The Best Thing Yet (13 page)

“I’d like to see Mr Schneider please,” she said to the receptionist.

The blonde-haired woman looked up at her and gave her a smile. “I’m sorry, he’s not in right now. You can wait here for him, if you’d like. He should be back in about fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you.” She walked away and took a seat along the wall. With each passing second, her nerves got worse. Again, he was on almost to the second of the time. Fifteen minutes passed when she noticed his blond-brown hair coming down the hall.

“Hi, Carly,” he said as he stopped by the desk.

“Afternoon, Deiter. How was class?”

An easy shrug had the woman grinning and Arissa seething. Who the hell was this woman to flirt with him?

“Oh, these are for you, and you have a visitor.”

He took the messages from her and glanced over his shoulder. Arissa knew he’d not been expecting her—his eyes grew wide before he regained control. “Arissa,” he said with a smile. “Didn’t expect to see you here, come on back. Thanks, Carly.” He flashed Carly a smile and strode away leaving her to follow.

Biting back her rising ire, she walked behind him and waited for him to open his door. She could see the looks he got from the women who walked around there and it fanned the flames of her anger.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” he said, putting his stuff down on his desk after he shut the door, then gestured her to a seat.

“Apparently,” she snapped. “I didn’t mean to ruin your flirting hour.”

He turned towards her and leaned against his desk. Arms crossed, he arched an eyebrow and looked at her intently.

Deiter hid his smug smile. “Jealousy, Arissa? How weird considering you told me you didn’t put up with it.”

Her glower deepened. “Really? That woman was basically all over you, if not for me and the desk she was sat behind I’m sure she would have been.”

“So what?” He looked at his fingernails. “She’s a friend. She can touch me if she wants.” A shrug. “Besides, I’ve known her longer than you’ve known Tim. I’ve known Carly for years.”

He knew his words hit home. The easy thing would have been to tell her that Carly was just like that with everyone. But he didn’t. He wanted her jealous. Wanted her to feel what he did every time another man touched her.

She looked delectable. A peach and blue shirt showed off her incredible breasts and flat stomach. A white skirt with a handkerchief hem allowed him to ogle her legs. She had low heels on and he could see her toes were painted a pale peach colour and her fingernails were the matching blue of her shirt.

She took several deep breaths as if in an attempt to calm herself. “I didn’t come here to argue with you, Deiter. I have to tell you something.”

The seriousness of her tone grabbed his full attention. “So talk.”

He watched her sit and fidget with the hem of her skirt. Shrugging out of his suit coat, he took the chair next to her then gently lifted her chin so she would meet his gaze. A good plan but a failed one, nonetheless. Her eyes were scrunched shut.

“Look at me, Arissa,” he ordered. He dropped his fingers from her face.

She did and the uncertainty in her brown eyes concerned him. “Umm, I’m not entirely sure how to say this.” Arissa took a big breath and blew it out between pursed lips. “I’m not on any kind of birth control.”

Deiter stared at her for a moment, the words running over and over in his head. Bam! It hit him. “So you’re telling me when we made love out there…”

Another big sigh. “There was no protection. At all. Period. And I didn’t take a day after pill.”

Hope flickered in his chest. She could be pregnant. And she didn’t use the final precaution to prevent pregnancy. “It’s too soon to know, right?”

Her nod told him of her concern. “I don’t expect—”

“Stop right there, Arissa!” he interrupted. “If you are we’ll deal with it together. You said you didn’t know now. There is no reason to make any decisions.”

She met his gaze and he bolted from the seat to scoop her up in his arms. Tightening his hold on her when she struggled, he sat them down in his previous seat. “I’m at fault here too, Arissa. I didn’t even think about a condom. I had them at home for later that evening but I’d had no plans of anything but hiking out there.”

Sniffles reached him and he tucked her head under his chin. For the time being, he had her in his arms. It didn’t matter to him why she’d come to him, just that she had.

“I didn’t care either,” she whispered after they’d sat there in silence for a while. “All I wanted was you.”

