He ran his tongue over his lips and stared at her hungrily. She met his gaze, unable to look away. He was so much taller than she, so much bigger, and with the bed directly behind her, she had a fleeting thought that his body would just about crush hers. He’d need to hold himself over her so that he wouldn’t—
Kat, stop!!
But, she couldn’t. The thought was already there in her head. Her belly filled with fluttery warmth at the thought of him covering her petite body with the heavy strength of his. The fantasy made her breathing labored, more deliberate.
He leaned toward her and a small sound escaped her throat, breathy with longing, a cross between a whimper and a moan. Suddenly Erik jerked back, startled, staring at her with surprise. He shook his head like he was waking up from a dream, stepping back from her.
“You better watch him,” he muttered, out of breath, holding her eyes from a foot away.
I think I better watch you, she thought, releasing her held breath as disappointment coursed through her body, slumping her shoulders. Disappointment, yes. And, frustration too. More frustration than she knew what to do with.
He turned back to the window, pushing the curtain aside, and ran his hands through his hair then shoved them in the back pockets of his jeans.
He was pushing her away and it hurt, even though he’d been perfectly clear about his boundaries. It made her realize how much she didn’t want to be pushed away.
“I think it’s time to say goodbye, Erik. I’m sure you’re anxious to get going.”
She turned on her heel and headed out of the little bedroom, through the sitting room, and out to the stairs that led away from Erik Lindstrom.
***
He was not anxious to get going, which meant that he had to get going as soon as humanly possible because he was completely turned around by this girl. Since the moment he met her, she’d been pulling at his heartstrings; it only got worse as he spent the afternoon with her.
What just happened? What were you about to do? What the hell is the matter with you? He shook his head, angry with himself. What is it with you and this girl? You can barely be around her without—without… He turned and chased her to the stairs.
“Kat!” he called, keeping his voice down so that Dr. Love wouldn’t overhear them.
She turned on the second step and faced him with narrow eyes and pursed lips. Not happy.
He leaned down, closer to her, trying to ignore the fresh scent that wafted up from her ponytail, and spoke softly, gently. “Hey, listen. I just think you better watch out for him. That’s all I was saying.”
“Watch out for him?”
“Dr. Martinez. Don’t you think it’s shady he changed his name? What else is he hiding?”
“Don’t be silly! He did it to assimilate. He said so. Anyway, he’s Ing’s friend.”
Erik frowned at her. “Well, he has a thing for you.”
She tilted her head to the side, looking at him like he was crazy. “I met him all of five seconds ago!”
“It is what it is, min Älskling.” His eyes widened in horror, but the words were out before he could stop them. Oh, crap!
Her head jerked back like he had slapped her, and her voice was low and angry. “W-what did you call me?”
“Nothing.” Crap. Crap. Crap.
Katrin leaned forward until they were almost nose to nose and hissed, “You called me Älskling!”
“It was a slip.” Erik shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. Craaaaaaaaaaaap.
“Calling me your sweetheart was a slip?”
He put his hands out in a “shush” motion, and muttered. “Yeah. I mean, no…it just—”
“Slipped,” she cut him off, starting back down the stairs. After two steps, she turned back and fumed, “Whatever. You know what, Erik? It’s none of your business anyway.”
“Well, I promised Ing that I’d—”
“And you have. I’ve been safely delivered to José. He’s big and strong and I feel safe here. So frankly, whatever happens next isn’t your concern.” Her hands were on her hips, and her eyes challenged him to contradict her. “We’re just going to be friends, right?”
Erik worked his jaw and looked at her pointedly before nodding once curtly.
He almost missed the way her eyebrows furrowed for a second before she offered him a thin smirk. “Great. So, I’m here safely, friend. José seems super. More than capable. You can get going now. Thank you very much for the ride. I’ll be fine from here.”
But he was worried. Not about her safety. She was right—the clinic seemed nice, the town was lovely, and she was far enough from Choteau that Wade wouldn’t be able to bother her. He didn’t understand why, and he hated like hell to admit it, but he needed to know that he was going to see her again. When he was going to see her again.
“Have dinner with me next Sunday. Like at home.” The words were out of his mouth before he realized he’d said them.
Crap again, all over the place! What are you doing? Asking her out on a date? Stop talking! Get in your car and drive away!
“So you can check up on me and Dr. Joe? I don’t need another big brother, Erik. I already have one.” She started back down the stairs, but he reached out and took her hand, stopping her.
Her little hand felt so tiny in his, so right clasped flush against his. He massaged her palm with his thumb in gentle strokes until her fingers curled down. She tried to pull
