“You’re crazy if you think I’d ever leave you alone with my daughter.”
“Afraid she’ll love me more than you?”
“Nope. I figure she’ll figure out what a dumbass you are, like every other woman in this town.”
Devon and Hannah both snickered at that. Miller was lucky I was holding his baby. “I’m great with kids,” I grumbled, not liking one bit that Devin found humor in his comment. “I take care of Lily and Colt all the time.”
“He has a point,” Hannah jumped in, finally earning her title as my best friend. “As much as I hate to ever give him a compliment, he is a great uncle.”
Billy crossed his arms as he looked over at his wife in the hospital bed. She blew him a kiss, making him crack a smile. Accepting defeat, he let me be, with Remy still in my arms.
Devin’s phone rang, effectively garnering everyone’s attention. She silenced it with a quiet apology, glancing over at Remy.
“She’s fine,” I assured her.
“I need to take this. I’ll meet you outside,” she said as she stood. She gave Hannah a hug, promising to stop by later this week after they settled in at home, then left the room.
They’d barely waited for her to clear the doorway before their inquisitive stares were on me. Ignoring them, I looked down at Remy; she’d latched onto one of my fingers with her tiny hand.
“Oh, come on,” Hannah complained. “Are you going to make us pull it out of you?”
I knew this was coming as soon as we showed up together at the hospital again. Devin had spent the night at my place. When we left the hospital, I’d taken her to her house, even though it was the last thing I wanted. The moment I saw her hesitation and her searching for the scorpion she’d claimed she saw earlier, I jumped on the opportunity. I told her she was staying with me. And she didn’t put up much of an argument.
When morning rolled around, I still hadn’t had my fill of her. I insisted she come with me to the hospital, since we both planned to head back to see Grams and Hannah.
“It’s none of your business, City.”
Hannah huffed, crossing her arms, then gave Billy a silent look.
“No way.” He held up his hands, dismissing her imploring stare. “I’m not sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong. The man doesn’t want to talk about it, then he doesn’t want to talk about it.”
I took back every bad word I’d ever said about Miller.
“I birthed your child,” she tried to manipulate him.
“And I love you for it. You did so good, babe. But that’s exactly why I’m not saying a word. I need my job more than ever now.”
Smart man.
“He wouldn’t fire you.”
“He would—"
“I would—"
We spoke in unison. Hannah rolled her eyes.
“Fine. Whatever. You can keep your mouth shut all you want, but it won’t keep this town from talking,” she warned, as if I needed it. “All the nurses are already whispering about it after how coupled you two looked last night. They even asked me if you were finally officially off the market.”
“Let’em talk. They will no matter what I say anyway.”
Hannah sighed, relaxing back into the fluffy pillows surrounding her. “Just don’t screw this up. We really like Devin, and I want her to continue to hang out with us.”
Before I could respond, the room filled with the sounds of gasps and tears of joy from Hannah’s parents, who’d just arrived on a last-minute flight from Seattle. Billy’s parents followed them in a few seconds later, along with Leighton and Aaron.
The room echoed with their boisterous chatter. I had no idea how Remy was sleeping through it. After passing her off to one of her grandmothers and saying a few quick hellos and goodbyes, I jetted out of there before Hannah could grill me anymore. I knew she’d only let me skirt the subject for so long. I was just glad she’d have her hands full for the foreseeable future.
17
DEVIN
“He’ll be fine. I promise,” I reassured Mr. Benbrook for the hundredth time.
Being a vet at the zoo had always presented its challenges with the exotic animals, but being a vet in the small town of Billingsley had constantly kept me on my toes. My professionalism had been put to the test on more than one occasion. Until today, I thought nothing would top my appointment last week with Mrs. Hemsworth. She came in with concern for her duck that wasn’t swimming. I had no idea how I managed to tell her with a straight face that it was fine because her “duck” was a chicken. She’d blinked up at me through her thick-lensed glasses as if I was the one off my rocker.
“But he’s still a male dog?”
“Yes.”
“With nipples?”
“Yes.”
“And you can’t remove them?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. It’s perfectly normal for him to have them.”
“I don’t know how it’s normal for a male to have nipples.”
And that’s when I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. “You’re a male with nipples, are you not?”
He blinked twice before responding. “Yeah. But that’s different.”
“I assure you, it isn’t. Now, unless you have any other questions, Mr. Benbrook, I need to get to my next appointment.” The non-existent one. I hated to lie to a client, but it seemed he wasn’t leaving until I made some excuse to force him to.
“No”—he shook his head—“no more questions. But I’d like a second opinion. No offense, of course.”
I clenched my teeth behind my smile. “No offense taken. I understand. You should always feel free to do so.” I gave the large mastiff one more pat on the head, silently apologizing to him for the moron of an owner I was leaving him with. “Okay, boy, time to go,” I said to the dog before walking toward the exam room door.
“Is your uncle here?” Mr. Benbrook asked as I opened it for them.
My fist tightened on the knob. He wasn’t the first male client who’d questioned my advice simply because I was a young, female vet. “He is. But he’s busy with another patient.” I plastered on another smile as I turned to face him, waving him through the door with my hand.
