sex, even if it did last all of five seconds, told him she’d wanted him as much as he’d wanted her. Of course, sleeping with Ramona didn’t mean marriage, but with the way his heart had thawed that morning, the image of a wife no longer put the fear of God into him. Pause for thought, maybe.
“Yes, I would arrest you, but then I’d let you off with a warning. You live with Mona. That’s punishment enough.”
Rex returned Ross’s grin, and the tension disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. “It’s not all that bad. Well, apart from the state she leaves the bathroom in. Honestly, the first time, I thought a bomb had been dropped.” His cell phone vibrated in his jeans pocket. He didn’t recognize the number calling when he flipped it open. “Hello?”
“Latimer, Watson here. I’ve got a problem with Storm, one of my mares. I was going to call Ramona, but—”
“You what?” Rex swallowed the curse. “Mr. Watson, I don’t know whether you know or not, but at this moment in time Ramona has more pressing matters to attend to.”
“Yes, I know. That’s why I didn’t call her. But you’ll come out and see to Storm, yes?”
Rex passed his free hand over his face. “Yes. I’ll be with you in five minutes.”
“Bud ‘Pain in the ass’ Watson, right?” Ross asked as Rex flipped his cell shut and pocketed it.
“In one. Look, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to go. Mr. Watson may be a pain in the ass, but he’s also a client.”
“You bring a medical bag or whatever you use with you?”
“Yes. I always carry it. Why?”
“You like fresh air? Walking?”
“Why?”
Again, Ross answered a question with a question. “Interested in taking a shortcut?”
Catching the sly glint, Rex had no doubt that Ross’s shortcut was going to be anything but short. He didn’t mind in the least.
* * * *
Seated in the Medical Center’s small waiting area, Samantha’s hand in hers, Ramona stared at the haphazard pile of magazines on the low table and wondered, not for the first time since their arrival, if anybody had noticed they were ten years old, then wondered why she was bothered. It wasn’t as if she was planning on reading any of them.
She switched her attention to Samantha. Despite the heat, she wore a thick turtleneck sweater and jeans that were tucked into calf-length boots. Totally covered. Totally inaccessible. Her face bore a blend of strain and serenity. She squeezed her hand. “What’re you thinking about?” she asked when Samantha’s mouth curled softly at the corners.
“I’m remembering how I felt last night before you came home.”
Ramona’s brows knitted into a frown. “How you felt?”
“Yeah. For twenty minutes or so, I felt safe. As if somebody had put their arms around me and told me everything was going to be all right.”
Before Ramona could question Samantha further, Dr. Susan Parks poked her head around the door of her office.
“Samantha Anderson? Sorry to keep you. If you’d like to come in.”
“Do you want me to come in with you?” Ramona asked Samantha.
“No. I’ll be all right.”
Ramona nodded and settled back in the seat. While waiting, she deliberately made a point of not picking up one of the ten-year-old magazines. Instead, her thoughts went to Rex, and in particular how he had held her the night before. It had been slushy and tender, but for a long, long moment, she had liked it. It had made her feel safe…
Safe? She was instantly reminded of Samantha’s comment. Rex had held her while she cried for approximately twenty minutes. Just like Ramona could feel Samantha’s feelings, Samantha could feel hers, too. In some telepathic way, she had transported the comfort which Rex had given her onto her sister.
She then grimaced. She was going to have to ask what happened next because at twenty-one minutes, she’d become aware of Rex’s hard-on and her thoughts had been far from comforting.
In fact, for the past month, she’d thought
Aimee Nicole Walker
John Owen Theobald
Tracey Porter
Gillian White
Tim Akers
Elizabeth Chadwick
Teju Cole
Karen Kingsbury
Christopher Pike
Christopher Pike