“Laura?”
I say her name so loudly that it gets the attention of half the table. Oh well. She can’t ignore that at least. She turns and glares at me.
“What?”
“You really need to cut me a break,” I say in a lower voice. “People are going to start asking questions if you toss one more dirty look my way. People being your brother and Annie,” I add, unable to resist the temptation of another dig. “I’m going to take a wild guess and say they’re… uninformed over your recent hospital visit?”
“And it will stay that way if you shut up. Maybe you can start with stopping the comments that make me want to give you dirty looks?” she suggests sweetly.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize offering you a cushion to sit on would be so offensive,” I protest, holding my hands up in defense. “Most women would be flattered if a man considered their comfort, like I just did,” I add.
How was I supposed to know how well she’d recovered?
“There is a nearly nine-month-pregnant woman sitting opposite me, and you’re offering me a pillow? How about you offer it to her instead?” She shakes her head, lowering her voice. “You don’t want to draw attention to what happened? What the hell do you think offering me a pillow is going to do?”
She makes a good point, but still… chivalry is chivalry.
“So, you didn’t tell anyone anything?” I ask her, scooting a little closer to her.
As a doctor, I’m genuinely curious, because it had to have hurt for a few days after the incident. How did she explain it to people?
“I would’ve expected at the very least, a funny walk for a day or two with that kind of penetration—not to mention the multiple orgasms,” I muse. “By the way, did you keep track? I’m pretty sure I counted five in just the short time I was with you. You could be up for a record.”
“Are you done?” she explodes. “It’s none of your goddamned business how many times I came.”
She tosses her napkin down on the table and glares at me, mortified she just said that aloud and just as Matt happened to wander out onto the deck. He catches the tail end of her rant and raises his eyebrows at me and then shrugs as if to apologize. I shake my head and rub the back of my neck, knowing it’s more my fault than hers. Okay, it’s completely my fault.
The worst part is that I’m not intentionally trying to wind her up. Well, maybe it is intentional, but I swear I’m not trying to offend her. But somehow, I’m managing it repeatedly. Things keep popping out of my mouth before I realize how bad they sound. I think it’s the nerves talking more than anything else because seeing her again reminds me that she’s the kind of girl I’d usually go for.
It was hard enough keeping things professional when I was examining her, but I did it. The number of times my mind started to wander… I’ll even go as far to admit that after my shift, she may have filtered into my mind once or twice while I was jerking myself off.
But here? She’s not my patient. She’s just Matt’s sister, looking especially sexy in that short black skirt. It’s hard to turn my emotions off and not react because that’s what I should be doing. I mean, she’s still technically a patient, right? I’m confused about how I should be acting, and when that happens, I lose control of my mouth. I know I need to stop talking, but I can’t.
“You know, I would’ve expected Matt’s sister to be a little more outgoing,” I tease her.
“Yeah, well I guess I’m not feeling all that talkative,” she mutters.
I’m about to respond when Annie knocks over a stack of glasses she’s attempting to balance and then carry. I smirk and get to my feet. I take them from her, and she sighs with relief.
“Thanks, Luke,” she says. “Isn’t he the sweetest?” She directs that comment at Laura, who stares daggers back at her.
“So sweet my teeth are rotting,” Laura grits out through a smile.
Chuckling, I scoop up the rest of the empty glasses and carry them into the kitchen. I place them down on the kitchen counter and let out a large breath. God, she’s killing me out there. I feel like I need a power nap before I get back out there. Or, at the very least, a pep talk. Matt looks up and winces. He walks over and slaps me hard on the back.
“Man, what’s going on out there? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you strike out as much as tonight.” He chuckles. “I know my sister can be hard work, but I’ve never seen her this uptight.”
“You’re referring to the sister that you’re not trying to set me up with?” I retort.