Delta Bear (Rogue Bear Series 2) (2 page)

H
er heart was
about to beat out of her chest. This wasn’t what she envisioned when she volunteered to help veterans have a buddy in the community. The man standing in front of her didn’t look like he needed assistance. He was tall and strong. His shoulders were wide enough to fill the doorframe. His voice calm and steady. She was afraid if she looked into his dark eyes one more time her knees would buckle.

She was a damn doctor. A medical professional. She needed to pull it together and give him a physical like any other patient, not wonder what he looked like shirtless.

She looked around the cabin and wondered if this was where he usually called home. There wasn’t much too it. The fireplace was dark and the mantle was clear. She didn’t see a single photo or personal memento.

“Why don’t you sit on the couch?” she suggested.

She inhaled sharply when he brushed past her arm.

“All right.” He moved in front of her.

She looked at him. Normally, she would open her kit and go through the routine physical, but she froze.

“What do you need me to do?” he asked.

She sat next to him and fumbled with the clipboard with his information. “I need to ask you a few questions, first.” She swallowed.

“What do you need to know?”

Haley started at the top of the list. “Do you have a history of blood pressure problems?”

“No.”

“Heart disease?”

“No.”

“What about high cholesterol?”

He shook his head. “Again, no.”

She moved through the next columns. She knew the answers before he gave them. The man had to be in perfect health. She had never seen anyone who looked like he did. Muscles firm and toned. Perfect chiseled jawline. A killer smile that made her tingle all over.

“Ok. I’m just going to listen to your heart, take your vitals, and I’ll be done.” She nudged the earpieces into her ears and rested the end of the stethoscope on his chest.

His skin was warm, and as her fingertips grazed over the firm planes of his muscles, she had to remember to breathe. She wasn’t the one being examined, he was. But holy hell, her body was reacting to him.

She didn’t think she’d ever heard a heart beat so strongly before. Her eyes met his and she tried to smile, but she was lost in the depths of brown.

“Everything all right, doc?” he asked.

“Oh yes.” She slid her hand away from his broad chest, letting it graze the ridges of his sternum. Would he have noticed if she had left it there a few extra seconds?

She reached in her bag for the blood pressure cuff. She wrapped it around his upper arm, taking in the way his muscles flexed under her fingers. She began to pump the gauge and tried to focus on the needle, not his eyes.

“Eighty over one-twenty. Perfect.” She smiled.

“See? I told you I’m in excellent health.”

“It’s good to have these records, Captain…I mean Jax. We hope you don’t need them, but emergencies happen, right?”

His eyes narrowed and she couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or interested. “Right.”

“How have you been feeling since you’ve been home? Any fever? Coughing?” she asked as her hands slid along his neck, searching for any signs of inflamed glands.

He swallowed. “No. I feel fine. Really.”

“That’s good.” She tried to think of what the next standard procedure was, but being this close to him made her forget a routine she had performed hundreds of times.

“What about your appetite?”

“Haven’t missed a meal.”

She sat back to record his answers on the clipboard. “And are you sleeping? Any changes in your routine?”

“I sleep fine, doc. Anything else?”

“Yes.” She handed him a pamphlet.

She was here as part of the volunteer program, not to gawk at him. “Now that you’re home we know that there is probably going to be a transition period. There are some phone numbers here if you need help readjusting. There are counselors available twenty-four seven.”

“Wait, are you recommending a shrink?”

She nervously bit at her lip. “No. It’s only if you need the numbers.”

“I told you I’m fine.”

“How long have you been gone?”

He lowered his eyes. “Two years.”

“Two years is a long time to be away from home. I think it would be normal if you wanted to talk to someone about it.”

“Is that something you do? Are you offering?”

She tried to read his eyes. What was he asking her? She wasn’t a psychiatrist. She was an emergency room doctor, but part of the program was lending an ear or a hand. That had to fall under her volunteer responsibilities.

“I could.”

Her heart beat a little faster.

“I’ll let you know, doc.” He rose from the couch and walked to the door.

“If not me, then know there are people here for you, Jax.” She walked onto the porch. “There are a lot of people who want to support our veterans.”

His hand landed on the wood post over her head. His body towered over hers and for a second she thought he was going to kiss her. But that would be crazy. That would be absurd. This man who looked like a Greek god, was not going to kiss her out of the blue.

She stared at his lips. They were beautiful. Probably the most kissable lips she had ever seen. Full and broad. Firm and perfectly shaped for kissing.

“Thank you. What did you say your name was?”

“Dr. Manning.”

