“Let me get that for you.” Connor pushed his hand in front of me and held the door open.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. Thank you for taking a few minutes to talk to me.”
I walked into the bright sunlight and shivered a little. “It’s finally starting to cool off,” I remarked, putting on my jacket and sticking my hands in my pockets.
“It is. Reminds me more of Salt Lake City than usual.”
“Is that where you’re from?” I asked as Connor pushed the button to change the pedestrian signal.
He smiled. “It is. I’ve lived here for a year or so now. I like the sunshine, what can I say?”
“I like the sunshine, too. This is definitely the place to live for that.” The light changed and we made our way across the street and up the sidewalk. “What brought you to Mary Sherman?”
We walked leisurely in front of a couple of restaurants before Connor opened the door to the coffee shop. “I took a spot in a doctor’s office that is associated with it. So now I do rounds here. I’ve worked out of Phoenix until the last couple of weeks.”
We walked to the counter and ordered our drinks. The barista, a pretty brunette, made small talk and bedroom eyes at him while he ordered. Eventually, I just walked to a booth in the front by the windows and grabbed a seat.
It was such a pretty day and would be a great day for a hike. I considered seeing if Max would want to go for a walk later on.
Unless he wears me out first.
I was pulling my phone out to send Max a text, demanding a hint as to what was to come, when Connor arrived with our drinks.
“One cappuccino for you and a black coffee, two sugars for me.” He grinned as he sat down.
“Thank you.” I wrapped my hands around the warm foam. “So what do I owe the pleasure of this coffee meeting?”
He watched me over the brim of his cup while he took a sip then cleared his throat. “I want to offer you a job.”
I laughed. “I have a job.”
“You do. And you’re very good at it.”
I felt my cheeks heat. “Thank you.”
“Stop thanking me for everything. I gave you a compliment that you deserve. You’re smart, level-headed. You’re thorough. And you know how to deal with all sorts of personalities—which is why you should come to work for me in my office.”
“Really?”
He nodded, his blue eyes gleaming. “I think we make a good team and I know you’d be an asset to our team at Rhodes Medical. The way you handled everyone today, from the angry old man to the screaming baby . . . you’re a natural.”
“Wow. This isn’t what I expected.” I looked up and he had a smirk across his face. “Not that I expected anything exactly, but a job offer was way down the list.”
He laughed loudly. “Well, if we didn’t work together, I’d be asking you to dinner. But I respect you too much professionally to do that, unless you’d like to quit your job and work somewhere unrelated to me.” He smiled a smile that probably got him everything he wanted.
It was almost as breathtaking as Max’s. Almost.
“Not happening,” I grinned.
“So you’ll think about my offer? It would be a nine-to-five job. You’d have benefits and it’d be a whole lot less hectic than the hospital.”
“I’ll consider it, I really will. But I do like the unexpectedness of the ER, so I’m just not sure.”
He removed his phone from his pocket and looked at the screen. “I have to get back over there now. I’m on call.”
“Go. And thank you for the coffee.”
KARI
“Fuck me,” Max groaned behind me.
I was standing with my back to the kitchen doorway, dressed in a red bra, panties, heels and an apron. I had jumped in the shower as soon as I got home and curled my hair into large, sexy curls that were hanging down my back. With a touch of scented lotion in all the right places, I was already keyed up when I heard him come in.
But I didn’t turn around. Instead, I tossed my head to the side, letting my hair all flow to my right and kept cutting fruit into small cubes.
I heard him cross the kitchen floor, his boots heavy on the tile. Before I expected it, his hands were on my waist, his fingers burning into my skin. His mouth was on my neck, nipping the skin below my ear. I moaned as moisture pooled between my thighs and I dropped the knife as I sucked in a quick breath.
“My God woman,” he growled into my ear.
“You said to wear red,” I said sweetly, turning my face to look at him. “I complied.”
“That you did. For once.” He whirled me around and picked me up, cradling me across his strong arms. He brought his mouth to mine, kissing me passionately, licking and nibbling at my bottom lip. He made his way dangerously fast into his bedroom, lying me down on the sheets with an almost-thud. I giggled as I hit the mattress.
Max stood at the end of the bed, his eyes dark.
I lifted one leg into the air, twisting my foot back and forth. “Like my new heels?”
“I’d like them better on the floor.”