Prowling the Vet Page 7

  “Oh, shit! We slept for two hours.”

  Tyler looked at the clock and took a step back. That was incredible.

  “I’d, um, like to go home if that’s okay. My sister needs some help with some University applications, and I need to think about a few things, too.”

  Tyler took her hand and began walking with her back to the entrance, wanting her to feel easy and happy to come and go. He heard Brandon follow them down.

  “No problem, you do what you have to do. We just wanted to make you feel good.”

  “Oh, you did! It was amazing.” Laura stopped walking and stared up at him, then looked over to where Brandon stood behind him. “It really was. Thank you so much.”

  Brandon stepped closer and Laura let go of his hand to turn toward his twin. Tyler stepped away and watched his brother pull Laura into him and kiss her like a drowning man.

  Tyler smiled and tried his best not to laugh out loud. Brandon could say what he liked, but there was proof in the pudding right there. His brother had often commented on what he liked in a lover. A woman who’d open her mouth, or her legs for cock, and preferably didn’t want to kiss or cuddle after.

  So much for his twin who didn’t enjoy kissing, or avoided connecting with his lovers. They were both already so in love it wasn’t funny.

  Laura and Brandon finally pulled apart, their eyes soft and their lips red.

  “You sure you don’t want to stay?” he asked again, watching Laura share a heated and almost desperate look with Brandon before tearing her gaze away.

  “No! I have to go, but thank you for the best afternoon of my life.”

  Tyler swallowed the lump in his throat as he and Brandon walked Laura out the door and to her car. She climbed in and gave them a bright, huge smile before waving and heading off to her responsibilities.

  His chest ached as he watched her drive away.

  “Well, that went better than expected,” he said to Brandon as they walked in the front door once again.

  Brandon hummed noncommittedly and headed off to his own bedroom. An uneasy feeling spread through Tyler as he remembered that up until a few days ago, Brandon hadn’t been ready to settle down with a mate.

  Oh, I’m begging you brother…please don’t ruin it for us both.

  And with that disturbing thought, Tyler walked into his office and sat down to do some work.

  Chapter Seven

  For three days, Laura floated around the clinic with her mood on cloud nine. Brandon sent her dirty, crude, super hot messages every day, while she got the most beautiful, heartfelt messages from Tyler.

  When her phone beeped she could never decide who she wanted a message from more. She wouldn’t have been able to choose between them even if she had to. Just like their mum had said that day, between them they covered every base.

  “Hey, Laura. There’s a Tyler in the waiting room asking for you.”

  Laura couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. He was here. What did he want? She walked out through the doors, with eyes only for the beautiful man standing in the center of the bright white room.

  “Hey, Tyler.”

  He grinned and walked forward. Every part of Laura ached to reach out and touch him. Her fingers actually tingled with longing, yet her need to be professional in front of her staff and patients won out.

  “I was hoping you’d have time to go out for lunch?”

  “Oh, well...”

  She did have a longer than normal lunch break today.

  “That would actually work. I had a last-minute cancellation.”

  Tyler stepped forward and Laura quietly giggled as she took a few steps back. There were people sitting on seats and she could feel the interested eyes of her receptionist on her. She had three patients left to see.

  “Give me half an hour, and we can leave.” She grinned at him, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice.

  The next three patients were easy, thank goodness, since her brain was only half working. Each time she entered a new room, or got a glimpse of the waiting area, her belly heated up and an awareness prickled along the back of her neck.

  Thirty-five minutes later, she stuck her head into the now-empty room and grinned at him, holding up her finger. “Just give me one minute.” She twirled and practically ran to the staff room.

  Mary was there getting ready for her lunch break. “Who’s the hottie, Doc?”

  Laura took off her white lab jacket and grabbed her handbag.

  “Tyler. He’s an architect.”

  She turned around and headed toward the door, amazed at the words that had just left her mouth. She sounded like a snob, which she wasn’t.

  “And the biggest sweetheart on the planet.”

  Her assistant Mary grinned at her. “Slept with him yet?”

  Laura wiggled her fingers at the cheeky younger woman. “Bye, Mary…”

  She pushed through the door, hearing the girly giggle behind her. She stepped back into the waiting room and walked over to Tyler.

  “Ready?”

  Tyler slipped his hand into hers and nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  “So how’s your day been?”

  Laura smiled at Tyler and let herself relax a little. She'd never been pursued by any man like this before, and his enthusiasm for her made her settle into his advances much quicker than she probably should have. Her natural instincts to trust him, compounded by all she’d learned from his mother, added to the ease with which she allowed him into her life.

  “Really good. No real problems so far. How ‘bout you?”

  Tyler's eyebrows rose up a little. “Ah, good, thanks.”

  She squeezed his hand. “Any interesting projects you want to tell me about?”

  They walked into the cafe and sat down in a corner booth.

  “Hey, Laura. The usual?”

  Laura looked up at the familiar face and beamed.

  “Yes please, Tania. Tyler, I highly recommend any of their foccacia’s or the all-day breakfast.”

  Tyler scanned the menu and soon returned it to the table.

  “The Rockin' Big Breakfast and a chocolate milkshake, please.”

