Page 7

J enny went home and showered before dropping back into bed.

It could have been five minutes or five hours before she was jerked awake by a pounding on the door.

She dragged herself out of bed and headed that way. She didn’t care that she was in an old t-shirt and loose shorts, or her hair was probably sticking out every which way. She just wanted to get rid of the person so she could go back to sleep.

She opened the door as she was rubbing her eyes. Jenny sighed when she caught sight of an angry Mac. She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Good morning, Mac.”

He leaned against the doorjamb. “You were at my place this morning?”

“Yes, I’m sure you heard I was.”

“What have I told you?”

The menace in his tone should have warned her to tread lightly, but she was too damn tired to put up with his bullshit.

She raised her chin. “You told me to stay away and that you were calling in another vet.”

“Yes.”

She gritted her teeth. “You might want to tell your ranch manager that. He’s the one who called me.”

“I’ve made my thoughts clear to him.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me to go fuck myself, that he’d do it again, and you saved both animals.”

She smirked. “I knew I liked Gary.”

If anything, Mac’s scowl grew darker. “You know he’s old enough to be your grandfather.”

Her eyebrows rose. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“It would be gross if the two of you ... you know.”

What the hell was this man thinking? “No, I don’t know.”

“It would be gross for the two of you to have an affair.”

She stared at him speechless for a brief second, not knowing if she should laugh, tell him where to stick his opinion, or slam the door in his face. She did all three.

“You are a despicable human,” she said and laughed before trying to slam the door closed on his face.

He was quicker than she’d given him credit for. He blocked the door with his boot, pushed it in, and stepped into the house before closing and locking it.

Shit. He was not on the side she wanted him to be on, and now she still had to deal with the obnoxious dumbass.

“If you wouldn’t mind leaving, I’d like to go back to bed.”

She took a hasty step back and then another when he took menacing steps toward her. She gasped when her back hit the wall. He settled heavily against her, pinning her to the Sheetrock, and set his hands on either side of her head.

“You really want to put that out there?”

“W-what?” she asked shakily.

“You in bed.”

“I-I’m tired. I was out on calls most of the night.”

He pressed harder, grinding his aching cock against her lower stomach.

“I can make you want to stay awake. I can make you beg for me to make you feel good.”

His tone made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

“I ... you don’t even like me.”

“Oh, I like you just fine. The problem is I like you a little too much.”

She tried pushing against his chest. “I think you should go.”

He bent and nuzzled her neck, making her bite back a moan.

He pinched her chin, bent enough to be level with her face. “You need to stay the hell away from me. Don’t come to the ranch, don’t try to talk to me on the street, just stay away. You got that?”

She nodded and then watched him walk out the door. She knew she didn’t like the man. He was obnoxious, rude, and belligerent. So why then did his leaving make her feel like something shattered inside her?

She slowly walked to the door, locked it before moving back to the bedroom, and diving back into bed.

Jenny felt tears burn beneath her eyelids as she stared up at the ceiling.

How could he growl at her, then turn around and kiss her?

He wasn’t making any sense, and it was driving her crazy.

She rolled out of bed and jumped into the shower.

She knew she wouldn’t be getting any sleep for a while, and there were always things she could do.

At the diner, near the clinic, she grabbed a breakfast sandwich to go with the coffee she’d made at home before heading to the clinic. Although it was Sunday and the clinic wasn’t open unless it was an emergency, she decided to clean and organize to keep her mind off things.

She didn’t like when she didn’t understand something, and when her emotions were involved, it made it harder.

She knew a lot of it had to do with her upbringing. She’d spent so much time alone that she’d learned not to depend on anyone, and it helped keep her emotions in check and under control.

The few friends she’d had in college made her see the world differently, and that having friends and letting people get close was okay and safe.

The only thing was, she’d never had the urge to date.

There had been several men who had asked, but she’d always said she was too busy when in fact she knew they would want to know her on a deeper level and eventually have sex.

That was something she knew she couldn’t handle because she was too young and inexperienced, and the chances of her getting hurt were too high.

There had also been the fear that she wouldn’t be able to open herself up enough, that she was too closed off and almost frozen inside, making it impossible to have a normal relationship.

Growing up with only a nanny and a few servants as companions put her at an extreme disadvantage to normal children. Also, the fact that she rarely saw her parents, and when she did, it always left her feeling more alone than ever.

Jenny tried to concentrate on what she was doing because she didn’t want to think about things she knew would never change.