Stitch

Mia between the two men. Mia had always felt self-conscious when someone walked behind her. Especially a man. During her early years of college, she had been harassed by guys while walking the campus. Even though she knew it was Demitri behind her, his presence still made her uneasy. She took a quick glance over her shoulder, and he pinned her with those dark blue eyes before he flashed her a smile. Something about his demeanor gave a warning. What that warning was, she wasn’t sure, but she’d be sure to keep an eye on him.
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Even using the larger exam room, it was a little cramped with the three of them. Demitri stood off to the side and typed away on his phone most of the time while she and Elijah examined each puppy. At one point, Mia swore she saw from the corner of her eye Demitri hold up his phone as if he was taking a picture. She wanted to question him on it but didn’t want to add any tension, but the thought added to her suspicions about the man.
She tried not to let his presence rattle her, and she pushed aside the uneasy vibe and focused on the pups. She was pleased and felt relieved that all the pups seemed in perfectly good health. Her only concern was their size. They seemed too small to be removed from their mom.
“I wonder where their momma is. These little fellas seem awfully small to be on their own.” She asked as she cuddled one of the blue French Bulldog pups close to her chest. He was the cutest little thing. They were all cute. Mia couldn’t believe someone had dumped them in an alley, considering breeders fetched an average of $2,000-$3,000 for a blue French Bulldog.  A well-documented pedigree could fetch even more—over $3,500.
Elijah approached and stood in front of Mia. He looked at the pup then into her eyes. “French Bulldogs are small. I wouldn’t worry too much about their size. They all appear to be healthy. I’d say the odds of them finding a nice home are very high.” He scratched the puppy behind the ears, and in doing so, the back of his hand brushed against her scrub top, coming close to her breast. Not knowing if his move was intentional or not, she repositioned the puppy in her arms. There were already rumors amongst the staff that Elijah had the hots for Mia. She paid no attention, although she had noticed he had been very attentive lately. He didn’t seem to notice what he had done, so she let it slide. Accidents do happen.
“What are we going to do with them, now?” She asked, taking a step backward to put some space between the two of them. As she went to turn to put the puppy back into one of the other carriers, she bumped into Demitri and gasped when his hands landed on her waist. When the hell did he move from the corner of the room?
She looked up into his mysterious eyes. The dark blue orbs were intense, like a fire burning beyond them, and again she sensed he wasn’t a man to be messed with. She imagined he was full of dark secrets, maybe even dangerous. His expressions alone gave her an unsettling feeling. Without saying a word, he gave her waist a slight squeeze before moving past her, letting his hand brush her backside, sending a chill up her spine.
As if paying no attention to what just happened, Elijah answered her, “Tonight, we’ll keep them in the kennel, and then tomorrow I’ll have Willow contact the rescue organization we use to place available animals.”
Satisfied with his answer, Mia picked up the two carriers and started walking toward the door. “I’ll take these guys and get them settled for the night while you finish up with whatever you need to do?” She needed a breather, still feeling on edge with the two men and their actions tonight.
Elijah nodded his head. “When you’re finished, stop by my office before you leave. There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
Before she could question him, he turned his back and started talking to Demitri. As she walked to the kennels, she heard the two men laughing. She shook her head. She just wanted to get the puppies settled and go home. She scooped up each puppy, gave them each a little hug, and placed them in the oversized cage. She hoped that those responsible for leaving the puppies out in the cold were eventually caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
◆◆◆
Elijah watched out of the corner of his eye as Mia walked out of the room. She had no clue the effect she had on him or Demitri, for that matter.
Demitri whistled low once she was out of earshot. “You hit the jackpot with that one. I’ll be honest, I’m fucking jealous.”
Elijah grinned.
“Where in the hell did you find her? She is the whole package; brains, beauty, and personality.”
“I owe Professor Collins for the recommendation. I normally wouldn’t waste my time on a recent graduate, but there was something about the way she spoke of Mia that intrigued me, so I took a chance.  And I’m glad I did. You know I like to interview job candidates in a more informal setting, so Professor Collins invited me to speak at a lecture for her class. After class, she introduced Mia to me, and I’ll admit, I was blown away by her professionalism and intellect within the first five minutes of speaking with her.”
“You offered her a job on the spot?” Demitri asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Of course not. I called her the following week and asked her out for coffee to discuss her post-education career. When she told me she was still applying at clinics in the city, I told her not to look any further.” He chuckled, “I think I surprised her when I told her I was offering