Roots and Wings (City Limits #1)(62)

I sat there having one of those did that just really happen moments when you hope your mind is playing tricks on you.

My mind did no such thing.

Untricked and chipped, I needed to call my dentist.

He answered, “Hey, I was just about to hop in the shower. What are you doing for dinner? Want to run up and split a tenderloin?”

That had become something we did about once a week. Then, we’d usually get a piece of pie for later and eat it in bed.

Half a tenderloin and bed pie sounded a whole lot better than anything this conversation was leading towards.

“Well, depends.”

“Okay, depends on what?” he retorted as I heard him turn on the shower. He was probably naked. Yum.

“Depends on if you want to be seen out with me sporting a chipped up tooth?”

“Tell me you didn’t.” The sound of the water stopped, like he’d turned it off to listen.

“I did.”

Vaughn would never yell or shout at me, I knew this for a fact, but he was going to tell me how careless I’d been. He would have been right to do so. But instead, he didn’t do any of that because he asked, “Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

I was okay, but, also, it did kind of hurt. I hoped it was because I’d bitten down so hard, and not because I’d done some real damage.

“It hurts a little, not too bad, but I did a pretty good number on it.”

“I’ll shower then I’ll run out there and look at it. Hannah, if it’s throbbing, tell me.”

My mouth wasn’t throbbing, it was only if I pressed my teeth together that it was slightly tender.

“No, I’m okay. I’ll be in my garage.”

I heard the slide of his shower curtain along the metal bar and the shower came back to life. I looked down at the sliver of tooth in my hand and thought about driving like a bat out of hell to catch him in the shower instead.

“What? You just chipped your tooth.”

“It’s still going to be chipped in the house and I’m almost done with this one. I might as well finish before you get here and distract me anymore.”

He grunted and laughed.

I was getting pretty fond of his grunts. They were more like a growl when I frustrated him, but he always looked so good doing it. I tried to get him worked up about something at least every other day. It kept things interesting, that’s for sure.

“Anymore?” he fished.

“Yeah, I know you’re naked.”

The sound of his warm laughter soothed my fractured ego.

“How’s that?”

“I can hear the water over the phone. You always take your clothes off in your bedroom by the hamper before a shower and walk in the bathroom, dick swinging.”

“Oh, my dick isn’t swinging right now. It’s more like … well, it’s hard.”

“See distractions everywhere. Hurry up,” I said and then hung up. I’d just chipped my tooth. Picturing him naked and erect getting into the shower would surely give me a hook through my finger.

It was a safety issue.




“Well, I can’t tell if you cracked it above the gumline without an X-ray, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you did, Hannah. It’s split right up the side.”

My lips seemed so huge with the gap left from the missing splinter of my right front tooth. Up until that night, it had always been my loyal and trusty biting tooth. It really let me down.

“I know. It was dumb, but I do it without even thinking.” Kind of.

“Move over here and let me see it in this light?” He walked to where I had my desk lamp and he twisted it up to shine in my mouth. “Open up.”

Oh, I’d open up.

My mind went in one direction and my body went where it always did when he told it what to do. Yielding to my new hussy-like tendencies, I shoved all of my smart-ass quips aside and opened up. I was already in a little trouble. Anymore and I’d be asking for it.

“Ahhh,” I sang as he took a closer look in the new light.

He pushed a little on my gum and said, “I think we better go in and fix that, Hannah. Before it does get sore. I don’t see any pulp though. I hope it’s just superficial.”

I tried to answer, but he was still inspecting me and his finger was still in my mouth, which I usually really liked.

“Ha-kai,” I agreed. “Ah go.”




He drove us to his office and it was weird being there with the lights off, at night. I waited in the almost dark room, while he walked to the other side where the front doors were, to turn on the overhead lights.

“Let’s get a quick X-ray,” he advised as he held out his hand for me to follow him down the hall and into the room where they did them. I put the vest on and he handed me the things to bite as he got the machine all set up.

“I’d rather be getting a tenderloin with you,” I admitted with my teeth clenched.

Even though Vaughn wasn’t exactly thrilled with me, he flashed me a forgiving smile as he prepared the X-ray thing.

“I’d rather be picking out pie, but I think I have some ice cream at home.” He kissed my forehead, and I knew it wasn’t the end of the world. I was dumb, but he rolled with it pretty well.

I always enjoyed watching him work on his house, but this was different. He was so focused. So in his element.