Page 31 of Hers to Hold
His place? Her throat went dry and sweat formed right at the base of her bra.
I’ll cook for you. I’m not Katrina Kaye, but I can braise some mean short ribs.
Kady giggled.
“What?” Jimmy asked, straining his neck to see her phone, which he couldn’t from his vantage point.
See you at seven.“Just setting up a meeting with Wes.”
“Sounds like a date.”
“Dinner. I ran out on our picnic early the other day and I owe him. Besides, I can persuade him to give us more details about the contractors.”
Jimmy clasped his hands behind his head, a wicked grin on his face. “How are you gonnapersuadehim?”
Kady stuck her tongue out at him. “Noneya.”
“None of my business? Sure. What I’ve learned about this job so far is the use of ethics is optional. But seduction for information? Highly encouraged.”
“Watch it,” Kady hissed, ignoring the heat in her cheeks. “Or you’ll find yourself back on coffee rounds.”
He held his hands up in the universal position of surrender. Kady couldn’t help but consider, was she surrendering her ethics? She absolutely liked Wes.
A lot.
Enough to know keeping quiet about her job was wrong. And that she was investigating his best friend.
She cast a quick glance at Jimmy. His brows were knitted as he read over a document. She was supposed to be his mentor. What was she teaching him? To be like their boss? A man she was fast developing a healthy disrespect for?
Jimmy’s right. I have to tell Wes. Maybe…maybe I can talk him into helping me. I am a reporter, after all. We’re good with words. I just have to pitch it right.
She had a plan. Problem solved. Ethics intact. The balance of her and Jimmy’s teacher-student relationship would soon be restored with her giving the advice.
She swallowed another piece of chicken, this one dry, dragging all the way down her throat.
Chapter 14
“Come in, Wesley. You look good.” Dr. Rafferty shook Wes’s hand.
“Thanks, Doc.” Wes sat in his regular spot on the reddish-brown couch across from Dr. Rafferty’s chair. He inhaled deeply, settling his nerves. Therapy was supposed to be a learning experience. “I’m feeling a lot better.”
“Sleeping well?” Dr. Rafferty scribbled something on his iPad.
“Yeah, absolutely. Getting better every week.”
“Using the tracking app to count your hours?”
“Yes, sir.”
Dr. Rafferty looked up from his screen. “What about your concentration? How’s your focus?”
Wes had been working hard on that, especially in the office. “I set a timer, like you suggested, and cut off all distractions. I can see a difference.”
“Physical exercise?” His eyes shot too Wes’s stomach.
Wes self-consciously touched his abdomen. Did the doctor have x-ray vision? Could he see the three muffins and slice of lemon cake he had for his second breakfast? “Getting my reps in at the gym, just like you suggested.” He gripped his right bicep, pleased with the size. Exercise had been a reliable outlet for the stress in his life. The more hours he devoted to it, the better he felt—and looked. With the addition of raising Chastity full time, he had to get creative about his schedule, but the end result would be worth it: Chastity safe in his home and his stress managed.
“And which regulator have you found the most useful when you have an attack? Mindful breathing? Tapping the arms?”
