In the Heat of the Night

 In the Heat of the Night

Stopping in front of the sanctuary’s clinic, Serena slid out of the cart and gathered up her equipment. Pushing open the door, she flipped the light switch and headed for her office. She was busy recording the information about the new wolf pups when a slight noise caught her attention. Her nostrils flared as the scent of spicy cologne wafted into the room. Before she could stop herself, she inhaled deeply. The woodsy aroma invaded her senses, and she shuddered. Damn, she hadn’t wanted to see him tonight. Thank all the gods she was leaving right away in the morning. This was not a good time to be fantasizing about her boss.

The office door opened. Glancing up, Serena looked into the face of Dr. Kearnan Grey. She remained perfectly still, but her senses snapped to full alert. Something about him was different. His scent had changed; he smelled—eager. Yes, that’s what was different, the anticipation. Why? What did he want? Was that a question in his eyes? Swallowing nervously, she jerked her eyes back to her ledger.

She felt rather than saw him lean against the doorjamb. Glancing up from beneath her eyelashes, Serena focused on the man who, lately, spent entirely too much time in her dreams.

Barely six feet tall, lithe and lean rather than bulky with muscles, Kearnan Gray’s form still seemed to fill the doorway.

A small smile tickled the corners of his mouth as he stared at her.

Serena avoided eye contact and let her gaze wander down his body. God helps her, but she never got tired of looking at him.

Wide shoulders, a broad chest, but not too broad, her boss was definitely not barrel chested. No, he was not bulky with muscles but rather muscular with a well-toned body. His stomach was flat and his hips slim.

Deliberately skipping over the bulge between his thighs, Serena’s gaze continued to drift down his body. Concentrating on that most interesting part of his anatomy would fluster her even more. Instead, she admired how his jeans clung to his muscular thighs.

Serena sighed mentally. Too bad he didn’t turn around. He had a great ass. More than once she’d watched his taut buttocks flexing underneath tight fitting jeans as she climbed hills behind him.

His voice was amused. "Like what you see?"

Jerking her eyes back to the book in front of her, Serena pretended interest in her ledger, but she didn’t see a word written there. Sighing, she closed her eyes. She didn’t need to have them open to see his face. She had every detail memorized.

Her boss was too good-looking for his own good. Rather, her own good. Some women might be put off by the sharp angles of his face and prematurely gray, no—silvery-gray, hair—but she wasn’t. As far as she was concerned, her hair was perfect. So were his lips, not too thin, not too full, and the bump on his nose from when he broke it last winter was sexy. Not even that small scar high on his left cheek marred his good looks.

But it was Kearnan Gray’s eyes that fascinated Serena more than any other feature on his face, his gray eyes. Eyes that were the color of a soft gray mist on a summer day when he was happy, the color of dark, stormy gray of thunderclouds when he was puzzled or unhappy, or the hard iron gray color of tempered steel when he was angry. What color gray would they be when he was lost in passion?

Lost in passion? Down, girl, Serena admonished herself as she struggled to fill in the information about the birth and ignore her boss at the same time. Get your mind back on your business—the wolf cubs. Maybe it would be better if I forget about sleeping and leave as soon as I get finished here. Dr. Gray is becoming entirely too enticing, especially with the full moon tomorrow night. Besides, there’s no way anything but a business relationship between the two of us will ever work. Every one of my relationships sucked.

Gray’s husky voice pulled her back to the present. "Everything went well?"

She misspelled a word.

"Yes," she answered without looking up. "Three new pups, two males, one female, all healthy."

"Great." He stepped further into the small room, and Serena had to force herself not to shiver with anticipation. He was so—masculine, and tonight was not a good time for her to be anywhere near him. Three steps inside the door, he stopped. Her stomach lurched and she swallowed. Did he sense how nervous he made her? How tense? How horny? Get a hold of yourself, Serena. It’s not a full moon yet, thank God. She sighed with relief at that thought. He would not be amused if she attacked him.