Dr. Grant (Off-Limits)

I’m quiet as Dr. Grant walks me to the bar I told Leia I’d meet her at. He’s holding up his umbrella, covering me entirely, but more than half of him is getting wet. He barely seems to notice, though. Or maybe he does. Maybe chivalry isn’t dead.

I take a step closer to him, and he looks down at me, his gaze unreadable. “You’ll get wet,” I murmur, my voice barely audible in the rain. “We both fit underneath the umbrella.”

He nods and wraps his arm around me, placing his hand on my waist. The warmth of his palm seeps through my soaking clothes, and I melt into him. We walk in silence, his embrace keeping me warm, and our proximity keeping both of us relatively dry.

I don’t remember the last time I felt this way. Walking through the rain with him, his arm wrapped around me… it feels peaceful.

“Here we are,” he says, pausing in front of the bar.

I hesitate, not wanting him to go. I’m not sure what it is about Dr. Grant, but his presence is soothing. “Would you like to have a drink with me?” I ask before I can change my mind. “Leia won’t be here for a few more minutes. She’s always late.”

He looks away, and my heart sinks. He’s going to say no, and that shouldn’t affect me, yet I’m already disappointed.

“I’d love to,” he says, surprising me. Dr. Grant laughs at my expression, and my heart does this weird little thing. Almost as though it flutters.

He collapses his umbrella, and I grab the jacket I’ve still got wrapped over my shoulders. Before I can take it off to return it to him, his hands close over mine, keeping them in place. Dr. Grant’s gaze drops to my chest and he bites down on his lip, his eyes darkening. “Keep that on, Amara.”

I look down, my face slowly turning scarlet when I realize that my top is partially see-through. My black bra is showing through my pale pink top, and my nipples are clearly outlined through it. I clutch Dr. Grant’s jacket and cover myself up as best as I can, eliciting a chuckle from him.

I lower my head as I walk into the bar, and the sound of his laughter follows me. Why is it that every time I’ve been with this man, I’ve thoroughly embarrassed myself? Usually I’m so composed, but not in his presence.

My cheeks are blazing as he slips into the barstool next to mine, an amused grin on his face. “Have you ever had a hot chocolate with Baileys in it?” he asks, thankfully changing the subject.

I shake my head as I suppress a shiver. My wet clothes are starting to make me feel cold now, and I suspect Dr. Grant is chilly too. He smiles as he orders us drinks, and I take that moment to study him. He’s handsome in a rugged way, and he carries a hint of danger. He’s different from the rich men that usually surround me. Their power is in their money. They’re nothing without it. But Dr. Grant? I have a feeling he could easily rip someone apart with his bare hands. He doesn’t need to hide behind the illusion of power and influence.

“What will you do?” he asks, his tone betraying his concern. My smile melts off my face and I stare at the two mugs the bartender pushes my way. I hand one to Dr. Grant silently.

“I’m not sure. Wilson, my investor… he’s a childhood friend, and he’s the only one that was willing to invest in me. I only have a couple of months left until I finish my PhD, and if I haven’t acquired funding by then, it’ll be over. Right now, I’m making use of the college’s research facilities, but soon I’ll need my own.”

He nods, his attention entirely on me. I don’t remember the last time someone looked at me with this much intensity, and it makes me feel vulnerable.

“My grandfather… I guess my surname kind of gave away who I am. My grandpa is throwing this huge charity ball next week, and I might be able to find a new investor there. I’m not sure.”

Dr. Grant nods, and just as he’s about to reply, his phone rings. I watch him as he takes it out of his jeans pocket, his muscles flexing through his soaking wet t-shirt. I swallow hard and force myself to drag my eyes away.

“Excuse me for a minute. I have to take this,” he murmurs, glancing up from his phone. I nod at him, and he smiles as he picks up, a twinkle brightening up his eyes.

“Hey,” he says, his voice soft. The way he smiles, the tone of his voice… he’s speaking to a woman, and a tinge of something I can’t quite name settles in my tummy. “I miss you. I was hoping you’d call.” That little tinge in my tummy? It transforms into full-blown jealousy and I look away, trying my best not to focus on his conversation, and failing. I’m not sure why I assumed that Dr. Grant was single. I should’ve known better. He’s insanely hot, and he’s a doctor. Of course he’s taken. We hardly know each other, yet somehow my heart feels a little broken.

