it was the sting of the wind that had my eyes tearing up, but I knew better. I returned to the waiting room and took a seat, feeling the eyes of the receptionist, Alyssa, on me the entire time. She had a front row seat to the kiss Detective Luscious Lips gave me through the big picture window. She was one of the biggest gossips in town, and by noon the next day, everyone would know that I had been locked at the lips with Gabe.
Of course, she’d probably hurt herself getting to Dr. Vaughn as soon as Chaz and I left. I ignored her intense focus on me and chose to read a magazine about cats instead. None of the cats featured were nearly as pretty as my Diva and I took great pleasure in acknowledging it. Still, there was a lot of helpful information and it helped me pass the time until Chaz and Harry returned, which seemed to take longer than it should. Chaz came out to the waiting room with flushed cheeks and glassy eyes. Hell, it looked like he’d just been kissed within an inch of death or gotten high.
“What’s wrong with Harry?” I asked.
“Huh?” Chaz sat the carrier down then put on his coat.
“Harry,” I said, pointing to the carrier. “I seem to remember a frantic call about how he was dying. What’s wrong with him?”
“Urinary tract infection,” Chaz said, finally shaking off his daze. “He has some medicine to take and will be right as rain in no time.”
I rose from my seat as Chaz picked up the cat carrier. I looked over at the reception desk and sure enough, that damned Alyssa was already bending the good doctor’s ear. I saw his eyes widen slightly before he turned his light blue gaze on me. I couldn’t help but stiffen as I waited for a look of incredulousness to cross his features. Instead, he sent a warm smile my way.
What the fuck was that about?”
