obvious way. It was rude. Women didn’t stare at a man’s groin when they checked him out.
Of course that was when she realized she was looking at the front of his pants, and the subtle rise of the soft material. She jerked her attention to his face, unsurprised to find a satisfied smile on his face.
Clinical objective , she chanted silently to herself before taking a step towards Zan.
“Thanks for coming.”
I haven’t yet.
Aghast at her immediate response, and praying to God she hadn’t said that out loud, Jackie flattened her lips in a thin line. “Of course. A doctor always has time for a patient.”
A gleam of something, irritation maybe, flashed in his eyes and then was gone. “Glad to hear it. Come on in.” Jackie followed Zan in the large house, trying desperately not to notice the breadth of his shoulders, and the way he carried his muscled body with easy grace. And his ass!
She tightened her grip on her bag to keep from reaching out to touch his butt and forced her head to look at the inanimate surroundings. “I didn’t think the place was furnished.”
“It’s not really. One bedroom is and I took that. Dean was kind enough to obtain cots for the boys.” Meaning Joe and Scott. He pointed to a room on the right. Pocket doors were slid back in their housings. Light streamed in from the large windows and filtered over a beige leather couch, two fabric chairs, black coffee table and an enchanting armoire with foldout doors, open to reveal a large television set. “The den still has furniture and the kitchen has the basics, along with a table and chairs.
Other than that, it’s empty.”
He led her to the back of the house where the kitchen was. More windows opened into the backyard, giving her an unobstructed view of the enormous, lush lawn backed by the forest. Off to the left was a sparkling swimming pool and next to that was a jacuzzi.
Jackie felt that longing unfold inside her again. She loved swimming. And she was going to kill Kaylie, then Dean, and finally Zan.
First, her Lupa put the idea of using the house as both Jackie’s living quarters and off-site medical arena for shifters. Jackie could push that off, especially since she not only didn’t have the funds to rent—much less buy—such a magnificent home. Then, Dean plops his brother into the house for the duration of his visit, which meant when Zan contacted her, Jackie had no choice but to make a house call. Now that she’d seen the garden, the pool, and the front part of the house, which would be ideal for a doctor’s office and waiting room, Jackie wanted it all.
Male shifter included.
Chapter Eight
“I thought the kitchen would work. Unless you want to use the bedroom.”
“What? No. I mean…” Jackie drew in a deep breath to steady her nerves. “The kitchen is fine.” She set her bag on the table, opened it, and applied some hand sanitizer. “I want to check your back first.”
“It’s fine.”
Jackie raised a brow. “Aren’t you military men supposed to obey orders?” She twirled one finger in the air. “Turn around.” Grudgingly, though Jackie saw his lips curl up, Zan obeyed. “And take off your shirt.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Zan whipped the tee off and presented her with the wide expanse of his back. The white bandage wrapped around his ribcage only emphasized his dark skin and the mouthwatering masculine build of his torso. Between his shoulder blades was an angry welt, but nothing compared to the gash that marred his skin Saturday night. The sudden urge to lick and kiss the ugly mark took her off guard and she fisted her hands to gain some control.
But she had to touch him.
With one hand she outlined the healing wound, fascinated by the texture of his skin. Zan’s muscles tightened underneath her exploring fingertips and she dropped her hand. “This should be gone in the next day or so.”
Zan merely grunted in response.
“Now I’m going to check your ribs. I don’t want to undo the
Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Martin A. Lee, Bruce Shlain