by Melody Anne
She was sure she’d give Declan a royal heart attack if she did that. The thought was very appealing though.
Instead she grabbed a cart from outside and walked in the store, heading straight for the produce aisle. She liked to use as many fresh ingredients as she could.
She had her cart half full when she saw Dr. Evans mumbling to himself over by the avocados. She stared for a little while and couldn’t help but laugh at how confused he looked.
He finally glanced up and saw her. He must’ve known exactly what she was thinking, because he gave her a sheepish smile and shrugged. She decided to have mercy on the man and walked over to him.
“Troubles?” she asked.
“How in the world do people pick out fresh produce?” he asked.
“It’s not that hard. Each fresh fruit and vegetable has a different consistency. Some are hard and some are soft. Some you can tell by smell and some by texture.”
“Again, how are people supposed to do it? I just want to make fajitas,” he said.
“Are you watching the home cooking network?” she asked.
“Yes!” he exclaimed. “I was sick last week and it was on, so I got sucked in. Paula Dean made some impressive dishes. I decided it didn’t look hard to do and sounded a lot tastier than a convenience store hot dog, so here I am.”
“Yep, many chefs for a day have begun that way,” she said. “Do you need a little help?”
“Oh, heck yes,” he said. “I can cut and fry if I can just get the right stuff.” He was practically bowing in appreciation. Angela laughed.
“I’m sure any of the single ladies in town would love to help you with that part too,” she told him.
“Hmm, I didn’t think of that.” He got a mischievous look in his beautiful brown eyes. “Wanna come help me cook?”
Her cheeks instantly flamed. She couldn’t believe she’d missed seeing that coming. She looked at the avocados like they would jump out and save her.
“I . . . uh . . . well, I’m busy tonight,” she finally said. She was technically single, but she still felt as if she were doing something wrong.
Doc Evans laughed. She wasn’t even sure if Evans was his last name or he was Evan and people added the s to it. She wasn’t going to ask now. Everyone just called him Doc Evans.
“I’m giving you a hard time, Angela. Everyone in town knows you’re taken. It’s a tragedy. I waited too long,” he said as she handed him the bag with avocados in it. She hadn’t taught him how to pick the right ones. She was all flustered now.
“I’m not taken, but I’m not looking to date,” she said.
“Hmm,” he murmured with that big grin in place while they moved over to the peppers.
“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked, hands on hips as he picked up red, yellow, and orange peppers. He didn’t seem to need help with those, but it was hard to get a bad pepper.
“I like colors in my fajitas,” he told her.
“I’m waiting, and I’m not easily distracted,” she said.
He laughed. “It’s so much more fun shopping with you than all by myself.” He bagged his peppers then faced her again. “Fine. If you aren’t taken, you might want to talk to Declan, because I think he’s pretty much staked his claim.”
“I’m not property to be claimed,” she said. But even though she was saying it she also felt a warm glow flow through her. She liked the idea of being Declan’s woman.
“He hasn’t said anything like that, but it’s more than clear how he feels about you.”
They moved out of the produce section, and he tagged along with her, grabbing what he needed while she did her own shopping. She’d never gone shopping with a man before. It was rather strange but fun too.
“What has he said about me?” she asked in the meat department.
Evans laughed. “Guys don’t have to say a whole lot for us to know what they’re talking about. We also don’t tell on them when they do say something,” he said.
“Well, I feel perfectly chastised,” she said.
“You shouldn’t. I’m having a great time shopping. I never thought that would happen. I really appreciate you helping me. Plus, I get the added bonus of Declan being mighty jealous just as soon as he hears about it.”
“What in the world are you talking about? Who is going to care about us shopping together?”
“No one will care, but they all love to gossip in a small town. Do you want to give them something to gossip about by laying a nice big kiss on me in the dairy section?”
She couldn’t help herself, she began laughing. It took a full minute for her to stop.
“I can’t believe you aren’t snatched up. You are quite the man, Doc,” she said.
“You can’t lasso a true cowboy,” he said, tipping an imaginary hat. “But when the time is right I might just lasso my own little filly.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that. It was far too cheesy,” she said.
They placed the last of their items in the cart and moved to the registers.
“You’re breaking my heart here. I’m giving you all my best lines,” he said.
“Hi Doc, hi Angela,” the young clerk said as she eyed them both. “Do you want this bagged together?”
Angela nearly blushed again. Evans was right, the entire town might end up talking about their little shopping trip.
“No, you can bag mine for me, and his for him,” she said with a smile. She wanted to add that they’d just run into each other in the store, but she wasn’t going to resort to that. She shouldn’t have to explain herself.
“Okay,” the girl who wasn’t even twenty said, as she chatted about school with Evans. He really was a people person. She figured he could get the Buckingham Palace guards to speak in a matter of seconds. You just couldn’t resist talking to the man.
They moved out to her car and Evans insisted on helping her load her groceries. They finished up and she looked around. She didn’t want to head back home yet.
She pushed her cart to the return station, then stopped at his car to help him. He was finished by the time she got there.
