by Lori Ryan
“I’d offer to help,” Aaron said, “but, uh…”
“Yeah, but you’re about as useful as tits on a boar hog.”
“Emmett!” Emily Dixon swatted his arm. She was the night manager and thankfully the one who had to babysit Emmett tonight.
Emmett shrugged. “What? It’s true. For a guy who can literally perform open-heart surgery, he’s useless on a computer.”
Aaron stiffened at the reference to his old life, but Kayleigh moved close to him, closer than she had earlier, and wrapped her hand around his, giving him a gentle squeeze.
He glanced down.
Her face held a small smile, offering her sympathy, and her strength.
He shrugged. It was sinking in that his old life was slipping away. He stared over her head and looked at Emmett. “Well, if you need me…”
Emmett moved a hand in the air, waving him off. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll call Tinker Bell from Neverland first. She’d be more help.”
Kayleigh snorted, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Not, funny.” Aaron scowled.
“You’re really that bad with computers?” she asked.
“Not that bad.” He took her hand in his and pulled her toward the front entrance. Screw this idea of not being discovered. He couldn’t keep his hands off her.
“Aaron,” she complained behind him, “you’re dragging me.”
He slowed his pace, glancing behind them. “Sorry.”
He just wanted her out of the public eye where he could take advantage of her. He tugged her between the cars in the parking lot, shoving her against the passenger side door of his mother’s Jeep. A low growl erupted from his throat as he leaned over her.
Her head darted around the parking lot. “What are you doing?”
“This.” His lips crashed down on hers. She fought him, weakly, but within a few seconds, she sank against him. Her arms wound around his neck as her tongue stroked his.
“Aaron,” she moaned against his mouth.
Finally after what seemed like hours, he pulled away, needing air. “What?”
“Let’s go.”
He smiled and opened the car door, helping her in. He quickly made his way around the front of the Jeep and slid into the driver’s side. “You going to read some of those new books to me tonight?”
“You’re awfully presumptuous, thinking you’re spending the night.”
He gave her a playful wink.
“Hey,” she said, “where are we going? My place is back toward town.”
“It’s too late to go back to town.” Besides, he was about to pop a load in his pants. There was no way he would make it to Kayleigh’s if he didn’t get inside her in the next ten minutes. “We’re going to my mom’s.”
“What?” she shrieked, pushing up against the passenger-side door like he had the plague. “I am not going to your mother’s. No way.”
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye but didn’t change direction. “Why, you don’t like my mom?”
She gave a humph. “I love your mom, she’s amazing. I’m just not going to spend the night in her house, with her son, doing…” She waved her hand in a circle in front of her.
“What’s that?”
“You know.”
He played dumb and shook his head.
“Sex,” she whispered.
“She’s not in the car, Kayleigh.” He laughed.
She slugged him in the arm. “You know what I mean.”
The form fitting button-down blouse she wore was tight across her chest, shortening his attention span. But he stopped looking at her body and took a few seconds to study her closer. She seemed pissed.
He searched for a reason for her annoyance. “My mom’s not home, if that makes you feel any better.”
“Well, it doesn’t.” She gave another humph sound and crossed her arms over her chest. Christ, it pushed her breasts up even higher. Now her blouse was even more snug, and causing dangerous things to happen to his body.
“I tell you what, I won’t do anything, unless you beg me.”
Kayleigh snorted as she glanced out the window but remained silent.
“Are you,” he paused, “like, really upset?” She remained silent so he decided to wait until he could pull the car to a stop before he talked to her. She’d seemed off all night, never flirting with him at the book festival when he’d tried so hard. She only seemed interested in the cover models that were around.
“What’s going on with you?” he asked as he pulled into his mother’s driveway.
“I’m not going inside,” she said, still staring out the window.
“Okay, but they said it’s supposed to get down into the fifties tonight. You might be a little cold out here since you didn’t bring a jacket.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’ll call an Uber.”
“I’m pretty sure Uber doesn’t run in Canyon Creek.”
“Old Man Mac has a service in town.”
“Old Man Mac?” he said. “Are you talking about Jasper MacGowen? The crazy taxidermist who lives in the woods outside of town?”
“Yep,” she nodded. “That’s the one.”
“That dude is frigging insane.”
She lurched back and glared. “No, he’s not. He’s…” she seemed to search her brain for just the right word. “He’s eccentric.”
“He’s not eccentric. Eccentric is when Aunt Sally wears her I Heart Steve Perry T-Shirt to Easter Sunday service because she says he’s her lord and savior. Old Man Mac is certifiable bat-shit crazy.”
“No, he’s not,” she said with more vehemence than he’d anticipated.
“Kayleigh, he mixes animal species. The top half of a cat glued to the bottom half a monkey. They’re scary-assed creations. Have you ever seen one?”
“Yes, I have. He’s stuffed many of my patients who have passed.”
Aaron squeezed his forehead with his hand. “Jesus, Kayleigh.”
