Animal Instincts [The Andersons 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Marie Jermy Read Free Book Online Page A

now. And if Ramona licked her lips one more time, Rex realized that thought would be put into action quicker than he could get a stiff. And since he was already halfway there—again!—that time would be now. Not trusting himself to speak, anything was liable to come out of his mouth—his tongue included—he nodded his thanks and returned inside.
    He had to concentrate. He had an operation to perform. And Rex was sure nothing would be more effective at separating his brain from his cock than the slip of a scalpel and the subsequent apology to Mr. Donovan for sending his pet to the great snake pit in the sky.

Chapter 4
     
    At half past six, and with a forced cheery smile, Ramona waved off the last patient of the day. It was only after she’d locked and dead-bolted the door that she let rip with a loud curse of relief. Cecilia the Siamese cat was such a bitch, all claws and spit. No wonder her owner always brought her to the surgery for her quarterly worming tablets. She had suggested crushing the tablets and adding it to Cecilia’s food, but the cat was smart. Cecilia was sick, too, because she was known to pee in her food if served with something she didn’t like.
    “Bitch,” Ramona again cursed and rubbed a tender hand over the scratches on her right forearm. Not surprisingly, on more than one occasion, she’d thought about introducing Cecilia to Reggie.
    Hmm, Reggie. Mmm, Rex… Apart from when he ’ d been using the laptop in the office, searching the Internet, and making a few phone calls, she hadn ’ t seen Rex as he ’ d been holed up in the operating theatre all afternoon.
    And she had to confess, she ’ d missed him, or rather, missed that smug smile. It would have come in real useful for Bud Watson when he ’ d popped in earlier for another round of “I ’ m-no-vet-but-I-know-more-than-you-do-about-treating-horses.”
    Ramona wandered through to the quarantine area. In his cage, still under the effects of anesthetic, Reggie had a sterile dressing wrapped around his body, covering the area where Rex had operated. Hesitantly, she opened the door and reached out to touch him, when a voice behind her drawled, “Go on, be brave. He won’t bite.”
    Snapping the door shut and hand held over her racing heart, she twirled around to face Rex. A stethoscope around his neck, he held a clipboard in one hand and a shuttlecock in the other. “You nearly gave me a coronary!” she accused. The hitching of Rex’s mouth into that familiar smug smile effectively curbed the temptation for mouth-to-mouth first aid. She gestured to the shuttlecock. “Operation a success?”
    “Of course.”
    “Smug, Rex, real smug.”
    “No, just honest.” Rex laid the clipboard and the shuttlecock on top of the cage. “The real test will be when he wants to feed. I’ve looked for snake food, but not surprisingly we don’t have any in stock. I’ve phoned Mr. Donovan, and he’s going to bring some in first thing tomorrow morning. I think he said a couple of rodents… Hey, what happened?” he asked, pointing to then capturing her right hand.
    “Oh, my last patient didn’t take too kindly to me shoving tablets down her throat.” His fingers trailed over her scratched skin, sending tingles of pleasure zipping to every nerve ending in her body, from her scalp to her toes. “It looks worse than it is. It’s nothing a little antiseptic cream won’t heal. Really,” she added at his doubtful expression.
    “Well, if you say so.” He dropped her hand. “I’ll just grab a shower, and then I’ll cook dinner. Return the compliment.”
    It wasn’t until after Rex had gone that Ramona realized she’d been holding her breath. She slowly let it out. Jumping a partner’s bones had never been so tempting. But not smart, she reminded herself as she went through to the office and powered the laptop into life.
    She had just finishing typing an e-mail to Stephens—well, why not, fair’s fair—detailing her approval and reasons