Then Comes Love

by Candice Poarch

  Jasmine laughed. “How did two misfits end up as vets?”

  “Beats me. So are you going to let your children bring home wounded animals?”

  “I’ll patch them up. We’ll probably end up with a houseful of them. Just like you and your dog. I already know you’re a pushover. How is Hugs?”

  “Very well.”

  “So tell me, how many children do you want? As if our careers would let us have time for them.”

  For a second, Drake’s fork hovered in the air. “I haven’t thought about children. My career isn’t quite where it needs to be yet. Getting the office straightened out is the immediate goal,” he said. “To ensure we aren’t working these crazy hours forever. We’re having an office meeting Sunday afternoon. We don’t have anyone to handle things while I’m away. I’m grateful Floyd pitches in. I’m all for working hard, but we need a life, too.”

  “I don’t know what having a life means anymore. It seems I’ve been working on one project or another since college. I spent every summer away. What about you?”

  “I usually spent summers home. I worked at the National Zoo and in some vet offices,” he said. “Why did you spend your summers away from home?” he asked, although he thought he already knew.

  “I couldn’t wait to leave home, and once I did, I never wanted to go back. So I’d comb the career center for summer internships that would take me away. And I found them. Every summer. Which is probably the reason my mother is bugging me now. But you never told me how many children you wanted.”

  “How many do you want?”

  “Probably two. I want to have enough time to spend with them. I want to make sure they’ll know they’re wanted. And the man I marry will be totally committed to them. They won’t be like me.”

  “Like you in what way?”

  “My mother’s husband didn’t give me a second glance after they divorced. After all, I’m not his real daughter. I don’t want this ‘step’ business. I’m not going to impose all that drama on my children.”

  Drake’s heart sank. But he tried to rally anyway. “Not all stepchildren feel that way. There are wonderful stepparents out there who treat their stepchildren well. Who provide as much for them as they provide for their own children. You can’t paint all people with the same brush.”

  “I think this generation of people are more selfish. It’s not the way it was in my grandparents’ day. People did what they had to do to survive. They were willing to give more.”

  “Some are today, too. I couldn’t have asked for better parents. And Noelle’s parents loved her.”

  “You were lucky and so was Noelle.” Her mouth twisted wryly. “This conversation is depressing me.”

  “Then we’ll change it.”

  “The food is delicious.”

  Drake gazed at her as if a thousand thoughts were flowing through his mind. “I thought you’d like it.”

  While watching the play, Drake’s mind wasn’t on the show at all. He was thinking of Jasmine and the fact that she would not settle with a man who wasn’t the father of her children. It was a broken record playing over and over in his mind. Let’s face it. Her fears were valid for anyone with her background.

  Perhaps one day he’d settle with a woman who already had children or go the artificial insemination route. He wasn’t ready for marriage, but it bothered him that if he were to get entangled with Jasmine there was no future.

  Right now, she was the only woman on his mind.

  What was he agonizing about? He had the hots for Jasmine, but he wasn’t ready to propose to her. They may never get to that point.

  Drake tried to focus on the play, but he couldn’t. Jasmine laughed and he laughed, too, although he didn’t have a clue what he was laughing about. At least she was enjoying it. After the week she’d had, with work and rushing to finish her house, she needed to unwind.

  Drake placed an arm around her shoulder. With a smile on her face, she glanced at him, but immediately refocused on the play.

  Drake watched Jasmine from the corner of his eye. With her eyes closed, she leaned her head against the headrest as if she was completely relaxed. He was anything but. It was late and the sultry tunes playing on the R&B station didn’t help matters. The sexual tension in the car was so thick you could slice it. He could tell himself to distance himself from Jasmine now, while it wasn’t too late. But in his gut he knew it already was.

  Drake pulled into her driveway and let out a long breath. Jasmine was watching him.

  “Invite me inside, Jasmine.”

  Jasmine’s mouth was dry as dust. She wet her lips with a flick of her tongue.