“What?”
He sat with the car idling and stared at her. “What’s going on tonight?”
She finally turned her head and looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“It’s like you’ve been fighting me all night. I say black, you say white.”
She sat quietly, arms still crossed, staring out the front window.
“Kayleigh,” he said quietly, taking one hand and tugging it from her body. “What’s going on? Did I do something?” He played back the last few days in his head but couldn’t think of anything. But then, he was a guy, so…
“I heard your conversation,” she said, staring down at their joined hands.
“What conversation?”
“With your hospital, in Chicago.”
“When? What conversation?”
“The other day,” she said, “in my office at the vet clinic.”
Oh, shit. The conversation with Dr. Ewing offering him a job.
“Are you going back?” she asked, her head down, still watching their hands as she chewed on her bottom lip.
This was Kayleigh Montgomery nervous. He didn’t even know such a thing existed.
“Hey,” he said, lifting her chin and turning her head. “Look at me.”
Her eyes cut to his and from the dim lighting outside, he could see the anxiety in her gaze. Did she want him to stay? “I don’t know if I’m staying. That’s all I can say.”
She pulled away from his hold and reached for the door. “Okay. Well, I guess, good luck then.”
“Hey.” He pulled her back. “This thing between us—”
“Is completely temporary. I know. You were never staying.”
He was going to say complicated, not temporary, but her fake smile made him hold his tongue.
“It’s totally cool, Aaron. I’m sorry I eavesdropped. I just wanted to know, that’s all. I’m fine.”
“Is that what you want?”
“What, temporary?” she asked. “Of course, I do. My life’s too hectic for anything else. And your lif
e is in Chicago.”
Was it?
“Besides,” she said, “I may not even be staying long in Canyon Creek, either.”
“Do you still want to do this?” he asked.
“Do what?” she said, staring at him.
He pointed between the two, unsure of how to ask the question, afraid of her answer.
“Sex?”
He shook his head but didn’t have words. This was a hell of a lot more than just sex between them.
“Sure, why not? What else do we have going on. I’m mean, temporary sex is better than no sex.”
He noted how many times she’d said temporary in the last five minutes, and how the passion in her eyes was slowly starting to fade.
“What do you want?” she asked.
What did he want? Shit, he had no idea, long-term. He lifted her hand and tugged it to his mouth, pressing a kiss against her ivory skin. “You, Dr. Montgomery. I want you.”
She swallowed and stared at him but didn’t move her hand.
Aaron didn’t know a lot about his future but he did know one thing. He wanted whatever this was with Kayleigh Montgomery for however long she’d let him.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Shit, shit, shit. What had she done? She’d just shown all her cards. But worse than that, did she want this to be temporary? God, this thing with Aaron was moving too fast. Now she understood why Maggie had told her not to get involved with a Sumner brother. Especially this Sumner brother. She needed to slow this down. Separation was the key.
“Kayleigh,” he called her name, his voice soft and soothing.
“Aaron, I think it’s better if you just take me back to town.”
“No,” he said with more authority than she’d heard before.
His face softened at her shocked expression and he smiled. Before she knew what he was doing, he reached for one of the books in her bag. It wasn’t one of her usual regency romance titles, but a friend had told her she’d like the series. When the author ended up being at the signing, Kayleigh had grabbed the book to try it.
Seeing it in Aaron’s hands now made her nervous. “What are you doing?”
He looked at the naked man chest on the cover and gave her a raised brow but opened the book, flipping to the first page. “I’m taking matters into my own hands.”
“I’m not reading to you,” she said, reaching for the book. The last thing she wanted was to befuddle her mind with sex.
“I know. I’m reading to you.”
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that Kayleigh was stunned speechless.
Aaron cleared his throat. “Candice Kadin probably shouldn’t have let the fantasy play out in her head as long as it had. It was hard to put a stop to it when the object of her high school crush, Shaw Hart, was on a ladder ten feet from her. He wore a carpenter’s belt around his waist, slung low over jeans that had to have been made for his ass and his ass alone.”
“Aaron,” Kayleigh said, but he shot her a glare and kept reading.
“Candice would have to have been a saint not to imagine touching the taut muscles on his back. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, for crying out loud. She was only human. She bit her lip as she wondered what kind of view she’d have if he turned around. She would bet there was a six pack on the other side of that package.” Aaron chuckled. “Package? Jesus, is this for real?”
“Fine.” Kayleigh grabbed the book and tossed it back in her bag. “We’ll go inside and talk. But we’re just talking. You swear your mother isn’t here?”
They went up the walk together and she almost wished he’d hold her hand again and pull her to him. The problem was, she needed her head to be in control here, not her heart, and certainly not her body.
He slipped a key in the lock and opened the door.
“Aaron,” she said again. “Is she home?”
“Nope, she and Aunt Sally are gone until late Sunday night. It’s just me and you.” He closed the door behind them and turned a very heated gaze on her, placing one hand on the wall behind her, leaning so close she could see his pulse beating in his neck.
