Over Heated (On the Wild Side Book 3)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  “Because you told me that you don’t date the hospital staff! I’ve been trying to respect your privacy!” she huffed. “Are you telling me that you’ve been keeping your distance because I’ve bene trying to respect your need for privacy?”

  He shook his head at that, then chuckled softly, all of the anger leaving him. “Yeah. I think that’s exactly what’s been happening.”

  She opened her mouth, but he didn’t wait. He reached for her wrists, pulling her close. “Are you saying that you’ve been waiting for me to call you?”

  Roxy leaned into his chest and closed her eyes for a moment. She’d missed him so much this past week. “I haven’t been waiting on anything,” she muttered.

  “Liar,” he teased. “But I’ll concede that you’re new to this, so I should have come to you sooner instead of fuming all week.”

  She stared up at him, unable to hide the hope in her eyes. “You’ve been fuming?”

  Yeah,” he whispered, his voice low and deep and sounding like gravel. “I’ve been furious with you. I’m used to women who are aggressive in their desires. You’re quietly assertive, which is hard to translate sometimes.”

  “Why didn’t you just call me up and ask?”

  “Because I’m a guy. I have to pretend to be casual.”

  She licked her lips, wanting him to kiss her. She was in his arms, feeling every hard inch of him against her softness, but it wasn’t enough. She needed all of him. She needed him to kiss her!

  “What do we do now?” she asked, her heart pounding so hard, she wondered if he could hear it.

  He kissed her. Hard! His mouth moved over hers, demanding and coaxing. When she lifted her hand, cupping his cheek and kissing him back with just as much need, his kiss softened. His touch was soothing now, but no less demanding or passionate. And with every moment, she wanted more, needed more. Shifting against him, she whimpered with the need to touch him and to have him touch her. She’d gone so long in her life without affection, she knew now how much she loved being touched.

  Not by just anyone. But by Abe. His touch was all she needed.

  “Please, I need…” she stopped, shocked at what she was about to say.

  “What do you need, Roxy?” he demanded, lifting his head but his hands smoothed up and down her back over and over again. “Don’t hold back. We’ve spent a week apart because neither of us told the other what we wanted. I want it all, Roxy. I want you to tell me. No more guessing or assumptions.”

  She looked up at him, loving him so much that she ached. “I want you, Abe. I lo…” she stopped

  “Don’t, Roxy. Don’t do that. I’ll say it first. I love you. I know that it’s crazy, it’s only been one weekend, but I love you. I love you and I want you in my life every damn day of the week.”

  Roxy felt her heart swell so large, she thought it might just burst with happiness. “I love you too, Abe. I wasn’t sure what the feeling was, but by Tuesday, I knew that I’d fallen in love with you and that was why your rejection hurt so badly.’

  “No rejection, love. I promise. I was reacting to your body language, but obviously, we need to talk more and assume less.”

  She laughed at his words, but agreed with him. “Fine. More talking,” she whispered, then her eyes dropped down to his lips. “But…could we talk later?” she asked.

  Abe froze for a long moment, and laughed as he scooped her up in his arms, ignoring her squeak of surprise as he carried her into her bedroom and tossed her into the center of her bed. “Yes, talking later. Dealing with missing you for the past several days – that can’t wait,” he warned her. Then he proceeded to show her exactly how much he’d missed her. Again and again!

  Chapter 9

  “Good grief, that man is so hot!” Sherry Conyers groaned.

  Roxanne glanced up from the report she’d been reviewing, trying to figure out who Sherry was talking about. The head nurse for this section of the hospital was leaning against the counter, tapping her pen against her cheek as she watched Abe walk down the hallway.

  “It’s the tattoo,” Roxy explained, then turned to the report again, trying to ignore the blush staining her cheeks.

  “What tattoo?” Sherry demanded, straightening from her leaning position. “Does Doctor McCullough have a tattoo? Where? What kind?”

  Two other nurses turned from their computer monitors, their eyes wide, mouths hanging open. “Doctor McCullough? Tattoos?” Jennifer whispered in awe, then turned to look towards the room where the man in question had disappeared. “No! That man is…he wouldn’t!”

  Roxanne looked up, not sure what to say. “Um…maybe I’m thinking of someone else,” she muttered.

  Abe came out again, chuckling at something his patient said to him, as he walked over to the nurse’s station. “I need to change the dosage on…” he stopped and looked up as four ladies stared wide eyed at him. “What?” he asked.

  Sherry was the first to speak, moving forward as she eyed Abe. “Do you or do you not have tattoos?” she asked, her eyes moving carefully over his neck and hands, the only skin that showed at the moment. His crisp, white dress shirt and tailored slacks looked too professional to hide tattoos.

