Free Haunted By Her Dragon (The Dragon Guard Series) by Julia Mills Page A

his voice. It wove its way inside, warming her
throughout, bringing everything she had been feeling just moments ago roaring
to the forefront. Using the focus that had gotten her through medical school,
she pushed aside her lust induced fog to hear what he was saying, “Hey, Doc,
it’s Lance. Sorry to call so late, but we’re still waiting on a part to fix
your car. It’ll be tomorrow afternoon before it can be driven. I know you have
to work early in the morning, so give me a call.  I’ll come get you and
make sure you’re at the hospital on time. As you can see, I put my number in
your phone. Hope you had a good day off. Talk to ya soon.” She all but fell into her chair, stunned and still holding her
phone.
    The
first thought that came to her mind, when she could think again, was that he
had given her a nickname; Doc . Usually, she hated having any nickname
other than Sam, but with him she liked it. He thought about her in a personal
way. Oh shit and what the hell blared in her mind. There was no
way she had time to be getting hung up on anyone, let alone that man.
Finishing her residency and getting a permanent position had to be her focus.
It had been all she had dreamed of since she was a young girl. It was a promise
she made to her dead family. A promise she intended to keep.
    She
liked Lance, a lot . There was no denying that she was attracted to him
on an almost elemental level, something like the couples in the romance novels
Momma Maybelle used to read, in a made for each other
kind of way. He was special, and she was sure that his easy-going mannerisms
were just a small part of who he was. She sensed a deep, intense side to him
that he kept hidden from most. He was passion personified. If the kiss they had
shared was any indication, Lance had the ability to turn all her best laid
plans into a forgotten mountain of rubble and her into a wanton woman. She
laughed out loud at the thought of her as ‘wanton’, and then began to squirm in
her seat from the barrage of hot, sexy images of them together that flashed in
her mind. A cold shower may just be in her very near future if she couldn’t
stop thinking of her ‘hero’. Remembering what he had said in his voicemail, she
decided there was no way she was going to ask him to come out of his way
to get her so early in the morning after all he’d already done for her. 
Besides all that, maybe a little distance would be good. Charlie had to work
tomorrow, too. She would just give her a call. Her house was basically on her
friend’s way to the hospital anyway.
    Jumping
up from her chair with her phone balanced on her shoulder, she finished the
last of her chores while calling Charlie to make sure she could pick her up in
the morning. Charlie asked about the ‘ hottie ’ she’d
seen her with at the hospital. Sam effectively avoided the question by talking
about her call with Sydney and then made an excuse to hang up. She felt bad not
gossiping with her friend like they always did, but for whatever reason, she
didn’t want to share Lance with anyone, even if it was just to talk about how
good-looking he was.
    Deciding
she would order a pizza since she hadn’t made it to the grocery store and the
thought of canned soup turned her stomach; she dialed up Luigi’s and ordered
her favorite. In less than thirty minutes, the doorbell rang. She handed the
young man all the cash she had, telling him to keep the change. As she looked
up to thank him again, she caught sight of two glowing green eyes in the woods
across the street. She remembered that coyotes used to roam the woods and
wondered if she should call animal control. It would be a shame if someone’s
pet was hurt by a wild animal. The longer she thought about it, the more she
was sure the eyes looked feline, not canine, and couldn’t remember ever seeing
any big cats in the area. Just as quickly as she had seen them, they were gone;
making her wonder if she had imagined seeing them.
    As
she got ready