“I don’t know about all that,” I said quickly. “Let’s just call it a coincidence .”
The tequila was starting to go to work. I felt far more relaxed than I knew I should. I took in the doctor again. He had lost the white coat, his black shirt unbuttoned at the top and teasing a tuft of blond curls on his chest. I wondered what it would feel like to drag my nails down his chest and feel his nipples under my fingertips. The thought made my abdomen flip with pleasure, my womb begging to be filled with his seed. It was an overpowering sensation of desire .
“Are you always so pessimistic?” he asked over the noise .
I shrugged. “Sorry, but I don’t really have a lot going on in my life right now. This isn’t really a time of celebration .”
“Then why are you here ?”
His harsh tone made me stiffen as I glared at him. “My sister wanted me to come if you must know. She is doing great in school and aced a final. Just because I don’t want to celebrate doesn’t mean she shouldn’t have that chance .”
“Oh,” he said quickly. “Sorry this just doesn’t seem like your kind of place .”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I shot back. “Is it too upscale for me ?”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he stammered, trying to save himself .
“Right,” I snorted, suddenly wanting to be as far away from him as possible. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll go dance with my sister now .”
“Wait,” he said as he quickly grabbed ahold of my arm .
I didn’t feel threatened by him, though I really wanted too. “What? Got another insult to hurtle my way ?”
“That isn’t fair,” he shot out. “I was trying to give you an honest compliment. You aren’t like the woman in here. There is more to you than just nightclubs and dinner parties .”
My heart started to race as our eyes locked onto each other again. I could have stayed there for hours just gazing at him. He really was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. It wasn’t just the depth of his blue eyes that drew me to him. His muscular frame could be seen now without the doctor’s coat and the most intoxicating scent surrounded him. My core was getting wet just looking at him .
I was never one for one-night stands, but Earl was hard to resist. If I hadn’t seen Selina walking over from the corner of my eye, I never would have stopped gazing at him. To my shock, when she saw Earl she jogged over to him and embraced him warmly, the same way that she did to me earlier that afternoon. My mouth fell open. How in the hell did Selina know a plastic surgeon? She would never alter herself that way. It only left one other possibility. The thought of them together made me far more jealous then I liked .
“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe two of my favorite people are finally meeting! Do you guys know how awesome this is?” she blurted out .
“I’m going to go,” I said quickly turning to make an exit .
“What?” she yelled, grabbing my arm. “No way! You missed the wedding so you never got to meet Earl. Do you know how awesome this guy is ?”
“I’ve heard he’s pretty great, mostly from him talking about himself,” I said sarcastically .
Selina laughed, “You are such a riot! No silly, Earl is Gary’s son!” She turned her attention back to the doctor. “I had no idea you were going to be here tonight! We could have met for dinner beforehand !”
“It was a spontaneous decision, but now I’m glad I did it. Are you going to introduce me to your friend or should we just guess what’s going on ?”
Selina smacked her own forehead. “Of course, I’m such a ditz sometimes !”
“Earl,” she said, “This is my older sister, Tabitha Morgan .”
Earl’s eyes grew wide and he took a small, but noticeable step away from me. For some reason being Selina’s sister wasn’t a good thing. I could tell by the look on his face. Of course, that would make sense considering the day that I had already had. Things were just going to keep getting worse for me. I lifted up my hand and flagged down the bartender, indicating I would need another shot of liquid courage to survive the night .
“And Tabby, this is our new step-brother, Earl! Isn’t it wonderful? We have a brother !”
My face instantly paled, my stomach churning from the alcohol. “Are you kidding me? This is the son of that guy Mom married? Holy crap .”
“Well,” Selina said, the fake smile waning. “That wasn’t quite the reaction I was hoping for, but I guess it will work.” She paused. “Is everything okay, Tabby ?”
“Yep,” I said. The alcohol was taking control of my brain. “Me and Dr. Perfect here have already met .”
Selina gasped, “You have ?”
“This afternoon, when he told me I couldn’t afford new tits!” I blurted out. It was hilarious now that I thought about it. “Isn’t that something? My step brother made it to second base with me !”
I saw Earl wince and my sister’s jaw clenched. For some reason, they didn’t see the humor in it that I did. Who cared though ?
“You two are a couple of sticks in the mud,” I said. “I thought this was a club! Let’s get out there and go dancing! Just cause I can’t spend some time with Earl, doesn’t mean I’m closed for business .”
Earl and Selina turned away from me, but I could still hear what they were saying .
“Good job on your final, why don’t you go celebrate. I’ll make sure she gets home okay,” he said to her .
“Are you sure?” she asked, looking back at me. “I don’t know that she would be comfortable with you taking care of her. She’s a pretty independent person .”
I laughed, “I can take care of myself, Selina. Don’t worry, Earl here has already seen my tits, what more can I do to screw things up ?”