His shoulders slumped, and his face fell with disappointment as he led his dog by the leash out into the reception area. I walked around the counter, handing Tina his file. As soon as he was gone, leaving the office empty of clients, I sagged against the counter with a heavy sigh.
“Hang in there, girl,” Tina consoled.
“Is everyone in this town crazy?”
She chuckled as she stood with a stack of patient folders to file in the cabinet. “Not all. But quite a few. You know, when he had his dog neutered he asked if we could lock him in the kennel overnight with a female so he had one last chance to get his rocks off.”
“You’re kidding! What did you say?”
She shrugged with her back to me as she opened the cabinet drawer. “I told him we no longer offered that service.” She peeked over her shoulder at me, a teasing smile on her face.
I doubled over, clutching my stomach from the laughter pains. I wiped at the tears that had formed in my eyes as she took her seat again.
“Speaking of, word on the street is you’ve gone and caught yourself Billingsley’s most sought-after bachelor.”
My smile and good mood quickly disappeared, and I glanced over at her. “I’m not sure how the two relate, or why you’d think that was the perfect segue.”
“Give me a break.” She swatted my arm with the back of her hand. “I’ve been dying all week to ask you about it. It’s the best I could do.”
“Well, you’re going to be disappointed. There’s not much to tell,” I lied.
I was dying to talk to someone about Wes and me. I hadn’t been able to talk to Lottie and the girls, for obvious reasons. And I still wasn’t quite comfortable talking to Jenna about him. Plus, I had a good feeling what she’d say. Tina was the only other female friend I had who might have som
e insight for me, but the warning Wes had delivered about spilling my secrets stuck with me.
Her full lips turned into a pout. “You’re telling me you two aren’t seeing each other.”
Were we?
I had no idea.
We’d spent all last weekend together, mostly in his bed, since that night he’d shown up at my house. But we’d only talked on the phone since then. He’d been working longer hours than normal on the farm, since Billy was at home with Hannah and the baby, and his dad was spending extra time looking after his grams.
As much as I wanted to use his busy schedule as an excuse, deep down I knew it probably wouldn’t have mattered. He didn’t do relationships. He’d said it time and again. I would only be setting myself up for disappointment if I thought somehow maybe he’d changed his mind.
“No. We aren’t,” I finally responded. My stomach dropped with disappointment, the same way Tina’s expression did.
I stood from the counter with a sigh. It’d been a long week and I was ready to call it a day and start my weekend. “I’m getting out of here.”
She nodded, turning back to her computer. As I rounded the counter, the chime for the front door sounded. I looked up at the man coming through it. There was an audible gasp, and it took me a minute to realize it wasn’t mine, but Tina’s.
She was staring at Wes with a slacked jaw and wide eyes. He gave me one of his gorgeous grins, and I felt my pulse in my throat. I tried to swallow it down, struggling to speak a simple hello. It was absurdly unfair how sexy the man was in a pair of jeans and a basic long-sleeve tee.
My heart thundered as he neared, charging the air with his confident stride.
“Brown eyes. You got a minute?” He stopped, leaving less than a foot between us as he towered over me. The deep tone of his voice saying my pet name sent a shudder down my back.
“Do you have an appointment?” I asked, relaxing my hands on my hips as I tried to stand taller. The last thing I needed was for him to walk up and kiss me in front of Tina after I’d just got done telling her we weren’t seeing each other.
“Didn’t realize I needed one.”
“Well, I’m a busy woman, Mr. Monroe. If you’d like to see me, you should make an appointment.”
Tina cleared her throat. “He has an appointment!” she squeaked.
I narrowed my eyes at her as she plucked a pen from her cup and scribbled his name on the appointment calendar on her desk.
“Says right here.” She tapped the end of her pen on the paper. “Sorry, Dr. Chaplin. You must’ve missed it when you checked earlier.”
Wes winked at Tina with an amused smile and she nearly fell out of her chair, blushing like a school girl.
“I was on my way out,” I intoned.
“Perfect.” Wes stepped closer, his hand tugging at one of my wrists, causing me to stumble forward and bump into his firm chest as I stared up at him. “Because I was looking for more of an after-hours appointment. One off-site.”
“A date?” Tina asked in a breathy whisper.
I closed my eyes as the lower parts of my body clenched from the sensations rioting through me, wishing desperately we didn’t have an audience. Not that it mattered much at this point. Wes was being anything but subtle.
“Exactly. A date. What do you say, Doc?” He lowered his head, his lips barely brushing my ear. He knew damn well how crazy that drove me. He’d learned it while we were tangled up in his sheets last weekend.
I opened my eyes, my mouth opening and closing as I tried to think of a response.
“I’ll grab her purse,” Tina chimed in, jumping from her desk, and darting for my office.
“She’s helpful.” He grinned.
“Yeah. A real go-getter.” My voice dripped with sarcasm.
“You should give her a raise.”
“She’ll be lucky if she has a job tomorrow morning.”
His head fell foreword with his deep baritone chuckle, pressing against mine. I bit down on my lip, containing my own giggle. The thrill of being in his arms again after a long week was the best thing I’d ever felt.
