Dr. Rasmussen’s face pinched.
Emma turned to me and said, “Let’s go somewhere less crowded.”
I recovered quickly enough to back her up. “Sounds like heaven.” I opened her door, and she slid in. Shutting it gently behind her, I made eye contact with Dr. Rasmussen before turning away and ignoring him completely. As far as I was concerned, and thanks to Emma’s dismissal, he was nothing more to worry about than a fly on the wall.
As we drove away, I glanced in the rearview mirror to see steam rolling off Dr. Rasmussen’s head. He definitely had a thing for Emma, and I was in his crosshairs. Bullies were like that. But I wasn’t going to let him ruin my day.
Emma breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, I think our cover’s blown.”
“Is that okay with you?” I said, almost afraid to turn and meet her gaze.
“Heck yes!” Emma said playfully, hitting my arm. “Now I won’t have to fight all the nurses off of you, and I can stake my claim.” She leaned over and left a lingering kiss on my neck that made my body heat climb. Emma chuckled, the sound throaty and intimate. “What are our plans for tonight, then, that we had to so urgently leave for?” she asked.
“Dinner, my place,” I answered decisively. “Dr. Rasmussen has me feeling possessive, and I want to celebrate with you on my own.”
Emma gave her musical laugh. “Deal. Just let me go home and clean up, and I’ll meet you there.”
We pulled next to her car on the bottom floor of the parking garage. Emma hopped out and came around to the driver’s side, leaning in through my open window. I kissed her, nipping at her bottom lip. “Don’t be too long. I’m feeling selfish and want as much time with you as possible.”
Emma giggled. “Yes, Dr. Mitchell. That’s a prescription I can’t wait to fill.”
I watched her get into her car before I pulled away. I still had to stop at the grocery to pick up a few things for dinner, and I wanted to beat her to my apartment.
Despite the road bump that was Dr. Rasmussen, this was a fantastic day. It couldn’t get any better. I was flying on love, and nothing could bring me down.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Alex
Imade a plan as I drove. I had a head start on Emma, since she had to shower. I didn’t have a clue how long it took her to get ready, but I figured I had at least a half hour.
My apartment was always spotless, since the only person I had to clean up after was myself. But I started to sweat when I realized I had no clue what to make for dinner, let alone a romantic evening. I could do the basics on my own, but I would not call myself a chef by any means. I needed some help.
“Okay, Jennifer,” I spoke to my car. The assistant came in several voices, and I’d picked the first one listed. “Best places to eat in Chicago.”
“There are over nine thousand results. Would you like to narrow your search?”
Yeah. I didn’t have time for her to list 9000 restaurants. “Okay, Jennifer, healthy restaurants near me with a four-star rating.” I grinned, thinking of my reviews. Four stars, baby!
“Lula Café is just around the corner. They specialized in farm-to-table meals, with ingredients gathered from local farmers.”
“Jennifer, I could kiss you.”
“Would you like directions?”
I laughed. “Give me directions to Lula Café.”
A map popped up on my dash. I took the next right. Emma was from the country; maybe she’d like a farm-fresh salad. Shoot. I should have asked her what she wanted to eat. I didn’t want to call her and ask, because it would ruin the surprise.
But what if I got something she hated?
I pulled in front of the restaurant and pulled up their menu. They had something called the farm classic dinner,where they put the entire dinner together for you. They had a classic or a vegetarian version. I’d seen Emma eat meat before, so I knew she wasn’t a vegetarian. That answered my question for me. I dialed the phone number and ordered two farm classic dinners to go. They said they’d be ready in ten minutes. I killed time answering emails on my phone and walked in to pick up my order nine minutes later. By the time I paid, they had everything bagged up, and I walked out feeling much better about things.
I hurried home, cleaned myself up, set the table, and even remembered to put out two candles.Flowers and candles … I was impressed with myself. Not too bad for never having done this before. When I heard the doorbell ring, I ran over, unable to hold back my enthusiasm. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this excited.
When I opened the door, the sight in front of me took my breath away. Emma wore a turquoise-and-brown bohemian dress that made her green eyes pop. Her curls cascaded around her face. The left side was pinned behind her ear with one of the white daisies from the bouquet I’d given her earlier.
Desire pumped through my veins with the power of a fire truck pumping for all it was worth. The way she made my heart pound couldn’t be good for me, and yet I couldn’t get enough of her. My feelings must have been written across my face because she blushed furiously. Maybe my thoughts were PG, but they were all about her and how wonderful she was—and how much I wanted to make her mine in every way.