“I got that. What about a first name?”

“Oh right. It’s Haley.” Her back was pressed against the post now and if he leaned any closer his solid chest would be touching hers. She would be able to feel that intense heartbeat.

“Haley.” He smiled, rolling her name over his tongue.

“Mmmhmm.” She nodded.

She knew she was lingering. She was standing on his porch, unable to take the first step toward her car. She forgot she was here as a volunteer, and he was supposed to be her veteran. Instead, she wanted to drink in every ounce of him.

Damn it. She was an educated, independent, self-made woman. She worked twelve-hour shifts, solved medical crises, commanded an entire hospital nursing staff. But standing there looking in his eyes, all she could think about was how much she wanted to be kissed.

H
e stared
into her green eyes. His chest heaved with deep breaths. He didn’t know it would be like this to stand next to his mate. To know the woman he was within inches of would share his life. She was the one who would make his life complete. The thought of touching her was enough to make his skin burn. He felt the slow growl start deep in his chest. She was so close.

He bent toward her, ready to taste her lips when he heard an engine rattling along the driveway. He looked up to see his cousin’s truck racing over the gravel.

“Damn it,” he muttered.

Haley slipped out from under his arm. The moment was gone.

“Cuz, you’re home.” Brandon jumped from the truck.

Haley walked down the stairs. He wanted to pull her back on the porch, and wrap her in his arms. Steal the kiss he was thirsting for. Brandon was already half way up the stairs and threw a burley arm around him.

“Good to see you.” Brandon hadn’t even stopped to avoid bumping into Haley.

“Hold on, man.” Jax jogged down the stairs, catching Haley at her car. “Doc, wait just a second.”

Her cheeks were flushed, and he couldn’t help but think it was from the kiss that almost happened.

“Yes?”

“I don’t know if this is part of the program, but I was thinking about going out for dinner. Would you want to join me?”

Damn he sounded like he was in high school. He knew he was rusty, but he needed to get his game back faster than that. This was his mate. He thought he saw a smile form on the corners of her lips.

“Are you asking me out?”

“I am.”

“Would you say this is part of your re-entry practice?”

He chuckled. “Most definitely.”

“Well, I can’t let you do that alone can I?” She slid behind the driver’s seat. A second later she handed him a piece of paper. “Here’s my address. Pick me up at seven.”

Jax shoved the note in his pocket. “See you then, doc.”

He watched as she backed out of the driveway and her car disappeared in the wooded drive. He turned to face his cousin. He wanted to slug him for showing up when he did, but he hadn’t seen him in two years.

“Who in the hell told you I was back?”

“Good to see you too.” Brandon grinned. “Looks like you aren’t wasting any time with the women. Don’t blame you. Two years is a long time.”

Jax snarled at him. Part of him thought he should tell his cousin he had just met his mate, but there was something in him that wanted to keep it a secret. He had only met the doctor half an hour ago. It was too new to share.

“What brings you by?”

“Thought I’d bring you up to date on clan business.”

Jax sat on the top step, pulling the knife from his leg. He reached for a piece of kindling and began to whittle long clean strokes against the wood.

“Not interested in the clan right now.”

His cousin sat next to him. “Look, I know you’ve been out of country, but you’re the alpha. You’re home. You can’t ignore the clan.”

“I’m not done over there. You’ve been doing a good job filling in for me. Just keep it up.”

Brandon laughed. “I’m not the alpha. The clan’s not going to keep listening to me if they know you’re back. You need to get everyone together. There are things that need to be addressed.”

“Negative. I’m only going to be here another week or so and then I’m right back where I was. I’m sure you can handle whatever is going on.”

Brandon gripped his arm. “No. I can’t. You’re the alpha.”

Jax set his eyes on his cousin and growled. “And as your alpha I said to take care of it.”

He rose from the step and walked in the cabin, slamming the door behind him.

The last thing he wanted was to get involved in clan business. He walked to the fridge and grabbed a beer. He needed something to calm his bear. But he knew beer wasn’t the answer.

H
aley looked at her options
. She wasn’t going to wear scrubs on this date. Because that’s what it was, a date. Dinner with a hot guy.

There was something about Jackson Landon that had already gotten under her skin. It didn’t make any sense. She had only known him a few hours and she was thirsting for another look at him.

She settled on a pair of jeans and a tank top. If she paired it with boots it would dress it up a bit. There had to be a balance between looking sexy without looking like she tried.

Today was the first of three days off, but ever since she left the little cabin in the woods the only thing she could think about was Jax. She didn’t get her bookcase painted or her junk drawer cleaned out. She didn’t even take the nap she had promised herself for the last four night shifts.

