When they touched down, she kicked her feet excitedly.
“That was amazing!”
He helped her from her seat, and she jumped into his arms and kissed him as other passengers weaved around them toward the exit. He drank in her exhilaration. He’d forgotten what it felt like to do something like that for the first time, and he realized that what she felt over the ride, he felt being with her.
They laughed and talked as they made their way deeper into the park. Two children scampered by with cotton candy, and Ally’s eyes lit up.
“I want that sugary goodness.” She pulled Heath toward a cotton candy vendor, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
“I haven’t had this since I was a kid.” Heath ordered a cotton candy and paid while Ally pulled a hunk off.
“Me, either. But I’d eat it for breakfast if I knew how to make it.” She put the pink fluff into her mouth and closed her eyes. “Mm. This is better than sex.”
“What?” Heath plucked off a hunk and put it in his mouth. “Mm. That’s really good, but I’m not sure it’s better than sex.”
“Oh, come on,” Ally teased as she pulled off another hunk and shoved it into his mouth. “Tell me that’s not orgasmic.”
He tugged her against him and took her in a sloppy, sugary kiss. The cotton candy melted in their mouths, and they both came away laughing.
“Maybe if I were eating it off of you…” He arched a brow and licked a sticky speck of pink from the corner of her mouth.
“Dr. Wild, what are you suggesting?” She narrowed her eyes and gave him a limp-wristed wave.
“Exactly what you think I am.” He kissed her again and realized a woman and her young boys were watching them. He draped his arm around Ally, and they walked toward the rides, chuckling and kissing.
The scents of hot dogs and fried foods hung in the air as the afternoon wore on, and the blue sky darkened with the setting sun. They’d ridden the bumper cars, the Ferris wheel, and the roller coaster and had spent hours exploring the park and people watching. They were heading for the beach to stroll along the shore when Heath was drawn in by the lights and sounds of the arcades.
“Don’t waste your money,” Ally said. “No one ever wins these things.”
“Didn’t you see all those people carrying stuffed animals? Of course you can win, and I happen to be a master at this stuff. Pick a prize and I’ll win it for you.” Heath nodded toward the bank of arcades. He’d spent so many hours playing these games with his brothers that he’d learned all the tricks of the trade. Like how he had to toss the basketball high and dead center or it would bounce off the rim, and when playing the squirt gun target game, one movement away from center would cost him the match.
Ally crossed her arms and surveyed the prizes at the water gun shooting game.
“I have a better idea. How about if you win the stuffed cat so Fifi has a friend?” he suggested.
“Me? I can’t win anything. You do it. I’ll watch.”
Heath shook his head. “There’s nothing you can’t do if you try.” He took out his wallet and paid for Ally’s turn. “It’s easy. All you have to do is aim and shoot. As you hit the target with your stream of water, the monkey climbs the tree. The first one up wins.”
Two teenagers were egging each other on beside them as they paid and got ready to play.
Heath moved behind Ally and put the gun in her hand.
“I’m seriously going to suck. You might as well have thrown your money into the ocean.” Ally held up the gun and looked nervously at the teens, who had gone silent and serious, standing with their legs shoulder width apart, arms outstretched, reaching forward, and clasping their guns.
Heath pressed his cheek to Ally’s from behind. “The key is to find the right spot on the target, then not to move. Don’t look at them and don’t get distracted by noises. Look, aim, fire.”
Ally shrugged. “Okay, but I’m telling you…”
The guy behind the counter sounded a buzzer that counted down 3, 2, 1, then buzzed again.
Ally held down the trigger. Heath held her wobbly arms steady as the hard stream of water pelted the target.
“We’re doing it!” she hollered, then looked over at the teens and tilted the gun, missing the target for a split second, which cost them the round. “Aw! Let’s do it again. I can do better.”
The teenagers hooted and hollered as they chose their prize.
Heath laughed as he paid again, and two more players joined them.
“We’ve got this.” Ally spread her legs wider and held the gun with two hands, her eyes narrowed, focused on the target.
Heath smiled at her concentration. “That’s my competitive girl.” He stepped back and let her do it on her own.
When the kid beside her won, she whipped her head around to Heath with a challenging look in her eyes. “Again?”
He laughed and paid for another round. “Want me to try?”
“I’ve got this.” She lowered her chin, aimed, and when the buzzer sounded, she hit the target dead-on, without wobbly arms and without looking away for even a second. Her monkey climbed to the top of the tree and her bell sounded.
“We did it!” Ally jumped up and down and flew into Heath’s arms again.
“No, babe. You did it.”
Ally chose her prize and hugged the stuffed cat to her chest, beaming as they crossed the boardwalk toward the beach. “I’ve never won anything before, and I wouldn’t even have tried if it weren’t for you.”
“You were a natural.”
“A natural, huh? I wonder what I could do with a real gun,” she teased.
“I’d much rather see what you can do with cotton candy.” He pulled her in close. “I have a feeling that you have the ability to master whatever you put that brilliant mind of yours to. Now, if I could only figure out how to get your sights set on me.”
He jumped from the boardwalk down to the beach and reached up to help Ally.
