Page 4 of Talk Wicked to Me

“I don’t want to inconvenience you any more than I already have. I can go into the exam room with you.” She shifted in the chair, and he tightened his grip on her arm.

“This is my office, Emerson, and here we play by my rules.”

There was something far too titillating about the authoritative way he said it. Like he’d strolled off the pages of one of the steamy romance novels she edited. Where was this guy when she was four months pregnant and her hormones were on fire? “Okay, you win.”

“I usually do.” He smiled, unleashing those panty-melting dimples. He snagged the clipboard and a pen and handed it to her. “Why don’t you fill this out while Ollie and I go get my things.”

“You can leave him here with me.”

“I don’t want to take a chance of him jumping on you. Ollie, come.” He made a fast clicking sound, and Ollie bounded down the hall with him.

She stared after them. It had been a long time since anyone had worried about her like that. She’d gotten so good at going without, she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it.

When they returned, he read over the form she’d filled out. “My guess was right. He’s a Staffy–heeler mix. How long have you had this handsome boy?”

“Eight months. I was picking up takeout one night, and he was hanging around outside the restaurant. He didn’t have a collar or anything, and he was just a puppy. I asked the people in the restaurant if they knew whose dog it was, but they didn’t, so I went to the neighboring shops, but nobody knew anything about him. One shop owner said she was going to call animal control, so I took him home, and the next day we went to a vet to see if he was microchipped. He wasn’t, which wasn’t surprising. The vet said he thought he was around twelve weeks old, and he was undernourished. If he had a home, they didn’t do a good job of taking care of him, but just in case, I put a sign up in the restaurant window saying I found him, and then I went home and prayed no one claimed him, because I already loved him and I’m selfish like that.”

He grinned. “Sounds like you both got lucky.”

“I think so. I can’t imagine my life without him.” She petted Ollie’s head.

He looked over the rest of the paperwork. “Do you have an emergency contact?”

“For…?”

He pointed to the empty spot on the form. “We usually get one in case your pet is ever here for an extended period of time and we can’t reach you. It could be your significant other or a friend?”

“Oh.” She’d had no idea she’d need an emergency contact for her dog. She wasn’t about to tell him that she didn’t get close enough to people to have one, but she didn’t want to look like a horrible dog mom, so she deflected, hoping he wouldn’t notice her oversight. “Do you have an emergency contact?”

“I don’t have a dog, but I have several emergency contacts for myself.”

“Great. I’ll just borrow one of those.” She waved her hand like it was no big deal.

He grinned. “It doesn’t really work that way. I take it you don’t have one?”

“I moved here a few weeks ago, and it’s just me and Ollie. I work from home, and I haven’t really met anyone yet. I guess I could give you my best friend’s number, but Gwen lives in Chicago, so it won’t do you much good. Is that a requirement? Having an emergency contact?”

“No. It’s just helpful. Who’s going to watch him when you have the baby? Do you have someone coming into town to help you?”

“Unfortunately, no. Gwen can’t come. She’s eight months pregnant.” She wished they lived closer so they could raise their babies together, but Emerson didn’t want to live in Chicago, and that’s where Gwen’s husband, Yuri, had been transferred for work. “I did meet a neighbor who lives around the corner from me, Chip Makos, and he said he’d let Ollie out and feed him while I’m in the hospital. I just don’t know him well enough to list him as an emergency contact.”

Dr. Wicked’s gaze turned serious again. “But you’re comfortable letting him into your house when you’re not there, and you trust him with Ollie?”

“Chip seems nice enough, and Ollie loves him. Don’t look so concerned. I’m from New York. I know a creep when I meet one. There was a creepy barista in the coffee shop where I used to go. Well, that’s not fair. He didn’t leer at me, but he gave off a weird vibe, so I kept my distance. My creep radar is strong, and my neighbor doesn’t give off any weird vibes. I don’t have anything worth stealing, either. As long as Ollie is taken care of, that’s all that matters.”

Dr. Wicked’s jaw muscles ticked. With a curt nod, he went back to examining Ollie. What a sight he was, crouched beside her pup, serious faced one second and talking playfully to him the next. His brow furrowed in concentration as he listened to Ollie’s heart. “Your ticker sounds good, Ol.” He ran his big hands along Ollie’s body and down each leg, stealing a glance at her. “So, you moved here from New York?”

“Yes.”

“Big change. What brought you here?” he asked as he inspected Ollie’s paws.

“This little one.” She rubbed her belly. “I wanted to raise my baby in a small town, and I vacationed here with my parents when I was young. I also read a series of books set on the Cape last year, and it sounded like a nice place to raise a family.” She shrugged. “So here we are.”

“I guess that’s one way to pick a place to live. How do you like it so far?”

“I like what I’ve seen of it. Not that we’ve seen much of it yet because I’ve been working a lot. But I did find a beach where I can let Ollie off leash in the evenings when there’s nobody around, and he loves that.”

“I bet he does.” His gaze turned playful again as he petted Ollie, and Ollie licked his cheek. “Would you mind if I clip his nails?”