Page 4 of Ignite My Heart

Finally, he sets me down, and my mismatched shoes land on the grass.

When he straightens, he’s got a big, practiced grin on his face. He nods as if everything is settled.

“What in the actual hell is this?” I snap. He clearly doesn’t recognize me, which pisses me right off.

“Nothing to worry about. Your company was participating in a training exercise for the local first responders. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Cooperation? He’s clearly delusional. Surely, he can see I’m as mad as a hornet, not to be clichéd about the whole ordeal.

He steps closer, so I take a step back. My ass presses into the bark of the tree. He braces one arm against the tree beside my head and smiles.

Then he kisses me.

My mind spins out, and my head empties of coherent thought. That must be why I’m kissing him back. There’s no other explanation for my lunacy.

Despite the impossible softness of his lips, the kiss is firm, open-mouthed, and sensual, even though he’s not jamming his tongue down my throat,

I push him away.

Then I knee him in the balls.

He doubles over and falls to the ground. His “oofff” of pain is followed by a deep chuckle, and he looks up at me with his stupidly vivid blue eyes. “Welcome home, Felicity.”

chapter three

GARRETT

I pull myself up onto the exam table and wait for the doctor.

Fuck, my balls hurt.

But damn, if I’m not still grinning like a fool. I finally kissed Felicity. She might have kneed me in the nuts, but she kissed me back first. I’m counting that as a win. However, today didn’t go exactly how I wanted it to. She didn’t throw her arms around me and declare how much she missed me.

The door opens, and Doc West steps inside. “Who do we have… oh, for fuck’s sake, Garrett.” He rolls his eyes and shuts the door behind him.

Graham West is my dad’s best friend. He’s been this age—however old he is—my entire life. Gray strands thread through the brown hair at his temples. Same with his tightly trimmed beard. It gives him a distinguished look—until you get a peek at the tattoo sleeve on his left arm. Then you realize that while he may be a gentle giant, he’s a badass too.

He leans his shoulder against the wall and stares at me.

“I know you told me not to come here anymore, but the truth is, I don’t get sick and haven’t needed to find a new doctor yet. And, well, you’ve been my doc my whole life,” I say sheepishly.

“I’m a pediatrician, Garrett. We’ve discussed this. More than once.” He closes his eyes and shakes his head. “Well, you’re here now. What’s going on?”

“Uh, I got kneed in the balls.”

His brow arches, and I swear he’s hiding a smile. “I take it you deserved it?”

“Probably. But it still hurts like a motherfucker.”

“I imagine so.” He opens the door and pops his head out. “Carol, bring a cold bunny bag to room three, please.” Then he closes it and sits on the rolling stool. “Want to tell me about it?”

I open my mouth to answer, but his nurse, Carol, enters. She hands him the cold bunny bag and promptly leaves. Jeez, I hope it’s not an actual bunny. Doc West tosses it at me and looks meaningful at my crotch.

I place the bunny bag—which is essentially a crazy-cold bean bag stuffy—on my sore junk.

“You were going to explain how that happened,” Doc West prods.

I blow out a breath. “I kissed a woman without permission. Which I know is dumb.”