  Immediately, he shot a hard look at Roxanne. She shrugged apologetically, feeling guilty for revealing his secret.

  Sherry looked from Abe’s suspicious face to Roxy’s guilty one. “What is going on?” she demanded. “’Doctor McCullough, how in the world does Roxanne know you have a tattoo?”

  The other two nurses edged closer, eager for the scoop. If the oh-so-hot Doctor McCullough was finally easing his constraints on dating others in the hospital, both women wanted to sign up!

  Abe laughed, shaking his head as he wrote the new dosage for his patient in her chart. “Yes, I have a tattoo. And yes, Roxanne knows about them because wives generally know about things like that on their husbands.” With that bombshell, he flipped the patient chart closed, slipped it into the appropriate file, and walked out. But not before winking at Roxanne as he exited.

  Predictably, Roxanne’s cheeks flamed a bright red as all three nurses turned on her. “Wife?” Sherry asked.

  “Husband?” Nancy demanded, hands on hips.

  The third nurse, a young woman named Beth, giggled softly and shook her head. “I’m still stuck on the tattoo.”

  “What’s going on?” Doctor Eleanor Bixby asked, handing in her patient’s chart as she stared at the others.

  Sherry turned to the doctor, still shaking her head. “Roxanne is married!”

  Eleanor’s eyes widened. “Really? I thought you were single. When did you get married?”

  Roxanne sighed, plotting her revenge against Abe tonight. “Well, it was rather sudden,” she explained awkwardly.

  “To Doctor McCullough!” Nancy chimed in.

  Beth sighed, resting a hip against the counter. “And he has a tattoo! There’s nothing hotter than a man with tattoos!”

  Sherry rolled her eyes. “Seriously? The hottest doctor on the floor,” she turned to Eleanor, “besides you, Doctor Bixby,” she winked, “is married and you’re still stuck on his tattoos?”

  Beth nodded, still looking in the direction in which Abe had disappeared. “I love a guy with tattoos!”

  Sherry shook her head again. “Explain, woman!” she demanded, glaring at Roxy.

  Roxanne shrugged slightly. “We uh…well, we started dating after my mother’s funeral last summer and,” she hesitated, “we got married two weeks ago.”

  The women stood there for a moment, absorbing that information. “You mean, two weeks ago when you took a long weekend? The first time you ever took time off?”

  “Like I said, it was a bit sudden. He proposed. We flew out to Vegas and got married in the Elvis chapel. It was,” she blushed, “it was surprisingly romantic.”

  Roxanne’s phone beeped and she glanced down, seeing a text message from Abe and smiled. “I have to go,” she told the ladies, and hurried away. As soon as she stepped into her office, A
be pulled her into his arms. “So, you finally decided to let everyone know?” he asked, nuzzling her neck.

  “No, I hadn’t decided yet,” she retorted, then laughed when he hit that spot on her neck that he loved to tickle. Abe lifted his head and looked down at her. “I accidentally outed you on the tattoo. They’d never seen or even knew that you had a tattoo. I slipped up.”

  He chuckled. “Not an issue. I was sick of hiding the fact that you’re my woman anyway. So I’m glad our secret is out.”

  She sighed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “It was nice while it lasted,” she agreed. “But you’re right. I’m tired of hiding my adoring gaze when you walk down the hallway.”

  “Adoring, my ass,” he joked. “Your look is hungry. I can feel you undressing me with your eyes. I think I should feel violated.”

  Roxanne laughed. “You’re horrible,” she replied, and squeaked when he picked her up and set her down on her desk. “Yeah? Well, you’re beautiful,” and he kissed her until her toes curled.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  “I love you too.”

  Next in this series:

  Over Joyed by Jeanette Winters

  Release Date: November 1, 2019

  Ace’s reputation for his unique designs has created a problem everyone wished they had, a long list of wealthy clients. All he needs is peace, quiet and strong coffee. That meant hiding out in his motorcycle shop for hours instead of being on his bike. The payoff outweighed the sacrifice.

  Joyelle couldn’t wait to get up each morning and create a tasty morsel for her customers. All it took was one nibble or sip and they were hooked. Her dream was to make Tasty Tarts & Sweet Brews a household name, at least in Denver. That didn’t leave much time for anything else.

  When she gets approval to expand her business, the neighboring shop is less than thrilled. Will Ace’s Wild Custom Rides be what finally drives out of Denver? Or will she win him over with something sweeter than any of her pastries and holds on for the ride of her life?

  Click HERE to get “Over Joyed”!

  Excerpt from “Over Ruled” by Liz Scott

  Now Available!

