Chapter Twenty-One

        By Thursday, Emma Jean was over it. Earlier in the week, she’d gotten another note in the mail. This one said, I’m coming for you , and since this was the first one that was worded as a direct threat, she immediately called Deputy Tremont. And since she’d promised Noah, she called him too. Thanks to their overprotective natures, she now had a squad car making regular trips past the clinic throughout the day. She appreciated that they took the threat seriously, but she thought the drive-bys were overkill since she was sitting in a busy clinic with other people all around her. That was Tuesday.

        Wednesday afternoon she’d gotten a phone call from her father-in-law. It shocked the crap out of her considering that both her in-laws had treated her like she didn’t exist. They hadn’t always been dismissive. In fact, before she and Cody got married, they’d been warm and welcoming. After the wedding, though, their act fell away, revealing the cold, uncaring couple for who they really were. So, she was surprised when she took a break that afternoon to check her voicemail and heard Richard Sampson informing her that she’d punished Cody enough and needed to drop the charges and come home, her blood boiled hot enough to fuel a rocket ship. She deleted the message and went back to work. She didn’t dare tell Noah about it.

        So, needless to say, she was already feeling overwhelmed when she arrived at work Thursday morning to find out that Marissa was down and out with the flu and her sometimes replacement, Shirley, was out of town visiting relatives for the holidays.

        “Emma Jean, I’m going to need your help today,” Dr. Fetterman was saying as she divested herself of her coat.

        “But...what about the files? Who’s going to answer the phones or greet the clients when they come in?”

        “The files can wait. So can the phones. We can forward them to the voicemail system and if it’s an emergency, they have the option of calling my cell.”

        “Um, okay. Hang on.”

        “What are you doing?” he asked, watching her pull a piece of plain white paper out of the printer and write something on it.

        “Making a sign for the front counter so folks know that we’re here, but we’re short staffed. They can have a seat, and I can check the waiting area in between patients. Is that okay?”

        “It’ll have to be. You’re all I got today. We’ll make it work.” Just as he finished speaking, their first patient, a brindle Great Dane, arrived.

Thankfully, he was only there for his rabies booster, so he’d be a quick in and out. It gave Emma Jean time to pull the rest of the patient charts for the day, so at least she was ahead of the game in that respect. She didn’t need to be fumbling around for paperwork when Dr. Fetterman needed her in the clinic.

The day went by in a flash. Emma Jean and Dr. Fetterman worked well together. She’d wipe down the exam areas after each patient and fetched each new patient from the waiting area when it was time. Dr. Fetterman was fairly self-sufficient. He gathered his own supplies, knowing better than she would what he needed and where those items were stocked. When he did need an extra set of hands, he calmly and patiently directed her in how to properly and safely handle each animal. The only bump they hit was when a client either hadn’t seen or ignored the sign she’d taped up at the front desk informing people that they could have a seat and someone would be with them shortly. This particular client thought he was going to get immediate service and started yelling when he wasn’t catered to.

Emma Jean had tried to soothe him as best she could. “I’m sorry, sir, we’re just a little short staffed today. Marissa’s ill, so-”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses, I just want you to fix her,” he clipped, pointing to the basset hound at his feet who had obviously given birth recently judging by the size and shape of her teats.

“Well, what seems to be the problem?” she asked after a deep breath.

“Christ, I don’t know! That’s why I brought her here!”

“Okay-”

“Everything okay out here?” Dr. Fetterman asked, having just come out of the supply closet with an armful of gauze.

“Something’s wrong with Daisy, doc,” the man practically whined.

Dr. Fetterman visibly clenched his jaw. “Alright, Donnie, why don’t you bring her back? Let me take a look.”

Emma Jean tried to steady her hands, which had started shaking the moment Donnie started yelling. She cursed her reaction and hoped that it hadn’t been obvious to anyone, though, judging by the reassuring smile Dr. Fetterman shot her way, she feared it hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Fifteen minutes later, she watched Donnie lift Daisy into the cab of a souped-up Ford and drive off.

