by Molly O'Hare
“Lady, you’ve got to be the most uncoordinated person I’ve ever met.”
As she righted herself, she pushed the hair out of her face. “Thanks for the insight, now I can die fulfilled knowing I am once again the winner of the unlucky clumsy award.” She was breathing heavy, making her chest rise and fall. He forced himself to look into her eyes. “How much farther is your office?” she asked before plucking her dog out of his arms.
He pointed to the sign across the street that read ‘Richman Veterinarian Hospital.’ He pat Waffles on the head, before doing the same to Ripley. “Right over there, Grace.”
“Hey, that’s not my name!”
He gave a half-smile. “No? Well, it should be since you’re so graceful.” He watched as her eye began to twitch, just as it had in the park.
“My name is not Grace.” She walked past him as Waffles gave him the side-eye. “It’s Holly.”
* * *
Holly made it to the front door of the clinic and turned to see Ben looking her way. His eyes were bright, and his smile stretched from ear to ear. With a quick shake of his head, he whistled for Ripley before making his way towards her. “Grace suits you better.”
She glared at him.
“But, I like Holly, too.”
“I’m glad you approve of my name. Now, can we please get this over with?” She started tapping her foot. She still couldn’t fathom there was a vet clinic here. She’d driven and even walked up and down this street tons of times. Well, in her defense she was usually looking down making sure she wasn’t going to trip, but she would have known if she’d seen a veterinarian’s office. Ehh, she would definitely need to be more observant. Especially, if hot vets were roaming around in the city.
Once Ben was right next to her, he smirked. “Right this way, Grace.”
Instinctively, she kicked out her foot while he walked into the clinic effectively tripping him. Once he caught himself, he stared at her. “Well played.”
She raised her eyebrows triumphantly. “One point for Holly. Now, Doc Ben, I would like to get this over with.”
“Oh, you sure are a feisty one.” He shook his head. “Do you think you can walk back to exam room one without breaking an arm?”
“Very funny.” Holly ignored him and started making her way towards the room marked one. Unfortunately for her, the weight of Waffles in her arms, combined with his panic of being at a vet’s office unbalanced her. Before she could adjust her dog, she ended up falling into the door which swung open. “Oh for the love of-“
“I thought you said you could do it with no incidents,” she heard from behind her.
Holly righted herself before putting Waffles down. “I didn’t break anything!”
His eyebrows rose as he walked into the room. “Yet.”
“I don’t have to stand here and take this.” She bent at her waist to retrieve the shaking Waffles. “Let’s go, baby. We can head to the urgent care.”
Before Holly touched Waffles, a warm hand grasped her shoulder. “Hey, I’m just joking with you. You know, trying to lighten the mood in what could have been a terrible situation.”
He was right. She was more or less taking her anger out on him. She couldn’t help it though. No matter how many lucky pennies she carried, or good luck charms she had, she was always the one at the short end of the stick. Plus, she had so many other worries rolling around in her head. Now adding the busted lip, and chipped tooth did not ease any tension from her.
Taking a deep breath, she did her best to center herself. All this man was trying to do was help her. And, she couldn’t really blame him for poking fun at her. She was a walking disaster ninety-nine percent of the time. “You’re right.” She opened her eyes. Ben stared into them almost as if he were studying her. The intensity of his gaze caused her to swallow.
“I try always to be right,” he spoke softly. He gently stroked her lip with his thumb. She felt like she was in a dream or some weird reverse Hollywood movie. The kind where the hot guy falls for the unpopular, and unattractive girl.
He removed his thumb from her lip, and slowly traced down her chin, never once breaking his gaze on her.
Then she heard it.
The telltale sign of one, Lord Waffles, marking his territory. She instantly broke their trance scanning the room, seeking out her disobedient pup. “Really, Waffles, really?” She glared at him. I know the lust in his eyes was all in my head, but did you have to bring me back to reality so soon, Waffles?
