Hope Flames

Chapter 10

FORTUNATELY, EMMA HAD a particularly busy day, including performing a double ACL repair on a very overweight rottweiler. The surgery had been complicated, but successful. Leanne was currently overseeing the recovery of Delbert the rottweiler, while Emma spoke to the pet’s owners, advising them that Delbert would need to go on a restricted diet, since the dog’s obesity had been one of the contributing factors to his leg injuries.

Once that was done, she had a full patient load that took up the remainder of her day. She didn’t even get a chance to stop for her planned lunch with Jane and Chelsea at Bert’s. Instead, she grabbed a protein bar and a glass of juice while she slipped out of one patient room and into another.

“Business is good,” Rachel whispered as Emma breezed through the reception area late that afternoon. The waiting area was full, and several customers smiled and waved.

Her heart squeezed.

At the end of the workday she checked on Delbert, washed her hands and blew a stray hair out of her face, then met up with Rachel and Leanne in the back room. “It was good today, that’s for sure.”

“It’ll be good every day, Dr. Emma,” Leanne said. “Doc Weston was busy like this all the time, and word’s getting around that you’re here and you’re an awesome doctor. Trust me, you’ll be swamped.”

She hoped so. She liked being busy. It kept her mind occupied and, she hoped, it would keep her bank account full.

She hung out with Rachel and Leanne for a few minutes, then looked at her phone.

“Crap. I have somewhere I need to be.”

“Got a hot date, Doc?” Rachel asked, waggling her brows.

“Um, not really. I’m meeting Luke for a run in the park with the dogs.”

“Officer Luke McCormack? That Luke?”

“Yes. That Luke.”

Rachel took a big breath in, and let it out. “Now he is definitely hot.”

“Agreed,” Leanne grinned. “Tell us all about him.”

“It’s not a date, if that’s what you’re wondering. We’re just friends. And you two can quit giving me that look.”

Leanne looked at Rachel. “Look? What look?”

Rachel shrugged. “I have no idea. I think she’s seeing things.”

Rolling her eyes, Emma hollered for Annie and Daisy. Daisy came running. Annie, of course, didn’t, so she had to search her out. She was chewing on one of the clinic towels.

“Annie,” she said, shaking her head. She scooped Annie up and slid the pup into the crate.

“Would you two mind locking up?” she asked as she grabbed her purse.

“Not at all,” Leanne said, “seeing as you have a hot date with the very sexy cop.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Not a date.”

“Sure, Dr. Emma,” Rachel said. “Keep on denying.”

“Gossips.” She headed out the door, then hurried home, fed the dogs, and ran Annie outside. She changed into her capris and tank and slid on her running shoes. Since the sun was going down and there was a chill in the air, she grabbed a hoodie. Annie gave her a sad look.

“Yeah, you’re not trained to run yet, missy, so off to the crate you go.”

Annie went willingly into the crate, curled up on her towel and next to her toy, and seemed ready to go back to sleep. Since the puppy had run amok all day at the clinic, Emma knew she’d be ready to crash again. Besides, she was sure she wouldn’t be gone more than an hour. Just a quick run with the dogs and she’d be back. Luke probably had other plans after their run.

A hot guy like him had to have women waiting to go out with him, right?

She shivered as she recalled his hands on her, the way his mouth had moved over her skin, the way she had felt when he’d moved inside her.

Yeah, he likely had other plans. With other women.

And didn’t that just suck?

Shaking off thoughts she had no business thinking, she put Daisy in her truck and headed over to the lake. One of the things she loved the most about Hope was its nearby proximity to some awesome water. There was a bigger lake for boating in the next town over, but there was a smaller lake and a park in town. She found Luke’s truck already parked in the lot when she got there, so she pulled up next to it.

Luke was sitting on one of the cement benches, Boomer calmly waiting beside him.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said as Daisy bounded up to Boomer and greeted him with excited sniffs. “It was crazy busy at the clinic and I lost track of time.”

“No problem. I haven’t been here long. We had an accident up on Third just as I was ready to go off duty. I thought you’d be the one waiting for me.”

She finally exhaled. “Sounds like we both had a stressful day.”

He gave her a smile that sent skitters of awareness down her spine. “Then let’s go run it off.”

