a while before I lose my mind.â
âOkay. What time?â
âIâll pick you up at your office around noon, if thatâs okay.â
Her heart did a funny flip. âThatâs fine. Iâll see you then.â
Taking a chance, she leaned forward and bussed his cheek. Just the slightest kiss, lingering a bit too long to be strictly friendly, yet not so long as to be inappropriate on the steps of the station with his colleagues around. Pulling back, she felt a little thrill at the dazed expression on his face.
âSee you later,â she said. Then winked, and walked away.
Noon couldnât come fast enough.
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Austin gazed after Laura. Seemed all he did was watch the delectable backside of that woman walk away. But that kiss!
Damn
. His cheek still burned from the sensation of her lips against his skin. He walked to his desk, feeling off-kilter, like a man underwater.
Heâd asked Laura to lunch. And sheâd accepted. He felt in his soul they wanted to explore the attraction between them, as unwise as it was right now with everything that was going on in his life. Must be the lack of sleep that had lowered his guard. Or perhaps the threat of impending death. Christ.
âIf you donât hurry up and make a move, Iâm going to ask her to dinner,â Danny said, leaning back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head.
Austin frowned, casting about the room for the object of his partnerâs affections. âWho?â
âLaura, who else?â
âNo.â The word burst from his lips as he scowled. âYou wonât.â
Danny grinned at him. âFinally getting your head out of your ass? Itâs about time.â
âMaybe. But thatâs beside the point. A classy professional woman like Laura eats Boy Scouts like you for breakfast.â
His friend was unfazed. âYou can be a real bastard, Rainey. Just giving you notice: if things donât work out with you two, Iâm asking her to dinner. And for the record, Laura Eden can have me for breakfast any day of the week she prefers. If she doesnât, at least I tried.â
With great dignity, Danny strode away. His declaration reverberated through Austinâs brain.
Freaking fantastic.
Heâd made a lunch date with a gorgeous siren, been challenged for her affections by his good friend, and been marked for death.
And it wasnât even noon yet.
âSon of a bitch.â
â¢Â   â¢Â   â¢
Laura hovered near Toby Baxterâs desk in his cubicle, leaning against the wall. From there, she could see the lobby and the doors beyond. A case of nerves had her stomach performing double back flips as she waited for Austin. Laura had been invited to join the assistant and two other doctors on their lunch hour but had to decline. Knowing the nosy group, she realized they were stalling, scouting for Lauraâs mysterious lunch date.
Conversation halted as though someone had flipped an off switch. In perfect harmony, all heads swiveled toward the glass double doors of the lobby.
âWow,â Toby said. âWhoâs the hunka burninâ love?â
âI dunno, but he can eat crackers in my bed anytime. Jeez Louise.â A younger doctor smacked her gum harder, no doubt in time to her pulse.
âForget the crackers,â a third chimed in. âBring on the whipped cream!â
Laura didnât need three guesses to figure out who had raised the room temperature. Sure enough, Austin was crossing the lobby with long strides. Heâd donned a jacket with his dark jeans and wore his light blue button-up shirt open at the throat. The butt of his guncould be seen in its holster underneath his jacket as he strode forward. Ultradark sunglasses completed the ensemble, framed by tousled auburn hair.
He looked totally manly, sexy, and he was here for her.
He strode straight to Laura, ignoring the open
Lexy Timms, Book Cover By Design