Stoney swung his gaze back down to Suzanne. She definitely wasn’t giving off a happy vibe. Tall, beautiful, with long black hair and piercing blue eyes, she seemed to still be deciding on him.
“You must be Suzanne. Annie told me about you. Said you were friends as well as co-workers.”
“Yes,” Suzanne said softly. “Don’t hurt her.”
Surprised at the words that just left her mouth, he cocked his head to the side. “You think I want to hurt her?”
Her eyes looked back into his face as though she were struggling with something. “Maybe not intentionally. But she has a lot going on and you seem like…pardon me, but you seem like trouble.”
Softening his voice, he assured, “I appreciate your concern for her. I don’t want any trouble. And if any comes her way, I’ll take care of it.”
Suzanne nodded. “Yes, you seem like a man who could do that. But my experience is that men bring trouble, don’t stay around long enough to fix it, and then they’re gone.” She looked past his shoulder as her mind drifted off somewhere, another time, another place.
“I plan on sticking around. And I plan on taking care of anything that comes her way. Keep that in mind. No matter what it may seem like. Keep that in mind.”
Suzanne swung her gaze back to him, her brow wrinkled at his cryptic words, but before she could question him further, Annie walked in from the back rooms.
Smiling at Stoney, she walked over to him as he leaned down to press a simple kiss on her lips, cognizant of their audience.
“Come on back. Sarge is up and around, eating and drinking. He’s doing great.”
Stoney followed Annie to the back area where the kennel cages for post-surgery animals were housed. He couldn’t help but notice her ass swaying in front of him as she walked. How can an ass covered in scrubs be that scrumptious? Looking down at her croc covered feet all the way up to her copper ponytail with tendrils falling out, he was struck once again by her beauty. And she has no clue. His attention was quickly diverted when he heard a familiar bark.
“Hey buddy. Good to see you,” he said as he knelt to the floor, grabbing his dog’s head in his hands. Ruffling his fur, he gladly accepted the dog licks to his face, knowing that he was alive and well.
Annie knelt down next to him smiling, as she also reached out her hand to Sarge. “He’s doing great. Fever is gone. Incision is fine. He’s anxious to go home with you.” This last statement was made softly, as though Annie felt that the only connection between them was the dog at her clinic.
Stoney leaned over and touched his lips to hers, keeping it light knowing that Suzanne or Leon could come back at any time. “Let’s eat,” he said to her lips.
Sitting at her desk in her tiny office, Stoney unwrapped the deli sandwiches and they shared lunch. Annie looked over at him whenever he would focus on Sarge sitting at his feet. ‘Stoney’ doesn’t quite fit him. He’s quiet, but only when he doesn’t need to say anything. She stared at his mouth as he spoke to Sarge. God, he can kiss. She found herself touching her lips, remembering the tingle from a night of kissing. I wonder…
Just then, Stoney lifted his dark eyes to her, noticing the look on her face. “Baby, you keep lookin’ at me that way, and I’ll find a way for us to get creative right here on this desk and won’t give a fuck if Suzanne or Leon are outside listenin’. You got me?”
Startled out of her daydreams, Annie jumped. “Stoney! Hush, they may hear you!” Then she couldn’t help but smile at the thoughts she had been having. “Are you taking Sarge home?”
“Yeah. But I’ll be back tonight. It’ll be late. I’ll use the alley stairs, but baby?” He waited until he had her attention. “You don’t open the door until you know for sure it is me. Got it?”
Annie nodded at the change in his demeanor.
“Annie. I wanna hear it. You got it?”
“I’m not dumb, Stoney. I don’t ever open that door to anyone.”
“Didn’t say you were stupid, doc. I just don’t want anything bad to happen, so I gotta hear that you get me.”
Sucking her lips in as she attempted a glare his way, she agreed. “Yes, Stoney. I will only open the door when I’m sure it is you.”
Chuckling, he leaned over and captured her lips in the kiss. One that started out slow, then he shifted so that he could pull her body over into his lap and the kiss deepened. When he slanted his head for deeper access, the kiss went wild. Tongues tangling, fighting for dominance, until Annie couldn’t remember why she was irritated.
Pulling back, he said softly, “Got to go, baby. Got shit to take care of today, but I’ll be back tonight.”