“I’m so sorry about that.”

Dr. Fetterman frowned. “What are you sorry for? Donnie’s a dick.”

Emma Jean snorted at the uncharacteristic show of vulgarity.

“Still, I could have handled it better.”

“No, you handled it just fine. It wouldn’t have mattered what you did or said, he would have been unhappy until he got what he wanted.”

He must have seen the disbelief on her face because he continued.

“Let me tell you a bit about Donnie. Donnie breeds basset hounds. Makes good money at it too, even though he’s not certified. Does it off the books. Now, Donnie’s pissed because Daisy just had a litter of pups and is having trouble nursing them because she’s got an infection in her milk ducts. This means that Donnie has to take time out of his oh-so-busy schedule to bottle feed those puppies. On top of that, Daisy is on her last legs as a breeder. So, you see, Donnie wasn’t really pissed at you, he’s pissed at his top money-maker being out of the game.”

“That ’s  awful. All of it. That poor dog. And those poor puppies!”

“Told ya. Donnie’s a dick.”

That time, Emma Jean laughed outright. “Yeah. Total dick.”

***

        

        The next day was more of the same, but since the day before had been trial by fire for Emma Jean, Friday went a bit more smoothly. It was also Emma Jean’s first payday, which thrilled her. She wasn’t rich, obviously, but it was a step toward her goals, and a little less that she’d have to rely on Noah. Plus, now that she knew for sure what her biweekly pay would be after taxes, she could accurately calculate a budget of sorts. Figure out how much she’d have to borrow in student loans. Or what kind of car she could afford. That small sum opened up all kinds of possibilities with its potential.

        At closing time, Emma Jean was dead on her feet. She thought about texting Noah to come inside and carry her out, she was that beat. She waved goodbye to Dr. Fetterman (she still had a difficult time thinking of him as Abel) as she left out the front door, locking it behind her because Dr. Fetterman always left out the back way. Noah came up the walk to meet her, not liking that she even take those few steps to his SUV alone.

        Taking in her haggard appearance, he announced, “How ‘bout we order pizza for dinner?”

        Not wanting to be on her feet a moment more, she was thankful for the suggestion. She watched him make the call from the car and drove them to the pizzeria to wait.

        “Rough day, baby?”

        “Rough two days,” she grouched.

        “You kicked ass, though, didn’t you?” he said knowingly.

        Emma Jean warmed, realizing he was right. She had kicked ass. Dr. Fetterman was in a jam and needed her, and she handled it. “Yeah. I kinda did.” She granted him a grateful smile. She was astounded by Noah’s faith in her. That unwavering conviction that she could do anything she wanted to. Too many years of being treated like she was gum on the bottom of someone’s shoe had left her feeling like she actually was. She was grateful that her parents and her friends didn’t see her that way, but she was truly blessed to have that from a man like Noah.

         

***

        “Go upstairs and get undressed.”

        “Noah, I’m exhausted. I’m not really in the mood-”

        “Sunshine. Trust me, I know exactly what you need. Please go upstairs and get undressed. I’m going to draw you a bath.”

        “Oh,” she breathed. A bath sounded heavenly. And, he was right. It was exactly what she needed.

        Upstairs, she shed her clothes, tossing them in the hamper and grabbed a pair of flannel pajamas. She didn’t put them on but held them in front of her in an awkward attempt to maintain some semblance of modesty as she entered the bathroom just in time to see Noah pouring a cap of bubble bath into the steaming water. Suddenly, she didn’t want to bathe alone.

        “Are you going to join me?”

        “Tempting. But not yet.” He smirked, seeing the way she was holding her pajamas. “Go ahead and get in. I’ll be right back.”

        He left her standing there, belatedly realizing that she was attempting to cover her front, but did nothing to cover her behind. She rolled her eyes at her own ridiculousness and set her pajamas down on the edge of the sink. She sank down into the water, moaning as she felt her muscles slowly relax. She languidly lifted one leg and used her toes to turn the water off once it got to chest level. The giant soaking tub was probably her favorite attribute of this apartment, and she’d miss it terribly when she finally moved out.