They warmed up, Luke leaning over the cement picnic table to stretch out his long, lean body. Emma couldn’t help but drink in the sight of him in his gray sweats and T-shirt. The sweats hung loose on him, the shirt snugged tight against his muscled chest. His arms had some guns that had nothing to do with the hardware he usually had attached to his hip when he was in uniform. Even dressed casually like this, he took her breath away.

And she was going to need that breath for the run they were about to take.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Let’s go.” She needed this run to shake off her rampant thoughts about Luke and his hot body and all the things she’d like to do with it. One taste of him hadn’t been enough. She was tense. It had been a rough day, and what was a better tension reliever than sex?

But she was absolutely not going to have sex with Luke again. So a run would have to do.

They took off down the trails at a relaxed pace, the dogs staying right with them. That night at her house, she’d been so easy, nearly throwing herself at him. But the sex had been so good, and she’d wanted it as much as he had.

And then she’d thrown him out of her house.

Some hostess she’d been. She was clearly conflicted. It was a wonder he wanted anything to do with her after that night.

But he had shown up at the adoption event at the clinic. And he’d come to her parents’ house for dinner. He’d been friendly with her at both events. And he had asked her to run with him today, so maybe things between them were back to normal again.

She was going to have to be more careful. She wasn’t practiced around men. She’d had exactly one long-term relationship in her life, a long time ago, and she sure hadn’t been in charge of herself in that one. She’d given up complete control of her life, her education, her sense of self . . .

This wasn’t helping reduce her tension, and she’d vowed never to think about him ever again. It was much better to sink back a little and focus on Luke’s fine form as he ran a few feet ahead of her. He was in prime physical shape, his long legs eating up the trail as he jogged with ease. Boomer stayed in perfect stride alongside him. It was easy to see why Luke and his dog were such great partners.

Daisy, of course, did the same, running devotedly right beside her, but Emma’s focus was on Luke’s very fine ass. So, of course Emma missed the curve in the road and the uneven pavement, her toe got stuck, and she took a very unflattering dive, skidding across the road. She threw her hands out to protect herself, feeling the stinging burn as her skin rubbed along the asphalt.

“Emma. Are you all right?” Luke was right there, crouching down next to her.

So was Daisy, licking her face in sympathy.

“Ow,” was all she could manage, trying to blink back the tears as the initial shock wore off and the pain intensified.

“What happened?”

“I tripped over . . . something.” She started to push up, but he placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

“Stay there and let me check you over.”

“I’m fine, really.” Except for her entire body trembling from shock and the oh my God excruciating pain.

“You’re not fine. You’re bleeding.” He looked down at her knees, which were raw and bloody.

“That’s not . . . too bad.”

He lifted his gaze to hers, and she knew as well as he did that, while the fall was definitely not life-threatening, she was a mess. Fortunately, she’d thrown her forearms down and not her hands, so while her jacket was torn up and she could feel some tenderness on her arms, she’d at least saved her hands. She used those at work and she needed them.

“How are your arms?”

“Throbbing. I don’t think anything’s broken.”

“Let me look.” He eased her jacket off and checked out both of her arms.

“See, I told you.”

“You’re right. You have a few scratches and your jacket is toast. You’re going to be bruised.”

“I’ve been bruised before. I’m pretty tough.”

He swept her hair out of her face. “I’m sure you are, Doc. Now let’s stand you up.”

He slipped an arm around her and lifted her. Her knees were throbbing, the pain like sharp needles pricking her skin. She bit her lip and focused on taking a few steps.

“Feel okay?”

“I’m fine.” It was agonizing.

He helped her walk to the nearest bench, then sat her down. “You stay here with Daisy. Boomer and I are gonna run up and get my truck.”

She thought about arguing and toughing it out, but they’d run a fair distance and she didn’t much feel like legging it out with her knees hurting so badly. Plus, blood was trickling down her shin. She nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”

“I’ll be fast. Don’t move.”

She laughed. “I’m hardly going to run away.”

He smiled at her. “You’re right. I’ll be back in a hurry. Come on, Boom.”

She watched as he hustled away at a fast clip. She settled back against the back of the bench and tried to focus on anything but the constant burning and throbbing of her knees.

Stupid. If she hadn’t been looking at his butt, this wouldn’t have happened. Nothing good ever came out of focusing on a man. Lesson learned—again.

It didn’t take long for Luke to come back with his truck. He must have really run fast. He was sweating as he came around from the driver’s side to help her stand.

“I’m not dying, you know. You didn’t have to kill yourself running.”

