Chapter Five
Autumn tossed anotherblouse on top of the growing pile on the floor as she tried to decide what to wear to work that morning. She didn’t want to admit she was nervous about seeing Chains, especially since running into him the night before at Leroy’s. She didn’t like the way he looked at her, the way he’d made her feel nervous and all mushy inside.
The previous night, Autumn had planned to go to bed earlier, but the more she’d thought about Bret hanging up on her, the madder she became, and the more intense the craving grew for a piece of Leroy’s famous chocolate cream pie. Bret usually disapproved when she’d order anything sweet, so her trip to the diner was a small act of rebellion and defiance. The last person she ever thought she’d run into was Chains.
Autumn sighed as she shook her head.Damn, that man.There was something dark and dangerous about him. Just by looking at him, any woman would know she’d be taking a risk in getting involved with him. There was no doubt that the sex would be awesome, but the chance of him stealing then breaking a woman’s heart would be pretty damn high.
“Grr… just stop it,” she said aloud. Cinder, her bluish-gray cat, meowed and rubbed against her legs. Autumn looked down and into the cat’s bright copper eyes. “I’m acting like an ass, you know,” she said, bending down to rub Cinder under the chin. “I should be thinking about Bret instead of a patient’s owner. I’m being shameful.”
Cinder purred and nuzzled the side of her face against Autumn.
The truth was that Autumn wasveryattracted to Chains, and she was pretty sure a lot of women would be. Just because she was engaged didn’t mean she’d never find another man besides Bret attractive. There had been numerous times when Bret had done a double-take when a pretty or curvy woman passed by them on the street or in a restaurant. “That’s just normal human behavior. I’m making too much out of all this.” Without another glance in the mirror, Autumn fastened her blouse and tucked it into her pencil skirt, then slipped on her heels and walked out of the bedroom with Cinder following close behind.
On the way to the clinic, Autumn kept glancing at the phone laying on the passenger seat of the car, hoping Bret would man up and give her a call. When the phone finally rang, she was so startled by it that she jumped a bit in her seat. Glancing over, her heart sank when she saw it wasn’t Bret calling.
“Hello?”
“May I speak with Autumn Stanford?” a woman asked.
“Speaking.” Autumn turned into the parking lot, found a spot and then shut the ignition.
“This is Jenny from Gateaux Bakery. I’m just confirming your 4:30 p.m. appointment today.”
“Oh, right.” Autumn slid out of the car.
“Is the time still good for you?” Jenny asked.
“Yes.” She slammed the car door. “I actually forgot about it, so I’m glad you called. I’ll be there. Thanks.”
“Is your fiancé coming as well?”
“He said he wanted to, but I’ll be there for sure. Thank you.”
Autumn slipped the phone into her leather tote bag and walked across the lot. A black and gray Harley-Davidson with a ton of chrome gleamed under the morning sun. She paused to admire the beautiful motorcycle and wondered what it would feel like to ride on it. When she was in college, a friend of hers had a scooter and would take her on rides around the city and countryside. She’d loved the way she was immersed in the world around her and connected to it. It was unlike anything she’d experienced from inside a car.
Autumn ran her hand over the soft leather seat and massive handlebars. “This beauty is a million times more powerful than Declan’s scooter. I bet it would be thrilling to be on the back of this one.”
“Hi, Dr. Stanford,” a woman’s voice rang out behind Autumn.
Looking over her shoulder, she smiled when her gaze met Silvia Sanchez’s. “Hi. Is Poppy not feeling well?”
The middle-aged woman held a small Pekingese in her arms as she ambled over to Autumn. “She hasn’t eaten in two days. I made her lamb stew and rice yesterday, and she just turned away. Her back leg seems to be giving her trouble too. I think she may have a splinter or something.”
Autumn ran her hand over the fawn-colored dog. “Did you step on something, Poppy?” She smiled. “I’ll take a look at her as soon as I check on a couple of patients.” She held the door open for Silvia, then followed her into the reception area. “I’ll see you soon,” she said before disappearing behind one of the doors.
After putting away her coat and tote bag, Autumn slipped on her lab coat and rushed down the hall toward the recovery room that housed Oscar and Thor. She had planned to be at the clinic thirty minutes sooner, but trying on a multitude of blouses had made her late. Again, she cursed her foolishness and made a vow that it would never happen again.
When Autumn entered the room, she saw Chains standing by the cage that held Thor. She stayed rooted to the spot as her eyes roamed over him. His navy blue T-shirt fit nicely, showcasing his firm chest. Toned shoulders and firm biceps bulged under the fabric, and Autumn had the unfamiliar impulse to simply run her hand over the sculpted flesh in admiration. Tearing her gaze away, she inhaled deeply and then walked slowly toward him.
Chains turned and gave her a nod, took her in with one of those bright, disarming glances, then fixed his brown eyes on her.
“You must’ve come in early,” she said, stopping in front of Thor’s cage. Chains was so close that she could smell his spicy cologne along with the scent of leather and sun-warmed skin. She gripped the clipboard hanging on a hook and perused the chart.
“How’d you like your pie last night?” he whispered, except his mouth was close,too closeto her ear. His warm breath sent an unwanted tingle of desire to every nerve ending in her body.
Flustered and angry, Autumn moved away to put some distance between them.
“Good. Thor’s doing very well,” she said.