Ben threw his head back and laughed. “Gotta love dogs.” He lowered himself to his knee, which caught Waffles attention. Within less than a second, the betraying bastard was at Ben’s side, begging for belly rubs. No piece of bacon for you! Ever again.
“It’s okay, boy,” he said while he scratched Waffles. “Us men need to mark our territory.”
“Men do not need to mark their territory,” she snapped.
Ben looked at her. “Sure, we do. It’s how we get the word out.”
“No one will ever be peeing on my leg to mark their territory,” she said with utter disgust at even the thought of it. “And, if someone even dared to try it, I’d rip off his manhood and make him eat it.” This enticed one of the most genuine deep laughs she had ever heard come from anyone before.
“I like you, Grace.” When she lifted her arm as if to grab him, he held up his hands in surrender. “I mean Holly. You’re funny. And, I wasn’t saying men have to pee on items or people to mark what’s theirs. That could be done lots of ways.”
“Oh yeah,” she questioned crossing her arms over her chest. “And, what do you suppose that is?”
“Well, for starters, a wedding ring would do a pretty good job, maybe a tattoo declaring their undying love for the other person.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’d never be foolish enough to get a tattoo of someone’s name on me.” She wasn’t going to admit the idea of having her husband tattoo her name on him sent shivers down her body. In reality though, she knew if she ever did get a tattoo, with her luck the ink wouldn’t take or worse. She’d most likely develop some infection and the entire body part she’d tattooed would end up having to be surgically removed. No, thank you. She was not taking that chance.
“Men aren’t the only ones that can mark,” he said. The tension in the room shifted. “My favorite marks are scratches down my back.”
Heat flooded her cheeks.
Ben stood before taking a step closer to her. What in the world was going on? She fought the urge to look around for the cameras. She had to be on some prank show. “Yeah, well, I’d think a vet would be better equipped to detain his patients so he wouldn’t be scratched.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, her face paled. Oh, God, Holly. Good going. Why are you so awkward! Now, he probably thinks you’re into all the handcuff and tying up stuff. She scolded herself. Why do I have no brain to mouth filter?
His eyes darkened. “Maybe you’re right.”
“Nope!” she backtracked. “No, I’m not right at all. I am so far from being right; I’m left. Oh, look over there.” She pointed behind him. When he turned, she bent and tried to pick Waffles up.
Ben laughed again. “You are something else, Holly.” He nodded toward the exam table. “Come on, let’s have a look at you.”
Holly glanced at the table and then to Ben. Did he really think she’d get up there? The exam table was higher than her hips. She then looked at the one metal pipe holding the table in place. There was no way in hell that thing would hold her weight.
Ben must have read her mind. “It’s weighted for four hundred and fifty pounds. I don’t just get domestic animals in here, I’ve been known to perform surgeries on pot belly pigs.”
“Did you just call me a pot belly pig?”
His eyebrow rose.
“Okay fine, even if it was weighted with some industrial enforcing secret ninja strength mechanism, how do you suppose I get up there?”
Before she knew it, Ben’s hands were on her hips li
fting her onto the table. “Well, okay then.” Her mouth was slightly open in shock and awe.
He smirked. The confidence radiating off him sent shock waves through her. His jawline was intense. She had the urge to reach out for it. She felt her arm start to move when a growling commotion on the floor drew her attention away, effectively breaking the spell. What the hell is wrong with you, Holly Flanagan? Get it together. This insanely hot vet is not flirting with you!
Shaking those thoughts from her head, she looked to the dogs who were now wrestling.
A chuckle from Ben diverted her attention once again. “Come on, Holly. Let’s take a look at the damage.” Ben reached for the extendable light attached to the wall.
Chapter Three
Ben pivoted the light, so it was directly in front of her mouth. His heart slammed against his chest. He hadn’t known what came over him, but the second she questioned getting onto the exam table he jumped at the chance to assist her. He was glad he did. Her hips molded to his hands perfectly. He had to stop himself from slipping his fingers under her shirt to feel her skin.
