“How long have you been waiting for me?” I asked.
Declan nonchalantly stepped closer to me. “Not long, just a few minutes. What have you been doing this morning?”
This was the perfect time to test him, especially since I had just been asked out by another man.
“Well,” I began, “I met my mother and her friends for coffee, but then I got an emergency call on the office line. A patient had tooth pain and asked if I could see him.”
Declan tilted his head to the side, his expression curious. “Did you go by yourself?”
I shook my head. “My mother came with me for moral support. She’s not the best assistant in the world.”
That made him laugh. “Doessheknow that?”
“Oh yeah,” I replied humorously. “That’s why I said she came for moral support. There’s no way she could assist me with a procedure. I would rather do it all by myself.”
“What did you end up having to do? Pull a tooth?”
“Not a thing,” I said, nodding toward the porch. “I couldn’t find anything wrong with the guy’s tooth.”
The sun was beaming on us, and I wanted to get in the shade. I could already feel the sweat dripping down my back. I walked up the porch stairs and sat down on the swing while Declan stayed standing and leaned against the beam again, looking sexy as hell.
“So, I’m assuming you just send the people on their way in that kind of situation? Do you ever prescribe pain meds?”
I shrugged. “Sometimes, but only in severe cases. This guy had perfect teeth, though.”
“Did you not know him? I thought all your patients were locals?”
“For the most part, they are,” I answered, “but this guy was passing through town and thought he’d broken a tooth on a popcorn kernel.”
Declan nodded. “I never thought about people passing through. At least you get to see new people instead of the same ones over and over.”
I couldn’t stop my smile from growing. “Exactly.”
His gaze narrowed at me. “Why are you smiling like that?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said, staring mischievously at him. “I guess it’s good that I meet newpeople every now and again. Because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t get asked out on dates.”
Declan’s eyes widened. “Did that guy seriously come in for a dental visit and then ask you out on a date?”
“He did,” I admitted, loving the shocked look on his face. A spark of jealousy flashed in his eyes, which excited me even more, but he wasn’t angry in the least. He seemed almost amused.
He crossed his arms over his chest, studying me. “And what did you say?”
I let the moment build, leaving him in suspense until I couldn’t keep it in any longer, then burst out laughing. “I turned him down, Declan.”
The edge of his lips pulled up in a sly smirk. “Oh yeah, why is that?”
I stood and walked over to him, our bodies close together. The electric current could be felt even without touching him.
“I turned him down because I’m already interested in someone,” I explained.
Declan’s arms slid around my waist. “That wouldn’t happen to be me, would it?”
“It is.” I wrapped my hands around his arms and stared up at him.
He looked down at my lips, then met my eyes. “I like you, too, Ayla. It’s why I’m here this morning. I wanted to see if you’d let me take you out to make up for last night. And I don’t mean you cooking for me. It’s up to me to make things right.”
I liked the sound of that.
