His Princess (A Royal Romance)(84)

“What was that about?”

I lower the telephone into the cradle. I was hoping if it looked like I was on a call with a patient he’d leave me alone.

“My new neighbor caught my daughter playing hooky, I guess.”

“New neighbor? Was that the jackass with the Chevy?”

I can feel my cheeks heat.

“He’s not—”

I stop myself, blinking. Why am I springing to Quentin’s defense? He is a jackass.

“Does he bother you?”

Well…

I have to think about that for a second. He really did me a favor bringing Karen to see me and taking her to school. In retrospect, I can barely believe I trusted him to do that, but I was in a bind. What was I going to do, have her ride the bus from the dentist’s office and trust she’d make it there? I should have given Quentin my phone number to make sure that she made it. God, what was I thinking?

I look at Burt. He shifts a little closer, leaning his skinny ass on the counter, giving me that look. He’s looking for an in, or something. I’m not giving him one.

“It’s fine. He’s a little rough around the edges but he did me a favor picking her up.”

“He shouldn’t have brought her here. I don’t need one of my employees making a family scene in front of the patients.”

“Sorry about that. It won’t happen again. I’ll talk to Karen.”

“Maybe she needs more of a man’s influence in her life,” Burt says smoothly.

His hand slides along the counter toward mine. Thankfully another patient walks up to the window. Burt shrugs and walks off, eyeing me. I can see his reflection in the window as I push it open to greet the patient and sign them in.

God, I hate that man.

Thankfully I make it through the rest of my shift without Burt coming to chat me up again. The next time I see him, it’s as we’re getting ready to close up shop. Laura flounces to her feet and grabs his arm with a coquettish smile and I decide it’d be a good idea to slink away before he can spot me.

I need to get home. I have a class tonight.

Grabbing my things, I quickly head outside. Burt and Laura follow, Laura giggling her empty little head off as Burt hits the remote for his new Benz and it beep-meeps and the engine starts up. He would have a remote start.

“Sure you don’t want a ride?” Burt calls at me, giving me that full-body once-over he always does when he thinks he’s being sexy.

“I’m fine, I don’t need—”

The thing about Quentin’s car is that it announces itself. When he comes down the block I can feel the exhaust note in my shoes. It rumbles into the parking lot with Quentin at the wheel, leaning through the window. He pulls up behind Burt, boxing him in, and looks at me.

“Hey. Karen said you could use a ride.”

“I don’t, I take the—”

“You’re not taking the bus. Get in the car, or Leisure Suit Larry is going to be blocked in until you do.”

Burt opens his mouth to say something then closes his mouth as Laura giggles.

Oh come on, is this really necessary?

“Get in,” Quentin says, his voice low and dangerous, but there’s a hint of a grin on his face.

I pull at the strap on my tote bag, frown, and stalk around to the other side to drop into the car.

As soon as I close my door, Quentin throws it in reverse and swerves out of the parking lot and back into the road. He leans back in his seat and drapes one arm over the windowsill, resting the other wrist on the wheel.

“You’re going to get me fired,” I say coldly.

“Nah.”

“Burt doesn’t like people making fun of him.”

“Burt’s a f*cking * pervert,” Quentin says cheerfully. “Karen said you have a class tonight. You want to go straight there, or should I drop you off at home?”

“What? No, I need to go home and change first.”

“Why?” he says, and flicks the hem of my sleeve. “Weird lime green is your color.”

I pull away from him but, God, I’m blushing like a fourteen-year-old. I cross my arms.

“I can’t go to class like this. I have to dress professionally.”

“Nurse is a profession.”

I sigh and roll my eyes. “First, I’m not a nurse, I’m a receptionist. Second, professionally means business casual.”

“What kind of class is it?”

“I’m trying to finish my bachelor’s degree. I was planning to go to law school before—” I cut myself off.

Not his business.

“Before what?”

“Nothing, it doesn’t matter.”

He snorts. “Suit yourself.”

I glance over at him, and the glance turns into a stare. I can see the outline of a bigger bandage on his thigh along with the ones on his arm and one on his chest.

“What happened to you?”

He blinks at me. “Huh?”

“Your arms and your leg. You’re all bandaged up.”

“I cut myself shaving.”

I give him a hard look but he doesn’t relent, though when he scratches his chin, I think he might be hiding a grin.

“That’s the best you can do?”

He shrugs.