Page 31 of Unlawful Seduction

He’d left me sleeping on the couch, where I’d remained for several hours without waking. I could barely sleep three hours a shot in my own bed and I’d managed to carve out six with a brutal stranger inside my recently purchased clinic?

Even worse, I hadn’t checked on my patient. Either one. And they’d both been shot.

Was it all about the hot sex? I guess it was.

At lunch, I’d checked to see if any gunshots or crimes had been reported. In a small town, it was easier to find than in a city like Baltimore. The only thing registered was that someone had heard an explosion. That could mean anything from propane tank being used inappropriately by a tourist to a car careening off the mountain. I couldn’t believe I was thinking about either as mundane.

Living in a big city for several years had altered my thinking patterns.

I flicked the lock on the door, refusing to allow anyone to barge in fifteen minutes before closing. I owned the joint. I could close down early for an impending storm.

“You seem out of sorts, but also giddy if that combination is possible,” she said and only then had I realized I was still on the phone with her. My mind was still reeling from the night I’d spent with the sexy stranger.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Right. Did you do something deliciously bad last night?” Her laugh made me grin.

“Who, me? Never. Boring night.”

She scoffed. “Come on. You can tell me.”

“Nothing. It’s just been a long few days. At least I’m taking the weekend to rest and prepare. I have a full schedule on Monday when the doors officially open.” The soft opening had been wildly successful.

“If you can get out of your driveway.”

My thoughts drifted back to Beckett, which was silly of me. “It won’t be that bad.”

“Said the woman who broke down on the side of the road in the first storm.”

“Don’t hold that over my head.”

“I plan on it,” she said, laughing. “And you never told me who saved your ass on that desolate road.”

“Try the mystery man.” I wasn’t going to go any further, including providing details from the night before. Doctor–patient confidentiality and all. Or maybe I just wanted a saucy secret to keep in my memory banks for a little while longer.

“Are you kidding me? I thought he choked chickens or hunted down babies or something.”

“Very funny.” I returned to my office to grab my things. The note he’d written was right on top of my desk when I’d glanced at it more than once during the day. “I’m not kidding. Thank God he was there, or I might have frozen to death. You know, he has a precious dog, a white German Shepherd. Beautiful creature.”

“And how about the man?”

“Not too shabby.”

She sucked in her breath before laughing. “Right. You think the guy winning the sexiest man in thePeopleMagazine is not too shabby. Maybe one day you’ll meet a man you actually find attractive.”

“Maybe, but that’s not today. Okay, I’m cutting you off so I can keep my pinky swear going. Happy now?” A part of me wanted to spill the beans about what had occurred, but I’d likely never hear the end of it.

“Happier, but I’d be even happier if you set me up on a date with the mystery man.”

“That I won’t do.”

“Won’t you even tell me his name?”

I thought about her question. “You know what? He never mentioned it and I didn’t ask.”

Why was I lying to my friend? Hmmm… Perhaps because I wanted to keep my filthy secret all to myself. How wicked of me.

“We really need to teach you the art of dating,” she chided.

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