Spring River Valley: The Spring Collection (Boxed Set) (23 page)

Aiden kept his gaze on Samantha’s. “I appreciate it. Sorry about all the shedding.”

She waved a hand. “They all do that when they’re nervous. Poor Barkley…you’re a good boy. You can go home soon.” The dog gave her his paw, and she dutifully shook it. “He’s a sweetheart.”

“And we’re back with Dr. Eliza Fraser who’s here to tell us why you need a friend with benefits relationship in your life. Dr. Fraser is the author of
Getting Serious about Casual Sex
—” Applause interrupted the host of the talk show, which Gillian must have turned up even louder because it seemed to echo in the small waiting room.

Sam gulped and glared over her shoulder at the screen. “I’m sorry about that. Gillian’s watching it.” She hoped the heat crawling up from the neckline of her scrubs shirt
wouldn’t set fire to her clothes.

Aiden laughed, a deep, genuine sound. “
Getting Serious about Casual Sex
? Sounds like something a guy would write.”

“Yeah…” Sam couldn’t look at him. Were they really having this conversation in the clinic waiting room? Thank God there were no other patients on hand to witness her embarrassment. “I’ll tell her to turn it off.”

“No, that’s okay. I can’t say I don’t like the idea.”

She snuck a peek at his face while pretending to be very interested in Barkley’s left ear. “Ha. Typical guy opinion.”
Oh God, there you go, Sam. Insult him.

“Yeah, but listen to her. She’s making some sense.”

Sam struggled to hear Dr. Fraser’s words over the pounding of her heart. The woman spoke with the conviction of someone whose opinions made her a lot of money. “We’ve been conditioned to think sex equals commitment, and generations ago, that was important because pregnancy was almost inevitable, so having an emotional connection with your partner meant you had a chance to create a lasting family. Now, things are different, and women can finally admit that sometimes they crave the physical release of sex without the emotional burdens.” Applause drowned out the doctor’s next sentence, and she sat with the show’s host, smiling politely while he tried to calm the audience reaction down to a dull roar.

“We really should turn this off,” Sam raised her voice so Gillian would hear, but her co-worker was busy with the last patient who was settling up his bill before leaving the office.

“So the idea of casual sex makes you uncomfortable?” Aiden asked. His expression was guarded, like maybe he was interested in her answer but afraid she might be insulted by the question.

She fought to keep herself from shivering at the thought of casual sex with him. Hmmm. “Um…no. Actually, I think she’s got a point. Women…uh…have needs just like men, and we aren’t always ready for commitment. Why shouldn’t we enjoy…you know…and not scare a guy off because he assumes once he’s slept with you you’re already planning the wedding?”

His eyes widened. “Seriously? I haven’t met too many women who really feel that way.”

Sam leapt for the bandwagon. “Seriously. Sex can be just for fun, like going to the movies or skiing.”

“You’re putting me on. You actually believe in sex with no strings attached?”

“Sure, why not?” Had he noticed her voice shake a little? No-strings-attached sex with Aiden would still be
sex with Aiden
, which…oh God…had to be delicious. “I’m twenty-four. I’m not looking to settle down yet, so what’s wrong with having fun? Safe sex, of course…but I would love to meet a guy who isn’t going to get all weird and assume I’m hauling out my hidden stash of bridal magazines the moment he goes to take a shower. I’m so not.”

The sparkle in his eyes made her stomach do a little flip. He looked like he was just about to say something when Dr. Croft came out of the exam room. “Hey, Aiden…and Barkley, why don’t you guys come on in?”

Aiden’s darkening gaze lingered on Sam for a second, but whatever his response might have been to her wanton confession, he never voiced it. He rose, a half grin on his lips, and tugged on Barkley’s leash. “Come on, boy, let’s go see the doctor. Um…thanks for the toy. I’m sure he’ll chew the hell out of it when we get home.”

