Vet's Desire Read online

  And her lips tasted like strawberries. What the hell…? His gaze dropped to those luscious lips and the shine on them had him realizing that she was wearing flavoured lip gloss. Rather yummy, really.

  Cindy was staring at him as though he had a screw loose, one of her hands braced against his chest and the other on his thigh just above his knee. The rings she wore on nearly every finger sparkled in the light.

  “This is your girlfriend?” Sassy asked in disbelief.

  “Cindy is my girlfriend,” Tim affirmed.

  “I most assuredly am-” Cindy began hotly, only to be stopped by Tim leaning in quickly to give her another quick kiss and whisper, “Back me up and I’ll owe you.”

  She looked from him to Sassy peering over his shoulder, and what she saw in the brunette’s eyes must have made her change her mind, for she relaxed suddenly, melting into Tim, her luscious curves suddenly pressed against him, her soft stomach nestling between his thighs.

  Whoa, and didn’t that just produce the most interesting sensations?

  “Cindy,” she almost cooed, putting her arm around Tim’s side under his own arm so she could shake the slack-jawed Sassy’s hand.

  Her breasts pressed against his chest and Tim almost swallowed his tongue when he glanced down to see those plump pillows pushing against the low neckline of her top.

  Sassy shook her hand with obvious distaste.

  Tim raised his gaze to see Rick’s amused expression.

  “You’re his girlfriend?” Sassy asked disbelievingly.

  “I know, isn’t it a shock?” Cindy smiled widely as she picked up Tim’s glass and sipped from it. “I’m not his usual type, I know, but I guess there’s just so much more of me to love.” Placing the tip of her nose against his, she rubbed it gently. “Right, Timmy?”

  “Right.” Two could play at this game. Tim lowered his hand and settled it firmly on her rounded bottom. “Just so much more to love.” He squeezed one buttock.

  He was rewarded with a flash of her eyes and a slight stiffening of her lush body, but his smirk was lost when her fingers above his knee dug in to the nerves. Mouth open in a silent yell, he couldn’t miss the hilarity on Rick’s face over Cindy’s shoulder. He could only thank God that Sassy was sitting behind him and couldn’t see his expression.

  Pressing closer, Cindy rested one arm on his other side and settled her chin on his shoulder so that she could see Sassy. “So,” she said to Sassy, “Where did Tim try to pick you up?”

  What the hell…? Tim stiffened.

  “He’s such a wanderer,” Cindy continued happily. “I’ve considered having him neutered to mend his ways.”

  Sassy actually laughed. Cindy patted his back fondly and Rick had to turn his head away.

  “Without his Lassie,” Cindy continued, “Timmy would get into a lot of trouble. Wouldn’t you, Tim?” Pushing back, she lovingly looked up into his face and patted his cheek harder than needed.

  Boy, she was really pushing it. “What are you doing?” he mouthed silently to her.

  “Yes sir, he needs a lot of help.” She beamed at him. “Take this slogan on his shirt, for example.” She patted his chest. “‘Stud for Hire – Cheap’. My goodness me, never has a slogan been truer!”

  “Okay.” Tim finally found his voice. “Let’s not bore Sassy.”

  “I’m not bored.” Sassy laughed.

  “Oh honey.” All fake concern, Cindy patted his cheek again. “Did I embarrass you? Poor baby.” She settled her chin comfortably on his shoulder again and nestled really close, her hand sliding up his thigh.

  Tim could feel every warm, lush curve of her, and his body was sputtering to life as surely as his temper. Both for different reasons.

  “So anyway,” she continued happily, “His wandering has been a problem, but after we got him treated for his last STD-”

  Rick choked on his Coke.

  “Okay!” Grabbing her by the shoulders, Tim pushed her back to stand on her own feet. “Enough of that now, honey. We don’t want to go into medical conditions, do we?”

  “We don’t?” She looked at him in innocent bewilderment before her eyes widened. “Oh, I am sorry.” She switched her gaze to Sassy who, no doubt, was watching avidly and more than willing to spread whatever gossip she could around. “He’s a little sensitive about his wiener.” Cindy simpered, actually simpered. “Or, as we like to call it, Big Hammer.”