She dipped her eyeliner in the well and applied it just under her lid. Then she heard a pounding knock on the front door.

“Hold on,” she called.

Shit. He was early.

She rushed to the hall and opened the door. Standing in front of her was the most delicious looking man she’d ever seen. She blinked. This was her date.

“Hi.”

“Ready?”

“I just need another minute. Want to have a seat?” She pointed at the sofa.

“Sure.” He walked past her and she smelled his cologne. Good lord, he was unbelievable.

Haley ran to the bathroom and finished her makeup. It was hard to get the lines straight with her hands shaking like they were. The air had changed since Jax walked in the room. Her skin was tingling and her breath was quick.

She fastened her hands on her hips. She was a damn doctor, trained in medical science. There was a reason for this. Pheromones, she told herself. Also the fact that she hadn’t gotten laid in a year. She switched off the light and walked toward the living room.

“Ok. I’m ready now.” She grinned.

“You look stunning.”

“Thank you.” She felt the heat in her cheeks.

“I don’t know if you’re going to be able to help my re-entry.” He held the door for her.

“Why is that?”

She worried he was going to back out of the date. Or what if she had missed a symptom of depression or anxiety? She had been so busy studying the lines of his face she hadn’t tuned in to the cues of stress. She had to be the worst volunteer in the program.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, trying to sound like she did in the ER.

“Oh no. Nothing is wrong. I’m worried that all night I’m going to have to fight the men off of you.” His eyes trailed over the swells of her breasts. She realized she had chosen the perfect outfit after all.

Haley giggled. It was sweet and silly, but she liked it. “Do you say that to all the girls?”

“No.” His eyes grew serious. “Only you.”

“Oh.”

“Come on. Let’s go eat.” His hand clasped over hers, and Haley suddenly felt very tiny and feminine. It was his broad shoulders, his large palms, his wide chest.

Jax drove them to a restaurant and held the chair out for her to sit. She wondered how long it had been since he had done something as normal as going out to eat.

She thanked the waiter when he dropped off a glass of wine for her.

“So how has your first week back in the U.S. been?” she asked.

He folded the menu and placed it on the table. “Strange.”

“I can only imagine. But you’re happy to be home?”

His eyes landed on hers, and she felt something in his gaze she hadn’t seen before. “I think I am. For now.”

“You should just take it slow. Don’t put pressure on yourself.”

“Is that you talking or the doctor?” He raised his eyebrows.

She smiled. “Sometimes I can’t separate the two.” Haley sipped her wine, feeling the sudden smoothness soothe her.

“I have that same problem. Work hazard.”

“Yes, exactly. A work hazard.”

“How long have you been a doctor?”

“I’m finishing my residency now and then I’ll be done. I haven’t decided if I’m staying in Watkin.”

“Not stay in Watkin? Where would you go?”

“Mmm…I don’t know. I don’t have family here. There are a lot of hospitals hiring right now. Not to mention private practices. I thought about trying the east coast.”

“What?” His voice was deep and low. The sound sent a shiver down her back.

“I have a year to decide.”

“I don’t know why you’d leave Washington. What more could be out there?”

“You leave, don’t you?”

He chuckled. “True. But my job has different traveling requirements.”

Jax stopped to order for both of them before dismissing the server.

“I only know you’re in the Army. What do you do?”

“I don’t really talk about it.”

She grinned. “I think you can trust me. I have your blood pressure on file.” She giggled, realizing how light her voice sounded.

“All right, doc. You’re right. I do trust you. And I don’t trust many people.” He leaned back from the table and Haley noticed how he scanned the tables around them. “I’m in Special Forces.”

“Holy shit.” She almost choked on her wine.

“Delta Force to be exact. But that’s about all I can say about it.”

She knew there was an elite group attached to the Army unit close to Watkin, but she had never met any of the men on the team. The townspeople talked about them as if they were urban legends.

“What you do is very dangerous, isn’t it?” she asked.

His eyes softened. “It can be.”

She didn’t know where it came from, but there was a sudden need to tell him to quit Special Forces. To drop out of the Army. To get as far away from secret missions and dangerous missions as he could, but that had to be the wine talking. She had only met Jax a few hours ago. His safety as her patient would make sense. But Jax wasn’t her patient. He was her date.

Pheromones she told herself. It’s the damn pheromones controlling everything. They had to be the reason her pulse raced, and her eyes refused to blink. Yes, there was a medical explanation for everything. Even crazy, life-altering physical attraction.