  Tania smiled at him and moved away with a wink at Laura.

  Bloody small towns. This'd be the talk of the district and her friends for the next month. She hadn't openly dated anyone since moving back to town after her parents had died and she finished University several years ago. This was going to be an epic problem if things didn’t work out. She hated people asking personal questions, and she could imagine the commiserate words she’d get from everyone.

  “So tell me about your job.”

  Again, he gave her that weird look—part confusion and mostly surprise.

  “Okay. Um, I'm currently designing an art gallery in Toronto.”

  Now that is cool!

  “Oh, wow. So the lighting and height of ceilings is really important?”

  Tyler's eyes lit up and he leaned forward. “Yeah, as are the materials we use for constructing the building, since so many artsy types want to be as green as possible.”

  Laura sighed as her own big breakfast was served in front of her with no mushrooms and extra bacon. The rich scent of the cooked meat wafted up and she picked up her knife and fork, saliva gathering in her mouth.

  “Wow. That sounds amazing, challenging too, which is great. Nothing worse than being bored or not enjoying your job.”

  Tyler chuckled and began eating with gusto, the food disappearing off the plate and down his throat as though he were inhaling it.

  Laura took a few bites of her lunch and had a sip of her fragrant peppermint tea. It was so nice just to slow down for a while. Most of her lunch breaks were spent reading notes or answering phone calls. She rarely just sat and really became present in the moment.

  “Why do you seem surprised that I want to know about your work?”

  Tyler looked up at her, his brown eyes sparkling in mischief.

  “I'm not sure I sh
ould say anything.”

  Laura shrugged and continued to eat. She wasn’t in the mood to push at the moment. Her empty belly was filling with warm food and she was settling into the leather chair so well, she was considering never moving again.

  “It's just...” She glanced up and waited for him to continue. “I've never had a woman who cared about my work, let alone one I could discuss concepts and ideas with.”

  Laura shrugged again. “So you've been dating the wrong women.”

  Tyler burst out laughing, the sound so rich and beautiful it caused shivers of awareness to creep over her skin. He shook his head and went back to eating with a sigh.

  “Ain't that the truth?”

  Laura ate as much as she could, which wasn’t as much as normal, thanks to the jumping frogs inside her belly. She laid her cutlery aside. She picked up her cup of tea and nursed it in her palms, warming them on the heated china.

  “Tyler, what did your mum mean about you and Brandon being destined for only one mate?”

  Mate was such a weird word to use for a human.

  Tyler stilled like a deer caught in the headlights, then began to move again, slowly and carefully.

  “She meant that because we were born a perfect pair twin set, Brandon and I won't be happy unless we find a woman who will complement both of us.”

  Laura nodded, cross-referencing all the information she had and realizing she was still coming up short. But I've never heard of twins being described as a perfect pair before, and polygamy is illegal.”

  Tyler sucked down his milkshake and placed it back on the table with obvious care.

  “Our kind are rare, and the general population wouldn't know much about how we did things.”

  Were they in some sort of cult or something?

  “You mean you all worship some demigod and have six wives?”

  Tyler laughed again, loudly enough to draw stares. Heat flooded Laura’s cheeks, yet she focused on the man in front of her.

  “No, not at all, but good guess.”

  Laura’s cell phone beeped and she glanced down to see a message from the clinic. A few swipes and presses later, and she groaned. “I’ve gotta’ get back.”

  Tyler stood up and moved over to the counter, paying the bill before she’d gathered her things and made it to the front of the café.

  “Thanks so much for lunch, Tyler, you didn’t need to do that.”

  They made their way out the front door and began the short walk back. When her business came into view, Tyler stopped her, lifted his hand, and stroked her cheek with his fingers. She reached up and cupped his jaw, drawing his face to hers for a kiss.

  A soft purring noise escaped through his lips as she nuzzled his cheek and kissed the place beneath his ear. What the hell is that noise? Brandon does that, too!

  “What are you, Tyler?”

  He drew back and stared down at her, his brown eyes wide and searching. She held his intense gaze and didn’t back down. There was something weird about Tyler and Brandon, and it wasn’t just the fact that they believed they belonged in some ménage relationship, like some backward sister-wives.

  “I…don’t know what you mean…” Tyler stepped back and swallowed awkwardly, his throat working hard.

  Laura placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot against the concrete. She didn’t like being lied to. She was a big girl, she could handle the truth, and she’d prefer to hear it before she fell head over heels for these guys.

  “Yes, you do. You said something about our relationship being normal for your kind? What kind is that, Tyler?”

  Tyler took another step back and bit his lip. Laura continued to stare at him, putting as much strength into her gaze as she could. He'd crack, she'd make sure of it.

  “We’re…” Tyler cleared his throat and looked around as though checking to make sure no one was watching. Laura glanced around, too, before looking back at Tyler and watching as he squared his shoulders.

  “We’re animal shape-shifters.”

  Laura tapped her foot again. What a crock of shit.

  “Seriously, Tyler, I trusted you to tell me the truth and you come up with some bullshit like that?”