  Drake groaned.

  “Won’t you come in?” she asked.

  They barely shut the door behind them when Drake pulled her into his arms. Need, hot and intense, had built from the tiny fire of their last kiss, slowly driving him insane. He stroked her hair and then, holding her shoulders in his hands, he kissed her cheek, strung sweet kisses along her shoulders and neck before his mouth covered hers hungrily. He gathered her into his arms, pressing her body close to his.

  Shivers of desire raced through Jasmine. She wrapped her arms around him, eager to meet his desire. She felt the hardness of him pressed against her thigh.

  Drake felt a slight tremble and knew she wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her. He wasn’t satisfied with sweet kisses anymore, even though the taste of her lips took his breath away.

  Drake swallowed hard. He felt this was some pivotal moment in his life. As important as any of the thresholds he’d climbed. If he told her the truth, she’d be lost to him forever. But he had to make things clear. He took her face in his hands.

  “I can’t offer you a future, Jasmine,” he said. “Or anything beyond what we have right now. But I want you.” He caressed the side of her face. “I’ve wanted to take you to bed…”

  Jasmine pressed her fingers against his lips. “I’m not asking for your future. Just the here and now.”

  Her vision blurred as his head moved closer to hers. Then he was kissing her again. And then he was holding her in his arms with her own arms wrapped tightly around him, feeling he held all that was important in his world close to his heart.

  Jasmine’s breath caught in her throat. She was astonished at the sense of need she felt. She’d dreamed of this, but had never felt this intense need and desire. Taking his hand, she led him upstairs.

  Drake barely saw the beautifully decorated room, a feminine room, as feminine as the new Jasmine. Or the candles and pillows. He flicked on the light. He wanted to see every inch of her beautiful skin.

  He eased his hands beneath her blouse to touch her silky brown skin. “Your perfume is driving me crazy. You’re driving me crazy.”

  She smiled shyly. “Is that all?”

  “You’re a vixen. This part of you is new. But I like it.”

  He gently pulled off her blouse and unhooked her bra, easing the straps down her arms before it fell to the floor. His hands sought her breasts and nipples before he kissed her there, drawing deep moans from her throat. Her hands began to roam over his body until he kissed her passionately and their tongues dueled like loving combatants.

  “You taste delicious,” he said as he strung delicate kisses to her cheek, her neck and her chest.

  Jasmine melted like warm chocolate under his deft touch. She felt as if he’d lit a fire in her body. She burned with need.

  She stroked the strong lines of his back, his biceps. She stroked the muscles in his arms. The term velvet steel came to mind. It seemed pretty fanciful to her. She usually didn’t think in fanciful terms.

  “The better to wrestle with the animals.”

  “Hmm,” she said. His clean, citrus scent was driving her wild.

  Cool air brushed her nipples. His tongue swirled around them bringing them to a peak and she moaned again.

  “Like that?”

  “Love it,” she said as she eased her hands beneath his shirt and felt the solid wa
ll of his chest. She brushed her fingers through the sprinkling of hair. She realized she’d never seen his chest before and she wanted to. But then he pressed against her breasts and the mixture of hair and skin and strength aroused her to an explosive level.

  Drake felt like he was tasting heaven. He inhaled a sharp breath, trying to slow his need to take care of hers.

  He unzipped her slacks and slid them off her hips along with her panties. He leaned back and gazed at the lovely view.

  He feasted on her with his eyes. She gazed at him with a shyness that belied the barracuda in the office. He liked this softer side of her as much as he liked the strong vixen.

  He urged her on the bed, and trailed kisses down to her stomach, her thighs. He teased her intimate secrets.

  Her hands and lips on his body drove him crazy. He wanted this to be special for her—their first time together.

  Her sweet moans steered him on. He kissed every part of her body, leaving no area untouched.

  He reached for a condom and slid it on. Then it hit him. She couldn’t get pregnant. For a moment he stared at her.

