Love's Taming(7)

“Got it!” came the excited shout from Annie as she was removing a small object that looked like a sausage from the intestines. “This is crazy. I removed something like this a couple of weeks ago from a dog. What is that?” she wondered out loud.

Stoney watched her remove the object and then kept his eyes on her to see what she did next. Glancing quickly between the anesthetic machine and the object, he watched her actions carefully.

She laid the object in the tray next to the surgical table then turned back to concentrate on suturing the incision.

“What’d you do with what you found last week?” he asked softly.

Annie, not looking up from her work, answered, “I threw it away.”

“Is he gonna’ be okay?” Stoney asked, looking back down and running his hands over Sarge’s coat.

Smiling up at him, she answered, “Yeah. He seems to be doing great.” Sparing Stoney a glance she couldn’t help notice that his attention was on her, dark eyes piercing her. Licking her lips nervously, she looked back down at her patient.

She walked over to the anesthesia and turned it off. Stoney did not move but oddly she did not feel crowded with him standing right next to her. After a moment, she pulled out the endotracheal tube.

“He’s doing great,” she said, sighing in relief. Feeling Stoney’s heat at her back, she glanced over her shoulder then looked up as she realized how tall he actually was. His eyes met hers and the most amazing thing occurred – he smiled.

Annie stared at his mouth. Full lips, perfect white teeth. His scary persona melted away as the smile of a relieved pet owner took over. God, he’s gorgeous. She couldn’t help but smile back.

Stoney looked down at her as he stood as close as he could without touching her. He could smell her. Even through the surgical soap and medicinal smell of the clinic, he could smell the hint of floral shampoo. He wanted to bury his head in her hair. It had been so long since he had been around beauty. Another time, another place and I’d be planning on…

Suddenly Sarge made a slight movement, breaking the spell between them.

Jerking back, she focused her attention on Sarge once again. “We need to get him to the kennel area for recovery,” she explained.

Stoney gently lifted Sarge in his arms and followed her to the next room. There were large kennels on the floor, with rows of smaller kennels higher. She quickly went to a cabinet and pulled down clean blankets for one of the large kennels.

“You can place him here,” she said kneeling on the floor.

He laid a still sleeping Sarge on to the floor in the kennel.

“I’ll keep the IV in for just a bit to make sure everything is all right.” Her eyes moved over to Stoney as he leaned over Sarge, speaking softly to the dog. She couldn’t help but smile again. Devotion to pets told her a lot about people. He looked up at her, holding her gaze. The room seemed to slowly shrink until there were just the two of them there. His eyes did not waver; neither did hers.

Suddenly self-conscious, she stood up. “I…need… um… to scrub off.” Turning, she quickly walked over to the counter and sink.





Chapter 3





Hands shaking, she washed them off in the sink just as he walked over and stood at her back. Reaching around her their hands collided under the stream of hot water. Jerking her hands back, she found them gripped in his much larger ones and placed back under the water.

He began to wash her hands, sliding the liquid soap all around, gently massaging them under the water.

The feel of his hands smoothing over hers felt sensual. The strange sensation of becoming aroused surprised her and she couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder and up into his face. Less frightened now, she could see his strong jaw despite the shaggy beard. His lips were full and she found herself licking her lips just staring at his. His face was chiseled with small lines coming from his eyes. And those dark eyes. Mesmerizing. Staring at her as though looking directly into her soul. Seeing her fears. Pulling her in.

Stoney slid her hands out of the water as he turned her around. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her as he continued to pull her toward him until their bodies were almost flush.

She looked up at him with a mixture of indecision and passion. As though a magnetic force pulled the two of them together, they moved forward. She on her toes and he leaning down until their lips met.

The kiss started softly. The gentle movement of lips on lips. He pulled back slightly, smiling when he saw her brow crinkle at the loss of contact. Knowing he should stop. Knowing he did not want to stop. Her call. It’s got to be her call.

Annie’s eyes sought his again, then lowered to his mouth. The mouth that had just been kissing her. More. I shouldn’t, but I want more. More kisses. More something. Rising back up on her tiptoes she pressed her lips to his once again.