It couldn't be.
Could it?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Palisade
Monday morning at the clinic felt like walking through a minefield.
I avoided Easton for most of the morning, burying myself in patient files and back-to-back appointments. But I knew I couldn't dodge him forever in a clinic this small.
"Dr. Honors?" Aimee, my vet tech, stood in the doorway, her smile reflecting the bright fluorescent lights of the exam room where I was reviewing lab results. "We're running low on prednisone. I checked the main cabinet, but I think we might have more in the back supply closet."
"I'll go see what we have." I grabbed my tablet and headed down the hallway, grateful for the mundane task that would keep me occupied for a few more minutes.
The supply closet was tucked in the back of the clinic. It was more of a small room than a closet, with floor-to-ceiling shelving and barely enough space for two people to stand. I was reaching for the medication on the top shelf when I heard footsteps behind me.
"Need help?"
Easton's voice made me jump, my hand slipping. The bottle tumbled off the shelf, which he caught with reflexes that shouldn't have surprised me.
Hockey player reflexes.
Dom reflexes.
I shoved the thought away. "Thanks. I had it."
"Clearly." He set the bottle on the lower shelf, not leaving. The small space felt even smaller with his presence filling it. "We should probably talk."
"About what?" I kept my back to him, pretending to search for something else on the shelf.
"About the fact that you've been avoiding me all morning." He stepped closer, and I caught that scent.
The same cologne that had surrounded me Saturday night when Master E had leaned over me and asked if I was ready.
My stomach dropped.
No. Coincidence. Lots of men wore similar cologne.
"I'm not avoiding you," I lied, finally turning to face him. "I've just been busy."
As his gaze met mine, I saw a familiar exhaustion etched in his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept either. "Sadie—"
"We should get back to work." I moved to step around him, but the space was too narrow. My shoulder brushed his chest, and he steadied me with a hand on my elbow.
"You're trembling," he said softly.
The words hit me like a physical blow.
"You're trembling. Nervous or excited?"
Master E had said those exact words in the same gentle tone beneath the command.
My eyes snapped to his face, heart hammering. It couldn't be. It was impossible.
But Easton was staring at me with an expression that made my blood run cold. His gaze had dropped to the wrist he was holding, and I realized I'd been absently rubbing the other one. The skin was faintly pink from where I'd worried at it all morning, a nervous habit I'd developed since Saturday night.
Since the silk restraints.
