Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
S asha went into her office after her last patient and did a quick scan in her bathroom mirror. She still looked good after a long day. She ran the water to wet a few stray curls that refused to stay put in her ponytail. Her hands shook a little with nervous excitement she desperately tried to tamp down. She had to constantly remind herself this was just a checkup and nothing new was sparking between her and Derek.
“We can’t get lost in him again.” she whispered to her traitorous heart.
She heard her office door open and quickly stepped out of her bathroom to grab the file Tiny was probably handing her. When she saw it was Kane her excitement quickly dipped into annoyance. “I told you we had nothing left to discuss.” she snapped.
Kane walked further into her office like he owned it. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if I took every no for what it was.” He smiled and it sent a shiver down her spine. All her mind heard was he wasn’t going to respect her words, and it made her terrified to be alone with him.
He closed the space between them and Sasha momentarily froze when she felt his hand grip her wrist. “You know what I want and what I can offer you,” he started. “I can give you everything you want.”
She tried to pull out of his grip but he held on tighter. “Kane, we’ve been through this. I don’t want to work for you or have anything else to do with you for that matter.”
He pressed into her and her pulse quickened. Something felt off with him. He’d always been pushy, but something about his demeanor now had her feeling scared to the point she almost started panicking.
“I . . . Kane, I told you no. I don’t want anything from you.” Her voice softened and she hated herself for it. She should be kneeing him in the balls but something told her that would only make things worse. “I’m happy in this office and with the way my life is now.”
He pressed himself closer and she could smell the liquor on his breath.
Not again.
“I could make it better, Sasha. We had a good time when you let me inside of you.” His other hand gripped her hip and she felt the bile rise in the back of her throat. She wasn’t going to do this with him.
“You need to get your hands off of me.” Her voice held steady even though her entire body shook. “I’ve told you no on all accounts. I will not work for you, I do not want to be with you and I don’t want you touching me.” Using her free hand, she pushed him but he didn’t move. “Kane,” she snapped again. She tried to use more force to push him off of her.
This time he moved, and going by the shocked look on his face, he hadn’t expected her to move him. But it wasn’t her who had gotten Kane off of her. Derek was in her office. He had his hand on Kane’s neck and he pulled him away from her and into the nearest wall.
Kai started growling at Kane as Derek held him up by a forearm to the throat. “Are you okay?” His tone was soft and sat at odds with the venom she could feel pouring out of him. Sasha nodded, even though she knew he couldn’t see her––she was having trouble getting her voice to work.
“Ms. Green told you she doesn’t want anything to do with you. Take the hint. These fancy suits and money won’t save you from getting your ass beat, or having charges pressed against you for assault and harassment.” Derek’s voice was cold as he spoke to Kane, completely different from when he asked her if she was okay.
Kane started bustling under the threat and Derek pressed his forearm further into his neck. “Just nod and tell me you understand that you’re going to leave Ms. Green alone. Ms. Rivera has enough documents to show the amount of times you’ve called and harassed her, so if you don’t think we have a case, I promise we do.”
Kane’s eyes were narrowed but he nodded and Derek dropped him. Kane looked past Derek and straight at her. He went to say something but Kai snapped at him, making him yelp and run out of the office.
“I should have known that guy was a prick. He hates animals and they don’t like him either.” Sasha blurted out when Derek turned his heated gaze on her. Kai was at his side, sitting now that the threat was gone with her tail wagging.
“I’m sorry. Tiny said not to interfere and I wasn’t, but Kai started whimpering by the door and I couldn’t––” Sasha didn’t bother to hear any more. She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She felt him hesitate before his arms were around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
“Thank you,” she whispered into his neck. She quickly released her hold on him, knowing how inappropriate and messy this could get if she let the familiar feeling of being in his arms lead the way.
She stepped back to say her thanks to Kai who barked and licked her palm. “She’s a great dog.”
His hand went to the back of his neck, seeming so unsure of himself. “Yeah, she is. Are you sure you’re okay, Sasha?”
“Thanks to your super girl over here, I am. Thank you, Derek. How about we go check Kai out?”
Derek nodded. “Um, Sasha if this is inappropriate say so, but I’ve never had a dog before and there’s a lot of information out there now. What foods are good, what you should and shouldn’t be doing. Is it okay if I email you here and get your input on anything?”
Sasha’s first reaction was to tell him no. But he hadn’t asked to meet for drinks or call her late at night. He respected her enough to know that she might still have reservations about them as individuals and kept things professional by offering to email her at the office.
“Yes, that’s fine. Fair warning, Tiny usually handles the emailing, but I’ll tell her to keep it professional.”
Derek smiled, and wow, if he didn’t look like the man she’d fallen in love with before his time in the marines hardened him.
Sasha looked down at Kai. “How about we get your girl checked out, and if she’s all good I’ll let you give her some chicken.” Kai barked and turned around in a circle, making both her and Derek laugh. His laughter warmed her and if she wasn’t careful, she knew Derek would find a way back into her heart.