Chapter Nine
Man, I’m such a badass.
Alexa watched as one of the servers carefully picked up the tray of food she’d just expertly assembled. Despite a very tragic incident where she’d lost a perfectly cooked pork loin, she’d been able to salvage the dishes and do it in a record amount of time so her customers wouldn’t be kept waiting longer than necessary.
The pork loin, before it slid off the carving platter and onto the floor, had been destined for her artisanal mole poblano—a rich and thick sauce made with sweet Mexican chocolate and tempered with the spice of poblano peppers. Rather than take it off the menu for the night, she’d walked out of the kitchen and asked the diners who had ordered it if they would be willing to taste test a new dish, offering a complimentary dessert as an incentive. All of them had agreed.
First, she’d improvised by pan searing duck breasts until the skin was crisp and then finished them off in the oven. After only a few minutes, she pulled them back out, sliced the rosy, juicy meat into perfectly shaped discs and covered them in a light blanket of mole. She paired it with an herb- and duck broth–infused rice and a side of charred seasonal vegetables. It had looked so tempting, she’d made a plate for herself as well.
Gabriel peeked over her shoulder. “Please tell me you’re going to share.”
She shook her head. “Sorry. Make your own. I haven’t eaten since nine o’clock this morning.”
“Wow, you were awake at nine o’clock?”
“I know, right?” she said with a laugh as she pulled a stool to the counter and sat down. “But apparently, that’s the time Gomez eats his second breakfast, so I had to get up and feed his chubby ass again. By that time, I figured I might as well stay up and eat, too.”
“Gomez? I thought your boyfriend’s name was Dante?”
Alexa lifted her foot and swatted the back of Gabriel’s calf. “Gomez is Dante’s bulldog—and he’s not my boyfriend. He’s…um…my lawyer, and he had to go with Brandon to Miami, so I’m helping him out by taking care of his dog…at his house.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, even she couldn’t believe them. She had no idea what had possessed her to offer to do something like that.
Could’ve been that second orgasm.
They had just finished quite the torrid session when her brother had called Dante to ask if he could make the last-minute trip. There was some crisis with a city agency that was threatening to shut down the Miami project for a few days. So perhaps it had been the afterglow that had clouded Alexa’s judgment in that moment when she’d said she’d take on such a big responsibility. Dante had given her an out by suggesting he board his pet, but that had only made her want to do it more.
“Don’t you trust me with your dog?” she’d asked. It had been meant as a rhetorical question. But when Dante didn’t answer, she’d pushed. “I’m serious. Do you trust me or not?”
“Of course,” he’d said and pulled her onto his bare chest. “I just don’t want you to feel like you have to. No pressure, remember?”
And so Alexa had sworn that she wanted to take care of Gomez. And then Dante took care of her—for a third time.
“What’s with the goofy smile?” Gabriel’s question brought her back to the bustling kitchen.
Heat raced to her cheeks. “Nothing. I’m just happy with how this dish turned out. Go back to work so I can start eating it.”
“Yes, Chef.”
She laughed at his mock salute before picking up her fork to dig in. The vibration of her phone stopped her before the fork reached her mouth.
Dammit.
Alexa put the fork down and pulled the phone out from her pocket. It was a text from Jack: I think Gomez hurt his leg during our walk. I carried him home and now he won’t stand up. Should I call Dante?
Waves of panic replaced her hunger. She didn’t want to worry Dante if she didn’t have to. But, then again, what if this was serious?
She texted back, Don’t call Dante yet. I’m on my way.
After checking in with Gabriel and the manager to make sure everything would be taken care of, Alexa grabbed her purse and headed for her car. She said a quick prayer in her head that the night didn’t end with her having to tell Dante that his beloved dog had been hurt under her care.
“This is why I don’t have pets…or kids,” she muttered to no one.
Forty-five minutes and lots of broken traffic laws later, Alexa rushed through the door of Dante’s house. Gomez had been lying in his bed in the living room, and as soon as she walked in, he stood up, whimpered, and then fell back down. It broke her heart. Something was definitely wrong.
She walked over and sat down on the floor next to his bed. “Aw, you poor thing,” she said as she scratched behind his ears.
Although his face was permanently set in a frowning expression, he still looked sad to her. He was probably wondering why this crazy lady and not his beloved owner was there trying to comfort him.
Gomez needed Dante to be there.
So did she.
…
The next morning she waited in one of the exam rooms for Dr. Dean, Gomez’s veterinarian. She looked at her phone one more time. Dante’s plane had landed almost an hour ago, and he’d texted that he’d meet her there as soon as possible. But he still hadn’t shown up, and they’d called Gomez in to be seen.
“Good morning. I’m Dr. Dean.”
Alexa looked up to see a very young and very good-looking blond man walk into the room. He seemed surprised to see her and looked down at the folder in his hand.
