Heath (Wild Boys After Dark, #2)(26)

He kissed her forehead. “You’re adorable when you’re confused. Are you busy tomorrow night?”

“No, but I am busy Thursday night.”

There was no mistaking the jealousy slithering beneath his skin, which was ridiculous, because he was meeting his brothers Thursday night for drinks, and Ally was free to go out and do whatever she liked.

She ran her finger along the tight line of his lips. “Why is your jaw so tight?”

Because I’m a jealous idiot.

“Is it? Hm.” He pressed his lips to hers. “That’s better.” Not.

“Sorry about Thursday. I promised Amanda I’d go out with her.”

He breathed a little—a little—easier. “That’s okay. I’m busy Thursday, too. I’m meeting my brothers for a drink. Tomorrow night, then?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a date. And I promise not to attack you the minute I walk in the door.”

She stuck out her lower lip in a pout. “Aw.”

“You are going to be the death of me.” He wrapped his arms around her, and when their mouths came together again, he knew if he didn’t get up and leave, he never would.

“I should go,” he said against her lips.

She pressed her soft hands to his cheeks. “Just one more kiss.”

Her mouth covered his hungrily, and he felt himself disappearing into her again, as his hand traveled over the curve of her hip and came to rest on her waist.

“Ally, I’m going to be too hard to walk out of here and you’re going to start thinking I only want to be with you for sex. I’ve got to leave before I carry you to your bed again and make love to you until we’re both too tired to get up for work tomorrow.” He longed for her to ask him to stay, and the magnitude of that desire hit him square in the chest. For the first time since his college days, he didn’t try to deny it or pretend it wasn’t consuming his thoughts. To his surprise, he embraced the urge.

“Promises, promises.”

He touched his forehead to hers and breathed deeply, wondering how they’d gone from not exchanging last names to not being able to be apart in less than a week.





Chapter Ten


HEATH GOT UP early Wednesday morning, and before he set out for his morning run, he texted Ally.

How can I miss you already?

He ran through Central Park, hoping to quell the jealousy that had prickled his nerves last night and had eaten away at him through the wee hours of the morning. He’d slept fitfully, not because he thought Ally might go behind his back and see another guy, but because after years of not giving a shit about anyone outside of his family—and of course his patients, but that was a different type of caring altogether—he cared, really cared, about her. Allyson had gotten under his skin, and he f*cking loved it, but he had no idea how to handle the crap that came along with it. How did he shake the feeling of wanting to be with her every minute? And how could he convince her that he would never hurt her the way she’d been hurt before?

More importantly, when had he become clingy?

What the hell was that all about?

The sun was just coming up as he circled back and ran toward home. He spotted his friend Josh Braden, a world-renowned clothing designer, running on the path ahead of him. He and Josh had run together a number of times over the last few years. Heath’s father had grown up in Trusty, Colorado, while his mother had grown up in Weston, Colorado, where Josh’s family lived. Heath’s parents had been good friends with Hal and Adriana Braden, Josh’s parents. Adriana had passed away when the Braden children were young, leaving Hal to raise his six children alone. When Heath was growing up, his parents had sent him and his brothers to work on Hal’s ranch for a few weeks each summer. Their father had insisted that hard manual labor instilled morals and a strong sense of self. The weeks they’d spent together had also built a sense of loyalty between the two families.

“Braden!” Heath called as he caught up to Josh.

Josh turned with a ready smile. “Heath, how’s it going? I haven’t seen you running lately.” He was the same height as Heath, with thick dark hair, which was perfectly coiffed even as he ran, dark brown eyes, and a lean, muscular frame.

“I was out of town for a conference, and I’ve been tied up recently.” Literally. The thought made him smile. “How’s Riley?”

“Great. Getting anxious to have our wedding.” Josh and Riley had been engaged, and business partners, for more than a year. They’d both grown up in Weston, but they hadn’t started dating until she’d moved to the city to work for Josh.

Heath remembered that Josh and Riley had fallen for each other pretty quickly, too. “Josh, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

“How did you know Riley was the right woman for you?”

Josh turned his dark eyes on Heath, and without missing a step he said, “There was never any question. We kissed. I knew.” He shifted his eyes to the path ahead of them. “When it’s right, you know.”

“That simple?”

“How many years have you been running?”

Heath shrugged. “Since high school.”

“How did you know you were a runner?” Josh slowed as they came to the entrance of the park.