Wild Boys - Heath Read online

  Johnny blinked up at the television. “The dog is trying to catch the cat.”

  She heard a thread of fear in his voice and tried to ease his worry, knowing the needle wouldn’t hurt too badly. It was usually the idea of the needle that hurt more than the stick itself. She’d often thought that if blood draws were celebrated instead of feared, children wouldn’t be quite as afraid. Hey, Johnny! You get to give blood today! Isn’t that great? But she assumed that by the time a child needed to have his or her blood drawn, the parents were too worried to think of such things, and she didn’t blame them one bit.

  “You’re going to feel a little pinch, but don’t worry—afterward you get really cool stickers. I’ll give you two extra stickers if you keep telling me about the cartoon.”

  He smiled and relayed the cartoon as she took his blood. When she was done, he gazed up at his mom and said, “You were right, Mom. Only a little pinchy.”

  Johnny chose his stickers—four instead of two—and Ally thanked him for telling her about the cartoon before she headed back down to the lab. She changed her lab coat and resumed her work.

  The afternoon passed without another text from Heath. Ally tried to convince herself that was a good thing. Really, how far could a relationship based on a few nights of hot sex and one act of phone sex really go? The closer it got to the end of her shift, the more annoyed she became with herself for checking her phone. When had she become so dependent? He probably had a handful of girls—or more—that he played these games with. She took out her phone and deleted the flirty texts.

  No more sexy texts with a guy she hardly knew. God, what had she been thinking anyway? She’d have given Mandy hell if she were playing the same sexy games with a stranger. Only he’s not really a stranger.

  She groaned at herself for rationalizing the situation, chalked it up to a momentary lapse in judgment, and tried to focus on her work. Not that she regretted a second of their time together, or the phone call, or the texts. No, the momentary lapse in judgment was for her inability to stop checking her damned phone and wishing he’d text or call again.

  I’m so glad I’m done with that craziness.

  Only losers have phone sex.

  Even if it was a total turn-on.

  Even if he is hotter than any man I’ve ever seen.

  She put her hand in the pocket of her lab coat and felt her phone, wishing it would vibrate, and she knew she was already in too deep to shut off her thoughts that easily.

  She was looking through a microscope, working on the last order she needed to complete before the end of her shift, when a familiar deep voice sent a shiver down her spine and a shock of heat between her legs. She raised her eyes just as Heath walked into the room. Wearing a white dress shirt and a tie, covered by a white lab coat, he was even more devastatingly handsome than she’d remembered. He looked taller, broader, but those intense blue eyes bored through her with the same animal magnetism that they had the first time they’d seen each other at the resort—and the second. And the third.

  Her mouth went dry.

  She stole a glance at the name on his lab coat—Dr. Wild—then forced herself to lower her eyes back to the microscope before she made a complete ass out of herself.

  Holy shit. Dr. Wild? Are you kidding me? That sounded like a fake name. He was wild—there was no doubt about that.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  “Ally is working on your results right now, Dr. Wild.” Marty touched Ally’s arm.

  She couldn’t continue staring into the microscope and ignoring them. She braced herself for humiliation—sure Marty would read, I’ve sucked his cock, in her eyes, and sat up to face them.

  “Ally, this is Dr. Wild. He needs his results.” Before walking away, Marty added, “Ally, I have only one more thing for you before the end of your shift.”

  Ally wrinkled her brow, and it wasn’t until Marty winked that she realized he was rating Heath.

  One. He’d rated Heath a one. Thank goodness.

  Her heart thundered in her chest as she drew in a deep breath and finally met Heath’s gaze.

  “Dr. Wild,” she said in the most professional voice she could muster.

  Heath’s eyes never left hers as he moved in close, his chest brushing her shoulder.

  “Allyson. I guess New York City isn’t so big after all.” His hushed whisper slithered over her skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps.

  He smelled like strength and warmth, and when he nodded toward the microscope and said, “May I?” she wished he were asking if he could kiss her, despite swearing him off only moments earlier.

