Page 50 of Lethal Attraction

I snatch her wrist, bringing her palm over my heart and covering her scar. “Then give me more.”

Her eyes light up as her smile stretches. “I’ll turn you into my own fucking canvas if you aren’t careful, Dr. Dreamy.”

I shudder, full body, and it’s impossible for her not to feel. “Please.”

She blushes a shade so pretty it mesmerizes me. “I think you’re the first person to match my freak.”

I chuckle. “Then allow me.”

I hold out my palm, offering to help her down from the exam table. She meekly follows my lead, such a stark contrast to her naturally dominant nature as I guide her to the door.

I use a hand to stop her from passing the threshold as I lean in close enough for my mouth to brush the shell of her ear. “Try to look less guilty.”

She snorts quietly. “Impossible after what you let me do to you.”

My pulse jumps again, because apparently I learned absolutely nothing in the last thirty minutes.

I crack the door open carefully, peering into the dim hallway of the after-hours clinic. Most of the lights have been shut off, leaving only the soft amber glow of the nurses’ station at the far end. Completely vacant.

Good.

“Coast is clear,” I murmur.

Thalia slips under my arm, fingers immediately hooking through the belt loop of my slacks like she owns me. Which—not debatable. We make it exactly three steps before a voice cuts through the silence.

“Well, well.”

Fuck.

I freeze so hard that Thalia bumps into my back. We both turn slowly, our shoulders so tight they nearly touch our ears. Propped against the doorframe of the room we just exited is Taryn, her toe tapping the polished floor and her arms crossed as her mouth tilts with amusement.

“So,” my friend muses as her chin tilts downward. “I take over your last three patients of the day only to discover you’re playing doctor with someone who probably commits grand theft auto in her spare time.”

Thalia places a hand over her chest, her face softening. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

I step in front of Thalia, shielding her from Taryn’s scrutiny. “We were just—umm—”

My friend guffaws, slapping a hand over her stomach as she bends at the hips. “I’m fucking with you! Good to see you again, Thalia.”

“Hey, Edna.”

“Come on,” Taryn waves. “Drinks are on me tonight.”

Chapter fourteen

Thalia

Truth be told, I have no fucking idea what I’m doing anymore. One minute, I’m convinced I need to pull away before Reed gets tangled in all the ugly parts of my life—before he gets dragged into shit he never deserved to touch in the first place. I tell myself distance is the smart thing. The safe thing.

And then he looks at me like that.

Like walking away was never going to be an option for either of us. Like he wants more than stolen moments and reckless hook-ups in empty exam rooms.

And I’m weak for him.

Because the second his eyes land on me, all the noise in my head quiets. The panic dulls and my resolve crumbles so easily it’s embarrassing. I stop thinking about endings when he looks at me like I’m something worth keeping. Like I hung the damn moon just because I walked into the room.

I don’t know how to resist that.