Page 23 of Guarding Her Heart

Just the thought is enough to give me the shivers.

“Good luck,” he laughs as he leaves the room for his next patient.

Franklin stomps in the door, practically snarling. “Let’s go, pixie.” He slings my bag over his shoulder and then before I’m ready he lifts me up into his arms. I gasp and our eyes lock on each other.

“I love you, Franklin. I’ve been going crazy here without you.”

“I’ve been here most of the time. I even had to hire a new employee because I was here so much.”

“And I love you even more because of that. But I need to bewithyou not sitting here trying to nap and eating jello.”

“I think you should take a few more days and I’ll take care of you. Then, if you’re ready, I’ll make love to you.”

I don’t bother answering. I intend to make love to my man tonight. And not even he is going to stop me.

We get back to the house and upstairs into my little bedroom. “You didn’t want to go to your house?”

He turns his head and I can feel a little sliver of something dark and twisted rise up out of me. He looks wickedly tempting right now.

Oh, I’m tempted alright.

But I keep my face clear and he grins. “Anxious to get rid of me already, sweetheart?”

“No. Just wondering if you’re spending the night.”

He holds up a long, thick finger. “I am taking care of you so I’m staying. All I’m doing is taking care of you though.”

I struggle to keep my smile off my face. “Take care of me then.”

He grunts and settles me in the bed, his fingers smoothing out the blanket over my joggers and t-shirt. His head lifts and my breath catches when his eyes burn into me. “I almost lost you…” he whispers.

I shake my head. “No you didn’t. I’m still here and I’m not going anywhere.”

He starts to lift himself up but I wrap my arms around his thick neck, his bright blue eyes so close to me that I can count the little crinkles at the corner.

“What are you doing?” he whispers.

“I’m holding you. Loving you. Needing you,” I whimper. “Please don’t leave me.”

He groans and buries his face in my throat, breathing deeply. “Pixie, I’ll never do that. But you’re still recovering. We can’t…”

“The doctor said we can.”

He jerks back. “You asked the doc?”

“I did.” I giggle.

“I’m gonna have to kill Wright now.”

“Why the hell would you have to do that?”

“He thought about having sex with you.”

Blurting out a laugh, I say, “What are you talking about? He wasn’t thinking about sex!”

“If you mentioned sex, he was thinking about having sex with you.” His lip pokes out.

“Come here.” I hold out my hand and Frank sighs and moves closer, grunting when I pull him into the bed with me. He hovers over me, the heat from his body cradling me, cocooning me.

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