Prowling the Vet (4 page)

He
opened the door and stepped into the clinic, the overly sterile smell of
surgery assailing his nostrils.
Yuck!

“Can
I help you?” A cute woman with freckles and red hair asked him from behind the
desk.

“Ah,
yes.” He walked forward, holding Cotton in his arms.

“She
got into a fight this morning and has a cut on her front leg, hind leg teeth
punctures, and a ripped ear.”

Cotton
began to struggle a little and he held the dog more firmly against his chest,
soothing the warm lump with murmured sounds.

“Oh, poor little thing.
I’ll get the nurse for you.”

“No!
Ah, I’d like to see the vet, Laura, if that’s not too much trouble.”

The
woman stared at him for a moment,
then
smiled. “Doctor
Laura’s a little busy this morning, but I’ll ask her if she has time to see
you.”

Tyler
put as much warmth into his eyes as he could. “Thanks heaps. I appreciate it.”

He
sat down on one of the uncomfortable, white plastic chairs. His ass was almost
numb by the time he was called into a small examination room fifteen minutes
later.

The
second door to the room opened and Laura walked in, her spectacular hair tied
up into a bun and wearing a pristine, white lab coat.

“Hello,
it’s nice to meet…it’s you.”

Her
green eyes went wide and her pupils dilated as she stared at him.

She’s attracted to me. Thank God
for that.

“Ah,
I brought Cotton in to see you. She got in a fight this morning.”

Tyler
placed the injured pup down on the stainless-steel table, putting his hands in
her soft fur when she whimpered.

“It’s
okay, pretty girl.”

Tyler
could feel Laura’s eyes boring into him as he concentrated on the dog.

Laura
humphed
and stepped forward, running her hands over
the dog and connecting with Tyler’s.

“Oh
my God, what is that?” Laura jumped backward.
 
She was shaking her hands out in front of her
frantically as though they were burning, which Tyler could identify with. His
skin was tingling and he could feel her touch like a permanent tattoo.

“What
is what?” Tyler asker her, not wanting to assume she felt the same tingles he
felt running through his body.

Every
part of him was awake and alive. He wanted to grab her, hold her close, and
kiss those beautiful lips. But he withdrew his hands from the dog’s
bloodstained coat and clenched his hands into fists behind his back.
 

“When…when I touch your skin.
I…I can’t explain it.” Laura was
shaking a little and Tyler hated seeing her like that.

“It’s
okay, I promise. Would you consider going somewhere with me this afternoon?”

Laura
stared at him for a moment,
then
looked down at the
dog.

“Step
aside for a moment.”

Tyler
moved back as Laura stepped forward, running her hands expertly over the
whimpering dog, examining her from head to tail.

“She
needs a shot for the pain and the possible infection in her hind leg. I’ll put
some glue over her leg and ear, they aren’t deep.”

Tyler
nodded, happy to sit back and watch with a sense of pride as she moved about
the room. She was so efficient, so intelligent and capable—everything he wanted
in a mate.

She
was also very beautiful, with amazingly clear skin and such luscious lips. To
think that fate had designed this woman for him and his brother made him look
closer, allowing him to see the lovely curve of her cheek, the elegant neck,
the
incredibly voluptuous body that was meant to be adored
from head to toe.

Laura
doctored up the small white dog until she was relaxed and gently snoring on the
table.

“Thanks
for that,” he said as he moved forward and scooped up the small dog, now mended
and wrapped in white gauze and tape.

“So,
what were you saying about today?”

Tyler
grinned, unable to stop the flood of pleasure her interest in him created.

“My
parents are having a massive afternoon lunch, dinner thing. Really, we just eat
from three until midnight.”

Laura’s
eyebrows rose high in shock, her mouth turning down in displeasure.

“And
why would I go to your family function with you, Tyler?”

The
fact that she remembered his name made him grin again, and she looked away.

“It’s
probably the best way I have of explaining the sizzle hand thing. Did you
experience it with my brother as well?”

Laura’s
head snapped around again, her mouth dropping open.

“Ah…how…”
She took a step back and Tyler headed for the door to give her some space. The
pieces were falling into place. There wasn’t much to question about it anymore,
not for him anyway. His stubborn brother might be a different story.

“I
know it must seem weird, but it’ll all be explained this afternoon.”

Laura
frowned and seemed to get taller as her back straightened up even more.

Ah, crap. Have I said the wrong
thing?

“I’m
not sure I’d really be comfortable meeting your
parents,
or anyone else yet. I don’t know anything about you, and for goodness sake,
your brother had my sister half in his bed last night!”

Her
breathing had increased now and her eyes were darting around a little. It was
obvious she was upset and considering what had happened with Brandon and Bella,
and Tyler didn’t blame her.

How
best to defuse the situation?

“Well,
Brandon and I generally have lunch at Sienna’s Café on a Saturday. Do you want
to join us for an hour,
then
you can decide what you
want to do?”

He
gave her a bright smile as he imagined telling Brandon what they were doing. It
would give his brother a chance to explain about his bed-hopping ways and
actually talk to Laura before he jumped her.

Laura
cocked her head to the side and studied him for a moment. Tyler held his breath
and held her stare. If this didn’t work then he’d be back on Monday. He was
never letting this woman go. She seemed to make a decision as she flicked her
wrist and stared at the dial there.

“Okay,
what time?”

