It Started at Christmas...

“Dr. Sanders,” she answered.

“Hi, Dr. Sanders. This is Melissa from the lab. The ER doc looked over your results and wanted to let you know that all of your labs came back negative, as did those of the subject whose blood you were exposed to. He thought you’d want to know ASAP.”

Almost leaning against the clinic hallway wall, she let out a sigh of relief. “He’s right and that’s great news.”

“You know the drill, that you and the person you were exposed to will both need to have routine repeat labs per protocol?”

She knew. She finished the call then clicked off the phone, barely suppressing the urge to jump up and yell, “Yes!”

“Your labs were good?”

She jumped at Lance’s voice. She hadn’t heard him come up behind her in the hallway.

“Don’t do that,” she ordered, frowning. Mostly she frowned to keep her face preoccupied because instantly, on looking at him, she had a flashback to the last time she’d seen him.

On her front porch when he’d kissed her and completely rewired her circuitry.

That had to be it because she didn’t fantasize about men or kisses or things way beyond kisses, yet that’s exactly what she’d done more often than she’d like to admit since Friday night.

“Sorry.” He studied her a little too closely for her liking. “I didn’t realize I’d startle you or I would have made some noise when walking up.”

She stepped into her office and he followed, stomping his feet with each step.

She rolled her eyes.

“So your tests are all negative?”

She nodded without looking at him because looking at him did funny things to her insides.

“Thank goodness.” He sounded as relieved as she’d felt. “The mayor’s too?”

She nodded again.

“That is great news.”

She set her laptop down on her desk then faced him. “Was there something you needed?”

He shook his head. “I was checking to see if you’d heard anything on your labs.”

She waved the phone she still held. “Perfect timing.”

He waggled his brows. “We should go celebrate.”

Not bothering to hide her surprise, she eyed him. “Why?”

“Because you got great news that deserves celebrating.”

She needed to look away from those baby blues, needed to not think about his amazing smile that dug dimples into his cheeks, needed to not stare at his magical lips that had put her under some kind of spell.

“My great news doesn’t involve you,” she reminded him, not doing any of the things she’d just told herself to do.

“Sure it does. I was there, remember?”

How could she ever forget? Which was the problem. So much about that night plagued her mind. Lance acting so protective of her as he’d driven her to the hospital and stayed during her blood draw. Lance taking her home. Lance kissing her.

Lance. Lance. Lance.

Yeah, he had definitely put her under a spell. Under his kiss.