  Oh God! “Time to go, sweetie.” Tim slid off the stool and wrapped his arm firmly around her waist, forcing her to move with him. “Nice meeting you, Sassy. Rick, I’ll see you later. You.” He bared his teeth at Cindy in more of a snarl than a grin.

  “Yes?” She batted her lashes at him.

  “Home.”

  “Of course.”

  Thank God for small mercies. She came willingly, but then she stopped and neatly slid out of his arm, turned and hurried back to the bar. Tim almost ran after her but then he saw that she spoke to Rick in low tones and wrote something down before returning to Tim’s side, tucking the piece of paper into her tiny beaded purse.

  “Ready when you are, lover.” She slid up against him and he sucked in a breath when her hand slapped his backside heartily.

  With a tight smile on his face, Tim wrapped his arm firmly around her and almost dragged her through the crowded club. Once outside, he yanked her to the side and snarled, “What the hell was that about?”

  “Hey, just playing the part, Tim. I did enjoy it.”

  There was no doubt about that, her eyes sparkled and laughter lurked in the blue depths.

  It didn’t ease his annoyance. “You do know that everything you said will get back to my mother, don’t you?”

  “Well, maybe you should have thought of that before you pulled me into your crazy scheme.” Pulling a mobile phone from her purse, she pressed speed dial.

  “Who are you calling? The cops?”

  “No, the loony bin. For you.” She raised one brow. “Why would I call the cops?”

  “Because I’m about to kill you?”

  She laughed.

  Tim took a deep breath. “I asked for help, not for you to spread nasty gossip.”

  “Oh, you mean about Big Hammer and your STDs?” She put the phone to her ear.

  “I don’t have an STD and never have had, if you must know.” He glared at her. “Damn it, couldn’t you just lie a little like a normal girl? Couldn’t you-” He stopped when she held up one finger.

  “I’m at the Vic pub on Spencer Street,” Cindy said cheerfully into the phone. “If you could send a taxi to pick me up and take me to 17 Bella Way, I’d be grateful. You can? Great. Yes, it’s Cindy. I’ll be waiting near the sign.”

  “Finished?” Tim asked sardonically as she clicked the bejewelled phone shut.

  “Well, I think so.” Cindy waved the phone under his nose. “I’ve only been using this for particular brand for two months, so I might not have completely got it right yet.”

  Disgusted, he folded his arms.

  “So.” She smiled widely. “You were saying about Big Hammer…?”

  “I was saying nothing about Big Hammer. I – Damn it, I don’t call my penis anything, understand?”

  Dropping the phone into her purse, she nodded. “Dick with no name. Got it.”

  God, she was infuriating. “Thanks for nothing.”

  “Hey, you begged for my help and I gave it.”

  “You call what you did ‘help’?”

  “Sure. What do you call it?”

  “How about aggravating?”

  “No. Really?” And she laughed merrily.

  Oh no, Cindy couldn’t laugh delicately, she had a full-bodied, happy peal that drew all eyes and a few smiles from passers-by. Even her giggles were merry. He’d have found it smile-inducing himself except that the hilarity was at his expense.

  “Remind me never to ask you for help again.”

  “Oh now, don’t be like that.” She patted his arm. “I did save your hide, after all.”
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br />   “Thanks for nothing.”

  Placing one hand on her ample bosom, her eyes sparkling, she replied happily, “Your heart-felt thanks is received and will be treasured for life.”

  “You’re drunk.” With that biting retort, Tim started to walk away, but a sudden thought popped into his head making him stop and turn back to her. Maybe hilarity wasn’t the only thing making her eyes sparkle.

  “Seriously, are you drunk?” He leaned a little closer and eyed her closely. Okay, she might be an irritating bit of goods, but in all good faith he couldn’t just walk away and leave her until her taxi arrived. She was Maddy’s best friend, and Mike was Maddy’s husband, and Mike was one of Tim’s best friends, and that meant…crap, he felt a bit of responsibility for Cindy.

  Damn his little shred of chivalry. That was definitely from his father’s side.

  “Me?” She looked genuinely surprised.

  “Yes. You.” He took a sniff and was able to smell some of his beer on her breath and her perfume.

  Nice perfume. Suited her. Full-bodied and yummy.