Get it together, Ben. Sure, she was beautiful, but even this was unusual behavior for him. There was something about her, that ignited every nerve ending he had. Right now, the only thing he wanted to do was explore all the possible reasons why. Maybe it was her quick wit, her adorable clumsiness, or her insanely delicious curves, but whatever it was, he wanted to drown himself in it.
Taking a deep breath, he commanded his body to control itself. “Close your eyes, Grace, so the light doesn’t blind you.”
He was instantly rewarded with her defiant glare. Oh, she sure is fun to rile.
She gave him a dirty look. “I will sic Waffles on you in a heartbeat.”
“Do you mean the same Waffles that’s licking my leg right now?”
She glanced towards the floor, her eyes narrowing before shooting back at him. “He’s faking you out. He’s trying to trick you into believing he is as sweet as maple syrup, but as soon as I give the command he’ll attack.”
“Is that so?”
To make a liar out of her, Waffles rolled onto his back and demanded a belly rub. Ben didn’t even try to suppress his laugh. Which only caused the glare coming from Holly to be then turned on him. This woman was something else, but as he spent more time with her, he realized he hadn’t had this much fun in months.
“Don’t you have a job to do?” she demanded.
He laughed harder, placing his hand on his stomach. “Yes, your highness, I do. Now close your eyes and let me take a look.”
Holly finally listened to his instructions. He was now able to get a better look at her lacerations. He could hear Ripley and Waffles playing on the floor, he ignored them and focused his whole attention on Holly.
On her bottom lip, there was a cut about four and a half centimeters wide. He used his fingers to move around the tissue to see if there was any other damage. Even though they were bruised and swollen, they were soft. He caressed the side of her lip that didn’t have the cut. He couldn’t stop himself from imagining what it would feel like to have his lips pressed against hers.
Quickly, he averted his gaze to the wall. What the absolute fuck is going on with me? No one ever enticed these reactions from him before. Taking a deep breath, he focused. He examined her upper lip and noticed a smaller laceration; this one was only about a centimeter. Thankfully, neither seemed to need stitches.
When he first asked her to get onto the exam table, he’d pulled out some cotton balls and cleaning solution. He took one of the saturated swabs and started wiping away the dried blood.
“Ouch, you jerk.”
“This is the exact reason why I went the animal route instead of the human route,” he said holding her jaw with one of his hands as he cleaned her cuts with the other.
“Why, because humans fight back?”
“If you think animals don’t fight back you are sorely mistaken,” he answered. “Animals don’t run their mouth while I’m trying to clean and fix them.”
“I wasn’t running my mouth. I explained what you were doing hurt.”
At first, he thought he really had hurt her and was going to apologize. However, that was before he looked into her eyes. The little shit was messing with him. “Sure thing, Grace,” he said retaliating.
Instantly her face changed from smug to annoyance. “Jerk.”
He shook his head. “Open, Grace. Let me take a look at your tooth.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, but did as he asked.
When she opened her mouth, he was able to see the chipped front tooth clearly. He did some more examining, and from what he could tell there weren’t any cracks that had appeared. He used some of his dental examination tools to double check though. He also moved the tooth around to see if it was loose. Once he completed the task, he turned off the light and pushed it back towards the wall. He removed his gloves with a snap, causing both of the dogs to turn his way. “Well, Grace, your lips will survive to bring enjoyment to unexpecting patrons another day.” Her eyes started to twitch again… Maybe he really should have her go to the urgent care in case something was wrong with her brain.
“That’s good to know,” she finally said.
“Yup, no stitches. Your tooth on the other hand-“
She threw her hand to her mouth. “Am I gonna die?”
“You’re pretty dramatic; anyone ever tell you that?”
“Am I gonna die is a legitimate question for someone that finds herself in certain positions more times than not.”