  She tilted her head to the side in question. The luminous glow of need was on her face and in her eyes. He couldn’t stop now. He’d think about problems tomorrow. There had to be a way for them to deal with this. He should have told her the truth. But right now he wanted—no needed—her too much.

  Slowly he entered her and her body clenched around him. She was tight. For a moment he stopped and stared at her.

  “It’s been a while,” she said around a moan.

  Judging by her tightness, it had been a long while. She wasn’t a virgin, but she wasn’t very experienced, either.

  Tenderly, he kissed her and felt her hands gripping his back. Her hips reached up to meet him.

  He grabbed her hips and plunged deeply into her.

  “Am I hurting you?”

  “No, no.” She moaned against his lips.

  He kissed her while filling her body with his own, time and time again. The pleasure was pure and explosive.

  They moved in rhythm until they were both fulfilled and cried out in ecstasy.

  Drake gathered Jasmine tightly in his arms and kissed her gently before he left the bed and went into the bathroom to find a washcloth. Now he took the time to notice the room was beautifully decorated. More feminine than he expected from Jasmine. He wondered if this was Noelle’s touch. He didn’t care.

  Drake ran the water until it was warm and wet the washcloth. He brought it back and gently wiped her. After taking the cloth to the bathroom he got into bed and gathered her in his arms. He kissed her softly on the brow.

  “You want to talk about it?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “There hasn’t been that many, has there?”

  “No.”

  “You’re so beautiful,” he said. “Thank you for this gift.”

  She reached up to caress his face, then kissed him on the lips and settled back in his arms.

  Almost asleep, she wrapped her arms around him. Completely content, Drake dozed off, too.

  Half an hour later, he said, “I have to go.”

  Jasmine opened her eyes. “So soon?”

  “Can’t leave Hugs alone all night.”

  She tightened her arms around his neck, kissed him, then loosened her grip. “Okay.”

  Drake caressed the hair around Jasmine’s face. “Jasmine, come to dinner with me Sunday. At my parents’. My mom is a mean cook.”

  Jasmine started to turn away, but he stopped the movement.

  Puzzled by her reaction, Drake asked. “What’s wrong? I want them to meet you.”

  “I don’t know if we’re ready for that. We’re moving so fast.”

  Drake frowned. “I don’t want you to be a secret.”

  “I just don’t know where this is leading. You made it clear up front you didn’t want any serious entanglements.”

  “I want entanglements. I just can’t promise…I want you to meet my family.”

  Jasmine inhaled deeply. “Does it mean that much to you?” When he nodded, she asked, “What time?”

  Chapter 7

  When Jasmine burst into the office the next morning, Drake was already there with two cups of coffee.

  “Want one?”

  “Sure. The parking lot at the coffeehouse was full. You must have gotten there early.” Their hands touched when he handed her the coffee and as much as Jasmine wanted “work as usual,” the very air around her seemed electrified. To cover her unease, she sipped the coffee and picked up her schedule. “I must still be on leisure time.”

  “I got there during a lull.”

  “When? At five?” She was chattering nonsense to cover her morning-after anxiety.

  “Close,” he said, not displaying any of the apprehension that was tearing her insides up.

  “I was thinking last night.”

  “About us?”

  She smiled, losing her balance. “That, too. But I was wondering why Mr. Avery didn’t sell the practice. It has to be a lot for him to handle in addition to the horse farm. He’s always traveling to races and they have a thriving breeding program. So why does he need this?”

  “Probably hasn’t gotten around to selling yet, but it was his son’s business. They say you shouldn’t make any major changes the first year.”

  “I just hope he holds on for now. It’s a bad time for changes.”

  “It will shoot my plans all to hell.”

  They were the only ones there and Drake set his cup down, gathered her into his arms and turned her to face him. Their lips almost touched before Jasmine brought a hand to his chest and pushed lightly.

  “We can’t do this in the office,” she cautioned.

