Dante frowned. ―Is this a bad time?‖
―No. No, it‘s fine. I‘m just... surprised, that‘s all. You keep surprising me.‖
―You guys know each other?‖ Nora was gaping at Tess like she wanted to high-five her.
―We, uh... we met a couple of nights ago,‖ Tess stammered. ―At the museum reception. Last night we ran into each other again in the North End.‖
―I was out of line,‖ Dante said, looking at her as if they were the only people in the room. ―I didn‘t mean to upset you last night, Tess.‖
She waved off his concern, wishing she could forget the whole thing. ―It was nothing. I wasn‘t upset, really. You didn‘t do anything wrong. I should be the one apologizing to you for running off like I did.‖
Nora‘s gaze bounced between the two of them, as if the tension Tess felt from being near Dante was palpable to the other woman as well. ―Maybe you two would like to be alone—‖
―No,‖ Tess answered abruptly, at the same time that Dante calmly said, ―Yes.‖
Nora hesitated for a second, then turned and gathered her coat and handbag from a hook behind her desk. ―I‘ll just... um, see you in the morning, Tess.‖
―Yeah, all right. Good luck with your studying.‖
With her back to Dante, Nora looked at Tess and silently mouthed the words Oh, my God! as she started off for the back exit, where her car was parked. A few seconds later, the low rumble of an engine sounded, then faded away as Nora took off. Until now, Tess had been so distracted by Dante‘s presence, she‘d hardly noticed the condition of the dog. Now she couldn‘t help feeling a wash of pity for the animal. Its dull brown eyes were half closed, and a faint but audible respiratory wheeze sawed out of its lungs. On sight alone, Tess could tell that the dog was in need of care.
―Do you mind if I take a look at him?‖ she asked, glad to have something to focus on aside from Dante and the awareness that seemed to crackle between them. At his nod of agreement, Tess took a stethoscope out of her lab-coat pocket and hooked it around her neck. ―When‘s the last time Harvard had veterinary care?‖
Dante gave a vague shrug. ―I‘m not sure.‖
Tess gently took the dog from Dante‘s arms.
―Come on. Let‘s have a closer look in one of the exam rooms.‖
Dante followed in watchful silence, coming to stand right beside her as Tess placed the trembling animal onto the stainless steel table. She put the scope under the dog‘s chest and listened to the rapid beat of his heart. There was a pretty significant murmur, and his respiration was definitely off, as she suspected. She felt carefully around his pronounced rib cage and made a note of the lack of elasticity in his flea-ridden fur. ―Has Harvard been sleeping a lot lately? Lethargic?‖
―I don‘t know.‖
Although Tess hardly noticed Dante moving, their arms brushed against each other, his solid, muscled body like a warm, protective wall beside her. And he smelled incredible—something spicy and dark that probably cost a fortune. She drew in a deep breath of him, then bent to inspect the dog‘s mite-infested ears. ―Have you noticed a loss of appetite or a problem keeping food and water down?‖
―I couldn‘t say.‖
Tess lifted the terrier‘s lips and checked the color of his diseased gums. ―Can you tell me when was Harvard‘s last vaccination?‖
―I don‘t know.‖
―Do you know anything about this animal?‖ It sounded accusatory, but she couldn‘t bite it back.
―I haven‘t had it very long,‖ Dante said. ―I know it needs care. Do you think you can help, Tess?‖
She frowned, knowing it was going to take a lot to reverse everything the dog suffered from. ―I‘ll do what I can, but I can‘t make any promises.‖
Tess reached for a ballpoint that was lying on the countertop behind her and fumbled it. The pen dropped to the floor at her feet, and before she could bend down to pick it up, Dante was there. He caught the Bic in nimble fingers and held it out to her. As she took it from him, she felt his thumb skim over the back of her hand. She drew her arm against her body in an abrupt motion.
―Why do I make you so nervous?‖
She shot him a look that probably broadcast that very thing. ―You don‘t.‖
―Are you sure? You seem... agitated.‖
She was, actually. She hated to see neglected animals such as this one, which looked like a poster child for the SPCA. And stress over everything that was going wrong in her life right now was also weighing her down.
But running undercurrent to all of that was the disquiet she felt just being in the same room with this man. God help her, but when her gaze lit on his, she was blasted with a very vivid, very real impression of the two of them naked together, limbs entwined, bodies moist and glistening, arching into each other on a bed of scarlet silk sheets.