        “Don’t fall asleep.”

        Her eyes fluttered open revealing Noah with a plate full of pizza, two glasses, and a bottle of wine. “You’re the perfect man,” she murmured, causing him to chuckle.

        He set down his bounty and made sure there were a couple of towels with in  reach of the tub before stripping and entering the tub at the opposite end.

        They ate and drank while they soaked in silence, and Emma Jean was thankful for the peace. But not nearly as thankful as she was for the man who provided it for her when she needed it. Downing what was left of her wine, she dropped the glass onto the plush bath mat and dropped her arms into the water. She ran her foot up the inside of Noah’s thigh, stopping only when she reached his balls.

        “What are you doing, sunshine?” His husky voice made her nipples pebble.

        Looking at him through her lashes, she said, “Saying thank you.”

        He raised a brow. “For what?”

        “Taking care of me.”

        “No. You don’t need to thank me for that, baby. Taking care of you is what I was made to do , and I plan on doing it for a very long time. Years. Decades. So, get used to it, sweetheart.”

        She pulled herself forward and into his lap. Straddling him and staring into his eyes she reached down beneath the waterline and gripped him in her hand. “I want you.”

        In the days since they first became intimate, she had yet to take him inside her. They’d kissed, of course. They’d made out and groped each other. They’d tasted each other. There was also the dry humping incident on the couch. But they had yet to have sex. And Emma Jean was suddenly aching to have sex.

        “I’m not sure you can handle me,” he taunted.

        Her eyes flared at the challenge. Noah Hawkins was about to find out that, despite her past, she was no wilting flower.

        She tightened her grip, causing him to hiss, and rose above him, ready to take him in.

        “Wait.”

        “No,” she refused.

        He had the audacity to laugh. “Wait, Emmie. We need to get out of the tub so I can get a condom.”

        She shook her head. “I’m on birth control.”

        “That’s good to know, but let’s be safe.”

        It belatedly occurred to her what he meant. He thought she was unclean. Hell, maybe she was. She didn’t know for sure that Cody had ever cheated on her, so it was possible, although, they hadn’t had much of a sex life during the last several months they were together. Cody’s constant drinking left him with an erectile dysfunction problem that he liked to blame on her rather than the alcohol. It was the cause of a slap to the face on more than one occasion until Cody finally gave up trying. But maybe he found what he needed elsewhere. She should get checked just in case.

        “I’m sorry. You’re right. I might have something.”

        “What? Wait. What?” Noah shook his head like he was trying to clear it. “Hey, baby, no. No, no, no. That is not at all what I’m saying.”

        Emma Jean couldn’t stop the tears that gathered in her eyes. “It’s okay. I never cheated, but I don’t know if Cody-”

        “Hey. Stop.”

        Her head snapped up at his sharp demand.

        “If you want to get tested, I will take you. But I was not implying that you need to. Besides, baby, I’ve already had your sweet pussy in my mouth. If you want to get tested, I’ll get tested too.”

        “Maybe it’s for the best,” she whispered, her eyes darting around the room so she wouldn’t have to look at him.

        “You’re not dirty, Ems. I know that’s what you’re thinking.”

        She shrugged.

        “Even if you did have an STD, it wouldn’t be your fault and it wouldn’t be anything to be ashamed of.”

        “People get sick from all sorts of things all the time. It would be no different,” she rationalized out loud, seeing the truth in his words.

        “That’s right, baby. I wouldn’t look at you any differently. You’d still be mine, and I’d still want to fuck your brains out every chance I got.”

        Emma Jean splashed him. “Will you get tested with me?”

        “Anything for you. In the meantime, what do you say we get out of the tub, dry off, and you let me fuck you in my bed? With a condom, of course.”

        Emma Jean stood so fast she nearly slipped and fell back into the cooling water with its rapidly dissolving bubbles.