  “Our only witnesses can’t tell, now can they?”

  “Drake, if we get in the habit, someone could walk in on us. I don’t want to push that personal-professional barrier. There’s already enough tension here.”

  “Okay.” He stepped back, putting distance between them. “Then I’ll see you tonight.”

  Jasmine nodded.

  “In case I forgot to tell you, the house looked lovely. Maybe we can light the candles next time, or a fire in the fireplace.”

  “Maybe.”

  “So, since you aren’t on call this weekend, will you go horseback riding with me? Maybe a picnic or something. Colin invited us.”

  “You’re not going to believe this, but I don’t know how to ride.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “I’ve never ridden a horse,” she said as she shook her head from side to side.

  “Well, then. I’ll have to give you riding lessons. For christ’s sake, you work with them every day.”

  “Yes, well…I didn’t grow up around horses.”

  “But in college?”

  “Never got around to the lessons.”

  Drake shook his head before his eyes searched her in frustration. “After the lessons, do you think we can ditch the newly-engaged for a while?”

  “I’m sure you’re crafty enough to find a way. I’ll leave the details in your hands.”

  “Thank you.” There was something lazily seductive in his look. “I’ll take care of the business immediately.”

  A car door slammed and a minute later, Jeff came in with an armful of books, dropping two on the floor when he tried to close the door.

  “I’ll get the door for you,” Drake said quickly, closing the door as Jasmine helped him with his things.

  “Follow me to the office. I want to talk to you. Oh.” He sniffed the air. “Coffee’s already made. Thank God.” Frowning, he turned and preceded them down a short hallway. Drake and Jasmine glanced at each other with puzzled frowns and followed him.

  Jeff stacked his things on the desk and after pulling off his blazer and hanging it up, he made a beeline for the coffeepot and poured himself a cup before returning to flop into a chair. Drake and Jasmine moved some things aside so they could sit. They heard the
outside door open again.

  “Oh, good. This way I don’t have to go through this twice.” Jasmine heard footsteps and then Ponce appeared in the doorway.

  “I’ve got some bad news, so we’re going to have to make some decisions quickly,” he said. “You remember Floyd’s father died a few months ago. The will is being executed and he’ll get a nice little inheritance. Someone bought out his horse farm a year ago. He’d run into some problems. His father had initially funded him. But refused to loan him more money to keep the practice going. It was in a rural area and he needed more vets. He didn’t earn enough from cows and pigs to make it work. But he had suppliers, equipment and enough clients to get a good offer. He’s not great at management.”

  “So why the hell did Mackenzie offer him a job here?” Ponce asked.

  “Floyd’s father asked him to. When George Avery was going through some financial difficulties, Floyd’s father gave him a low-interest loan. Gave him some breathing room to pay off debts and get on his feet again. Mackenzie felt he owed him.”

  “Jesus.”

  “This meeting has to be about more than this information dump,” Drake said.

  “Floyd told me last night that he was going to offer to buy the practice from George and that he’ll have to lower the wages after the huge payout.”

  A flicker of apprehension pounded in Jasmine’s temples. She couldn’t afford a cut in salary.

  Ponce slammed a fist against the wall. “I’m out of here. I looked at a couple of places while I was on vacation. I’ll give you four weeks, then I’m gone,” he said.

  Jeff stood. “Ponce, I’m going to talk to George today. Wait until then to make your decision. I’ve set up an appointment. There has to be something we can work out. George won’t let his son’s practice be run into the ground. I know he won’t. If you can just hold on.”

  “Floyd has never carried his load,” Ponce said.

  “Maybe not as a large-animal vet, but he’s a salesman. He brings business here,” Drake said. “You can’t discount his value. He grew up in horse country. He knows these people.”

  “What good does that do when we need bodies out there tending to horses. That’s where our bread and butter is. Sorry, Drake, but we’re not all working with dogs and cats. Quite frankly, small-animal fees don’t keep the bills paid.”