“I went through the pictures I took and whittled down the shots of each animal, looking for the perfect poses,” he explained.“Then I started touching them up so they say, ‘Look how adorable I am.Take me home!’”
Not only had he captured the animals’ personalities in the images, but he had arranged them in tiles with captions beneath that spelled out the shelter’s name and number, along with an introduction from each animal.
“These are incredible!It’s as if they’re speaking in their own unique voices.”
“They are.It comes through in their eyes.”
She glanced at him to gauge his expression—was he joking?—but his gaze was riveted to the screen.He was dead serious, and the realization caused warmth to sprout inside her chest and spread its tendrils to her limbs.
She dropped her head on his crown, relishing the feel of his silky curls against her cheek.“Did you take pictures ofallthe animals?Even the bunnies?”
He tapped a key, and a different picture popped up.“I couldn’t bring myself to leave anyone out.What do you think?”
“I think they’re wonderful,” she gushed.“I thinkyou’rewonderful.”She covered her mouth, but it was too late.She might as well have blurted out that she loved him, and now she had once more exposed her soft underbelly for him to eviscerate.Panic began to spread through her veins, turning them cold.
He turned those Pacific-Ocean-blue eyes up to her, and the tenderness shining in them slowed her surging emotions.“I think you’re pretty wonderful too.”His fingers twined in her hair, and he pulled her head down to his and kissed her long and deep.Soon she was straddling his lap, and her worries had evaporated.This was uncharted territory with a different Sam, and she wasn’t sure whether she was sailing into a beautiful sunrise or a devastating gale that would rip her to pieces.
Chapter 19
Hourglass
Angie’sbodyheatwarmedSam’s lap as she straddled him.But it wasn’t only her very fine ass doing things to his body.Her blue eyes overflowing with something akin to admiration was doing things to his heart, and her soft words wrapped around the organ, binding it in silky threads.In that moment, it struck him how much he craved those words, that look in her eyes.
Her.
“I want to take you to dinner.”His declaration came out choked with more emotion than he cared to admit.
“When?”
“Tonight?There are some nice places we can walk to.”
She peeped at him.“Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Yeah, I guess I am.I’d like to take you someplace nice.You got a problem with that?”
The frown on her face told him shedidhave a problem with that, which bewildered him.“I thought we talked about this already.What if someone sees us?”
He smoothed over a jab of irritation.“What if?Just because we’re sharing a meal at a restaurant doesn’t mean we’ve got something going on.I go to dinner with people from my team, including coaches, trainers, equipment guys.Doesn’t mean I’m sleeping with them.And you probably go out with co-workers.”His protest was met by her deepening glower.“You’re my therapist,” he rattled on, “and I’m your patient.Why can’t we be seen eating together?”
“And there’s the big flaw in your reasoning.I’m your therapist, and you’re my patient.Totally different relationship from the ones you use as examples, and one that should never be crossed.”
“Except we’ve already crossed it.Like four times.”He leaned down and took her mouth in a scorching kiss, gratified when she writhed and made those little throaty noises that drove him nuts.“About to be five times,” he rasped.
When he drew back, she was breathless, her lids at half mast, her fingers digging into his scalp as if she needed to anchor herself.He couldn’t hold back a smug smile.He loved that he could kiss uptight, rule-following Angie into moaning, supple-bodied Angie.
She executed a little headshake, as if trying to get back the senses he’d stolen from her.“Sam, we shouldn’t.We can’t.Getting caught might not affect you, but I could lose my job.”
True, which made him a selfish asshole.Did it, though?
He let out a defeated sight.“Okay.So no eating out tonight.And unless we drive somewhere beyond Denver city limits, no eating out at all.”An errant thought bypassed his restraint filter.“Maybe you should find a job at a different clinic.”
Shit!Did I really just say that?
She bolted upright.
Yep, I did.
“I can’t believe you just said that!You know how important this opportunity is to me.”She seemed to realize her bare ass still rested on his thighs because she scrambled and stood upright.