This time, he didn’t even try to stop the grin. She smacked him on the shoulder and he jumped. “What?”

“I felt the smug smile,” she sassed without looking up.

“Did you now?”

She burrowed closer. “I’ve missed you this past week.”

His lips hovered over her temple he then brushed light kisses along her skin. “I missed you too, Arissa. My schedule is just so hectic right now.”

“I had planned on showing you how wrong we are for one another.”

“I know I saw it on your face. Why are you fighting this so much? Why are you fighting the idea of
us
?”

“I don’t know. You scare me, Deiter. Everything you stand for.”

“Everything I stand for? Should I be insulted here?”

She shifted in his arms, bringing her ass across the increasing erection in his pants. “No. I’m talking about what you represent to me when I look at you.”

Staring down into her eyes, he stroked along her cheek. “Like kids and a house?”

“I’ve been dreaming about being a soccer mom.” She hit him again when he smiled. “It’s not funny. I had a damn minivan and everything.”

“I’ll have you know I excelled at your soccer, and I happen to think our children will be stars at it.”

She rolled her eyes at him and climbed off his lap to pace around the office. When his phone rang, he bent over the desk to grab it. Carly. After a quick conversation with her, he hung up and found Arissa scowling at him.

“What?”

With a shake of her head, she ground her jaw, and looked away. He pushed up from his seat and stalked to her. When her back hit the wall and she could go no farther, he braced his arms on either side of her.

“Look at me, Arissa,” he murmured.

Eyes shooting brown sparks met his. “What?”

“What are you so angry about?”

“Nothing.”

He nibbled along the shell of her ear, taking the time to tug gently on the lobe. “Are you sure?” Another nip. “Because from where I’m standing it sounds like you’re jealous.”

“So what if I am?”

He captured her jaw in two fingers. “Nothing. Just that you know you have nothing to worry about. Carly is a friend, like I told you before.” He kissed her fast and hard until she sank against him. “I’d love to stay and explore this with you, Arissa, but I have to get to my next class.”

Deiter felt her sigh as much as he heard it. He rubbed his hands up her bare arms. “Are you free tomorrow?”

She shook her head. “No, I start work tomorrow and am not sure when I’ll be done.” She worried her lower lip for a bit. “Two days after tomorrow?”

He thought over his schedule and shook his head. “Nope.” A grumble of discontent filled him and he wanted to say the hell with all of it. Pushing away from her, he went to his desk and bent over his computer. Moments later, the printer spat out a sheet. “This is my schedule. If you have some time on yours, I want it.”

Arissa glanced at it and nodded but her eyes told a different story. Again forcing eye contact, he raised an eyebrow and waited for her to explain.

“This is why my last boyfriend broke it off with me. He wanted someone who was around more and…and why are you smiling?”

“You basically said I was your boyfriend.”

“I did not.”

“Yes, you did. It was implied.” He grinned at her and she huffed but couldn’t hide the sparkle that replaced the sadness in her gaze.

“You…truly are incorrigible.”

“I know. That’s what my mother says.” A quick brush of his lips along hers. “Your last boyfriend was not worth spit, so forget about him. I know our schedules are different but we’ll make it work, Arissa. I’m in this but I can’t go it alone. Give
us
a real chance.”

For an answer, she wound her arms around his neck and kissed him. Pressed her all-too-tempting body against his and thrust her tongue deep into his mouth. Harder than steel in mere moments, Deiter had her backed up to the wall as he slipped one hand under her skirt. He growled low in his throat when she ended the kiss and stopped his inquisitive hand.

“Sorry, professor. You have a class to get to.”

He swore in both English and German. Arissa laughed as she swiped her thumb along his lower lip.

“Let’s go,” he said. Stepping away from her, he put his coat back on and grabbed his briefcase. With his hand on the small of her back, he guided her to the door and out.

They walked in silence until they’d left his office area. On the way down the stairs, his gaze remained transfixed to the natural sway of her ass in that skirt. All he could think about was taking her up against the wall, those limbs wrapped around his waist as he pounded into her. So deep he could feel her heartbeat.