“It’s good exercise.” He swept his arm under her legs and lifted her.

“Luke. This isn’t necessary.”

“Yeah, well, I say it is. So indulge me. Come on, Daisy.”

Daisy dutifully followed and climbed into the backseat of the truck. He set Emma down on the passenger seat and helped put her seat belt on, then climbed in and headed out of the park.

“I don’t think you need an ER visit since nothing’s broken. You have a good first aid kit at your house?”

“Of course.”

“Then we’ll go there.”

“What about my truck?”

He shot her a look. “I’m not letting you drive all banged up like that. I’ll get your truck back to you.”

She pursed her lips. “Fine . . . officer.”

His lips curved as he headed out onto the main road and toward her place. She might not like it, but he was right. If she was alone, she could have made it, but she was shaky and in no shape to drive, especially if there was someone else to take her home.

He pulled into her driveway and held out his hand. “Can I have your keys?”

She handed him her house keys and he hustled the dogs out first, got them into the house, then came back for her.

“I already got Annie out of her carrier. All the dogs are out back.”

“Thanks.”

“Now let’s get you taken care of.”

She hobbled inside and he took her right into her kitchen. “Okay, where’s the first aid kit?”

“My bathroom, under the sink. But you don’t have to do this, Luke. I’m perfectly capable of performing my own first aid.”

He was already heading down the hall toward the bedrooms, ignoring her. He came back a few minutes later with the kit in his hand, then crouched down in front of her. “This is a good refresher course for me. I need some clean cloths you don’t mind getting bloody.”

“Any of the ones in there.” She pointed to the bottom drawer next to the sink and Luke pulled out a couple of clean cloths, ran them under hot water and squeezed out the liquid, then reached into the kit and put on the sterile gloves.

“I have to clean these wounds first. This is going to sting.”

She nodded. “This isn’t my first rodeo. I can handle it.”

She sucked in a breath as he scraped away the bits of gravel and dirt that clung to the wounds. It hurt—really badly. She looked up at the ceiling, over his shoulder, at his shoulder, anything but at the bloody, ragged mess she knew were her knees.

“That looks better.”

Emma took a peek. The wounds weren’t as dirty now, just clean, raw, and still horrible.

“Yeah, they look great.”

He laid his hand on her leg. “You tore them up pretty good.”

“Well, I hate to do anything half-assed.”

He laughed. “Now this part will really hurt.”

“I love your bedside manner. So soothing.”

“Hey, you’re the one who was looking at the clouds or something and took a knee slide on the asphalt.”

“Yeah. Or something.” Like his most excellent behind.

He lifted his gaze to hers. “What were you looking at?”

“I don’t remember. Probably keeping an eye on the dogs.”

He smiled at her, that devastating half-smile that curled her toes. For a moment she forgot all about the pain. Until he hit one of her knees with the hydrogen peroxide.

She hissed out a breath. “Shit. That hurts.”

“Told you it would.” He bent and blew over the wound, the gentle warmth not at all softening the blow of the peroxide. But the way he held her leg so gently—his fingers flexing around her calf as he finished cleaning out the wound—and applied antibiotic ointment was so incongruous with his big, tough exterior, it momentarily surprised her. And then he did the other knee, which hurt just as bad, but the aftermath was just as sweet.

The last man in her life hadn’t been gentle with her, hadn’t cared for her when she’d been hurt. She’d been left to take care of her own wounds. After all, it had been her own fault when she’d gotten injured. He’d made her apologize.

She shook her head, shaking loose thoughts of the past.

“Everything going okay up there?”

She gazed down at Luke. “You’re very good at this first aid thing.”

“Thanks. Coming from a doctor, I take that as a high compliment.”

She laughed. “My patients very rarely voice a complaint.”

He leaned back on his heels. “Oh, but I’ll bet you can tell when they’re in pain.”

“I can. I don’t like it when they hurt. I don’t like it when anyone is hurt.”

He was gentle as he applied the bandage to her other knee. “I think you’re a softy, Emma.”

“I can be when it’s called for. I think you’re a bit of a softy, too, Luke.”

He pressed a kiss to both of her bandaged knees. “I don’t like to see anyone hurt.”

She let her eyes drift closed for a fraction of a second. He was so different from any guy she’d ever let get close to her. When she opened her eyes, he was eye level with her.

“Are you all right?”

She shuddered as she inhaled. “Yup. Just fine.”