  There was no swearing off Heath Wild. Just the sight of him did funny things to her entire body, not to mention the way it flustered her mind.

  He leaned down and peered into the microscope. “Did Fifi get your tongue?”

  That shook her back to the present. He remembered her cat’s name?

  “I…” Get your act together. She closed her eyes for a beat and forced herself back into her professional, work-appropriate demeanor. “There’s nothing remarkable in the findings.”

  He continued looking through the microscope as silence stretched between them.

  “I was just thinking about how this case has me all tied up.” He rose to his full height and pinned her in place with a seductive stare.

  Her insides churned, and all the good parts of her remembered all the good parts of him—and exactly how incredible they were together.

  “Yes, well…” She lowered her voice, unable to stop from playing their dirty, flirtatious game. “It is a hard case.”

  His eyes slid around the busy laboratory. “I’d like you to come…” He put a hand on her lower back and guided her to the microscope as her knees turned to jelly. “Take a look at this.”

  His grin told her that he knew exactly what effect he was having on her. He had that damn lab coat on, so she couldn’t tell if she was having the same effect on him. He moved to her other side, where the table shielded him below the waist from the eyes of the other employees, and pressed his hard length against her hip. There was no mistaking the effect she had on him. She looked into the microscope so her coworkers wouldn’t be wise to the flames igniting between them. She was surprised they hadn’t already lit the room on fire.

  He leaned in close again and said, “Now I know.”

  She gazed up at him in confusion. “Know?”

  “What city you live in.”

  She swallowed hard at the look of lust brimming in his eyes. “Yes, well. No strings, remember?”

  He touched her back again, and she swore she’d have a third-degree burn from the searing heat of it. “No strings. Only ties.” He straightened his tie as Marty entered the room again.

  “Is everything in order here?” Marty’s eyes ran between the two of them.

  Ally felt her cheeks heat up and stepped away from the microscope, straightening the reports on the table in hopes of breaking the sexual tension that tethered her and Heath together.

  “Yes. I’ve completed Dr. Wild’s results.”

  “Yes, she’s tied up all my loose ends.” Heath smiled, and when his eyes moved from Marty to Ally, she felt her insides melt.

  “Perfect. Ally will type up the report and get it into the system. Is there anything else you wanted to see, Dr. Wild?” Marty asked.

  Heath straightened his tie again. “I may need to dig a little deeper, but for now I think these results are clear. Thank you.”

  Marty smiled. “Okay, well, I’ll leave you in Ally’s capable hands.”

  Don’t I wish. Her fingers itched with anticipation.

  “Now, that’s someplace I’d like to return to,” he said quietly.

  “No ties,” she reminded him.

  “Right. Dinner, then?”

  “Thought you weren’t looking for anything more than…what we had.” She didn’t need to be the booty call of a doctor in the hospital where she worked. That had trouble written all over it.

  “I wa
sn’t.” He held her gaze, and she read so many conflicting messages in his blue eyes that she could barely think straight.

  “Then why?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  Well, that’s not going to win you a date.

  He stepped in closer. “Maybe it’s your beautiful brown eyes, or the way you challenge my smart-ass comments. Maybe it’s the incredible sex. I don’t honestly know, but I’ve thought about you every second since we met, and let me tell you, Allyson. It’s hard as hell to be a good doctor when all my blood is residing below my waist.”

  She couldn’t help the laugh and smile that brought. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” His eyes widened with surprise.

  “Did I stutter?”

  He shook his head and smiled, as if they were discussing the weather. “If we weren’t in your workplace, I’d kiss that smirk right off your lips.”

  Yes, please.