Damn, why did he have to turn her on so much?
She stared up into his eyes. They were edged with arousal and fully dilated. He wanted her.
And shit, she wanted him too, but was this really a good idea? Kayleigh didn’t do feelings, she didn’t do long-term. So why was the thought of Aaron leaving suddenly making her heart ache? She should be ecstatic that she’d found a man who was good in bed and made her laugh but wouldn’t stick around to complicate things.
She slid out from under him and walked toward the sofa, setting her book on the coffee table. “You said we were just talking, remember?” Yeah, maybe she could do the friends thing. Friends with benefits, she thought.
He pounded his head on the door.
She bit back a laugh. Obviously, she affected him just as much as he affected her. “Come,” she said, plopping down on the sofa, “sit with me.” She bit her bottom lip as she watched him adjust his jeans before walking over.
“I see you laughing,” he said. “This is not funny. Blue balls is a medical diagnosis that can have fatal consequences.”
She rolled her eyes. “Please.”
“I’m serious.” He plopped down next to her, leaving little room between them as he reached for the book he’d started in the car.
“Oh, no.” She swatted his hand. “No reading books. We’re supposed to be talking, remember?”
“Would you like something to drink?”
“I’d love some water,” she said.
Aaron walked into the large kitchen.
She followed and watched as he filled two glasses with water.
He slid one over the bar. “I noticed you had a few glasses of champagne this evening at the book event.”
“I couldn’t help it,” she said, taking a long sip from her water. “The waiters were super cute. All the girls drank too much.”
“Any one waiter in particular?”
“Well there was this one man, he was super tall and hot as hell.”
Aaron smiled.
“Someone told me he was an ex-NFL player.” She smirked.
“Fucking Max” he muttered.
Kayleigh giggled.
“I ordered an ultrasound for the medical clinic.”
“You did?” She took another sip of water.
“Yeah, and I think maybe you could use it, too. I started researching some other ideas about how you could save money and maybe—”
She held up a hand. “Don’t.” She didn’t want his nose in her business.
He stared at her, confused. “Don’t what?”
“I don’t want you trying to figure this out for me. I can do it myself.”
He shook his head and laughed.
“What?” Her brows furrowed.
“You say you want to stay in Canyon Creek but you’re not accepting any help.”
“Why would I accept your help if you’re not staying?”
“Okay,” he said quietly, walking around the bar.
God, she felt like such a shit. She was being a brat. She knew it. “I’m sorry,” she said, “it’s just…”
“You don’t have to explain.” He took her hand in his and led them to the couch again. Taking her glass, he set them both on the coffee table then pulled her on top of him.
She squealed. “Aaron.”
“So, tell me about this NFL prick.”
Kayleigh threw her head back and laughed. “You sound jealous.”
“Not jealous,” he said, nuzzling her neck, “just…”
She wiggled off his lap and scooted to the opposite side of the couch. She needed distance if she was going to keep her word about not messing around with him, although part of her was realizing this might have been a mistake. Talking to him was only bringing them closer, and that was something she didn’t need. If she knew what was good for her, she would end this now and walk away. Walk away before he did.
“
Hey,” he pouted.
“I told you I’m not messing around with you at your mother's house.”
His gaze roamed over her body, his eyes narrowing.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing.” He smiled and leaned over, grabbing his glass of water.
“Your nothing seems like something,” she said.
He shrugged and gave her a half smirk that lit her panties on fire. She needed even more distance if she was going to keep her word.
He raised a brow. “What?”
She shook her head and reached for her own glass, taking a sip. “Behave yourself.”
Aaron nodded and she was surprised to see he did. The humor left his face.
“Actually, since we have the house to ourselves and we’re only talking, I have something to tell you.”
“What?” She watched as Aaron nervously ran his hand around the rim of his glass.
He raised his eyes and stared at her. He paused and she wondered what he was thinking. “Ben installed our tele-med equipment at the clinic today.”
“That’s great,” she said.
“Yeah, it was. It meant I was able to talk to the children’s hospital in Denver.”
She leaned back. “About what?”
“Izzie is still having some issues. I want her to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist but I’m trying to take care of things here in Canyon Creek for as long as I can.”
“Aaron, that’s amazing.”
He stared at her. “What?”
“That you’re bringing that technology to the town. It means we can get specialized care without having to travel all the time.”
He shrugged.
“How’s Izzie doing? I didn’t see her last time I was at the ranch. Is she going to be okay?”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” he said. “Probably needs a routine tonsillectomy but I’d like to oversee her care.”
“If you’re still here,” she said, unable to stop herself.
He stared at her for several moments. “I told Doc and Ben about the tremor.”
“Seriously?”
He nodded.
“What did they say?”
“They were cool. Definitely supportive of whatever I want to do.”
“And what do you want to do?” Shit, where has that come from?
“Right now?” He stared at her, his eyes dark and intense, the mood shifting once again.