Page 22 of Second Act
“Yes, I do. My assistant can find someone to do virtually anything. You can speak with the vet yourself when he locates one.”
“Your assistant. Of course.” She subsided for a moment, and he thought she actually nuzzled her nose against his neck and inhaled. Not that he blamed her after she’d spent the night in that horrific stench.
He reached the bottom of the staircase and put his foot on the first step.
“No,” she said, struggling in earnest. “I’m a full-grown woman. You cannot carry me up a flight of stairs.”
“If you knew how many weight machines I have been tortured by, you would be reassured that I can, in fact, carry you up the stairs.” Now that he had her warm, curvy body against him, he was reluctant to release it, even though she smelled a bit like the closet. Her silky rat’s nest of hair brushed against his cheek, and he enjoyed the feel of her arms wrapped around his neck.
“There might be people up there,” she said. “Please don’t embarrass me in front of my clients.”
That was a plea he could not ignore. As he set her down on the floor, she staggered slightly, so he had an excuse to pull her into him again, the press of her breasts on his chest sending a streak of desire down his center. “Jess, you’re exhausted.”
“I just need a shower and a couple of hours of sleep,” she said, her palms flat against his shoulders as she pushed away.
“I have an entire hotel suite waiting for you,” he said. He’d planned to fly her to Gavin’s mansion on the beach in Southampton but had scrapped the idea when he found out how she’d spent the night. So he’dreserved the penthouse at his favorite Manhattan hotel. Although he was staying at Gavin’s house in the city while filming, he wanted total privacy for Jess to rest in. “Without any ulterior motives except to wrap you in the luxury of rest and give you the pampering you deserve.” That was true at the time. Now that he’d touched her, his motives had become murkier.
She shook her head. “I have plans for today.”
A shock of disappointment ran through him. “Plans that can’t be postponed?”
She rubbed her hands over her face in a gesture of fatigue. “I don’t know.”
“Jess, let me take care of you for one day.” He cupped his hands over her shoulders in an effort to communicate his earnest wish. “I’d like to do this. For old times’ sake.”
An odd expression crossed her face, one he couldn’t read. “Why?”
“For starters, you were sleeping on a dog bed in a room that reeked of shit. Clearly, you need rescuing.” And he needed to save himself from his memories.
“It’s not the first time I’ve slept on a dog bed, and it won’t be the last.” She shrugged out of his grasp. “If you could just take me home, that would be great.”
“I’ve ordered chocolate croissants from room service. There’s a bathtub the size of a lap pool. You can watch the boats go by on the Hudson River while you bathe.” He decided not to mention the enormous bed, even though he genuinely had no intention of joining her in it. He shifted forward so that she would look at him as he softened his voice. “Jess, you take care of all those animals but not of yourself.”
She always had. The generosity of her caring was one of the things he had loved about her. However, it also took its toll on her.
“Chocolate croissants?” she repeated, and he knew he had her. “It’s not fair to play on my vulnerabilities.”
“You know better than to expect me to play fair.” He smiled. “So you’re going to let me treat you?”
“No strings attached.” She gave him a direct look with her clear, gray eyes.
He spread his arms wide in a gesture of innocence. “Just one old friend helping out another.”
“We’ve gone past being friends,” she said.
She was right, in a way. The attraction between them had been too strong to stop at mere friendship. They’d gone from working together to being lovers. Friendship had blossomed later. “No reason we can’t be now.”
“Huh” was her cryptic response. She stood at the bottom of the steps for a moment. “I guess I’ll leave my medical bag here, in case I have to come back, but I need to get my purse from Emily’s office.”
“I’ll get it for you so you don’t have to climb any more stairs.” He wanted to put his arm around her waist to help her up these steps, but they were too narrow for two people to walk abreast, so he contented himself with walking close behind her.
“No staring at my butt,” she said.
He grinned at her show of spirit. “It’s covered by a giant sweatshirt, so there’s not much to see.”
She harrumphed.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Emily was waiting with a large purse in her hand, which he guessed was Jess’s.
