“I have a better idea—have lunch with me instead.”
“What?” Her traitorous heart skipped a beat. “You’ve barely acknowledged my presence lately, and now you want to hang out in the cafeteria?”
“No. I want to take you to lunch. You know, in a real restaurant in town, where we can sit and talk without two dozen of our well-meaning friends listening to every word.”
Glancing around the room, she spotted several of those well-meaning friends quickly go back to pretending not to eavesdrop. “I don’t know if that’s a great idea.”
“Please?” He affected a sexy pout.
Damn him for being so irresistible. “Checkup,
“You drive a hard bargain, lady.” He gave her a mock glare. “Fine. Poke at me or whatever. Then we’ll go eat.”
“I’m still not sure that’s a good idea. The going out part.”
“But you’re going to do it anyway.” Now he looked smug.
She wanted to smack him again. “Don’t push your luck. Come on.”
On the way to the infirmary, she did her best not to overtly ogle him. She had a weakness for guys that looked like rock stars, and even though he’d probably never touched an electric guitar in his life, the man totally did it for her.
On impulse, she asked, “Did you ever play in a rock band?”
He cut her a piercing look. “I’ve told you about my parents. They treated me like shit and threw me out on my ass. You think they forked over the cash for a guitar and lessons?”
She flushed in embarrassment. “No, but a lot of guys who are now well-known started with nothing. I just wondered, that’s all.”
They walked for a few moments before he responded. “Like a lot of kids, I had big dreams like that. Maybe if I’d pursued music and given it everything I had, I would’ve succeeded. Or maybe not. Some things aren’t meant to be.”
“And some things are, like you ending up here, being a part of the team.”
He rolled his shoulders in what might’ve been a shrug. “Sure. Lucky me, huh?”
“Most of the Pack count themselves lucky to be here, yes,” she said pointedly.
“You positive about that?”
“I know these men, so yes, I’m positive. Where is this coming from? You’re in a weird mood today.”
He flashed her a disarming smile. “Ignore me. Must be lack of sleep from last night.”
“How often is that happening?”
“A night here and there. No big deal.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Where the hell is the sarcasm in your tone coming from? If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you and Aric switched bodies.”
“Do me a favor and don’t compare me to him,” he said curtly. “We’re nothing alike.”
“Then drop the crap and be yourself.”
“I’m not sure I know what that means.”
“I think you do, but if you insist on playing dumb, there isn’t much I can do about it.”
“Who says I’m playing? I don’t even have a high school diploma.”
“Is that another attempt to make me feel sorry for you?” So he didn’t have to know it worked, she injected as much sternness into her voice as she could.
“Nope. Just sayin’.”
Apparently she wasn’t going to get any satisfactory answers. The jerk was enjoying baiting her way too much. So she decided to keep her end of the conversation strictly professional for the time being. If he wanted to have a meaningful talk at lunch, then he was going to have to work at it.
Suppressing a frustrated sigh, she led him past Noah at the reception desk. At seeing Kalen with her, the nurse gave her a look of concern, but she nodded to let him know all was well—and then hoped that was the case.
Ushering him into an exam room, she closed the door. “Up on the table, please.”
Turning his backside to it, he hoisted himself up and parked his butt on the crinkly paper. Hands on his jeans-clad thighs, he arched a dark brow and grinned. “Have your way with me, Doc.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to say, “Been there, got the reminder” but she refrained. Just barely. Instead she grabbed a blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around his biceps. Giving the bulb a series of pumps, she got the reading.
“Blood pressure is a bit high,” she said. “Are you having any headaches, dizziness, anything of concern?”
“No, nothing.”
Replacing the cuff on its wall hook, she removed a wooden stick from the jar on the counter. “Say
“Ahhh.”
Using her penlight, she peered into his throat. “No redness.” She tossed the stick into the trash.
Next she checked how well he tracked her finger with his eyes, then used a small rubber mallet to test his reflexes. “All normal on both counts, but I’d like to have Noah come draw some blood for a few tests—”
“No!” he barked, the word popping like a gunshot in the room. The sharp edge of panic flashed across his face before he made a visible effort to get it under control. “That’s completely unnecessary. I’m healthy as a horse.”
Startled by his outburst, she said evenly, “Then it shouldn’t matter if we take a bit of blood to make sure.”
“Not gonna happen. Did I ever mention I don’t like needles?” Sliding off the table, he headed for the door. “You examined me, I’m great, and we’re done. Ready for lunch?”
She was tempted to back out, for many reasons. But she was curious about what was going on with him. If she was honest, she was more than a little concerned, too. Could he be starting to feel sick from not mating with her? If so, he wasn’t showing symptoms. As much as it worried her and went against her code as a doctor, it was probably best to let the other tests wait for now. Though she’d get that blood from him eventually. One way or another.
“All right. Let me get my purse.”
“No argument from you about not poking on me anymore?”
“Would it do any good?”
“Probably not.”
“Well, there you are.”
She didn’t miss the relief that briefly crossed his face as they left the exam room, and she wondered what he had to hide. Whatever it was, it must be the reason for his blown pupils. Was he doing drugs? Anything was possible, though she hated to think the worst. One thing she knew for sure—dilated pupils were a physical response indicating a possibly serious problem. No way around that.
After fetching her purse, she slung the strap over her shoulder and met him in the hallway. Together they walked back through the lobby.
“Noah, would you tell Melina I’ll be gone for a couple of hours? Kalen’s taking me out to lunch.”
The blond made a face. “Must be nice.”
“That’s why I’m the boss of you.”
Noah laughed. “Good point. At least it’s quiet today—” He slapped a hand over his mouth. Every nurse and doctor knew better than to jinx a good shift with the Q word. “Sorry!”
“As long as karma bitch-slaps you and not me, it’s fine.” Giving him a little wave, she left, Kalen at her side. “Where to?”
“Not the Grizzly,” he said thoughtfully.
“God, no! Our last time there didn’t turn out so well.”
“How about Italian? There’s a great hole-in-the-wall place in Cody that has awesome spaghetti. I found it