“I can’t wait to see you this weekend and hear all about it. I booked a late-night flight so I get to see you Friday night, rather than waiting until Saturday morning.”

I grit my teeth and wrap my arms around myself. Why does this hurt? Is it because I thought he was flirting with me? I’m not sure, but finding out he’s got a girlfriend hurts.

I sip my drink in dismay as he finishes up his call, and all the while, I wish it were me on the receiving end of his words.

“Sorry about that,” he says, reaching for his drink. “That ball you mentioned… your grandfather invited me too. He came to see me at the clinic the other day. Caught me by surprise.”

I look at him with raised brows. The ball is incredibly exclusive. Grandpa must really like Dr. Grant for him to have personally invited him.

“Your mother actually came to see me too. She delivered the invite and offered to get me a tuxedo made.” He leans in and pushes my hair behind my ear. “I guess that is how you got your earring back? Shortly before your mother entered my office, it was on my desk.”

I look into his eyes, my heart racing. Not just from his proximity, but also because of the instant worry I feel. “She came to see you and hand-delivered the invite?” That’s unlike my mother. She has staff for almost everything she does. At most, she would have had one of her secretaries deliver the invite. Why did she go herself? Why is she going out of her way for Dr. Grant, to the point of having him a custom tux made?

Dr. Grant nods. “You’ll have to save me a dance,” he adds, smirking at me, and I tense, wanting to retort that his girlfriend probably won’t like that, but not wanting to act jealous either.

Today has just been an endless myriad of bad news and confusion. I can’t figure out why Wilson suddenly won’t invest anymore, and I can’t figure out the connection between Dr. Grant and my mother either. It feels like I’m missing something, and I hate that. On top of that, I don’t know how to feel about my dad texting me again. Part of me expected him to give up after I didn’t reply to his last text, but it doesn’t look like he will, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

“Amara!”

I turn to find Leia walking up to me, and I breathe a sigh of relief. She’s exactly who I need right now. Leia looks at Dr. Grant wide-eyed, her eyes dropping to his soaking wet t-shirt as he rises from his seat to offer it to her.

“I see your friend is here,” he tells me. He reaches for my phone on the bar and gives himself a missed call. “I’ll head home now. Keep the umbrella and the jacket, okay? You’ve got my number now. Return the jacket whenever you want. Don’t lose faith, Amara. You’re amazing, and you will find a new investor.”

Before I can tell him to take the umbrella at least, he’s gone, and Leia is taking his place.

“Wow, who’s the hottie?”

I grimace, suppressing the possessiveness I feel. I’ve never felt this way about any man, let alone one I’ve just met… but somehow, I don’t like the idea of Leia checking him out.

“Dr. Grant. He works at the college clinic.”

Her eyes widen. “No way. That’s Dr. Grant? Guess I’m going to be faking some ailments then.”

I tense, a rush of jealousy overcoming me. Leia is beautiful, with her long dark hair and those curves of hers. If anyone could steal Dr. Grant’s attention away from his girlfriend, it’d be her, and I don’t like the idea of that at all.

“I thought you were all obsessed with that one-night stand dude,” I say, my tone harsh.

Leia frowns at me, and then she smiles. “You like him. Well, shit. Come to think of it, it took me days to get details about your doctor’s appointment out of you. Now I see why. Ugh. I love this! It’s the perfect meet cute.”

I shake my head and sigh. Only Leia would think something like that would be cute. “He’s got a girlfriend, Leia,” I tell her, wanting her to knock it off. The last thing I want is for her to get my hopes up.

Leia’s smile drops, and she sighs. “Oh. That sucks.”

I nod and look away, sadness washing over me. “Today has been such a shit day,” I murmur.

Leia wraps her arm around me, and I drop my head to her shoulder. “Tell me all about it, babe.”

And I do. I tell her everything. I tell her about everything she missed out on, and with every word that tumbles out of my mouth, I feel just a little better.