“I’ve got you in my crosshairs, Dr. Wild,” she said as she leaped off the boardwalk and into his arms.
Without missing a step, Heath spun her around and kissed her, knowing he was her easiest target yet.
Chapter Nineteen
THEY WALKED ALONG the shore and had dinner at a café before heading back toward the city. Ally watched the lights move slowly by as they inched along the busy city streets. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun, and as Heath reached across the console and took her hand in his, she didn’t want the night to end.
“It’s hard to believe it’s only been a few hours since we left your place this morning. I feel like we spent a week at Coney Island.” Ally traced a vein in his hand.
“Is that good or bad?”
Ally sighed. “Very good. Do you want to stay at my place tonight?”
Heath smiled, his eyes never leaving the road. “Do you even have to ask?”
She rested her head back and closed her eyes, reveling in the sincerity of his answer and the way it made her pulse quicken. She listened to his breathing hitch, as if he swallowed a laugh, and when she opened her eyes, he was grinning ear to ear.
“Why do you look so happy?”
“Because you’re letting me in.” He brought her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to it.
“I think I let you in the first night I met you,” she reminded him with a playful smirk.
“Yes, but now you’re letting me into Ally’s private oasis. There’s a world of difference.”
They stopped at his place so Heath could pick up a change of clothes and drop off his car. Ally was pleased that this time he didn’t mind showing her how he really lived. She’d heard about the fancy garage units. Probably everyone in the city had, it was so elaborate, but Heath acted as though it was just like any old garage, and she appreciated that. During the cab ride over to her apartment, Ally wondered if her apartment would feel confining after sleeping at Heath’s, and was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t feel any less beauti
ful than it ever had. Heath moved through her place with comfort, toeing off his shoes by the front door and setting his wallet and keys by the bed. He picked up Fifi and snuggled her for a few minutes while Ally took off her sandals and gave Fifi fresh food and water.
A few minutes later the activity of the day caught up with them, and they both collapsed onto the couch. Heath stretched out with Ally beside him, and when Fifi sniffed around his feet, he lifted her onto his chest, where she promptly curled up and fell asleep.
Several hours later Ally awoke in her bed with a soft blanket draped over her. The apartment was pitch-dark, and the clock on the bedside table read 3:00 a.m. She drank in Heath looking deliciously handsome, sprawled across her bed with only a sheet strewn across his hips and Fifi curled up against his chest. Ally’s hand covered her heart. She felt her life falling into place. Sometime between Saturday morning and this moment, she’d become wholly Heath’s. She was completely in love with him. She sat there for a few minutes, savoring the sight of his big, strong body snuggling her kitty, and when her body finally remembered how to move, she rose to her feet feeling like she was walking on a cloud.
Changing into a negligee, she wondered how things could move so quickly—from the way she breathed to the weight of the air in the apartment. She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and saw Heath’s toothbrush hanging in the ceramic holder beside hers. A damp towel hung over the towel rack. She touched it and felt her heart squeeze. She was bummed to have missed the opportunity to shower with Heath and delighted at the thought of him making himself at home in her apartment. She peeked behind the shower curtain, imagining him going quietly through the motions of his nighttime routine while trying not to wake her. She wondered if he’d talked to Fifi, the way she did as she got ready for bed each night. She saw his shampoo, body wash, and shaving cream in a toiletry bag on her sink. His razor was sticking out of the top. Seeing all those things sent a tingle through her limbs that spread like wildfire around her heart.
She loved seeing Heath’s things mingling with hers, and when she walked back into the bedroom, her heart nearly stopped at the sight of him. His eyes were partway open. He held a finger up to his lips to shush her and pointed to Fifi sleeping soundly against him; then he opened his hand for her to take. She slid into the bed carefully, and he blew her a silent kiss.
“Sorry I fell asleep,” she whispered.
“You were adorable, and I had good company.” He beckoned her closer.
Ally inched closer, until Fifi was nestled safely between them, and for the first time in her life, she wondered what it might be like to have a child. Amanda was the dreamer in the family. Ally had never given much thought to marriage or babies, but now, as sleep made her eyelids heavy, her mind drifted to what it might be like to be married to Heath. To have a family of their own. Heath smiled as he curled one hand around her and laid the other protectively over Fifi. He had such a big heart, and as her eyes rolled over his contented expression and he gathered them both in close, she imagined he’d make a loving and protective father.
“Good night, sweetheart,” he whispered.
A minute later his chest rose and fell in the even pattern of sleep, and Ally’s heart beat a little harder.
Chapter Twenty
ALLY AWOKE TO the sound of Fifi purring. She felt the weight of Heath lying a few inches away on the mattress, and when she opened her eyes, she found him petting Fifi.
“Hi, sleepyhead.” He leaned over Fifi and kissed her.
“You didn’t mind that she slept here?”
He lifted Fifi onto his bare chest, and the kitty licked his chin. “This little muffin? Not at all.” He reached one arm out and pulled Ally closer. “I have my two favorite girls in bed with me.”
She smiled and petted Fifi. “She’s very spoiled.”
“She’s very loved. There’s a difference.” He kissed Ally’s forehead, laid his head back on the pillow, and closed his eyes. “What do you usually do Sunday mornings?”