“Yeah, sure…” Sam made a beeline back to her desk and flung herself into her seat as Aiden and his dog disappeared into the exam room with Dr. Croft. She dropped her head into her hands and moaned. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

“What? Did you ask him out?” Gillian hovered at her shoulder, her grin reflected in Sam’s computer screen like a Cheshire cat’s.

“No. Thanks to your sex talk show, I just basically told him I’m a horny slut.”

“So you just made yourself irresistible to him.” Gillian laughed and put a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “I’ve been married for thirty years, hon. And I’ve been very happy, but I don’t think I would have been if I hadn’t had a little fun beforehand…and that was back when having that kind of fun wasn’t as easy as it is today. Live a little.”

Samantha fanned herself with a file folder. “Live? I just about died out there. I’ve never been so embarrassed. My brain had no idea what my mouth was doing.”

Gillian shrugged. “Trust me, I was watching. That young man knew exactly what your mouth was doing, and he was loving every naughty word you said.”

“And I’m a little concerned about this hearing problem,” Taylor Croft said when Aiden finally managed to drag his attention away from the conversation he’d just had in the waiting room.

“Huh? Barkley has a hearing problem?”

“No, you do. I’ve been asking you questions for five minutes, and you’ve been staring blankly at the door like you can’t hear me. Are you okay?”

“I’m…sorry, doc. I’m a little distracted today.”

“Well, I have the cure for that. The weather’s gorgeous. Go take Barkley out for a nice long run. He needs the exercise, and maybe it’ll clear your head. Have you been working too many hours?”

“Ah…well, I’m running a full class load at the Rec Center, and I’m getting into judging martial arts competitions, so I’ve been pretty busy. But I love it.”

“What does Barkley do when you’re at work?”

“Oh, my sister takes him a lot. She and her boyfriend take him to the dog park a couple times a week.”

Dr. Croft nodded his approval and continued Barkley’s check-up, talking more to the dog than to Aiden, which was fine since it left his mind free for a few more minutes to wander back to the conversation he’d had with the receptionist.

Was the universe that cruel to put another stunningly hot girl right in front of him and allow her to have the same viewpoint on commitment he did? It had to be some kind of joke. He’d been in too many relationships where sex had screwed up a perfectly awesome friendship. Too many women he’d known had been all for casual sex until the moment it was over, then suddenly they were planning a walk down the aisle, something Aiden was seriously opposed to at this stage in his life.

She had to have been putting him on, teasing him like the dog he obviously was—at least the dog he’d been told he was by his last three girlfriends. What was so wrong with having a good time sexually and not turning it into a precursor for a trip to the tuxedo store?

“It must be nice where you are; you keep going there.” Dr. Croft was grinning wolfishly when Aiden refocused his brain for the second time. “You keep drifting.”

“I’m really sorry. I must be tired. As soon as we’re done here, Barks and I are going for a nice long run. I really need that fresh air.”

“Doctor’s orders, for you at least. Barkley looks like he’s in excellent shape. I don’t see any problems, and as long as he’s eating and sleeping and doing all the things dogs do, I can give him a clean bill of health. I’ll just go get his shots ready, and you can get him out of here. I see Samantha gave him one of our organic chew toys.”

“Samantha.” Aiden liked the sound of her name. It was sweet and sexy just like her. He’d been coming here since Barkley was a puppy. How come he’d never taken a good look at the pretty brunette receptionist before?

“Yeah. Sam. You know, out there?”

“Yeah. Organic, huh?”

“We buy them from Green Solutions, over on Downing Street. They’ve been a great help with the larger dogs who get nervous in the waiting room.” Dr. Croft ruffled Barkley’s fur and stepped away from the exam table. The dog gave him a baleful glance, as though he was fully aware of the unpleasantness to come. “I’ll be back in a sec. And I’ll make sure
Samantha
processes your paperwork for today.”

“Why…what?”

“Aiden, you practically walked into a wall out there because you were looking at my receptionist. In case you’re wondering, she’s not dating anybody, and you didn’t hear that from me, because I’m not supposed to know or care about what my employees do in their off time, but from one guy to another, she’s a great girl. Ask her out.”