  Rylee Haywood gripped the steering wheel in both hands and forced the car to the side of the road. Once she was safely on the shoulder, she let her head fall forward and slam into the wheel in defeat. There wasn’t any need to get out; she knew she’d just had a blowout. She also knew she didn’t have a spare in her trunk because it was currently in use on the opposite side of the car.

  “Args!” She’d been too busy to take time to get it repaired. Her head jerked up when headlights reflected in her rearview mirror. The approaching car slowed and stopped beside her. Again, she wanted to slam her head down—she recognized that sporty car. She took a calming breath and watched the other car’s passenger window lower before she rolled her window down and turned on a fake smile.

  “Car trouble, Rylee?”

  And just like it always did when this particular person spoke to her, her stomach fluttered. “Yeah. Just a flat.”

  The smile on his handsome face seemed to glow from the interior lights. Or maybe from his sparkling white teeth. But then he ruined it when he said, “And let me guess, you haven’t replaced your spare?”

  The smile turned into a condescending grin that made her want to smack him upside the head just before kissing those strong, full lips. But that probably wouldn’t be a good idea. He was, after all, her boss.

  With a knowing smirk, he said, “Come on. Get in and I’ll take you home.”

  Rylee barely managed to keep the shock from her face because getting in that car with him was the last thing she wanted to do. It was after midnight; if she had absolutely any hope of getting home, she’d have to get in his car. But she would be enclosed in a small space, within his atmosphere and all his manly scents would get all over her, tempting her. She gave a frustrated sigh because she knew she had no choice. She just wouldn’t breathe. Pulling her cross body bag over her head, she climbed out and locked her doors. She wasn’t afraid of anyone stealing or stripping her car. If they did, they would be doing her a favor. Her ten-year-old Hyundai was past the age of retirement. She just hadn’t gotten around to replacing it. And then, this one was paid off, and she didn’t want to take on a nasty monthly payment.

  Nate leaned over and opened the passenger door. She had to bend down to crawl into the ground-hugging sportster. Rylee jumped when Nate reached over and grabbed the seat belt, brushing against her breasts as he buckled her in. She swatted his hands away. “I can do that.” She took the buckle out of his hand, which was another mistake because she touched his warm skin. A current ran through her, making her breath quicken. Before she had herself strapped in, she tried to take in a slow, calming breath. And that only filled her senses with his yummy masculine aroma. She gave him her address and clasped her hands together in her lap.

  Checking the rearview mirror as he pulled back on the road, Nate asked, “Why are you out this late?”

  Nervously, she pulled her frizzy hair over her right shoulder, wondering why she hadn’t used her umbrella earlier. Because she loved a soft drizzle on her face, but her hair was a different story. Rylee’s gaze went to Nate’s hands as he gracefully worked the manual stick. She could imagine them caressing her the same way he finessed the gear shift. “Just getting off work,” she mumbled.

  “You need to quit that job, Ry. You’re the best damn designer I have. I’ll give you a raise if you need the money.” Nate’s turned his gaze to her for a moment.

  Giving her a raise and no one else was a recipe for disaster. “Thanks. I know you would. But I’m the newest person at Wicked Ink, and Marty should get a raise before me; he needs the money for his family. I’m fine, really.”

  “Money isn’t an issue, Ry,” Nate insisted.

  Rylee shrugged. She supposed someone who owned an expensive sports car like the one she was currently sinking into wouldn’t be worried about money. As close as she’d grown to the people she worked with, she knew from experience that she had to earn her place in order to gain their respect.

  His hand brushed her thigh as he shifted to turn onto her road, and she shivered. She turned her head sharply to look out her window to take a few seconds to compose herself. Yes, he was a ten-plus on the attractiveness scale, and his slight accent pushed every one of her buttons. She’d worked for him for over six months, so she should be used to him by now. Shouldn’t she? But every time he looked at her, she couldn’t breathe. And when he spoke to her, she wanted to attach herself to his chest and lick him. And when he turned his smile her way, those dark intense blue eyes sparkled all over her, while her heart beat to a Luther Vandross song that played in her mind.

  She had no idea why Nate affected her like he did. He’d always treated her professionally and never showed a hint of being attracted to her.

  Nate’s fancy car navigated her street with ease, pulling into her driveway without a single rattle, ping, or grinding of brakes. She scanned the overgrown front lawn for any forgotten toys and noticed that no lights were shining from the windows. How could she be so lucky? “Well, thanks for the ride home and sorry for the inconvenience.”

  Nate turned to her. “It was no inconvenience at all. In fact, I had a better time driving you home than I did on my dinner date.”

  She breathed past the curling jealousy rumbling in her tummy at the thought of Nate on a date. But if he was going home alone, the woman had to be incredibly stupid. “Struck out, did you?”

  Click HERE to get “Over Ruled”!

 

 

 
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