“Let’s go take a walk,” Dante suggested, gritting his teeth to keep from suggesting what he really wanted: let’s go home and fuck until neither one of us can move. He moved close to her and took her hand, guiding her out of the room.
“Wait. I need to lock up, and I have to go pick up Coco,” she told him nervously.
He waited impatiently as she locked the door to the music room, following her as she dropped the key in a box near the front entrance, and then detoured to the gymnasium to peek into the bingo games. “Randi must have her,” Sarah murmured, moving to another room and cracking the door to look inside.
Dante breathed a sigh of relief as Sarah opened the door wider and he saw the room contained only one petite, dark-haired woman and a couple of kids. Randy was Randi, and she was a female.
“Hey, Randi. I just wanted to get Coco out of your way,” Sarah said, her eyes landing on the dog the woman was holding in her lap.
“She’s never a bother. You know I love her. I’d steal her away from you if I thought I could get away with it.” The woman rose from her seat and placed Coco on the floor. “And the kids love her. It took a while to get down to doing their homework.” She leaned around Sarah’s body. “Who’s this?”
“Dante Sinclair, meet Miranda Tyler. She’s a local teacher and a very good friend of Emily’s,” Sarah told him as she scooted from her place between them so he could see Randi.
Dante smiled at the brunette and held out his hand. “We’ve actually met. She was the maid of honor for Emily at her and Grady’s wedding. It’s good to see you again, Randi.”
“Same here,” Randi answered, taking his hand and shaking it before adding, “I’m sorry about your partner, Dante. And I’m sorry you were hurt. I was relieved to hear that you were doing better.”
“Thanks,” he responded quietly, uncomfortable because he wasn’t quite used to talking about Patrick actually being dead. He didn’t know Randi very well, but from what little he’d seen of her at Grady’s wedding, she seemed like a nice enough woman.
Sarah pulled a leash from her purse and attached it to Coco’s collar. “Emily and I are meeting at Brew Magic after work on Friday if you’d like to come.”
Randi’s face lit up. “I wouldn’t miss it. It looks like I have a lot to catch up on.” She glanced curiously at Sarah, and then at Dante. “I didn’t realize you two were . . . together.”
Dante watched as Sarah’s face flushed, and she stammered, “Oh, no . . . we aren’t . . . we don’t . . . he’s my patient.”
Dante winked at Randi. “We actually are, and we do. And I just changed doctors so she isn’t my physician anymore.” Because I want to fuck her too desperately to have her as my doctor. Dante was damn tired of Sarah trying to ignore the attraction between the two of them.
“Difference of opinion?” Randi asked mischievously.
“Maybe for now. But I’ll convince her,” Dante told Randi adamantly as he grabbed Sarah’s hand and pulled her out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
“I can’t believe you just said that,” Sarah whispered harshly as they walked toward the front entrance. “You lied. I’m your physician. I can’t be seeing you in any other way.”
“One of the things we need to talk about,” Dante answered, squeezing her hand as she tried to pull away. “We’re going to settle this now, Sarah.”
“There’s nothing to settle,” she answered angrily. “I trust Randi, but if you don’t let go of my hand, the whole town will think we’re . . . together.”
It was dark as they walked outside, and Dante headed for the boardwalk. There might still be people around, but it was a little more private. “I can’t keep pretending that you’re just my doctor, that I don’t feel the need to rip your clothes off and fuck you until we’re both satisfied.”
“What happened at my house shouldn’t ever have happened. You were under the influence of narcotics. I shouldn’t have responded the way I did. I should have taken you home. I’m your doctor and I shouldn’t have taken advantage of the whole situation. I’m sorry,” she said breathlessly.
Dante halted underneath one of the lamps along the boardwalk to see her face clearly. Nope. She wasn’t messing with him. He could see the remorse and regret on her face.
Shit. Was she really that innocent? She has to be. That guilty expression is real.
And damned if that didn’t just make his cock that much harder.
“Are you under the impression that you somehow molested me? That I wasn’t totally aware of every single thing that was happening?” Dante couldn’t keep the amusement out of his voice.
“It’s not funny.” Sarah glared up at him. “Maybe I didn’t exactly try to seduce you, but I contributed to what happened. I didn’t stop it. I even encouraged it.”
“That’s what happens when two people get all hot and bothered, when they need to fuck so desperately that they can’t even remember their own names,” he told her gutturally, his mind focused on nothing except how badly he wanted to make her come. Really, he couldn’t say he had a whole lot of experience with this particular situation. He’d never felt like this about a woman before.
“I don’t get that way,” Sarah protested.
That was a challenge if Dante had ever heard one. Maybe Sarah didn’t mean it to be, but he’d certainly be willing to prove her wrong. “You wanted the same thing I did. Admit it.” His need to hear her say the words wasn’t something he could ignore. Possessive instincts were pounding at him, and he knew that the gnawing pain in his gut wasn’t going away until she admitted that she wanted him just as damn desperately as he wanted her.