  Chapter Six

  HEATH RACED OVER to his mother’s house after work, stopping first to pick up a few groceries just in case she was running low. He hated rushing through a visit, but he wanted to get home and shower before meeting Ally. He pulled up in front of his childhood home and parked behind his brother Jackson’s motorcycle. He wondered why Jackson was there. Jackson and their youngest brother, Cooper, owned a prestigious photography studio and rarely had free time in the early evenings. He knocked twice before walking into the living room of the cozy two-story home, where he found Jackson and his mother sitting on the couch. Jackson’s black leather jacket lay on the couch beside him, and their mother’s knitting needles were on the coffee table. Jackson rose as Heath came into the room.

  “It’s me, Mom. Hey, Jackson. How’s it going?” Heath said as he set the bag of groceries on the coffee table and leaned down to hug his mother.

  “Hi, lovey.” His mother kissed his cheek. “What a nice surprise. Two of my boys here at once.” She sank back down to the couch and patted the arm of the recliner beside it. Heath swore his mother had every inch of her home memorized. She’d refused to move after the attack that had left her blind and their father dead, insisting that nothing would chase her away from the home where she’d raised her family—the only home that had memories of her deceased husband.

  “Not much has changed since last night,” Jackson said. “I was doing a shoot around the corner and stopped by to see Mom. How about you?” Jackson was four years younger, an inch shorter, and had a penchant for the models and actresses he photographed.

  “Good. Had a crazy day and I’m running late. Are you cooking dinner for Mom? I brought a few groceries, Ma. I’ll put them away in a sec.”

  “I’m taking Mom out to dinner. Here, I’ll put the groceries away while you visit for a minute, if you have time.” Jackson grabbed the bags of groceries.

  “You’re taking Mom out on your motorcycle?” Heath arched a brow.

  “We’re walking around the corner to the café,” Jackson said as he went into the kitchen.

  Heath sat beside his mother. She was smiling, and she followed his movements as if she could see him. She reached over and patted his leg, fishing for his hand, which he happily placed in hers.

  “You’re running late? You don’t have to stay and visit, honey.” Mary Lou Wild was a kind and loving mother. She had shoulder-length dark hair, an olive complexion, and a smile always at the ready. After their father was killed, she’d fought her sons on their nightly check-ins, but she’d quickly realized that they were still as stubborn as they’d been as kids, and she’d given in to their need to watch over her.

  “It’s okay. I’ve always got a minute or two to spare,” Heath said. “Did you have a nice day?”

  “Oh, yes. Debra came by and we had a nice visit. Her son’s getting married in a few months, and she’s over the moon.” She patted her thick dark hair in a way Heath had seen her do a million times before, as if she were making sure it was still there. He imagined that even though his mother wasn’t overly conscious about her looks—Personalities reflect beauty, not hair and makeup, she’d always said—it was disconcerting not to be able to look in a mirror every now and again. “Where are you rushing off to?”

  Heath debated making up an excuse, but he wasn’t a liar, and his mother had a way of seeing right through her sons’ lies.

  “I have a date.”

  “Oh. A date.” She smiled, and Heath shook his head. “Well, that’s different, isn’t it?”

  “Very,” Heath answered.

  “Well, then, she must be special. Maybe one day your great-grandmother’s ring will be put to good use.” She patted his hand and turned as Jackson came into the room.

  The mention of his great-grandmother’s ring surprised him. His father had given the ring to his mother when he’d proposed. On their fifteenth anniversary, he had bought her a new ring, and he’d told Heath that one day he’d find the woman he wanted to marry, and that as the eldest, he could give her that ring. Heath had forgotten about the conversation until just now.

  “Who’s the lucky lady? Anyone I know?” Jackson slid into the recliner.

  “God, I hope not,” Heath teased.

  “Nice,” Jackson said. “Seriously, who is she?”

  “Sweetie, leave your brother be.” Mary Lou used endearments like first names. Baby, lovey, sweetie. They answered to all of them. “If Heath wants to share that information, he will do so without you poking your nose into his business.”

  “It’s fine, Mom.” Heath knew his brother wouldn’t know Ally. She lived in a whole different world from Jackson’s life surrounded by the rich and famous. Hell, didn’t they all?

