He understood that. She hadn’t wanted to give her parents the impression there was anything between them.
“Thanks for having me over.”
“You can thank my mom for that. She can be a little relentless. I hope it wasn’t too painful for you.”
The wind had picked up, blowing Emma’s hair this way and that. He swept it away from her face. “Emma. You have really nice parents. It’s obvious they care a lot about you.”
She smiled. “Thanks. And yes, they do. I probably worry too much. I just didn’t want you to feel . . . obligated.”
“I never do what I don’t want to do, so stop worrying about me.”
“Okay. I will.”
Dammit. He knew he shouldn’t do it, but the words spilled from his mouth before he could stop them.
“How about a run by the lake with the dogs after work tomorrow?”
The reward was the bright smile she gave him. “Sure. I’d love to.”
“Great. I’ll give you a call.”
“Thanks again for coming today.”
“No problem.”
He walked out to his truck, and she headed to the door.
He wondered what the hell he’d been thinking, inviting her to go out with him again. They’d gone out. They’d had sex. Monumental, mind-blowing sex.
Now he’d come to her parents’ for dinner.
He never saw a woman over and over again. It went against his code. And he sure as hell didn’t go to a woman’s parents’ house for dinner.
Then again, he wasn’t really even dating Emma. They were friends, and that was all. The sex thing had been impromptu. Letting off some steam.
So maybe they could just go back to the friends thing. Like running with the dogs after work.
As he climbed into his truck, he glanced up at the front door of her parents’ house. Emma was still there, watching him.
She waved, and as he backed out of the driveway, he waved back.
His gut told him Emma was way more than a friend.
And he couldn’t wait to see her again.
Chapter 10
FORTUNATELY, EMMA HAD a particularly busy day, including performing a double ACL repair on a very overweight rottweiler. The surgery had been complicated, but successful. Leanne was currently overseeing the recovery of Delbert the rottweiler, while Emma spoke to the pet’s owners, advising them that Delbert would need to go on a restricted diet, since the dog’s obesity had been one of the contributing factors to his leg injuries.
Once that was done, she had a full patient load that took up the remainder of her day. She didn’t even get a chance to stop for her planned lunch with Jane and Chelsea at Bert’s. Instead, she grabbed a protein bar and a glass of juice while she slipped out of one patient room and into another.
“Business is good,” Rachel whispered as Emma breezed through the reception area late that afternoon. The waiting area was full, and several customers smiled and waved.
Her heart squeezed.
At the end of the workday she checked on Delbert, washed her hands and blew a stray hair out of her face, then met up with Rachel and Leanne in the back room. “It was good today, that’s for sure.”
“It’ll be good every day, Dr. Emma,” Leanne said. “Doc Weston was busy like this all the time, and word’s getting around that you’re here and you’re an awesome doctor. Trust me, you’ll be swamped.”
She hoped so. She liked being busy. It kept her mind occupied and, she hoped, it would keep her bank account full.
She hung out with Rachel and Leanne for a few minutes, then looked at her phone.
“Crap. I have somewhere I need to be.”
“Got a hot date, Doc?” Rachel asked, waggling her brows.
“Um, not really. I’m meeting Luke for a run in the park with the dogs.”
“Officer Luke McCormack? That Luke?”
“Yes. That Luke.”
Rachel took a big breath in, and let it out. “Now he is definitely hot.”
“Agreed,” Leanne grinned. “Tell us all about him.”
“It’s not a date, if that’s what you’re wondering. We’re just friends. And you two can quit giving me that look.”
Leanne looked at Rachel. “Look? What look?”
Rachel shrugged. “I have no idea. I think she’s seeing things.”
Rolling her eyes, Emma hollered for Annie and Daisy. Daisy came running. Annie, of course, didn’t, so she had to search her out. She was chewing on one of the clinic towels.
“Annie,” she said, shaking her head. She scooped Annie up and slid the pup into the crate.
“Would you two mind locking up?” she asked as she grabbed her purse.
“Not at all,” Leanne said, “seeing as you have a hot date with the very sexy cop.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Not a date.”
“Sure, Dr. Emma,” Rachel said. “Keep on denying.”
“Gossips.” She headed out the door, then hurried home, fed the dogs, and ran Annie outside. She changed into her capris and tank and slid on her running shoes. Since the sun was going down and there was a chill in the air, she grabbed a hoodie. Annie gave her a sad look.
“Yeah, you’re not trained to run yet, missy, so off to the crate you go.”
Annie went willingly into the crate, curled up on her towel and next to her toy, and seemed ready to go back to sleep. Since the puppy had run amok all day at the clinic, Emma knew she’d be ready to crash again. Besides, she was sure she wouldn’t be gone more than an hour. Just a quick run with the dogs and she’d be back. Luke probably had other plans after their run.
A hot guy like him had to have women waiting to go out with him, right?
She shivered as she recalled his hands on her, the way his mouth had moved over her skin, the way she had felt when he’d moved inside her.
Yeah, he likely had other plans. With other women.
And didn’t that just suck?
Shaking off thoughts she had no business thinking, she put Daisy in her truck and headed over to the lake. One of the things she loved the most about Hope was its nearby proximity to some awesome water. There was a bigger lake for boating in the next town over, but there was a smaller lake and a park in town. She found Luke’s truck already parked in the lot when she got there, so she pulled up next to it.
Luke was sitting on one of the cement benches, Boomer calmly waiting beside him.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said as Daisy bounded up to Boomer and greeted him with excited sniffs. “It was crazy busy at the clinic and I lost track of time.”
“No problem. I haven’t been here long. We had an accident up on Third just as I was ready to go off duty. I thought you’d be the one waiting for me.”
She finally exhaled. “Sounds like we both had a stressful day.”
He gave her a smile that sent skitters of awareness down her spine. “Then let’s go run it off.”
They warmed up, Luke leaning over the cement picnic table to stretch out his long, lean body. Emma couldn’t help but drink in the sight of him in his gray sweats and T-shirt. The sweats hung loose on him, the shirt snugged tight against his muscled chest. His arms had some guns that had nothing to do with the hardware he usually had attached to his hip when he was in uniform. Even dressed casually like this, he took her breath away.
And she was going to need that breath for the run they were about to take.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Let’s go.” She needed this run to shake off her rampant thoughts about Luke and his hot body and all the things she’d like to do with it. One taste of him hadn’t been enough. She was tense. It had been a rough day, and what was a better tension reliever than sex?
But she was absolutely not going to have sex with Luke again. So a run would have to do.
They took off down the trails at a relaxed pace, the dogs staying right with them. That night at her house, she’d been so easy, nearly throwing herself at him. But the sex had been so good, and she’d wanted it as much as he had.