Putting a hand to her stomach, she took a moment to center herself before running a hand down her pale pink scrubs and heading toward the front door. She pasted a smile on her face when she pulled open the door. “Morning. I’m almost ready.”
His gaze traveled over her from head to toe, and she resisted the urge to fidget beneath his perusal. Her scrubs were the farthest thing from sexy, but with the way Isaac was looking at her, she felt like she’d answered the door in her sexiest lingerie.
Finally his eyes met her, and a slow smile spread across his face, making him look younger. She had noidea how old he was, but suspected he was in his late forties. He had that sexy silver fox edge to him, and after the kiss they’d shared the night before, the attraction she’d felt toward him when he had long hair and a scruffy beard intensified.
“Morning,” he murmured as he crossed the threshold, causing her to step back. Held under the spell of him looking her over, she hadn’t realized she was still standing with the door open for all the other residents in the building to see.
She closed the door quietly, aware of the sudden tension that filled the room. Her skin prickled in awareness, and the wish that he would kiss her, almost had her blurting the words out.
As if he could read her mind, Isaac closed the small gap between them and cupped her cheek. “Morning again, Doc.”
Any opportunity to respond was stifled as his lips gently pressed against hers. Her hand landed on his chest, the same place it had been the night before, and she leaned into the kiss wanting him to deepen it. Disappointment filled her when he pulled away. This kiss ended far too quickly for her liking.
“If I kissed you for much longer you wouldn’t get to work,” he said, resting his forehead against hers.
Desire shivered through her, and she clutched hisshirt a little tighter, the implication in his words not hard to miss. “I like that idea,” she responded and patted his chest before stepping back. “And if I had been at the hospital for years instead of not even one day, I might consider calling in sick, but…” She shrugged, her hands raised up with the palms facing the ceiling.
“You haven’t, and so you need to go to work.” Isaac finished for her.
“Yep.” She popped the P and, as much as she didn’t want to, she stepped away from Isaac and finished checking the contents of her bag to make sure she had everything. Satisfied she did, she slung it over her shoulder. “Let’s go,” she announced, pausing after taking one step. “Why are you in the same clothes that you had on yesterday?”
She hadn’t noticed what he was wearing when she opened the door to him. When he’d kissed her she tasted a hint of fresh mint, as if he’d just cleaned his teeth. But if he was in the same clothes, how could have minty fresh breath?
The questions swirled around her mind, and he still hadn’t answered her first one. “Isaac, why are you in yesterday’s clothes?” she asked again, as a thought entered her mind.
He hadn’t?
He wouldn’t, would he?
“What did you do last night?” she demanded. “Did you go home?”
“Are you going to let me answer any of these questions, or are you going to keep throwing them at me?” There wasn’t any anger in his voice, if anything, there was amusement which annoyed her even more.
“This isn’t funny. Just answer the damn questions!” If he tried to placate her like she was a riled-up kitten, he was going to find out that she had claws and wasn’t afraid to use them.
“I’m in my clothes because, no, I didn’t go home last night, I stayed in my car and watched your building.”
Marie blew out a breath, all the fight leaving her. Upon looking at him closer she could see the faint rings of fatigue under his eyes. The lines bracketing his mouth were a bit deeper, but his brown eyes were bright and, apart from the crumpled clothes, he looked as handsome as ever. “I suppose there’s no point in me telling you it was unnecessary, is there?”
“None at all. I wanted to do it.” His hand cupped her cheek, and she turned her face and kissed his palm.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He took a step back taking the warmth from his hand with him. “Are you ready? Traffic is likely to be a bitch, even at this early hour.”
“I’m ready.” She hitched her bag a little higherand followed him to the door, admiring the way his pants fit around his ass. He really was an attractive man, and she couldn’t believe that he wanted to be with her. Her ex had constantly belittled her. Commenting how frumpy she looked in scrubs. How her hair was always messy. And she always looked haggard. Not once had her ex ever looked her over the way Isaac had when she’d been wearing her scrubs. He hadn’t even given her admiring glances when she’d been dressed to the nines for whatever event he wanted them to attend.
“Marie? You good?”
Isaac’s voice pulled her from thoughts of her ex, and she was annoyed at herself for allowing her thoughts to drift to a man who didn’t mean anything to her anymore. Who was inconsequential in her life. “Never better,” she said, smiling with the hope it didn’t look as fake as it felt. Even after all this time, her ex’s barbs had a way of denting her self-confidence, even when she’d worked so hard to forget everything he’d ever said to her.
Strong arms closed around her, and she found herself locked into a tight hug from Isaac. Her arms automatically went around him, returning the embrace, sighing at the rightness of it all. After one last squeeze, Isaac released her, but he kept hold of one of her hands, linking theirfingers together.
“Thanks, I needed that,” she said as they headed out of her apartment.
“Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”
Marie didn’t doubt Isaac’s words. She’d somehow got herself an alpha protector and she didn’t mind one little bit.