Ben chuckled. “And, what might those positions be?” he asked. When her eyes narrowed, he held up his hands in surrender. “Like I was saying, your tooth definitely has a chip in it. But, I don’t see any cracks. Which is a good thing. I’m not a human dentist, but no cracks mean your tooth should be fine. I’m sure a dentist can easily add some composite to the chipped part, and you’ll be good as new.” Ben turned away from her retrieving his phone from his pocket.
“All you see is a chip?”
He didn’t look from his phone as he answered her. “Yeah. I also moved your tooth around. There is some looseness, but nothing to be too concerned about. I don’t think you’ll have any lasting issues with it.”
“Do you always ignore your patients?” she asked.
He finally looked from his phone. “I’m not ignoring you. I’m setting up a dentist appointment for you.”
“You’re what?” Her eyebrows rose.
“That’s the next logical step. I’m trying to see if they can get us in today.”
* * *
Did he just say us? Holly’s head spun as she tried to make sense of what was happening. “What do you mean us?”
Ben leaned against the counter across from her. He crossed his legs as he furiously typed on his screen. He looked at her. “Well, we would have to drop the dogs off at my house first, so not them.”
“Whoa,” she said, “you need to take a step back. I am not dropping my dog off anywhere that isn’t in my apartment. And, I am not going to some random crackpot dentist.”
“Oh, I cannot wait to tell John you said he was a crackpot. It’ll make his day.” Ben, then started to text on his phone again.
“I am not going to your dentist.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t know him. Hell, Ben, I don’t even know you.”
He put his phone down and opened his arms. “What do you want to know, I’m an open book.”
“That’s not what I meant.” She took a calming breath. “I appreciate what you are trying to do, but I really just need to get out of here.” She looked around the room for something to help her get down from the table.
Ben must have read her mind again because his hands were once again on her hips before placing her safely on the ground.
“John’s been our family friend, and later dentist for years. Let me help you here, Holly. I feel horrible that it was my miscalculation with the Frisbee t
hat caused all of this. I want to fix it,” he reasoned with her.
To make matters worse, her betraying dog plopped his big butt next to Ben’s foot and whined at her. Do you not understand, I’m the one who feeds you?
She ran her tongue over her tooth one more time. She knew the chip wasn’t that bad, but she also knew she wouldn’t be able to stop touching it with her tongue.
She closed her eyes. Could she deal with the possibility of cutting her tongue on the jagged edge? Opening her eyes, she saw a picture-perfect scene. Ben was on his knees with Waffles on his right, and Ripley on his left, all three of them sported the puppy dog look. “Fine, you know what, let’s go to your guy, but I swear if he turns out to be some weird dealer on the black market trying to harvest my appendix, tell him it was removed years ago. Oh, and I will murder you.”
He plucked her dog into his arms. “You mean you’ll finally sick Lord Waffles on me?”
She was going to kill them both.
Chapter Four
Ben observed Holly from the corner of his eye as they sat in the waiting room. She bounced her leg nervously as she pretended to be focused on an old magazine in her hands. There was something about her he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He couldn’t help but feel enamored by her.
Everything about Holly screamed adorable. Especially right now, every few seconds she’d shift her weight in the seat, trying to relax. Maybe she wasn’t a fan of going to the dentist in general?
Then she did it again.
Fuck me. Ben did his best to bite back his groan. Holly once again ran her tongue across her plump bottom lip, feeling the laceration. His heart accelerated as he imagined it being his tongue. He’d kiss away the pain and discomfort she felt. Or better yet, he’d kiss along her jawline, being cautious of the tender spots, he’d make it his mission to distract her with his hands. Jesus fucking Christ, Ben. Calm the fuck down. Now, he was even starting to scare himself. He needed to get himself together. The poor woman had been through a lot today, and she didn’t need him fantasizing about her to add to it. It didn’t matter the raw lust he was feeling towards Holly was a new sensation to him. Sure, he’d lusted after beautiful women before, who hadn’t? But with Holly, his nerve endings came alive, and he had absolutely no idea why.