Dammit. She should refrain from doing anything remotely sexy around me. Wasn’t she aware that I was a predatory beast?
“I thought I’d check on Indiana.”
Obviously wary of me, she pulled back as much as the confines of the cage would allow, but her gaze was concentrated to the cup in my hand. “Is that coffee?”
Her eagerness was surprising. “Yes, the best in the city.”
“Ha. I seriously doubt that.” Even after what she’d said and the disdain still firmly imbedded in her voice, she took the cup from me, trying and failing to keep our fingers from colliding. When they did, the same somewhat crazy jolt of electricity drifted from one to the other. This time she refused to react to our chemistry, grasping the cup instead.
Her eyes closed again as she brought the cup to her lips. The way she reacted when she took a sip was as if I’d brought her the finest bottle of champagne. “Mmmm…”
“I told you. The best in the city.”
She didn’t answer me at first, taking time to enjoy the coffee. When she finally held out the cup, noticing the Indulgence logo, her nose and brow wrinkled this time. Not in a good way. “Overpriced for what you get, but beggars can’t be choosers.”
“Why overpriced?”
“Because the beans come from Mexico instead of Brazil. They aren’t nearly as good.”
I’d never had a single person criticize our beans and where they’d come from. I wanted to argue with the woman, but what was the point? “I’ll keep that in mind. How is Indiana?”
She finally seemed to remember why some stranger had found himself on a cold concrete floor next to her. “He had a good night.”
“The prognosis?”
“No internal injuries or broken bones. We were lucky. Just bumps and bruises. His blood test was a little off, so they decided to keep him overnight and give him some saline. He was a little dehydrated.” She sounded relieved.
I definitely was.
“That’s good to hear. Have you been here all night?”
She nodded. “That’s where I was supposed to be. He was scared. I couldn’t leave him all alone.”
“Very admirable.”
“Just being a mommy dog.” I leaned back, uncertain what to say to her. She laughed softly. “Was this your coffee?”
“It was, but I don’t mind if you drink it.”
Every time she eyed me warily, I could tell she was trying to figure out who I was and why the hell I’d bothered to act as if I cared.
I continued to ask myself the same question.
“Ms. Samuels?” An older man approached, eyeing me even more warily than she’d just done. At least I had her last name.
She bristled immediately. “Yes?” The anguish in her voice returned.
“The second tests came back. Indiana Jones is just fine. You can take him home. If you’ll just wait in the reception area, we’ll unhook the IV and get his paperwork ready so you can go.”
“Thank you, Dr. Carter. I appreciate everything you’ve done.”
“Of course.” He offered me another contemptuous look before backing away. It would seem my reputation had preceded me.
She shoved the cup into my hand and curled around toward Indiana. “You’re getting out of here, buddy. I’m going to call Tilly and she’ll come pick us up.”
He whined, his tail thumping harder, even trying to claw his way through the bars to get to her. That was true love. That much I did remember.
“That’s nonsense. I’m here. Why don’t I take you both home?”