  Yummy? Hell, maybe he was drunk, even though he never got drunk anymore.

  Placing the tip of one purple-nailed fingertip on his chest, she pushed him back slightly. “Down, Fido.”

  Straightening, he frowned.

  “Sniffing isn’t polite. Next thing you know, you’ll be sniffing people’s crotches instead of shaking hands.” Taking a step back, she eyed him just as warily as he was suddenly eyeing her. “What’s your problem?”

  You. “Nothing.” He tucked his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I’ll wait until your taxi comes.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged. “Good manners?”

  “I doubt it.” One fine brow arched. “I’m not drunk, you know.”

  “Okay.”

  “So you don’t need to wait.”

  “Okay.” Where was the damned taxi?

  She stared at him before suddenly nodding her head. “Ah.”

  Refusing to ask, he feigned disinterest in her reply by watching the people passing them as they came and left the pub.

  “You’re worried that Sassy will come out and find you here alone. Why don’t you just run along to your car and make your getaway before it’s too late?”

  He glanced at her.

  “Or maybe you’re worried that I’ll get hit on the head while waiting for my taxi and Mike will clobber you for leaving me alone?”

  He glanced away.

  “Huh. Okay.”

  What she meant by that, he didn’t want to know. Where was that damned taxi?

  “You should run while you can,” she said.

  “I’m not running.”

  “You’ll wish that you had.” Laughter lurked under her tone.

  Taking a deep breath, he watched as a taxi pulled to a stop and a giggling group of people got out. About to hail it for Cindy, he froze when a familiar husky voice sounded behind him.

  “I’d have thought you’d have a car waiting for you, Tim.”

  Taking a deep breath, Tim turned slowly and managed a smile at Sassy, who was glancing inquiringly between him and Cindy. “Never drink and drive.”

  “You can afford a chauffer. Like your mother.”

  “I’m not my mother.” Thank God.

  Taking a tiny step back, her gaze slid to Cindy.

  Cindy gave her a little one-finger wave. “He’s very responsible.”

  “So I see.” Sassy looked again at Tim. “You didn’t mention that your friend was married.”

  “Who?” He looked blankly at her.

  “Rick.”

  “Rick? Oh, Rick! Yes, yes, he’s married.” Tim gathered his unusually scattered wits as Cindy gave a gurgle of amusement beside him. “I gather he’s left?’

  “To pick up his wife from the hospital where she works.” Sassy’s eyes held more than a hint of frost.

  Knowing that his friend was utterly devoted to his one-true love, Tim had no doubt he’d given Sassy the truth fast and sure as soon as she’d turned her gold-digging attention to him.

  “He was killing time with me.” Tim added belatedly, “And with Cindy, of course.”

  “Of course,” Cindy echoed. “Oh look, here’s my taxi. Bye, honey, love you!” And with that, she kissed him on the cheek, turned, and opened the door to the taxi that had pulled up to the curb behind her.

  Sassy’s eyes narrowed.

  “Oh yes,” Tim said, “Our taxi. Bye, Sassy.” And he dived in after Cindy, unceremoniously shoving her across the seat as he slammed the door after him.

  He didn’t look at her as he buckled his seat belt and sank back against the backrest.

  Cindy gave the startled taxi driver a cheerful wave. “Hey, Bernie.”

  “Hey, Cindy.” Bernie looked at Tim warily in the rear view mirror. “He’s with you?”

  “Apparently. For now, anyway.” Cindy laughed, long and loud.

  Tim scowled.

  “Oh, come on honey, don’t be such a grouch.” She hit him lightly on the arm with the little beaded purse.

  “You enjoy watching me sweat, don’t you?” Folding his arms across his chest, Tim scowled at her.

  “I have to get my entertainment where I can.”

  He shook his head. “And you’re Maddy’s best friend. I just don’t get it.”

  “Hey, you’re Mike’s best friend and I don’t get that, either.” She winked. “Guess it’s true what they say, huh?”

  “I know I’m going to regret this but - what?”

  “Opposites attract.”

  “Is that the best you can do?”

  A guffaw came from the front seat.

  “Bernie thinks it’s good.”

  “Sweetheart.” Bernie chuckled. “Most things you say are good.”