Never mind.
I was wrong.
When he finally pressed his lips to mine, that was the best thing I’d ever felt.
* * *
“Where are we going?” I asked as Wes climbed into his truck beside me. I hadn’t had the chance to ask before Tina returned with my purse, shoving it against my chest and pushing us both out the door. He’d followed me to my house, after insisting I change into something more comfortable.
“A concert.”
My brow creased as I tried to recall any local bands that might be playing. The only thing I could think of was at Dudley’s, but we were heading in the opposite direction. “What concert?”
“Derailed,” he answered flippantly, turning on the main highway that ran north and south, leading out of town.
Popping up from the seat, my arm shot out, smacking his bicep in shock. “Shut up! Don’t you dare lie to me, slick.”
He laughed, his eyes sliding to mine. “Not exactly the response I expected.”
With a wide, unblinking stare, my mouth gaped as I tried to process the news. “There’s no way you got tickets.” I shook my head. “They’ve been sold out for months.”
“I know people,” he bragged, his green eyes as smug as his smile.
I tilted my head to the side, pursing my lips.
“Okay. Fine. Timmy knows people,” he relented.
I laughed. “I guess Timmy is the one who told you they’re my favorite band, too.”
He shrugged with a smirk. “Maybe.”
I sat back with a giant grin on my face as he passed the city-limit sign. I tried not to read too much into the effort he must’ve went through to take me on this so-called impromptu date. Noah had never done anything so thoughtful. The few concerts he went to with me, he complained the whole time about the crowds or drink prices.
Wes reached for my hand and I laced our fingers together, delighting in the warmth of his touch as his thumb endlessly caressed my skin the remainder of the drive.
* * *
Excitement energized my body as we parked. Every tour, Derailed would do a few small concerts in little dive bars across the country, never wanting to forget where they first got their start. I’d tried getting tickets for this one, but they’d sold out in the first thirty minutes. I had no idea how Timmy and Wes had snagged these tickets, and I didn’t care. I was just thrilled he’d wanted to take me.
With our hands linked, Wes walked me to the entrance. I was bouncing more than walking at this point, unable to contain the excitement. Wes, on the other hand, was cool and collected as he held the door open for me and passed the tickets to the bouncer.
After grabbing us a few beers, we found an open table near the stage. Wes rested an arm at the back of my chair as he leaned in close. We listened to the opening acts, sharing flirty looks and touches as the loud music reverberated around us. With the heat radiating through me and straight to my center, I’d barely noticed Derailed take the stage. But as soon as the first note played, I was out of my seat, dragging Wes behind me.
Squeezing between a few crazed females, I came to a stop front and center. With his chest pressed to my back, Wes snaked his arms around me. He pressed a sweet kiss against the hot skin on my neck. Tingles broke out inside me as I pulled him tighter around me.
I swayed my hips with the music and he followed the movement as my ass grinded into him. He nipped at my ear for my little tease and I giggled, my head falling against his chest as I watched the band play, humming along with the lyrics.
No matter how things ended between us, I knew this was a night I’d never forget.
* * *
The morning sun seeped through a crack in the drawn curtains. Pulling the covers tighter, I squirmed, rubbing my bottom deeper into the crook of Wes’ naked body.
I loved the feel of him curled around me as he slept. He squeezed me tighter, groaning in
to my neck.
“Keep doing that and we’ll be going for a repeat of last night.” I felt the smile on his lips as he pressed a kiss to my bare shoulder.
I wiggled again and he pinched my waist. Within seconds he had me on my back and my hands pinned above my head as he hovered over me with a sleepy smile.
“You begging for it, Doc?” The scruff on his jaw rubbed against my cheek as he whispered in my ear. He peppered kisses down my throat and across my chest, rendering me speechless.
I moaned as his finger traced the hem of my cotton panties, sliding underneath and dipping inside me. When he added a second, I whimpered, my hips grinding against his hand.
“Shit,” he rasped, pulling his hand out and tugging the panties off my hips and down my legs.
Tossing them aside, he hooked his arms under my knees, pulling me closer before diving back in with his tongue. I gasped at the contact, pulling at the short strands of his hair, my hips pushing upward of their own accord.
“Wes,” I cried out, barely able to articulate his name as I neared my orgasm.
He didn’t relent until I was pulsing and clenching my release. Not giving me any time to recover, he was flipping me over onto all fours, his hands gripping my hips. I pushed back, ready for the force of him plowing into me. When it didn’t happen, I glanced over my shoulder at him.
“What are you waiting for?”
He shook his head, his jaw clenched with his tension-filled expression. “I just remembered I’m out of condoms.”
My mind raced, my needy body telling me it didn’t matter. I’d never not used a condom, and a part of me knew not using one with Wes was dangerous. Not only because of the number of partners he’d had, but also, it was dangerous for my heart. It was a leap of trust I’d never been willing to take. Not even with Noah. Yet, it was one I wanted to take with Wes.
“It’s fine. I’m on the pill. And I’m clean. You?”
Taming Wes: BOOK THREE|BILLINGSLEY SERIES Page 15