Page 3 of Talk Wicked to Me

“It’s okay,” Baz said calmly, unable to quell what he was sure was a foolish grin caused by the adorable flustered woman before him. Her full cheeks were glowing, from pregnancy, exertion, or embarrassment, he couldn’t be sure. She had the most expressive chestnut eyes, which appeared happy and worried at once, and the longest lashes he’d ever seen. A tangle of golden-brown waves tumbled past the shoulders of her gray boatneck T-shirt, which was stretched tight over her baby bump, and shorts. She had a brown flannel shirt tied beneath her belly, a mustard-yellow stain between her breasts, what looked like breadcrumbs speckling her belly, and a sliver of lettuce stuck in the ends of her hair. “I’m Dr. Wicked. You did the right thing by bringing him here. Chocolate can be toxic to dogs, but they need to eat a certain amount per pound of body weight to get sick. He looks to be about forty pounds, and one cookie shouldn’t do him in—unless it was enormous and loaded with chocolate—but I’ll check him out.”

“Oh, thank God,” she said breathlessly, putting one hand to her heart. “It was small, and light on the chocolate.”

“That’s good. I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name,” he said.

“Emerson. Emerson Lockhart.”

“I can take Ollie into an exam room.” Evie put her bag down.

Tori reached for a clipboard on the desk. “Hi. I’m Tori. I’ll need to get some information before Dr. Wicked can examine Ollie.”

“It’s okay. I’ve got this,” Baz said, knowing they had plans to go shopping before meeting up with him. “You two can take off. I’ll meet you at the Salty Hog later.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying,” Evie said.

“It’s fine, Eves. I’ll see you tonight.”

As the girls walked out, he turned his attention back to Ollie and Ollie’s flustered owner, who was vacillating between desperately trying to calm her dog down and apologizing to it for leaving the cookie in the tray. Talk about refreshing. It was great to hear someone take responsibility for leaving something in a dog’s reach instead of admonishing the dog.

“May I?” He reached for the leash, and Ollie went paws-up on him.

“Yes. Sorry about him.” She handed Baz the leash.

“No worries. Sugar can make dogs hyper.” He looked at Ollie and said, “Off,” as he took a step back. The dog went down on all fours. “Good boy.”

As he petted Ollie, Emerson inhaled deeply and blew the breath out loudly, placing her hand on her enormous belly and knocking a few bread crumbs to the floor. He had no idea why he found that endearing, and he was well aware that he had no business checking out someone else’s woman, but fuck, there was something so beautifully real about her, he was having trouble looking away.

Chapter Two

EMERSON’S HEART WAS racing, and she was pretty sure it had just as much to do with Dr. Wicked as it did her worries about Ollie. Although she was a little less worried after what Dr. Wicked had said. The man must be a dog whisperer, because Ollie was miraculously calm as the handsome doctor petted him. She’d never seen a veterinarian who looked like him before. He was deliciously alpha—big, brawny, and tattooed, wearing jeans and black leather boots—but his shaggy dirty-blond hair, sexy scruff, and bronzed tan gave off the laid-back aura of a surfer. Why did she have to like that rough and sweet combination so much? And why did he have to have knee-weakening puppy-dog eyes?

She’d never seen eyes like that in real life, and now that she had, she wished they were reserved for only fictional boyfriends. She couldn’t afford weak knees right now. She was barely holding herself together. Not only was she running on almost no sleep due to the ninja baby kicking her bladder all night, but she was also trying to get two big editing jobs off her plate before the baby came, and she was still unpacking from her move a few weeks ago.

Dr. Wicked’s brows knitted. “You have a little something in your hair.”

He reached over, his fingers brushing her neck as they moved into her hair, sending trickles of awareness through her. Her pulse quickened, and those piercing blue eyes found hers, holding her captive. The edges of his lips quirked, exposing panty-melting dimples that made her insides quiver. Or maybe it was the baby messing with her, but it had been so long since she’d felt a flicker of anything remotely lustful toward a man, she smiled flirtatiously and began weaving a dirty fantasy about the delicious doctor.

“Looks like lunch got away from you,” he said, jerking her from her thoughts as he held up the withered piece of lettuce.

Consumed by embarrassment, she uttered, “Ohmygosh. I was working and—” She looked down at her clothes, realized she was a freaking mess, and began brushing crumbs off her shirt, trying to explain. “I got hungry. I’m always hungry, actually. This baby has turned me into an eating machine, so we went for a sub. That’s when I got the cookie. I’m not usually this messy, and I swear I never leave chocolate where Ollie can get it.” The muscles around her belly tightened uncomfortably, and she clutched it, forcing herself not to groan. “Do you mind if I sit down for just a minute?”

“No, of course not.” He helped her into a chair.

Ollie whined, moving closer to her, and licked her hand. “It’s okay, Ol.” She petted him through the discomfort.

“Can I get you some water or call someone?” Dr. Wicked asked.

“No, thank you. But if you’ve got a vanilla shake and fries, sure. I’m kidding. I’m okay. They’re just Braxton-Hicks contractions. I’ve been getting them all day.”

His brows knitted. “When are you due?”

“I was due last week, but it’s not a big deal.” She sighed as the contraction eased. “My mom was late with me, and the doctor said most first-time babies are late. They’re inducing me next week if I don’t go into labor first.” She paused, and in that brief moment, she realized he’d probably been closing the office for the day when she’d shown up. “You were closing when I got here, weren’t you? If you’re sure Ollie isn’t in any imminent danger, I can take him somewhere else.” She started to push to her feet, but he put his hand on her arm, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Don’t be silly. I never turn away animals in need or the pretty pregnant women who feed them cookies.”

Was he flirting with her? No, you idiot. You’re as big as a house. He just doesn’t want you to go into labor and ruin his night. Now that her head was clearer, she also had a feeling he was seeing the pretty brunette he’d called Eves earlier. The one he was meeting later tonight. God, I really am losing my mind.

“I’ll get my things and examine Ollie out here.”