Page 18 of Never Kiss Your Brother's Best Friend

I don't like being hard on her, but I can't let her think this flirtatious play she does is going to work on me. "Your thoughts should be based on medical rationale, not whims. Follow the protocols, and if there's no improvement, we'll reassess. Now, if you don't mind, I'm in the middle of something."

Sarah nods, retreating from the room. Hopefully she gets the message this time.

I lean back in my chair, massaging my temples. All I can think of is getting home for the night.

"Dr. Cole," my receptionist calls from the doorway.

"Yes?"

She glances over her shoulder. "There's a young woman here to see you. Emma."

I sit up in my chair, wiping my hands on my scrubs. "Please, send her in. And let everyone know they can take off for the night. I'll lock up. Thank you." I feel my entire mood lighten in an instant.

A moment later, Emma breezes into the room with that bright smile of hers. She's wearing a casual sundress, the vibrant colors contrasting with the clinical white of my office. Her mere presence injects a burst of energy into the room.

"Hey there, Dr. Grumpy. Long day?" she teases, a playful glint in her eyes. "I heard you rip into that poor girl about the antibiotics. Not very nice, Doctor. Not nice at all."

I shake my head, unable to stop myself from grinning. "Yes. It's been a really long day. And Sarah is a nice girl, but she has a habit of… Never mind, it doesn't matter."

Emma tilts her head at me, mirroring Sarah's gesture, but this time I'm captivated by the movement. I'd follow any suggestion she makes, about everything really, even if it's antibiotics.

With a soft click, she gently closes the door behind her, the sound marking an unexpected turn in my day, but a welcome one for sure. Emma moves behind me, her closeness bringing a sudden warmth to the air. Her cool hands find their way to my neck.

"I think you may need to loosen up a bit," she says giving my shoulders a slight squeeze. "Maybe I can help." She leans down to whisper in my ear. "May I?"

Oh, yes you may, no need to ask.

"I see no reason to object, just trying to be friendly, right?" I do my best to keep from voice from cracking and goosebumps from forming an assembly line, but it's too late. Hopefully she's not looking at my skin.

She giggles at my comment. "Of course, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't offer a mini massage after a tough day? You helped me at the wedding, now I can return the favor."

"Seems only fair," I respond. But what's not fair is the shockwaves Emma is sending through my body just by having her hands on my shoulders. I am going to need a straightjacket for my heart to keep it in my chest when she actually starts massaging.

I feel my whole body tense in anticipation. Emma obviously feels it too.

"Hey. You don't need to flex for me, I know you have muscles," she jokes.

Ha. Not flexing. Totally involuntary.

"Oh, that's just some knots. I'd never intentionally flex," I say while spreading both arms to my sides, actually flexing. I need a momentary distraction from her touch.

But that only makes her squeeze my shoulders again. This the most stressful massage ever. Breathe.

"Do you want this massage or not?" Emma playfully smacks me.

"Absolutely."

Her hands start to work deeper into my muscles, and it's taking everything in me not to tense up again. I can't imagine what kind of goofy face I'm making right now. I'm thankful everyone is gone for the night. Nobody needs to see their boss this way.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something important," Emma says as she continues.

This is good, talking should help distract me.

"Sure, go ahead."

She moves to my neck and I let out an involuntary moan. Apparently, talking is not helping. Hopefully it wasn't as loud as it sounded to me.

"That good, huh?"

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