Calm her down, man.
Calm.
Her.
Down.
“Listen, I’m not sure what I did to make you so—”
Her eyes angrily glare at me.
“Err . . . so pleasant.” I smile, teeth on full display. “But I just want to say I’m sorry, for whatever I did.”
“Just leave me alone, Pike.”
Yeah, I probably should’ve done that in the first place.
I push away from the counter and take one step toward the living room when I realize something, and I stop. I look over my shoulder and ask, “Was it the Uber?”
She pauses, her back turning stiff, and I have my answer.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Cora. Or that I don’t want you there. Trust me, having you here is making this easier for me, but I feel like I’m stretching you thin. That’s all.”
Her shoulders slump and as she scrubs a dish, she says, “Don’t assume anything. I’ll tell you if I need a break.”
“Okay,” I say, turning back to her. I take a giant risk and sidle up next to her. Using the counter as support, I reach out and grab her chin, forcing her to look me in the eyes. Her body is nearly pressing against mine, and I can feel her breath on my hand, her breath heavy from my touch. Our gazes lock and fuck, what I wouldn’t give to lean down and capture those lips one more time. What I wouldn’t give to taste the anger on her mouth, ease the tension in her muscles with one swipe of my tongue.
And when her eyes float to my mouth briefly, for a second, I think about taking a chance, consider claiming her mouth, but I know it’s too soon. Far too fucking soon. So, instead, I keep my eyes on hers and say, “Appointment is at three, but I have to be there at two thirty.”
She swallows and nods.
“Dinner was delicious. Thank you.”
Then I drop my hand from her face and crutch over to the couch, where I slowly take a seat. Even from across the room, I can see her staring at the wall, unmoving, as her chest heaves.
She was affected. I’m causing her to think.
To rethink.
Which only means one thing—maybe I do have a shot.
“Mrs. Greyson, would you like to come back with your husband?”
I hold back my smirk, because I know that title must drive her crazy, but as far as I know, the title still stands. And thankfully, she doesn’t make it awkward by correcting the nurse.
“Yes,” Cora says. “I would like to come back.”
She stands with me and, together, we weave through the doctor’s office to exam room number six. I don’t even bother trying to get up on the exam table, but instead, take a seat in one of the chairs in the room. Cora sits right next to me while the nurse rolls in with her computer cart.
“How are you feeling?” the nurse asks. “Any pain?”
“Feel pretty good,” I say.
“He had pain the other day,” Cora says, cutting in. “He was moving around too much and wound up overdoing it.” I glance at her and her eyes connect with mine. “Am I not correct?”
The nurse smirks, and I say, “That’s true. I was trying to clean around the house to make up for being an arse to her.”
This time, the nurse snorts. “Not sure if I should write that in your chart or not.”
“I think it’s necessary information,” Cora says, crossing her legs. To my benefit, her body language doesn’t turn away from me, instead, she turns inward toward me, and I take that as a good sign. “If you want to put giant in front of ass, that might help the doctor as well.”
“Ah, yes, let me write that down.” The nurse types away and I wonder if she’s actually putting that in my chart. Not that I care. Cora is correct. “And how are the ass tendencies as of recently?”
“Better,” Cora says, her voice softening. “He’s no longer using a bell to summon me.”
The nurse looks at me over the top of her glasses and asks, “You were using a bell?”
Well . . . this is awkward.
“More of an annoying joke than anything.”
The nurse shakes her head. “Boy, you’re lucky. If you were my husband, that bell would’ve been tossed out on the curb, along with you.”
“I’m pretty sure that had been on the agenda had I not turned things around.” Taking a chance, I place my good hand on Cora’s thigh and say, “Thankfully, this woman has been incredibly patient with me and has made this entire process easier, even though I don’t deserve it.”
When I glance over at her, she’s not looking at me, but she’s focused on the way my hand is touching her thigh. So, I graze my thumb over her jean-clad leg, gently, slowly, hoping and praying she doesn’t swat my hand away.