‘I’m not on any kind of birth control
’
.
Her statement did something he didn’t think would ever happen. Take his mind from thinking about sex with Arissa Wright. What if she was pregnant? Well, they’d get married of course. Then if he had to, he’d spend the rest of their days convincing her how much he loved her.

He tripped. Only his reflexes saved him from falling down the remainder of the stairs.

“Are you okay?” she asked, whirling around to face him.

Heart pounding erratically, he nodded. “Must have missed a step.”

Her gaze moved up and down his body as if needing to ascertain it for herself. “Okay.”

I love her.
A woman he’d not known for very long then had been separated from for a few months. He loved her.

“Where are you parked?” he asked as they pushed out into the warm sunlight.

“In the main lot.”

He reached out and stopped her. When she faced him, he cupped her face in his palm, his fingers playing in her hair, and teased her bottom lip with his thumb. “Call me as soon as you get your schedule, Arissa.”

She blinked, slow and languidly. “I will.”

He moved slowly, giving her a chance to back off. She didn’t. Her lips met his halfway and he groaned at their kiss. Electricity spiked through him and just like that, he forgot everything but her.

“Have a good day, Deiter,” she whispered against his mouth.

“You too, Arissa.”

He stared after her until he could no longer see her. Then he hurried off to class so he wouldn’t be late. He couldn’t wait to hear from her. And couldn’t wait to see what came of her possibly being pregnant. If she was, wonderful. If not, well, there was always next time.

Chapter Nine

Arissa groaned and shed her gloves before tossing them to land inside the trash bin. That was it. The final patient of hers today. She strolled from the exam room and readjusted the stethoscope around her neck.

For the time being, there was a lull in the hustle and bustle of the ER. And being the pragmatic woman she was, she was going to take advantage of it and get her ass out. It didn’t take her long to change and grab her things.

“Night!” she called out as she passed the desk.

“Bye, Arissa. Have a great one!”

She waved over her shoulder and stepped out into the twilight that bathed McKingley in a gentle glow. Placing a hand on the back of her neck, she tried to rub out the kink. She’d been working here for two months now and had settled into her rotations and routines well.

She was still dating Deiter and things were going well there, if she thought about it. She wasn’t pregnant. When she had told him, she could have sworn there’d been disappointment in his gaze.

They didn’t get to spend tons of time together but what they did was cherished. But today was her Friday and it was his as well, so they were heading out of town to spend their weekend in Santa Fe.

The sound of sirens made her pause before she shook her head and continued on to her car. Deiter was going to come by and pick her up, she just had to call him and let him know she had finished work.

Activating her hands free she called him and waited for him to pick up.

“Hello?”

What the fuck?
This wasn’t his voice. It belonged to a woman.

“Hello?” the woman asked again.

“May I speak to Deiter, please?” Arissa questioned in a cool tone.

“He’s in the shower right now, can I take a message?”

Shower. Her eyes burned and she blinked a few times before she could formulate a sentence. “Just tell him Arissa called.”

“You’re Arissa?” the woman sounded pleased, which only pissed her off more. “I’ve heard about you.”

“Lovely for you.” She disconnected the call.

Damn it! And damn him for constantly reminding her she had no right to be jealous. True to his word, he never said a thing anymore when men touched her. She could see how it upset him but he never said a thing. But…
this
…her being the one who had to watch as other women rubbed up against her man. Damn well pissed her off! But all Deiter did was shrug and say, “It’s the same as you and your male friends.” Then that was the end of it as far as he was concerned.

“Not as far as I’m concerned,” she seethed.

She drummed her fingers impatiently as she waited for the gate to open at Deyon’s.
I really need to get a place of my own.
Once she’d parked, she stomped inside and slammed the front door behind her.

Thankfully, she knew she wouldn’t have to face anyone. Jackson was still at the hospital for his shift. Deyon would be at her store—she had been working late. Grumpy and cranky, she went up the steps to her apartment and headed directly to the shower and took a short yet refreshing one. Delivering a half-kick to her packed suitcase, she made her way to the kitchen and looked for something to eat.