to be a studied move. “What…what are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinking about you naked,” he replied easily with a grin. “Still going to fight me for these Cheetos?”
“I fight dirty,” she warned and his grin spread even wider.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
And then, he pounced.
Chapter Eight
L ina had always known she’d been, well, not sheltered exactly, because no one had necessarily tried to keep her from understanding the world around her. She’d been the one to keep herself from things. Because she’d felt insecure or too McArthur. Because she’d felt better than people, or less than people, or too smart, or too…whatever. All sorts of things had kept her from ever acting in a rash fashion.
Somehow, in the past twenty-four hours, she had gone from doing nothing to going into a bar to flirt with a guy, to bringing him back to her apartment, to making out on the top of a mountain.
Ace had wrestled her to the ground and kissed her breathless and senseless until she thought he was going to start taking her clothes off right there. But he didn’t. Instead after a laughing, fun, all-too-exciting make-out session on the top of the mountain —the top of the mountain —he’d carefully set her to rights, and led them on the path back to the truck.
The hike down was just as pretty as the hike up had been, except now her blood seemed to pump unevenly, everything about her a little itchy and far too hot, and though it was a warm, sunny day the heat had little to do with the sun.
By the time they reached his truck, it was nearly three o’clock. She’d never spent six hours walking around nature with another person before. She never would’ve thought she would’ve enjoyed it as much a she did. The fact of the matter was, she hadn’t thought about the hospital or being a doctor or any of the things she usually thought about twenty-four-seven.
Even though they had the little moment talking about her unhappy childhood, it had been kind of nice to talk about herself. She rarely talked about that stuff with people she knew because they’d been there and she didn’t want them to think…
That was the thing, right there. She didn’t want them to think she was a whiny, ungrateful, little brat. She hadn’t wanted her father to think she was childish. She hadn’t wanted any of her family to perceive her as weak. She’d only ever wanted people to view her as the smart, capable Dr. McArthur.
She wanted Ace to view her as anything but that.
“So, you want to go out to dinner?”
“Or…” Oh, she would regret offering this. No, she would regret not offering this. She’d regret going to a restaurant, or any other public place where they couldn’t… Well, whatever they were going to do. “Or you can come to my apartment and I could make us dinner.”
“You cook?” he asked, sounding surprised as he took off the backpack and tossed it into the bed of the truck.
“Of course I cook. It’s science.”
He grinned. “Then let’s go back to your place.”
Much like the drive to the falls trailhead, the drive back to her apartment happened in a kind of companionable silence. She liked that she could be quiet with him sometimes. She liked the easy way everything felt with him. She liked him. She knew he could still be Dean. Maybe it was insane to be suspicious, or maybe it was insane to not just straight out ask him again.
But whoever this man was, she liked him. She wanted to keep him for herself. To continue to really live a life free of all her Marietta baggage.
If he turned out to be Dean, well, then she would claim ignorance. And it wouldn’t matter. Either way, she got something out of it. A friend. Sex. A fun, irresponsible few days in the very sensible, very responsible life of Dr. Lina McArthur.
When they reached her apartment complex, he parked in one of the guest parking spots and got out just as she did. Again, they walked up to her apartment in silence. While it was
“I’m thinking about you naked,” he replied easily with a grin. “Still going to fight me for these Cheetos?”
“I fight dirty,” she warned and his grin spread even wider.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
And then, he pounced.
Chapter Eight
L ina had always known she’d been, well, not sheltered exactly, because no one had necessarily tried to keep her from understanding the world around her. She’d been the one to keep herself from things. Because she’d felt insecure or too McArthur. Because she’d felt better than people, or less than people, or too smart, or too…whatever. All sorts of things had kept her from ever acting in a rash fashion.
Somehow, in the past twenty-four hours, she had gone from doing nothing to going into a bar to flirt with a guy, to bringing him back to her apartment, to making out on the top of a mountain.
Ace had wrestled her to the ground and kissed her breathless and senseless until she thought he was going to start taking her clothes off right there. But he didn’t. Instead after a laughing, fun, all-too-exciting make-out session on the top of the mountain —the top of the mountain —he’d carefully set her to rights, and led them on the path back to the truck.
The hike down was just as pretty as the hike up had been, except now her blood seemed to pump unevenly, everything about her a little itchy and far too hot, and though it was a warm, sunny day the heat had little to do with the sun.
By the time they reached his truck, it was nearly three o’clock. She’d never spent six hours walking around nature with another person before. She never would’ve thought she would’ve enjoyed it as much a she did. The fact of the matter was, she hadn’t thought about the hospital or being a doctor or any of the things she usually thought about twenty-four-seven.
Even though they had the little moment talking about her unhappy childhood, it had been kind of nice to talk about herself. She rarely talked about that stuff with people she knew because they’d been there and she didn’t want them to think…
That was the thing, right there. She didn’t want them to think she was a whiny, ungrateful, little brat. She hadn’t wanted her father to think she was childish. She hadn’t wanted any of her family to perceive her as weak. She’d only ever wanted people to view her as the smart, capable Dr. McArthur.
She wanted Ace to view her as anything but that.
“So, you want to go out to dinner?”
“Or…” Oh, she would regret offering this. No, she would regret not offering this. She’d regret going to a restaurant, or any other public place where they couldn’t… Well, whatever they were going to do. “Or you can come to my apartment and I could make us dinner.”
“You cook?” he asked, sounding surprised as he took off the backpack and tossed it into the bed of the truck.
“Of course I cook. It’s science.”
He grinned. “Then let’s go back to your place.”
Much like the drive to the falls trailhead, the drive back to her apartment happened in a kind of companionable silence. She liked that she could be quiet with him sometimes. She liked the easy way everything felt with him. She liked him. She knew he could still be Dean. Maybe it was insane to be suspicious, or maybe it was insane to not just straight out ask him again.
But whoever this man was, she liked him. She wanted to keep him for herself. To continue to really live a life free of all her Marietta baggage.
If he turned out to be Dean, well, then she would claim ignorance. And it wouldn’t matter. Either way, she got something out of it. A friend. Sex. A fun, irresponsible few days in the very sensible, very responsible life of Dr. Lina McArthur.
When they reached her apartment complex, he parked in one of the guest parking spots and got out just as she did. Again, they walked up to her apartment in silence. While it was
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