by Marie Harte
Like melting vanilla ice cream over a hot apple pie. So delicious, and so perfect together. Her taste, his lips.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
He blinked and tried to appear innocent, not like the sex fiend he’d become. “How am I looking at you?”
She blushed again. “Never mind.”
The pull between them continued to deepen. Now if she’d just look lower, she’d see exactly what he’d been feeling for her. But the circumspect woman who liked a good Syrah, Manchego cheese—whatever the hell that was—and boring, wussy guys wouldn’t look past his chin.
Smart girl.
He grinned.
“What are you smiling at?”
“You’re pretty.”
She blinked. “Thank you?”
“You’re welcome?”
She covered her return grin with a frown, but he’d seen it all the same. “You never answered my question.”
“Why am I trustworthy?”
“Yes.”
“Well, you know I’m not some random guy. I’m Landon Donnigan. My brother works at Jameson’s Gym, where we’re both members.”
“So serial killers can’t work out?”
“Ah, sure. I guess.” Hadn’t she said she was some kind of counselor or something? Woman certainly had a brain, which only added to her sex appeal. The wind blew, and strands of her dark brown hair wisped over her face, covering those high cheekbones most models would kill for. But it was those light green eyes that had first captivated him. So soft yet profound, inviting him to look deeper while consigning him to hell because he wouldn’t ask before doing it.
“I hate to turn to stereotype, but you’re acting very blondish right now.” She sighed. “Can’t keep a thought in that pretty head, can you?”
So condescending. Yep. His erection refused to quit. He chuckled and invaded her space, pleased when she tensed. Then he gently tucked away that strand of flyaway hair behind her ear. And man, was it soft, smelling like flowers.
“Okay, Dr. Ava.”
“Actually, it’s Dr. Rosenthal.” She lifted her pert nose.
He stroked her cheek, pleased when she trembled, yet she never backed down. “Well, Doc, I’m a Marine, or I was before a bullet took me out of commission. So you see, I live to serve and protect. Now I work for a logistics company protecting my boss’s ass from inept employees.”
“That’s…” She blew out a breath. “That’s not very flattering to your employees.”
“Not mine. I just work there.” He paused for effect. “Nah. Kidding. The guys and gals I work with are great. The ones who aren’t I already fired.”
“You have a controlling nature, don’t you?” She narrowed her eyes. “Were you an officer or enlisted in the Army?”
No doubt she said that to needle him. Army? “Marine Corps, honey.”
She glared.
“Oh, sorry. Doctor Honey. So, was I an officer or enlisted? What do you think?”
“Officer. You’re exceedingly bossy.”
“You noticed.” He sighed. “You do care.”
She shook her head at him, but she was grinning again. “You really are obnoxious. And you’re not even trying, are you?”
“Not yet. You should see me when I’m on a roll.”
The wind blew again, and her teeth chattered.
“Okay, Doc. Enough flirting. Get in your car before you freeze your fine ass off.”
She scowled, then opened and closed her mouth, as if not sure whether to be annoyed or flattered. He had mentioned her fine ass, after all. She gave a sniff, stalked around to the driver’s side, and let herself in the vehicle.
She drove away in her sensible, compact little Prius, but he’d bet money she’d looked in her rearview at him before turning the corner.
Landon blew out a breath and wondered what the hell he was doing. He had no time for woman problems. Especially not the kind with an advanced degree and trouble written all over her. But he hadn’t been able to get the gorgeous woman out of his head since seeing her at the gym. Then running into her at his favorite bar? What were the odds? It was like fate planting her in his sights. Because that dud of a date drooling all over her couldn’t keep up.
Charles “I’m Boring Myself Silly” had no game. Not like Landon. Marines came, saw, and conquered. And he’d just decided he had a need to see what kinds of games Dr. Honey liked to play…between the sheets.
Chapter 4
After three days of marriage/identity crises, Ava felt ready to call the week over, and she’d only reached Wednesday. Tired from expending so much energy on her patients, she de-stressed with a terrific aerobics class at the gym. Elliot joined her, sweating alongside the many women and men crowding the room. Heck, they’d had to kick out a few people for safety reasons.
The class ended, and they finished putting the steps away.
“Great class, Maggie.” Elliot tussled the instructor’s golden curls.
She mock frowned at him, always happy to see her favorite person in Intermediate Step. “Hands off, Elliot. Or I’ll get my husband to geld you.”
Elliot held up his hands. “Easy, now. Just paying you a compliment.” He paused. “But if you want Mac to rough me up, you know, to set an example, I’ll take one for the team.”
Maggie chuckled. Her husband owned the gym, and he’d been Elliot’s longtime unrequited crush since he’d first joined the place. Considering Mac had married the gorgeous, always in-shape Maggie, and the guy was straight, Elliot had never stood a chance. Didn’t stop him from flirting though.
“One of these days somebody is going to rearrange your handsome face,” Ava said as she dragged him away from a laughing Maggie. “Then what will you do?”
“Find a hot doctor to fix me up?”