He
swallowed the lump that had risen in his throat, and held Cotton closer to his
chest.

“What
time do you finish? We’re usually there around twelve o’clock.”

Laura
picked up a clipboard and looked directly at him, a weird, professional persona
settling over her features. “Sound great. I’ll see you guys there at twelve.”

Laura
began to smile,
then
quickly hid it. She nodded and he
moved out of her surgery and into the waiting room once again. He paid and
thanked the friendly woman and strode out into cold air. He inhaled deeply
through his nose and smelled the sweet scent of summer wind and open flowers.
The season had changed and his life had finally turned onto the path that he
wanted.

****

Brandon
groaned and tapped on the café table with his fingertips, the sound
both satisfying
and a bit annoying.

“Why
are we meeting her here? You know we won’t be able to touch her in public.”

His
brother glared at him and Brandon crossed his arms over his chest.
 
He felt like throwing his hands up in the air
and walking out. What was Tyler playing at?
Seriously?
If she was the one, then why weren’t they taking her home straightaway to find
out for sure?

Tyler
let out a warning growl and the door to the café opened with an annoying tinkle
of the wind chime the owners had hanging over the doorframe.

Laura
walked in and Brandon’s heart leapt against his ribs. He huffed out his breath
as Tyler stood up and motioned for their possible mate to join them. That
better not happen every time he saw her. It was bloody embarrassing. How old
was he anyway?

Laura
walked over to them and sat down opposite, a pleasant smile on her pretty face.

“Hi again.”
She nodded at him, her green
eyes showing a confidence he didn’t usually see in a woman.

He
nodded back. “Hey.”

Tyler
sat forward in his chair. “How was the rest of your shift?”

Laura
picked up her menu and flicked her eyes over the list. “Pretty relaxed thanks.
What’s good here?”

She
looked up and Brandon’s heart did another massive thump against his chest. His
belly roiled with the feeling. He reached for his glass of water and chugged
some down. This reaction he had to her was just plain strange.

“Anything, really.
Their chicken
foccacia
is good.”

 
Brandon frowned at his brother’s high-pitched
tone. What the hell was wrong with Tyler’s voice?

Probably the same thing that’s
wrong with your heart.

The
waitress turned up and Brandon cleared his throat, lounging back against the
leather seat.

“What
can I get you guys?”

Laura
hummed and pointed to something on the menu. The woman smiled and nodded, then
took their orders.

Wonder what she asked for.

Then,
out of nowhere, she fixed him with a look that could only be called a glare.

“What?”

Her
eyebrows lifted slightly from their downward arching and her mouth pulled into
an even grimmer line.

“Aren’t
you going to ask about Belle? Or did you call her already?”

Brandon
coughed, and covered his mouth to hide the smile. She was kidding, right?

“No,
I haven’t. How was she this morning?”
Like he cared.

Pain
spread through his foot as Tyler stamped down on his boot. He tried not to
grimace and pulled his leg hard, Tyler’s foot and the subsequent pain
disappearing.

“She’s
hungover
but at the college enrollment I’ve been
pushing her toward all year.”

Brandon
hummed and shrugged, winking at the cute little waitress as she set their food
on the table.

“You’ve
been pushing her? Are your parents not around anymore?” Tyler asked as Brandon
slurped some sauce on his chips and crunched down on one.

Laura
shrugged and picked up her fork, skewering the stupid salad she’d ordered and
eating some greenery. “Our parents died a few years ago, so I’ve gotten her
through school. She’s got a stubborn streak a mile wide and I’m hoping some
more study will help.”

Brandon
reached for his water again and swallowed the weird feeling that had risen. He
shouldn’t care what sort of sister she was, but his mother’s lessons about
family had been drummed into him since the cradle.

“That
was really good of you Laura.” Tyler said and Brandon nodded his head, unable
to remain impassive to such a thing. That took guts, and heart—something
missing in most of the women he’d known.

“So
tell me about this family dinner thing. Do you get together like that often?”

Her
eyes flicked between them and Brandon noticed how much longer she liked to look
at Tyler over him. Understandable really, considering last night he’d been ten
minutes away from having his way with her sister, but it still sat like a lead
weight in his gut. Plus, she’d never be able to guess that they both wanted
her. No human would.

Tyler
answered for them. “Yeah, mum and dad put on a family dinner at least once a
month.
 
They like entertaining and now
that they’re mostly retired and we’ve moved out, I think they get lonely.”

Brandon
grunted and finished his lunch.
Lonely?
He doubted it.

“You
disagree?”

He
raised his head to see Laura staring at him, her green eyes far too keen and
observant.

“Yeah,
I do. They’ve always liked having people around. Our whole childhood was filled
with our cousins dropping by. Nothing’s changed. They just have more money and
time now.”

Laura
stared at him a moment longer, then looked back at Tyler with a smile.

“It
sounds like you guys had a fun upbringing. Much more social than I did. Do you
have any other brothers or sisters?”

Brandon
grimaced.
“Yeah, unfortunately.”

Tyler
laughed. “Her name is Renee and you’ll meet her today if you decide to come.”

Yeah, bloody pain in the ass that
she was.

Brandon’s
phone buzzed with a text. He picked it up and read the message from his father
and cut Tyler off mid-sentence. “Dad wants us to go set up for the party.”

Their
dad didn’t request,
so
much as
command
.