  Personally, Tim thought that was greatly exaggerated, but he shrugged and turned his gaze out to the night to stare unseeingly at the traffic and buildings as they flashed past.

  Idly he listened to Bernie and Cindy chatting. Her voice was light, a hint of gaiety underlying the tones as though she found most things amusing. He much preferred husky tones on women, the hint of sexuality and decadence.

  Light and fluffy just wasn’t his style. Nor was light and sly, as he was starting to think Cindy just might be. She certainly had a mischievous side to her that liked to watch him squirm.

  A sudden realisation popped into his head. He had squirmed back at the pub. He’d been so caught up in Cindy’s lies that he’d actually dived into the taxi after her rather than bid her a cool goodnight, given Sassy a careless wave, and gone on to find his own taxi.

  Cripes, when had that happened? Why had it happened? He never squirmed, and certainly not where women were concerned. He was the one who loved them and left them, who shook the fragments of their tattered hearts from his shoes and walked off without looking back. He coolly avoided any and all who tried to cling to him or get their claws into him, and he’d never - never - run from a woman before…before Cindy came along and tied him up in bloody knots.

  Broodingly, he stared out into the night. It was downright embarrassing. The sooner he got rid of her, the better. And tomorrow he was going to ask Mike about his beloved Maddy’s sanity in having the bubble-headed blonde as her best friend. He just had to know what the attraction was, because he sure as hell couldn’t even begin to guess.

  The taxi rolled through the night and finally turned into a tree-lined driveway, going through high gates and up a winding road. Rounding a curve, Bernie drove the taxi right up to the front of a really big house. Or a small mansion. It actually teetered between being one or the other, falling into neither category. Not many lights lit the front, so Tim couldn’t get a good look at the grounds. The only light was that above the door that stood at the top of four wide, stone steps. A big veranda swept above the door and disappeared around each side of the house.

  “Thanks for a great evening.” Opening the door, Cindy swung one leg out.
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  The split in her skirt enabled Tim to see a quite a lot of thigh, the silk of her stockings holding a shimmer that made it appear as though her whole leg shimmered with colour. And now he could see that tiny butterflies dotted the stocking, lacy wings spread in perpetual flight. Good grief.

  Avoiding the sudden urge to reach out and test for himself just how silky that leg was, he muttered, “Glad I could be of amusement.”

  “Oh, you have no idea.” Amused, she got out of the car, shut the door and went to Bernie’s window.

  Tim saw Bernie’s eyes go straight to Cindy’s ample cleavage as she bent to peer into the window. “Thanks, Bernie. Here’s extra to take my unexpected, non-existent boyfriend home. Be kind to him, he’s had a rough night.”

  Bernie laughed, got another good eyeful of that mouth-watering cleavage, bid Cindy what seemed to Tim to be a totally unnecessarily affectionate ‘goodnight’, gunned the engine in a bid to prove his manly presence, and then drove off down the drive in a careful manoeuvre that had Tim rolling his eyes.

  He couldn’t resist one last glance backward through the rear window to see Cindy’s lush body outlined briefly in the light of the doorway before the door closed and cut her off from sight.

  It had to be the luckiest thing to happen to him tonight.

  With a sigh, Tim leaned back in the seat and gave his address to Bernie. As the taxi glided along, the soothing sounds of the tyres on the road and the passing traffic relaxed Tim slowly and his annoyance slipped gradually away. Now he was able to think of the evening with a little more clarity and he knew part of his annoyance was at Sassy’s brazen attempt to get her claws into him. The other part of his annoyance was due to Cindy’s dig at his non-existent STD, and the fact that she’d played him up to teach him a lesson.

  His lips quirked in reluctant amusement. Yeah, the blondie had had the last laugh, all right. He was just glad that he didn’t see her very much. The odd time he’d caught sight of her at Mike’s house, but it had been fleeting meetings. Frankly, that was more than enough for him.

  Chapter Two

  Sitting in the window seat and enjoying the cool breeze that blew through the open window, Cindy gazed out towards the city lights and thought about Tim Clarke, Veterinarian and son of one of the wealthiest people in Western Australia, the prestigious paediatrician, Dr. Margaret Clarke.