She tried not to laugh. “Seriously. You need to be more careful.” If anything ever happened to Elliot, she didn’t know what she’d do. She didn’t have many people she could confide in, and he meant the world to her. He was her best friend, and of all her cousins—though she’d never admit it to Sadie—her favorite.
“Take it easy, Ava. I only play around here because I can.” He grew somber. “Trust me. I know when to tone it down. This might be a city full of gay parades and rainbow flags, but not everyone’s so enlightened.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and dragged her down the hallway toward the front desk. “But just when you think we’re a troubled city full of haters, Jameson’s Gym comes through.”
He grabbed a pen and shoved it into her hands, then nudged her toward a clipboard with a signup sheet. “What’s this?”
“I thought you academic types knew how to read.” He ran his finger under the words Free Self-Defense Class. “After hearing about you and Handsy, I think this is perfect timing. We’re signing Sadie up too.” He signed up his sister, then slid the clipboard toward her.
She signed up as well, then asked the girl behind the desk, “Who’s giving the class?”
“Does it matter?” came the familiar voice haunting her dreams.
She jumped and spun around, her heart racing as much from shock as from Landon Donnigan’s nearness. “Can you please not sneak up behind me?” Landon stood in gym shorts and a sweaty shirt that clung to him like a second skin. The man really did too much bulking up. She could see prominent muscles bulging all over the place.
At the thought, she felt overheated, refusing to look down past his neck. Unfortunately, she kept remembering Elliot talking about banana hammocks and maleness. A glance back at her cousin showed him similarly enthralled. He wiggled his brows and mouthed, Big banana.
“Ava?”
She whirled back around, blocking her cousin making size gestures with his hands. “You know, just once, it would be nice if you started a conversation the normal way.”
Landon crossed his arms ov
er his chest. “Oh?”
“Yes. Like this.” She lowered her voice, pretending to be him. “Gee, hi there. I’m Landon. I’ll be giving the gym’s self-defense class. But don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. I’m not here to boss everyone around. I just want to help. I’m every woman’s protector.”
Elliot moved next to her, watching her and Landon without blinking. She totally didn’t trust the smirk on his face.
Landon grinned. “You know, I like you doing me.” He paused to let that sink in, and when it did, her cheeks felt hot enough to impose third degree burns. “I sound pretty manly. Not at all…boring…like some guys we know.”
She narrowed her eyes at his dig at Charles.
“‘Every woman’s protector.’ I like it. Can I quote you on that?” he teased.
“Oh, I’ve got a quote you can use.”
“Hi there,” Elliot interrupted and stuck out a hand. “I’m Elliot, Ava’s favorite cousin.”
“Favorite?” Ava snorted. “Really?”
Landon shook his hand. “Landon Donnigan. My brother and I are giving the self-defense class over the next few weeks.”
“Wait. Donnigan? So Gavin is your brother. Oh, I see the resemblance now.” Elliot smiled. “Gavin’s great. He helped me put on some serious muscle.”
“Good for you. My brother’s not half bad when it comes to building up others,” Landon said while his gaze remained on Ava. Particularly, on her legs.
“I’m still stuck on the word ‘favorite,’” she said, trying to gather her wits. Standing so close to Landon made it hard to breathe. Probably an allergy to arrogance, she thought with a bit of snark.
“Now what’s that smile, I wonder?” Landon mused.
“Oh, that’s her ‘I just insulted you in my mind’ look,” Elliot explained. “I get it all the time.”
“You’re getting it now,” she said, hoping she didn’t look as red as she felt.
“I thought I told you to come see me,” Landon said.
“I’m seeing you right here.”
He just watched her. “Scared you away the other night, huh?” He shook his head. “Thought you were made of stronger stuff.”
“Yo, Landon. I need you for a sec,” Mac called.
Mr. Tight Ass turned and walked away before she could set him straight.
The nerve.
Before she could go after him and give him the piece of mind she had left after her exhausting day, Elliot dragged her to the side.
“What. Is. Going. On?” In a lower, yet still excitable voice, he whispered, “That hot hunk of man was eye-fucking you all over the place.”
“Elliot.”
“I know what I’m talking about. While you were doing your best to cut him down to size, he was staring at your breasts, ass, legs. I felt embarrassed just being near you two. So much heat.” He fanned himself. “Now what the hell did he mean about ‘the other night’?”
She grabbed his waving hand to hold him still. “You’re imagining things.”
“Am I?” He glared. “What have you been keeping from me, Dateless in Seattle?”
Great. Now Sadie had him calling her that. “Elliot, I’ll tell you later. Not here.” Where Landon might overhear how she’d nearly lost her mind over a whisper of a kiss. For the past three nights she’d been dreaming about him naked, for goodness sake. And her dreams had nothing on the flesh-and-blood man parading around in those shorts. She’d never been drawn to muscular men before, and legs weren’t exactly her thing. She preferred a big brain over hamstrings and glutes. But with Landon…
“You’ll tell me now. There’s no longer trust between us.” Elliot sighed. “You’ve hurt me by holding back, Dr. Rosenthal. I’m feeling psychologically damaged. I think I might need therapy.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. Such a drama queen. “Fine. I saw Landon when Charles and I went out Sunday. Happy now?”
