Page 3

“You did, but how?” she asked.

Cypher smirked. “I’m into intelligence and I don’t reveal my sources.”

Something about that smirk called to her. Well, maybe it wasn’t just the smirk, maybe it was the whole package. She wasn’t looking for anything serious, but she doubted he was either. And what better for a walk on the wild side than a tough biker who looked like he’d seen his share of it? She could be sure he wouldn’t follow her around like a puppy dog later, begging for scraps of her attention. She got the feeling Cypher didn’t beg for anything.

No, he was the kind to demand what he wanted. And get it.

He scanned the room again, then his eyes cut back to her. “Doctor. Two months. You’re Lacey’s therapist.”

Lauren didn’t say anything but dipped her head once. Tension drained. Most likely wouldn’t have noticed it, but she was trained to watch for little tells. Being able to read body language was a skill that helped her with her work every day, and a couple of times, it had saved her ass when she spotted trouble before it started and was able to get herself or someone else out of danger. And for some reason, knowing who she was and who had invited her, set him at ease, or at least more at ease.

“You’ve done a world of good for that girl,” he said.

She glanced over to find him watching the head table where Lacey looked to be talking a mile a minute to her sister. She had to smile as she watched the two of them and remembered the way the girl had sat silent for most of their first appointment.

Things had changed. Lacey spoke more and even let it be Joker who spent the meetings in the waiting room. Lauren’s heart ached for the girl. She’d been through some tough things, but as rough as she’d had it, Lacey had been lucky. She’d been found, quickly. Before anything more than her being slapped around a little had happened. And these men were the reason for that. She sipped the drink Cypher had brought her.

Not the slapping around part, the part where she was found quickly. They had moved fast. They’d figured out who took her and launched a rescue mission. Lauren didn’t want to think about how much worse it could have been. She knew. She’d had patients who had been through much worse than Lacey. Those were the ones that were the hardest. They needed the most help and were why she’d wanted to do this to begin with.

But the ones like Lacey? The ones who had support and help and people who just wanted to be there for her, those were the ones that kept her from getting too jaded and giving up.

Another sip of her new drink had her watching the man who’d brought it to her rather than her patient. He intrigued her, but her father would never approve. Dad would tell her she could do better than a dirty biker. But she let her gaze play down what she could see of Cypher and noted he was clean, his beard neatly trimmed and his hair combed and French braided along the back of his head. She couldn’t help but wonder if he’d done it himself or if he had a wife who braided it for him. A glance at his hand revealed no ring, but that didn’t surprise her. A lot of men who worked with their hands didn’t wear rings. They were a hazard.

Looking at his hands, she wondered what they would feel like against her skin. Would he be a considerate lover or would he take what he needed and leave her wanting?

She glanced at his face and realized he was watching her. Her face heated and she took another sip of her drink as she looked away and tried to push the thoughts that sent heat pooling low in her belly out of her mind. The man was way too attractive to be single, and she refused to be the other woman. Ever.

Chapter Three

Cypher sat and talked to Lauren for a couple of hours. They watched the party around them and talked a little about the people around them or what was going on, both at the wedding and the world at large. The more he talked to her, the more he got to know her, the more he liked the doctor.

“I should call it a night. I have appointments tomorrow,” Lauren said after a while.

Cypher checked his watch. “It’s barely eleven. And you see patients on Saturday?”

“Sometimes. If someone needs to be seen and weekends are the only time they can come in, I work with them. I would rather give up a little free time, than have the help they need be unavailable.”

Cypher scowled. He’d looked into the doc when Lacey had started seeing her. He’d wanted to be sure they were taking her to someone reputable, not someone like the teacher they’d had to rescue her from. But that had been a couple of months before and it had taken him a couple of minutes to make the connection.

Lauren was nothing like he’d expected when he’d researched her, not that he’d been looking for pictures. He’d been more concerned with her history, her reputation, and her connections.

He frowned.

“You’re in a private practice. Is there anyone else around on the weekends?”

“There’s no one else around most of the time. I used to have a receptionist, but she left a couple of weeks ago and I haven’t been able to replace her yet.”

“But your office is in a group of offices, right?” he asked, when she nodded, he continued. “If something happens during the week, a patient gets aggressive, at least there are people nearby if you need help.”

Cypher didn’t like the idea of her being there, with patients, alone. Anything could happen and if she couldn’t call for help, then it could be hours, or even days until she was found.

“Do you at least have an emergency alarm button?”

She frowned. “Like, help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up, or like in heist movies where the bank teller hits a secret button to call the cops for a robbery?”

“I was thinking the latter, but the first would work too, and would probably be cheaper, if that’s a consideration. Then again, those typically alert an ambulance and that’s all. I could probably figure out a system that would alert whoever you want, whether it’s the cops, an ambulance, or just someone who handles things quietly, if you need that kind of security.”

She watched him with narrowed eyes, as if trying to tell if he was trying to hook her into buying something or if he actually cared.