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Lewis swallowed. “Yes. It was.”

I grabbed the pillow that was blocking the spot between us on the couch and scooted closer. “It won’t happen again, though. Not while we’re working together, right?”

He nodded. “Absolutely. We need to be sensible about this. Maybe go out on a date first, if you want to.”

“Uh-huh,” I said, not-so-accidentally brushing my hand against his arm.

“But no more kissing,” he said in a husky voice.

I shook my head. “Definitely not.”

I had ended up so close to him, I got a close-up of his beautifully colored eyes. The only sounds in the apartment were Rhubarb snoring, my downstairs neighbor scraping a chair across the floor, and us breathing. He could say whatever he wanted, but he couldn’t deny this electricity between us.

I grabbed his hand and kissed him. He didn’t protest one bit, which proved he wanted this to happen too.

So what if we weren’t supposed to rush into this? Our kiss felt way too good to be wrong. We’d tackle tomorrow once the day dawned, but for now, all I wanted was to kiss Lewis on the couch in my tiny apartment.

Chapter Nineteen

Lewis

Aweek later, I couldn’t believe what I had gotten myself into. When Diane told me I could use the community center to educate the town on spaying and neutering cats and dogs, I had thought only a handful of people would show up. Clearly, I couldn’t have been more wrong. The room was packed. Diane even had to run off and arrange some extra chairs. Who knew this was considered such a hot topic in a small town like Old Pine Cove? Back in England, I always had to move heaven and earth to get more than fifteen pet owners attending.

“Is this kind of turnout normal here?” I asked Olive, who was folding flyers to hand out later. On the front was a picture of a family with a cat and a dog.

She grinned as I closed the curtain separating the stage from the audience. “It is when they know a hot vet is doing the presentation.”

I laughed. “I doubt my looks are enough of an incentive for people to show up.”

“Clearly you haven’t seen yourself in the mirror yet,” she said with a cocked eyebrow. “You do know you’re the talk of the town, right?”

“I am?”

“Everywhere I go, the ladies are talking about you. At Alex’s yoga class, at the diner, at the bookstore…”

I held my hands in the air. “Okay, okay, I get it. Still, I hope people here will want to learn as well.”

Olive stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on my lips. “The fact that you don’t realize how gorgeous you are is nothing short of adorable.”

I glanced over my shoulder. “Didn’t we agree we would keep the attraction between us private? At least until we’ve finally been on a proper date.”

“It’s your fault,” she said, one hand on her hip.

“How’s that?”

“You’re way too irresistible.”

She grabbed the end of my tie and pulled me closer. I took her hand in mine, ready to kiss her, when the door opened. Olive jumped in surprise. I quickly let go of her hand, and she busied herself picking up the stack of flyers she’d dropped.

“How are you doing, Doctor Grant?” Diane asked. “I think we’re about ready to start.”

I straightened my tie. It seemed like she hadn’t noticed what Olive and I were doing a few seconds earlier, and I was glad about that. I didn’t want her sticking her nose where it didn’t belong.

“I’m good to go.”

Diane smiled. “Good. Can I offer you something to eat or drink during your presentation? The ladies brought all kinds of cake, pies, and cookies, and there’s also jugs of homemade lemonade and cucumber water.”

“Wow, this is turning into quite a party,” I said. “Just some water will do, thanks.”