“What are you up to the rest of the day? Where’s Timothy?” Evans asked.
“Timothy is having a sleepover at Kian’s house. I think I’m going to get a coffee and sit in the park.” A shudder ran through her at the thought. But she wasn’t going to go down any trails. She was staying right up front in view of the entire town.
“That sounds like an excellent idea. We already have people talking, so let’s make it look like we’re now on a date,” he said with a wink as he held out an arm.
Angela couldn’t help herself. She was really having fun. “You’re going to get me into trouble aren’t you?” she asked as she wrapped her hand through his arm.
“Nah, but I might get my own ass kicked. I’m expecting Declan to drop down from the sky at any minute now in full Marine gear.”
“I think you’re overestimating what Declan thinks of me,” she said. “And he hasn’t been a Marine in a long time.”
“Nah, there’s a code among guys. We don’t hit on our friend’s woman, even if it isn’t quite official. You are definitely his woman. However, we can tease the crap out of them if we want. And since I’m one of the few holdouts among my friends, I get to give all of them a hell of a time, especially since I’m so damn suave and amazing.”
“You really are amazing,” she said.
“After you, my lady,” he told her as he let go of her arm and opened the coffee shop door.
“Why thank you, kind sir,” she said as she batted her eyelashes.
“What are you two kids doing here?” They both turned to find Joseph Anderson at the counter.
“We’re just enjoying a beautiful day,” Evans said. Joseph looked at each of them with a bit of suspicion.
“And where is Timothy . . . and Declan?” he asked.
“Timothy is at a Kian’s house for a play day,” Angela said, deciding to ignore the se
cond part of his question.
Evans was in too playful of a mood to do the same though.
“Not sure where Declan is, but you know what they say?” He put his arm around her back and she had to fight back a giggle. “When the dog’s away, the cat’s got to play.”
Joseph’s gaze narrowed a bit. “I don’t think you got the saying right,” he said. “But I have to run. My good friend Sherman Armstrong is waiting for me. We have a new project in a town close to here.”
“Yes, the Veterans Center. I’m very impressed,” Evans said.
“I did hear about that. It’s truly amazing,” Angela added.
“Yes, I’m very proud of my nephews. They’re doing a mighty fine job.”
“I heard about the addition to your family. That’s fantastic,” Evans told him. “I’m very happy for you.”
“Yeah, I can’t get enough family.”
They said goodbye and Evans laughed as they stepped to the front counter.
“What’s so funny?” Angela asked.
“I guarantee he’s on his phone right now. That man is such a meddler, and he’s probably already planned your wedding with Declan with Declan’s father.”
“What?” Angela gasped.
“How can I help you guys?” the kid at the counter asked.
“I’ll have a peppermint mocha, extra hot with whip cream, and a blueberry scone,” Evans said.
Angela took a second longer to think. “Um, I’ll have a caramel macchiato and lemon cake.”
Before she could pull out money, Evans slapped a twenty on the counter and led her away.
“You’re going to make people talk more and more,” she said. “I was having fun with it a bit ago, but now I’m a little concerned. I don’t want to be looked at like some town hussy.”
His smile fell away. “I’m sorry, Angela. I’m just kidding around. But believe me, no one will think of you that way.”
“I am a single mother already. They might,” she said.
He took her hand. “Not a chance. You’ve been here for three years, and they know your character. You’re a hundred percent good just as you are.”
“Thank you,” she said. The boy brought their coffees and pastries and they moved outside. There was no sign of Joseph or his buddy. They found a bench at the park and sat there for thirty minutes chatting.
It was a very enjoyable day. She wondered how the night was going to go. She wondered if Declan really would hear about it. She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to or not. Would he be jealous? Did she want him to be? She was so confused she honestly couldn’t answer.
She was tense as she made her way home. She didn’t know when she’d begun to think of it as home. But home sounded good to her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Declan wasn’t a jealous man. At least he never had been before he’d met Angela Lincoln. But he could seriously see red as he received reports about the good vet and Angela in town that afternoon. Of course he hadn’t let her go off on her own without having someone keeping an eye on her.
His man hadn’t wanted to report what he’d seen either. Declan logically told himself that the vet was doing it on purpose. He knew Evans well and knew that was exactly what it was, but he couldn’t help but want to smash the man in his pretty little face.
The vet might be playing, but what if Angela developed feelings for him? Declan couldn’t begin to imagine how that would make him feel. She was his woman and he was deciding it was about damn time he proved that to her.
She’d gotten home an hour earlier and gone straight up to her room. He’d seethed in his office trying to calm himself. He wanted her to rush to him, throw her arms around him, and for the two of them to stop playing games.
He hadn’t wanted to put pressure on her. There was enough of that already. But if he didn’t get her into his bed soon, he wasn’t going to sleep again. And a tired agent was a dangerous agent. Sleep deprivation was worse than drugs. The body needed down time in order to function.
He decided it was time for the two of them to have a showdown. He marched up the steps to her bedroom door. He debated whether he should knock or not. Too many years of being taught manners gave him that answer.