  Her rage mounting, Laura turned around and began marching back to her clinic. She must have been kidding herself to believe she was special to them.

  Tyler’s strong hands grabbed her arm and whirled her around.

  “I’m not joking, Laura. Would you come to our place for dinner tonight and we’ll show you?”

  He didn’t look like he was lying. His eyes were guileless, his hands moving over his hips and thighs with restless abandon. The longer she looked at him, the more she saw the truth. He actually looked hurt.

  She huffed out a breath and tried to be as reasonable as possible, considering the circumstances.

  “Okay, I’m sorry. But you cannot expect me to believe that you are a…what did you say?”

  Tyler let go of her arm slowly, as though expecting her to bolt again.

  “Animal shape-shifters. It means that all of my family can turn into Rocky Mountain lions.”

  Shock had Laura’s mouth gaping open before she closed it with a snap.

  “You’ve got to be bloody kidding me.”

  Tyler shook his head.

  “No. It doesn’t change who we are, it’s just… an extra skill we have. We have full control over our lions when we shift. We’re not dangerous to you. We have complete control over our brains in lion form.

  Laura stared at him as she struggled to wrap her mind around it. She blinked and waited for the apparition before her to disappear.

  “I…ah…don’t know what to say, Tyler.”

  Tyler stepped away, lifting his hands in supplication. “Don’t say anything yet, just keep an open mind. We would never hurt you.”

  Laura nodded numbly, her mind falling all over itself to assemble the broken jigsaw puzzle in front of her. They’d had her alone more than once, and if they’d wanted to hurt her, they could have then. As far as her safety, she believed she could trust them.

  “Um, what time am I coming over?” Seeing is believing, after all.

  His story was crazy, but what proof did she have that he was lying, other than her belief in the normal laws of biology? There were many things on this planet that she didn’t understand, and she’d been wrong before.

  “Do you want to come for dinner, like seven?”

  Laura opened her mouth to agree, then her memory kicked in and flashed up her schedule for the day.

  “Crap. I’m doing a late shift tonight.”

  She frowned and tapped her foot again, thinking quickly.

  “Okay, I brought something to eat here, so I’ll eat before surgery and head over straight after. I should be there about eight-thirty?”

  Tyler’s mouth quirked up into a half grin.

  “You won’t regret it, Laura.” Hmmm, not sure about that. “Can I kiss you good-bye?”

  Laura shrugged and looked away, not sure how she was feeling and whether she wanted this man to touch her at the moment.

  Tyler’s warm hands cupped her jaw and tipped up her head, instantly soothing her nerves. His soft lips touched hers with a reverence that made her resistance melt into a puddle at her feet. He pulled back and kissed her nose in a protective way.

  Laura sighed and reached out for him, holding onto his waist, and resting her head against his shoulder as that strange contentment stole over her.

  He stepped away after a moment and she looked up, wanting him back as soon as her hands held nothing but empty air. Despite everything that had been said, her heart still yearned for this man.

  “See you tonight, beautiful.”

  Tyler turned and walked away. Laura couldn’t help the way her eyes dropped to his ass. Those buttocks clenched and moved in his jeans in a way that was just delicious. Her belly gave an almost-vicious kick and she groaned, pushing herself away from the wall and heading toward the front door of her clinic.

&nb
sp; It was going to be a long afternoon.

  Chapter Eight

  Brandon soaped up his hands and massaged his balls, groaning with the ache that throbbed in his gut. He needed a fuck, a good, long root.

  “Then why the hell did you turn Stacey down again, you idiot?” he muttered to himself and washed the soap off his body.

  Stacey was hot and she was easy. He just flipped her over and fucked her, and she came all over him. It was satisfying, “and fucking dirty.”

  Yeah, and not in the good way.

  He growled in disgust and stepped out of the shower, toweling himself down, and heading into his bedroom.

  “What time did she say she’d be here?” he called out to his twin, his voice deep and rough.

  He’d never felt this unsettled before, even when he was twenty-one and wild. He wanted to run. He wanted to fight, and oh God, did he need a fuck!

  This was all Laura’s fault.

  “About eight-thirty,” Tyler called back. Brandon looked at the clock and saw eight twenty-two. Not much longer and she’d be here. In their home, where she belonged.

  He pulled on some new tight jeans and a white singlet that clung to his chest, foregoing any underwear. That’d only slow her down. He glanced in the mirror and flexed his biceps to make the muscles bulge. Laura liked his body, so he may as well show it off to his best advantage. He adjusted his stiff cock in his pants and groaned as pleasure tingled over him.

  “I think she’s here.”

  Brandon closed his eyes and tilted his head back to listen with his acute hearing. He could hear an engine turn off, a door open, then close, and shoes moving on their path.

  The doorbell chimed and Brandon opened his eyes again and rolled his shoulders as though getting ready for a sparring match. She better be worth all this torture.

  Tyler had headed to the front door, so Brandon padded out into the lounge, feeling his cat raise its head and purr. She was here.

  Laura stepped into the sunlit hallway and Brandon’s heart kicked out like a horse’s hoof against a barn door.

  He groaned, pressed a hand to his chest, and stared at her. What was it about this woman that made him feel like this?