  “She works at the hospital.”

  Jackson nodded. “Is that smart? Isn’t there something wrong with dating a woman who works in the same place as you?”

  Heath rose to leave. “Says the man who dates the models and actresses he photographs. And actually, no, there’s not. I do rounds at the hospital, but it’s not like I’m in a position of authority over her. She’s a lab tech.”

  “Cool. But you don’t really date.” Jackson cocked his head to the side and looked at Heath out of the corner of his eye. “She must be a knockout.”

  Heath leaned down and kissed his mother’s cheek. “Have a nice evening, Mom. I’ll see you in a few days.” He held a hand up for Jackson to smack as he walked by. “See ya, Jackson.”

  “Should I take that brush-off to mean she’s a dog or you’re not sharing?”

  Heath laughed. “Take it however you want. Oh, and, Jackson, I talked to Brett Bad today. He said to tell you that he’d do the calendar, whatever that means.”

  Jackson did a fist pump. “Coop and I were hired to shoot next years’ charity calendar, featuring the hottest models and local firemen. I thought Brett would want to be one of the firemen. What did you call him for?”

  “He hooked me up with the guy who runs the Central Park Zoo. For my date.”

  “You’re taking your date to a zoo? No wonder you don’t date often. Hey, I’m meeting Logan and Coop Thursday night for drinks at NightCaps. Join us?”

  “Sure.”

  As Heath walked out, he could hear his mother telling Jackson that he should be so lucky as to find a nice girl to go out with.

  He texted Ally before driving home.

  Running a little late. He looked at his watch and cringed. He was supposed to pick her up at six thirty and it was already six twenty. He was running more than a little late. I need to run home and shower. Is seven thirty okay? He deleted the text and called instead, fully expecting her to give him shit for messing up their first real date.

  “Hello, Dr. Wild.”

  He heard a smile in her voice, and it did funny things to his stomach.

  “Hi, Ally. I’m really sorry, but I’m running late. Would you mind if I picked you up at seven thirty?”

  “No, not at all. I stopped at the library on my way home, so I’m running a little late, too.”

  The library. He
wondered what type of books she liked to read. Another thought that was so strange it opened his eyes to how she was getting under his skin.

  “Great. I’m just going to run home and shower. I’ll be there shortly.”

  “Sounds good, wild boy.”

  The way she said wild boy, full of innuendo, made his body ache with desire.

  “Everything you do and say kills me.”

  “Kills you in a good way or a bad way?” she asked with a raspy voice.

  “In a very good way,” Heath answered. “You’d better be careful or I’m going to stop behaving myself and we’ll both need a cold shower before we even go out.”

  He spent the next forty minutes wondering how he was going to make it through the night without tearing her clothes off.

  Chapter Seven

  “LET ME GET this straight. You have no idea where he’s taking you or anything? Just that he’s a doctor. Dr. Heath Wild. I’m Googling him now,” Mandy said.

  “Would you stop? Please?”

  “You’re my sister. I have to make sure this—oh. Hey, sis, he’s noted as one of the best sports medicine ortho docs in the city.”

  “He is? Wait, don’t tell me anything else.” Ally paced, holding Fifi in one hand and the phone in the other. “I don’t want anything like that in my head. It’s better if I just think of him as Heath, the guy I met at the conference.”

  Amanda sighed. “Right. Otherwise you’ll go into your I-don’t-fit-into-his-world crap. Ally, you work in the hospital. Do I have to remind you again about how pretty and smart you are?”

  “It’s not that. It’s just, you know I work with a lot of not-so-nice docs, and even though Marty rated him a one—”

  “He did? Good. I trust Marty. I liked him from the first time you introduced us. He’s a straight shooter.”

  “You met him once,” Ally reminded her.

  “Yes, but I really liked him. If he says he’s a one, he probably is. So what’s the issue?”

  “No issue. I just don’t want to fish for information. Let this progress naturally, so I can see if it should or not.”