He held out his hand. “Let’s stand you up before you start to get stiff.”

She grasped his hand, and he pulled her upright. Her knees hurt like hell, and she was going to be sore for days, but it could have been a lot worse. He walked her over to the kitchen sink, where they washed off her arms. Those weren’t as bad because she’d been wearing her jacket. A few slight scrapes, and she wouldn’t even need a bandage. Luke cleaned the wounds out and applied some antibacterial salve.

“You’re kind of a mess,” he said.

“That’s kind of an understatement.”

“How about I order us a pizza, and you go change out of those clothes and get into your pajamas?”

“You don’t have to stay.”

“I know I don’t have to. I want to. Besides, I’m hungry.”

Warmth curled around her. “Me, too.”

She hobbled into the bedroom and took a look at herself in the mirror. Ugh. Her hair had half come out of her ponytail, and dirt smudged her face. She looked a wreck. She washed her face, combed her hair and pulled her shirt off, then sat on the bed and tried to peel off the tight workout capris, with very little luck because the bandages were in the way. She needed an extra set of hands to hold the elastic up while she moved her legs.

And it hurt.

“Crap.”

“Emma?”

Her gaze shot up to the closed bedroom door. “Yeah?”

“You doing all right in there?”

She was in her bra and her capris. “Uh. Not really.”

“Can I help?”

She’d already embarrassed herself enough for one night. But she really wanted to get out of these pants. Heaving a sigh, she said, “Come on in.”

He opened the door, and to his credit, didn’t ogle. His expression remained flat. “What can I do to help?”

“Get me out of these pants?”

Now he smiled. “It’s every guy’s dream to hear a woman say that, you know.”

She laughed. “Yeah, well, not in the way you think. They’re really tight and the bandages are in the way. I need more hands than what I have. I guess we should have taken the pants off first.”

“Probably. But that would have rubbed the wounds. We could have cut them off of you.”

“Hey. I like these workout pants.”

“Then let’s peel them off. That’s the problem with you women wearing this tight workout gear. You should wear sweats, like me.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever, fashionista.”

“Okay, tell me what you need me to do.”

“I’ll roll them down. Just pull the bottoms apart enough that I can slide my legs out.”

“Sure.”

Now that he was there, she realized she’d have to shimmy out of the pants and shuck them off until they hung at her knees. But she wanted them off, and that was her first priority. Embarrassment wasn’t going to be an issue, at least not until she got the pants off. She slid them down over her hips, hoping her underwear would stay in place.

And hey, at least she had underwear on.

“I’ll stretch these enough for you to ease your legs out, okay?”

He was doing a really good job of just looking at her legs. “Yes.”

She eased one leg out, then the other, then breathed a sigh of relief when he handed her the pants.

“That’s done.”

“Thanks, Luke.”

“You’re welcome.” He grinned. “Always happy to see a hot woman in her underwear. It’s like a bonus.”

She laughed. “Get out of here.”

He turned and shut the door behind him while she went up in flames.

She was a wreck. Bandaged, bloody, and dirty, and he still thought she was hot, huh? She was sure he was just being nice, considering both her knees were swollen and bandaged, and she had cuts and bruises all over. But as she hobbled back into the bathroom, she took a close look at her pink-and-beige lace panties. The pink sports bra wasn’t all that unattractive, either. She was glad she had worn them because other than the bumps, bruises, scrapes, and totally wild hair, she didn’t look too bad.

Not that she was trying to impress Luke with her half-naked body.

But still. Not too bad.

THAT HAD BEEN absolute torture. It had been bad enough when Emma had shown up in those skintight running pants that cupped her ass and showed off every one of her curves. Curves he could still remember running his hands over not that long ago.

Luke had been glad she’d hung back and run behind him, because if he’d let her get ahead of him and he’d had to watch her while he ran, all the blood would have rushed from his brain to his dick, and he more than likely would have passed out or something.

And then he’d had to walk in on her half-undressed in her bedroom and fulfill her request to take her pants off, leaving her in that practically see-through underwear?

A guy could only take so much. He knew she was hurt and in pain, but his dick only saw soft, creamy flesh and a beautifully curved body, instead of a vulnerable woman in need of tender care. Everything in him that was a man wanted to take her in his arms and kiss away her hurt, then use his tongue on every part of her until she screamed in pleasure.