“Depends. Sometimes I lie around and read all morning.”
“That sounds luxurious.” He smiled and opened his eyes.
“You mean lazy.”
He laughed.
“I’m not always lazy. Sometimes I go for a run. Gosh, I haven’t been since I got back from Vermont. I should really get out of bed and go running.”
“You’re a runner?” Heath pushed up on one elbow, sliding Fifi back onto the mattress. The kitty yawned and stretched her front paws out, pressing her butt up in the air. Then she leaped from the mattress to the floor.
“A jogger. I’m not very fast.”
“Let’s go for a run together,” he suggested. “I run a few times each week. We have more in common than we even imagined.”
“You’ll blow me away. Your legs are much longer than mine, and I’m sure you’re much faster.”
“Come on. I’ll go slow.”
Before she could answer, his cell phone rang.
“That’s the answering service ring tone.” He sat up to answer the call. “Yes.” He paused, and while he listened, he rose to his feet and reached for his bag of clothes. “I’ll be right there.” He ended the call and pulled on his briefs.
“One of my patients has been in an accident.” He pulled on his shirt and spoke fast. “I have to go to the hospital.”
As he pulled on his socks, Ally grabbed his shoes from the living room and brought them to him. “I hope your patient’s okay.”
He shoved his feet into his shoes, and Ally handed him his wallet and keys as he headed for the door. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Go for your run. Do something fun today. I’m not sure how long I’ll be, but I’ll call you later, when I have a handle on things.”
She unlocked the door, and he pulled her into his arms.
“Are we still on for dinner with my family?” He smiled. “Even though that makes me sound like a mama’s boy?”
“I love the mama’s boy in you.”
Heath’s piercing blue eyes narrowed, and a smile spread across his lips.
“I mean…I like...I mean…” Love. I mean I love everything about you.
“You mean?”
“I…”
He sealed his lips over hers and took her in a knee-weakening kiss, and when their lips parted, he searched her eyes with a glint of hope in his.
“You have to go.” Before I say I love you. She took a step back, afraid she’d melt against him and her feelings would flow like a river from her lips.
“Yes, I do. And when I see you later, you can tell me exactly what you mean.” He pressed two fast kisses to her lips, then went out the door and called over his shoulder, “Love you, sweethe—”
Ally sucked in a breath.
Heath stopped, as if the words had rolled off his tongue without thought and shocked him, too. He turned, and the confused look on his face quickly morphed into a wide smile. He pulled her in close again, breathing hard.
“I have to leave, but I do love you, Ally. And I mean exactly that.” With another quick kiss, he hurried down the hall to the elevator, turning to look at her as the doors slid open.
“Pick your jaw up off the floor.” He blew her a kiss and disappeared into the elevator.
Ally stood stock-still for a few seconds, her mind a frantic tangle of thoughts all circling one big truth: I love you, too, Heath.
She ran inside and tugged on a pair of sweats, shoved her feet into her sneakers, snagged her keys, and ran into the hall. She pushed through the stairwell doors and flew down to the lobby, bursting through the entrance to her building in time to see Heath climbing into a cab.
“Heath!” She ran into the street, dressed in her negligee and sweatpants, with a major case of bed head, and leaped into his arms. “You caught me, just like you said you would.”
“I always will,” he said with a wide smile.
“I love you, too, Heath. And I mean exactly that.” She kissed him quickly and wiggled out of his strong arms, then gave him a
playful shove toward the cab. “Pick your jaw up off the ground and go. Your patient needs you.”
“God, I love you,” he said as he climbed into the cab.
She watched his cab disappear into the mass of cars moving down the busy street, and when she turned back toward her apartment building, a small crowd had gathered. They whistled and clapped, and rather than shrink back in embarrassment, Ally took a bow before heading into her building.
Her heart raced as she walked into her apartment and scooped Fifi into her arms.
“I love him, Fifi. I do. I love him.”
Fifi meowed.
“I know. You do, too. I could tell.”
She was headed for the bathroom with an unstoppable grin on her face and her heart dancing in her chest, when her cell phone rang. She saw Heath’s name on the screen, and before she could say hello, he said, “Tell me again.”
“Go. Your patient needs you,” she teased.
He laughed. “Tell me, Ally.”
“I love your smile, and your voice, and the way you look at me like I’m the only person you see. I love the way you hold me and the way you touch me. I love how you love your family, and I love how you treat Fifi. I love all of you, Heath. The good, the bad, and the naughty. Maybe especially the naughty.”
“Ally?”
Her belly fluttered at his seductive tone. “Yes?”
“I’ve waited my whole life for you. Loving me will be the best decision you’ve ever made, sweetheart. I’ll never let you down.”
She sank down to her bed thinking of the night they’d met, the way he’d stroked her hand instead of her thigh when they were in the bar. How, as they’d gotten closer, he’d told her how important his family was to him. Seeing him with his family had confirmed what she’d known from the start—Heath was a man who knew how to respect a woman—and what she’d known from the moment their lips had touched and from the way he’d treated her every minute since—Heath knew how to love a woman.
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