“I’m sorry. It says here that Gomez belongs to a Dante Perez?”
“Oh, yes, well, he’ll be here soon. He’s coming straight from the airport.”
“That’s fine. Are you Mrs. Perez?”
“Me? Oh, no. I’m Alexa. I’m Dante’s…friend. He’s been out of town, and I was watching Gomez for him. Like I said, he’ll be here soon.”
The vet’s gaze lingered on her for a few more seconds before he finally turned to Gomez. Dr. Dean checked his heart rate and then his temperature and declared both were normal. Then he put his hand over the dog’s back leg.
“Yep, it’s definitely swollen. How did this happen again?”
“Well, Jack—he’s Dante’s neighbor who takes Gomez for walks—said that he stepped off a curb and then fell. He didn’t want to stand at all last night, so I put a cold compress on him until he went sleep. This morning he could stand, but he is definitely walking with a limp.”
Dr. Dean examined Gomez again, and this time the dog whimpered. Her throat tightened with emotion.
He nodded. “Okay, so here’s the plan. We’re going to—”
The door to the exam room blew open, and Dante appeared. Gomez immediately tried to stand up to greet his owner.
“Hey, buddy,” Dante said and went over to rub the top of his dog’s head. He smiled at Alexa, but she could see the worry in his eyes. She’d heard it in his voice, too, the night before, when she’d called to tell him what had happened. He’d asked her to take Gomez to the vet and booked the first flight out of Miami that morning. Now that he was here, she could breathe a little easier. She hoped he could, too.
“You must be Mr. Perez?” Dr. Dean asked. When Dante nodded, he continued. “I was just telling Alexa that I want to do some X-rays to confirm, but I don’t think anything is broken. It’s most likely just a sprain. If that’s the case, I’ll prescribe him some painkillers and anti-inflammatory meds. Just don’t let him jump off any more curbs or couches for a few days, okay?”
Relief washed over her, and she couldn’t help but scratch Gomez’s back. He wiggled his little tail in appreciation. She knew exactly how grateful he felt. She hadn’t broken Dante’s dog after all.
When Dr. Dean left the room, Dante went to her and gave her a big hug. “Thank you for taking care of him.”
“I’m sorry it happened,” she said into his shoulder.
He pulled away to look at her. “This wasn’t your fault, so don’t beat yourself up, okay? Bulldogs have weird joint issues. If it hadn’t happened now, it would probably happen soon. He’s going to be okay.”
She nodded and curled her arm around his. “He missed you. You can tell.”
He turned and smiled. “And what about you? Did you miss me, too?”
“Maybe just a little,” she teased.
“What? You meet a cute animal doctor and suddenly I’m yesterday’s news?”
She laughed and playfully socked him on the shoulder. “Please. Dr. Dean is not my type.”
“Good. Because I definitely think you’re his. He couldn’t keep his eyes off you.”
Was he still teasing, or was he actually jealous? She couldn’t tell by his tone or expression. He had the best poker face.
Either way, she wanted to make sure he knew where her interest lay. She moved in front of him and grabbed his head with both of her hands. “Welcome home,” she said before kissing him fully on the mouth.
Immediately, his tongue found hers, and he wrapped her in an embrace. Alexa had honestly missed him. She hadn’t realized it until that moment. She’d been starved for the taste and feel of him, and it didn’t matter that they were in a veterinarian’s clinic. She needed to take her fill of him.
He responded just as hungrily, fisting the back of her shirt and pressing his erection against her thigh. “Damn, I missed you, woman,” he said between kisses. “I can’t wait to show you how much.”
They kissed some more, and eventually realization of their surroundings slowed their passion. Luckily, they pulled apart just seconds before Dr. Dean and a nurse walked back into the room.
She glanced up and noticed the vet was staring intently at her. This time, though, she wondered if it was because he noticed her disheveled clothes and swollen lips. Alexa hoped so. Then it would be clear that he had no chance with her. She was taken.
“Okay, Melinda here is going to be taking Gomez for X-rays. Both of you can wait outside, and I’ll be back to let you know the results as soon as possible. It shouldn’t take more than half an hour.”
Both of them said their good-byes to Gomez and walked out. They held hands as they wandered into the waiting room and found seats near the reception counter.
“You don’t have to stay. I know you have to get back to the restaurant.”
“Are you sure? I can hang out for a little while,” she told him.
“What if it takes longer than he said? I don’t want you to be rushing because of me or Gomez. It’s okay, go on.”
He gave her another kiss before sending her on her way.
As she walked out of the clinic, she wasn’t sure how to feel. On one hand, she was grateful that Dante had been considerate of her time. On the other, though, she wondered if he’d sent her away because he didn’t think it was her place to stay with him while he waited for news about his beloved dog.
Then another thought made Alexa stop dead in her tracks.
Since when did she care?