Aiden shook his head. Had he been that transparent? He shrugged. “I…uh…so she’s definitely single?”

Dr. Croft shrugged. “As far as I know. I’ll be right back.” He stepped out of the exam room, and Aiden turned his attention back to the reception desk before the door closed. Samantha sat at the front desk, her jewel blue eyes fixed on her computer screen. She didn’t notice him staring. When she bit her lower lip in contemplation, Aiden’s heart skipped a beat. Was it worth the risk? He was tired of having the same old conversation with the girls he dated –
Where is this going? When are we going to move in together? Put a ring on it or lose it, buster.

Here was a girl who’d practically guaranteed him that she didn’t expect a rice shower and a stack of thank-you cards. How could he turn down that chance?

*

Samantha had just about gotten her breathing back under control when Aiden and Barkley emerged from the exam room. Dr. Croft handed off the dog’s chart to her and patted Aiden on the back. “Sam here will get your vaccination certificate ready and give you a new tag for his collar. Keep doing what you’re doing, and I won’t need to see you again for a year…Barkley, take good care of this guy, he needs some looking after.”

Sam took the chart and smiled at Aiden, praying he’d suffered amnesia while in the exam room and had no recollection of their embarrassing conversation.

“Thanks, doc. I will definitely take your advice.”

“I’ll get the tag ready,” Sam said. She pulled up Barkley’s records on the computer, entered Dr. Croft’s notes quickly and printed out a bill. When the page came off the printer, along with Barkley’s rabies vaccination certificate, she remembered the idea she’d had earlier about jotting her phone number on the receipt.

She put all the paper work on the counter and handed Aiden a pen. “There you go. Your total for today is one fifteen. Cash or credit?”

“Uh…cash is fine. So…” Aiden signed the receipt and gathered up the paperwork. “About before…”

Oh God
. Sam’s cheeks flamed. She would have crawled under the desk except there wasn’t room with the huge basket of organic chew toys. “Yes? What, that? Out there? Oh…”

“Did you mean it?”

“I…yes.” There it went again, her mouth doing things her brain hadn’t approved. Was she losing her mind? “I did.”

“So…” He tilted his head, a wordless question packed with innuendo. “I’m not saying, you know…we…whatever, but we could go get coffee sometime. Or dinner. Or a movie?”

“Are you asking me out?”
Dum-dum. Of course he’s asking you out. And the sex is implied. He’s asking you for casual sex.

His smile turned her heart into that puddle of goo Gillian had warned her about. “Yeah. If you’re…into it.”

She grabbed the pen from him and wrote her number on his bill. “Sure. Call me. I’m free all weekend.”
Oh, desperate much?

“Great, I will.”

“Great.”

“Awesome. Come on, Barkley. We’ve got to go for a run.”

Sam stared after Aiden as he walked out the door, certain she would melt from the toes up. Had that just happened? Had she offered herself to a drop-dead gorgeous man for no-strings-attached dating and sex? She should have been mortified. And she was, but she was also more turned on than she’d ever been in her life.

“
Getting Serious about Casual Sex
? This is the book you bought?” Brenda Samms’s blue-green eyes widened as she flipped through the pages of the book Samantha had just purchased. She’d casually snatched up the best seller while her friend was perusing the bargain books at the other end of the store and paid for it without making conversation, or eye contact, with the cashier.

“Shhh. Don’t advertise it.” Sam grabbed the book from Brenda and stuffed it back in the bag, then jammed the bag under her purse and picked up the fruit smoothie she’d ordered at the mall food court. She sipped noisily while scanning the crowd of shoppers that bustled in and out of the food court, hoping no one was eyeing her suspiciously.

Brenda stirred her cup of frozen yogurt and contemplated Sam across the little table they shared. “If you didn’t want anyone to know you bought it, why not just order it online?”