He tapped on the door. It hadn’t been that long since the two of them had made love, but it felt like a year. He was so hungry for her he couldn’t think of anything else. Declan was beginning to realize this need might never get sated—not with this one woman. Maybe this was because he loved her. Maybe that’s how a marriage lasted through the test of time.
There was no answer on her door so he tested the knob. It opened. He slowly pushed and called her name. There wasn’t an answer. He immediately wanted to panic, but he assured himself there was no possible way someone had come into the house and taken her. There also was no way for her to sneak out. It was too dang secure.
He pushed the door farther open and noticed her bathroom door was shut. He stepped inside and shut the main door then moved to the bathroom.
“Angela?” he called.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” she said. He couldn’t tell by her voice how she was feeling or what she was thinking. He didn’t know if she wanted him to wait for her or not. But he wasn’t going anywhere. He needed to lay eyes on her.
The door finally opened and Angela came out. Everything Declan had planned to say flew out the window as his heart thundered in his chest and his breath left him. He stood dumbstruck by her sheer beauty and the intoxicating scent drifting toward him.
She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen, hands down. Her face, her body, the total package added up to a woman you didn’t let go of. He wasn’t a fool, and he knew when the game was over. It was over now, no chance of a rematch. He was hers for the taking.
Her eyes were gleaming though he could see she was nervous. She began moving toward him wearing nothing but a sleek black nightie that left little to the imagination. Her breasts were heaving and the hem was brushing the very top of her luscious thighs. She was every man’s darkest desire and his dream come true.
His every instinct wanted to grab this woman and plunge deep inside her hot, wet body. But he wasn’t sure what she was doing, so he waited. It wasn’t easy. She’d never done anything like this before, and if seduction was on her mind, he didn’t want to stand in her way.
“You take my breath away,” he whispered, his voice scratchy and full of need.
“I missed you today so I . . . made a quick stop before heading back. It was sort of last minute, but I . . . I . . . wanted . . . to, well, you know,” she said, her cheeks heating up at the end of her stuttered sentence.
“You wanted to what?” he asked. He didn’t recognize the sound of his own voice. The moment she walked out the door he’d grown hard. His arousal was throbbing in his suddenly too-tight jeans, and he wanted to strip them away. But this was her night and he’d try like hell to let her have it.
“Do you like my nightie?” she asked. She looked at his throat, obviously embarrassed to meet his gaze. He had to clench his fists to keep from pulling her to him.
“Oh, I very much love your nightie,” he said. “I can’t wait to take it off you, but I’m going to enjoy the way it molds perfectly to your body for as long as I can handle it.”
“I have very little clothes on, and you’re covered. That doesn’t seem fair,” she said with a flirty tone. She was enjoying herself. He loved that she was.
“I agree. These pants are killing me,” he told her, enjoying this seductress she was becoming. He quickly took off his clothes, not leaving a single thing on.
Her eyes widened with pleasure at the sight of his arousal, and when she licked her lips he nearly came like a college freshman. He was done for and barely holding on to his last bit of control.
She ran her pink fingernail down the center of his chest and up again, circling one nipple then the other. He was squeezing his fists so tightly he knew his hands would ache tomorrow. She flattened her palm and pushed him back t
o the bed. He obeyed and sat. There was only one woman in this world he’d let do this, and she was intoxicating at this moment.
She pushed his legs apart and stepped between them, his arousal standing at attention, reaching for her. But she didn’t touch him there. Instead she reached for his face before leaning down and kissing him. He couldn’t take it anymore. He wrapped his arms behind her and pulled her tightly to him.
“You’re a dream,” he said before kissing her with all the hunger he was feeling. She groaned against his mouth. But too soon she pulled back and nibbled on his bottom lip before kissing her way across his clenched jaw. She ran her tongue down the column of his throat, then up to his ear where she circled his lobe.
She kissed her way back to his lips with a kiss so hot they were both panting when she pulled away. She squirmed against him, and he felt her wet heat brush his arousal. He could come right there without ever entering her. She was that hot, that beautiful, and that sexy. She was everything.
“Lie down,” she demanded after breaking away from his lips again. He didn’t want an inch of space between them, but he listened and pulled himself up on the bed, lying back. She stood over him for a moment, and the view was spectacular.
She climbed on the bed and leaned down, kissing him again before trailing her lips across his chest, sucking on his nipples then running her tongue over his abs. She moved lower but didn’t touch his pulsing arousal. He groaned his displeasure.
She crawled back up, a wicked gleam in her eyes, and he wanted to spank her sweet little ass. She began moving down him again and he had enough. He wanted her to be a seductress, but it was his turn to play.
She let out a gasp when he grabbed her and flipped her onto her back, his hands pinning her arms down.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a husky breath.
“It’s my turn to play with you for a while.”
“That’s not how this game goes,” she said, but there wasn’t much fight in her.
“I changed the rules,” he said. “I can’t help it when you look the way you do.”