He’d already gotten her there once, knew what she was like when she came apart. He wanted to ease her pain, and what better way to do that than to give her pleasure?

Shit. And now he was staying for pizza. He must be some kind of glutton for punishment.

“That’s better.”

She came out limping, but dressed in loose sweatpants and a T-shirt.

And she still looked hot. Christ, he had it bad. It was time to suck it up and take it like a man. One fast pizza, tuck her in bed, and then he was outta there.

“I ordered the pizza. Come sit down.”

She made her way to the sofa, which had reclining seats. He got her situated, pulled one of the throw blankets off the back, and propped her legs up to rest them.

“Comfortable?” he asked as he leaned over her to tuck the blanket in next to her hips, trying not to think about the soft curve of said hips he’d seen when she’d been wearing nothing but her underwear.

“If my knees weren’t throbbing, I might fall asleep before the pizza got here.”

“I’ll make you something to drink and get you a couple Tylenol. Where do you keep them?”

“Kitchen cabinet next to the sink. And you don’t need to do that.”

“It’s no problem, Emma. You need someone to take care of you tonight.”

He went into the kitchen and poured her a soda, grabbed the pills, and drew in a couple of long breaths, reminding himself that he was there on a mercy mission. But damn, did she have to look so sexy with her hair spread out across the back of the sofa, her cheeks soft and pink, and her eyes so trusting?

If she only knew the nefarious thoughts going through his head, she’d toss him out on his ass.

He came back out with the drink and the Tylenol. “I also fixed some ice packs for your knees. It’ll help to keep the swelling down.”

She took the pills and swallowed them with her drink, then set the glass on the side table. “You think of everything. If you hadn’t been here, I’d have driven myself home and likely crawled right into bed to drown my sorrows.”

He pulled the blanket aside and gently laid the ice packs on top of her knees. “I don’t know. Even though you’re a vet, you’re still a doctor. I think you know the importance of taking care of injuries right away.”

“Maybe. Right now I just feel like a stupid girl.”

He laughed. “You’re not the first person to trip and fall, you know.”

Her direct gaze gut-punched him. “I realize that. I still feel like a moron.”

He replaced the blanket, then leaned over and got close. “Prettiest moron I’ve ever seen.”

Her gaze caught and held his. He waited, knowing this was a really bad idea, but Emma did something to him. Maybe he was offering comfort, and maybe what he was doing was purely for his own selfish reasons.

Either way, she didn’t look scared, or pissed off.

Just . . . curious. Maybe even a little inviting.

He drew in closer.

And then the doorbell rang.

Like a pin in a balloon, the moment burst. Emma blinked, then offered up a shaky breath.

“Pizza guy.”

“Yeah.” He pushed up and went to the front door, mentally cussing out the pizza guy for having really shitty timing.

They ate, though Emma only nibbled on a couple of pieces. It was obvious her accident was wearing on her as her lids started to droop down.

“You need to go to bed.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re tired, and rest is the best thing for you. Do you have to work tomorrow?”

She laughed. “When you’re the single owner of a business, it’s not like someone else can go in for you.”

“Come on.” He pushed the recliner to a sitting position and helped her stand.

She winced. He looped an arm around her waist and led her toward her bedroom.

“You’re going to be sore tomorrow.”

“I know. I’ll make it.”

“You could always reschedule your appointments and take the day off.”

“I don’t think so. People are counting on me, and I have a reputation I’m trying to build. I’ll tough it out.”

He pulled back her covers, and she climbed into bed. He grabbed her extra pillow so she could slide it under her legs, propping up her knees. When he pulled the blanket up, he laid his hand over hers and her gaze met his.

“Would you like me to stay here tonight? Make sure you’re okay?”

“No. I’m fine, Luke, really. You’ve done more than enough already. But I appreciate it, more than you know.”

“Okay.” On impulse, he bent and brushed a kiss across her lips.

He pulled back, searched her face, her chocolate brown eyes melting him, making him want to do a hell of a lot more than just kiss her.

And the way she looked up at him was an invitation.

But she was hurt, and vulnerable, and tonight was hands-off, no matter how much her eyes said yes.

He stood. “I’m going to go get your car so you’ll have it for work tomorrow. I’ll lock the front door on my way out.”

She reached for his hand, her eyes partially closed. “Thank you, Luke. You’re my hero.”

He was nobody’s hero. Especially not hers. Not with the kinds of thoughts he was having about her right now.

“Night, Emma.”