“And?” Elliot planted his hands on his hips.
“And nothing.”
“Liar. And?”
Her cousin should have gone into psychology. He could read just about anyone, her especially well. “Elliot. Come on.”
He grew louder. “And?”
“And Landon flirted a little. There might have been a kiss, kind of.”
“A kiss? So?”
“So that’s it.”
Elliot expelled a frustrated breath. “So does he have a big or small banana? Come on, Dateless. Share the good stuff. Rawr.” He clawed the air by her face.
She wanted to slap him. “Oh my God. You are so annoying.” She walked around him and headed for the bathroom. “I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner at Sadie’s. Now go away.”
“You’d better. And you’ll talk or I’ll make you,” he added in his best aggressive voice.
She darted into the bathroom and waited a few minutes before thinking it safe to return to the gym. Once back in the main area, she spotted her cousin talking with Gavin and holding his gym bag in hand, heading toward the front door. Thank God.
A glance around the gym showed the object of her nightmares still talking to Mac by the aerobics room. She wondered if she could leave before he caught her again. Would that be cowardly though? It offended her that he thought she’d been avoiding him. She had, because he confused the heck out of her. But he didn’t need to think that. She truly had been busy with work this week.
Landon saw her and raised a brow. Hey, that’s my move. She frowned. Mac saw her and smiled, then stepped away to talk to someone else while Landon stalked back to her side.
No doubt about it. The man moved with purpose. Walk in front of him and be mowed down.
He stopped in front of her. “Wonder of wonders. You’re still here. I thought for sure you would have hightailed it home by now.” Again with the smirking.
“Okay, buddy. Explain that crack.”
“We’re buddies now? I’m moved. Truly.” Landon put a big hand over his nonexistent heart.
“Why are you being so annoying today?”
“I’m never annoying. I’m honest, and, as I’ve come to find out, very few people can handle the truth.”
“I’m way too tired to deal with you today.”
Before she could add I’m leaving, he grabbed her by the arm and gently pulled her close. “It’s obvious you’ve been avoiding the gym. Because of me.”
“And you sound proud of that fact because…?”
“Because I’m getting to you.”
“Like salmonella. Yes, you’re pervasive in a germy kind of way.” She ignored his low laughter. “For the record, I have been extremely busy with patients this week. My not being here had nothing to do with you.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“Your eye is twitching. Is that a tell?”
“Tell? I’ll tell you something, mister, I—”
“When are you going out with Charles again?”
O-kay. Change in subject. “What?”
He shrugged. “You know. Charles. The poodle of the finance world. Pat him on the head and he’ll roll over for you, might even beg.”
She wasn’t following. “I’m confused. You don’t like poodles?”
He crossed his eyes. “Are you going out with him again or not?”
“Why is that your business?”
He paused. “I guess it’s not. But I think it’s a little tacky of you to date me and this guy at the same time.”
She frowned. “We’re not dating.”
“Oh good. So it’s just me?”
“No. I meant, you and I, we’re not dating. And besides, dating doesn’t imply anything intimate. It’s okay to date more than one person at a time, if we were even dating, which we’re not.”
He gave her a sad look she didn’t buy, because his deep brown eyes were still fill
ed with amusement. “Our bonding over jazz and your wussy date meant nothing to you? I’m crushed.”
Her lips twitched despite herself. “Are you done?”
“Ah. There’s that smile.” He tucked her hand in the crook of his massive arm and walked her back to the signup sheet. “Okay, I’m done harassing you. Mostly. So starting Friday evening, we run a three-part self-defense program. Come to the class. In all seriousness, the stuff we’re going to teach could really help if you get into a problem.” He gave her a look.
“What now?”
“Hell.” He blew out a breath. “I overheard you last week talking about some handsy guy. So I’m just going to say it. If you’re going out with Chuck again, make sure you meet in a public place.”
“Thank you, Dad.” She tried to tug her hand free from the rocks he called biceps and a forearm, but he gripped her fingers and wouldn’t let go. “His name is Charles,” she corrected. “But I’m so glad to have a big strong man around to tell me what to do. However have I managed myself for the past thirty years without you?” She batted her eyelashes, aware she was interacting with Landon in a way unlike the manner she typically used when speaking with men.
Not cut and dried or soberly attentive. She thought she might be actually…flirting.
To her bemusement, she hadn’t had such a fun conversation since the last time they’d traded barbs.
“Thirty, huh? Not bad, Doc. You have the legs of a twenty-year-old.”
“You’re a jerk, you know that?” Inwardly preening at his compliment, she still felt offended on behalf of thirty-year-olds everywhere. “I love being thirty.” And single. And childless. Sigh.
Her five-year plan continued to tick away.
“I love being thirty-four.” He shrugged. “What I don’t love is wasting time in the gym.” He glanced around. “You done working out?”
“I ducked into the bathroom to avoid my loud cousin. But I think he went home.”
“If you hadn’t been avoiding him, what would you have been doing?”
She sighed. “Toning up. My triceps need work.” She glanced from her scrawny arms to his, envying his strength.