long, she had teetered to the right, propped up against him, dead weight on his shoulder. Her legs were sprawled before her, one cocked at the knee, the other leaning against the first.
She was cute. He grinned appreciatively at how far up her thigh her dress had ridden. Nice thigh. Nice, shapely thigh. He could imagine sinking his head between a pair of thighs like that. Could imagine it so vividly that his pulse began to pick up a little.
Thank God the vet reappeared when he did. "Bingo is going to be fine," he said after Eli nudged Marnie awake. "He's got a fracture, but there doesn't seem to be any internal bleeding. I'd like to keep him overnight for observation. I'd suggest you folks go home and get some sleep. You can pick him up tomorrow afternoon."
"Thanks, doc," Eli said, extending his hand. "Thanks for taking care of Bingo."
"It's my pleasure and my job," he said, taking Eli's hand.
He said good night to them, and Eli and Marnie walked outside into cool night air. "Are you cold?" Eli asked as Marnie wrapped her arms around herself.
"A little."
Eh glanced back at the emergency vet. "Bingo's got my jacket."
"I'll be all right." But she was clearly shivering.
Eli put his arm around her and pulled her into his side. "You've never been right is what I'm thinking," he said.
"Me?" she protested, nudging him with her elbow as they began to walk to his truck. "This from a man who was obviously impaled on a stick because he's so stiff and unbending all the time."
Eli opened the truck door for her, and watched her long legs bend to get in the cab. He shook his head once to clear it as he walked around the back of the truck to the driver's side. But her legs were still there in his head, and he knew, as he turned the ignition, that he was going to have a hard time getting them out of his head. And that smile. Not to mention the hair.
"I can't stand to think of him lying there," Marnie said as they drove out of the parking lot. "He must have been so scared."
Eli couldn't stand to think of it either—it brought to mind the dozen dogs he'd had in his life, ending with Hank, his golden, who had died of cancer a couple of years ago. God, he'd loved that dog, and felt the lump at the back of his throat even now. So he changed the subject. "He's going to be all right. So listen, I'm out of town for a couple of days. Let's review: No arches, no spectacular waterworks, and no sky-diving routines for this wedding, right?"
Marnie groaned and dropped her head back against the headrest. "You are impossible. What is it with men and weddings? Why can't you just admit that the day is as special for men as it is for women? It doesn't make you any less macho to get married under an arch," she said, and proceeded to tell him how special arches made the world in general until they reached her house.
He pulled in behind her car and got out, walked around to her side as she opened the door, and offered his hand as she slid out of the car.
Marnie took it. And didn't let go. She just kept holding his hand with a shy smile and a look of tenderness in her big brown eyes. "Thanks, Eli. I mean it. From the bottom of my heart," she said, and squeezed his hand.
"Don't mention it."
"I have to mention it." She smiled, stepped closer, so that she was brushing against him in that skimpy dress, and looking at him with eyes that could swallow a man whole if he let them. A warning went off in Eli's brain, clanging like a railroad crossing, but he felt paralyzed, unable to get out of the way of the freight train that was headed right for him.
Marnie rose up on her toes, touched her lips to the corner of his, and just sort of lingered there for a moment…
her very soft, very warm lips on his. Then she slowly slipped down.
"Thanks," she said, and slid her hand from his before stepping back. Only now she was flashing a sexy, devilish smile at him. "I'm going to go look at some china settings with Olivia tomorrow. I suppose when you get back
She was cute. He grinned appreciatively at how far up her thigh her dress had ridden. Nice thigh. Nice, shapely thigh. He could imagine sinking his head between a pair of thighs like that. Could imagine it so vividly that his pulse began to pick up a little.
Thank God the vet reappeared when he did. "Bingo is going to be fine," he said after Eli nudged Marnie awake. "He's got a fracture, but there doesn't seem to be any internal bleeding. I'd like to keep him overnight for observation. I'd suggest you folks go home and get some sleep. You can pick him up tomorrow afternoon."
"Thanks, doc," Eli said, extending his hand. "Thanks for taking care of Bingo."
"It's my pleasure and my job," he said, taking Eli's hand.
He said good night to them, and Eli and Marnie walked outside into cool night air. "Are you cold?" Eli asked as Marnie wrapped her arms around herself.
"A little."
Eh glanced back at the emergency vet. "Bingo's got my jacket."
"I'll be all right." But she was clearly shivering.
Eli put his arm around her and pulled her into his side. "You've never been right is what I'm thinking," he said.
"Me?" she protested, nudging him with her elbow as they began to walk to his truck. "This from a man who was obviously impaled on a stick because he's so stiff and unbending all the time."
Eli opened the truck door for her, and watched her long legs bend to get in the cab. He shook his head once to clear it as he walked around the back of the truck to the driver's side. But her legs were still there in his head, and he knew, as he turned the ignition, that he was going to have a hard time getting them out of his head. And that smile. Not to mention the hair.
"I can't stand to think of him lying there," Marnie said as they drove out of the parking lot. "He must have been so scared."
Eli couldn't stand to think of it either—it brought to mind the dozen dogs he'd had in his life, ending with Hank, his golden, who had died of cancer a couple of years ago. God, he'd loved that dog, and felt the lump at the back of his throat even now. So he changed the subject. "He's going to be all right. So listen, I'm out of town for a couple of days. Let's review: No arches, no spectacular waterworks, and no sky-diving routines for this wedding, right?"
Marnie groaned and dropped her head back against the headrest. "You are impossible. What is it with men and weddings? Why can't you just admit that the day is as special for men as it is for women? It doesn't make you any less macho to get married under an arch," she said, and proceeded to tell him how special arches made the world in general until they reached her house.
He pulled in behind her car and got out, walked around to her side as she opened the door, and offered his hand as she slid out of the car.
Marnie took it. And didn't let go. She just kept holding his hand with a shy smile and a look of tenderness in her big brown eyes. "Thanks, Eli. I mean it. From the bottom of my heart," she said, and squeezed his hand.
"Don't mention it."
"I have to mention it." She smiled, stepped closer, so that she was brushing against him in that skimpy dress, and looking at him with eyes that could swallow a man whole if he let them. A warning went off in Eli's brain, clanging like a railroad crossing, but he felt paralyzed, unable to get out of the way of the freight train that was headed right for him.
Marnie rose up on her toes, touched her lips to the corner of his, and just sort of lingered there for a moment…
her very soft, very warm lips on his. Then she slowly slipped down.
"Thanks," she said, and slid her hand from his before stepping back. Only now she was flashing a sexy, devilish smile at him. "I'm going to go look at some china settings with Olivia tomorrow. I suppose when you get back
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