Flirting with Love Read Free Page A

business, she snapped, “I would never leave him in there.”
    If he noticed her attitude, he didn’t show it as she followed him out of the exam room. Two Labradors, one black and one tan, were waiting by the exam room door. She pet them as they followed Ross out to the car. She hadn’t had any contact with dogs and cats since leaving LA, and she missed them. Petting them helped calm her agitation.
    Ross opened the back door and set the crate on the seat, then opened the driver’s side door for her.
    Surprised by the gesture, she settled into the car. “Thank you for all your help.” Mr. Tall Dark and Confusing .
    Ross rested one arm on the roof of the car and leaned down so they were eye to eye. He wore a pair of tan slacks with a black Trusty Veterinary Clinic polo shirt. She tried not to notice the impressive bulge in his pants just below his leather belt.
    “Take my number in case you have any more emergencies.” A dog sat on either side of him.
    She pulled out her phone and tried to act nonchalant as he rattled off his phone number and she put it into her contact list. She didn’t ask if it was his office number or personal number. She couldn’t. His eyes were boring a hole right through her. It was a wonder she could process anything at all. Surely he was just being nice, anyway. She was new in town, and he… Oh God . He made the smell of animals and antiseptic soap sexy. Elisabeth imagined women probably followed him around just like his dogs. The thought gave her pause and intrigued her at the same time.
    Down, girl.
    She set her phone on the passenger seat and turned to thank him again. His face was so close she could see every whisker on his square jaw and three sweet lines in his lower lip that she wanted to run her finger over. He smiled, and her mind turned to mush again.
    Jesus, what am I? A dog in heat? These types of thoughts surprised her. She wasn’t looking for sex, and even if she had been actively searching for a man, she wanted a relationship, not just sex. Anyone could have sex, but it took two people who were really in love to have a meaningful, lasting relationship, and that’s what she dreamed of.
    “Ross,” Kelsey called from the porch of the clinic. “Luke’s on the phone for you.”
    Ross held Elisabeth’s gaze for a minute longer. “Welcome to Trusty, Elisabeth. I’ll swing by when I’m free.”
    It took her a minute to breathe—and to remember why he was stopping by. To check out the piglets . She needed to get a grip. Maybe he could give her a shot of Ross repellant , because she had a life to build and a business to maintain, and a man like Ross would probably chew her up and spit her out.
    But, oh, would the chewing up be delicious.

Chapter Two
    IT WASN’T THE hungry piglet Ross was thinking about as he drove forty minutes from Denton back to Trusty. It was the beautiful, befuddled blonde who brought that little piggy in to see him who had his entire body revved up ever since. Ross wasn’t often taken by a woman’s looks. He was more often taken by a woman’s personality, but Elisabeth had a wholesome appearance that had definitely struck a chord.
    Storm, a six-month-old black Lab and his weekend charge from the Denton Prison Pup Partners program, yawned on the seat beside him. Ross had been Storm’s weekend foster handler since the dog first entered the program as an eight-week-old puppy. Ross picked him up on Friday evenings and kept him until late Sunday, when he returned to the Prison Pup program in Denton for the week. Storm was as bonded to Ranger, Sarge, and Knight as he was to Ross. Ross tousled his head at the same time that his stomach growled. Storm cocked his head to the side and wrinkled his brow. By seven thirty Friday night, Ross needed nourishment as badly as that little piglet had.
    “Gotta eat sometime. Might as well get you some socialization while I’m at it.”
    Ross parked in front of Trusty Diner and leashed Storm. As a vital part of the