Stitch

took a quick peek. A smile spread across her face seeing it was Stitch. As she read his message, warmth spread through her body. With both of their work schedules the last few months, it had been challenging to find time to talk. She missed his voice, his laughter; hell, she just missed him.
She thought back to her last visit.  It had been right after Irish’s fiancé, Bailey was kidnapped, shot in her lower belly, and nearly died. Irish served on the SEAL team with Stitch and her brother. It had been a really difficult time for everyone, wondering if Bailey would recover from her injuries.
Add in Mia’s stress dealing with her residency, prepping and sitting for the North American Veterinary Licensing Exam, along with job hunting; she had been a little moody during that timeframe. She thought she had hidden her struggles, but Stitch had seen right through her façade, and one night he had pulled her to the side and questioned her. She tried to play it off as if everything was fine, but when he gave her that stern look of his, she knew she was busted and ended up spilling everything to him. They had sat alone outside on the patio talking for almost an hour, and somehow, he managed to ease the uncertainties facing her. Before they went back inside, he took her hand and placed a key to his cabin in her palm, telling her he bought the cabin so he had a place to escape the stress and worries of life, especially after returning home from a mission. He told her she was welcome to use it any time she wanted. Now that everything was falling into place, she had been considering taking him up on his generous offer.  Especially now that Elijah had informed her last week that he was planning on cutting back his hours at the clinic, which meant more responsibilities were falling on to her.
She had to remind herself not to get too worked up about it, considering he paid her an impressive salary, especially for someone fresh in their career. However, if you don’t have time to enjoy those benefits, then there seems to be no point of slaving yourself. She would talk to Stitch this week and see if he would mind if she used the cabin for a weekend in December before Christmas. Who knew, maybe after her conversation with him over the Thanksgiving holiday, he would perhaps join her for a romantic weekend in the mountains. Stitch may be a hardass Navy SEAL, but from her interactions with him over the last year, she’d bet her life that he was a true romantic under all that armor.
She typed a quick reply, thanking him and telling him she was looking forward to seeing him this weekend. As she pressed send, a large body pressed up against her back, startling her. She looked over her shoulder and gasped, seeing Elijah there.
“You disappeared on me again.” He teased, whispering the words in her ear. His mouth was so close to her ear; she swore she felt his lips brush against her skin as he spoke.
She stared at him for a moment. He stood just shy of six feet, physically fit, with a thick head of dark wavy brown hair, and dark eyes; he was most women’s idea of a perfect man. The women at the clinic all drooled over him when he would come to work straight from the gym, still wearing his workout clothes. She’d admit, he did look amazing in his tux this evening, and he chose not to shave, so the five o’clock shadow on his cheeks made him look that much sexier.
She smiled but chose to ignore the “disappeared” comment. It wasn’t like she had been ordered to stand by his side all night. She was grateful for the invite, but she sensed things were getting a little weird between them.
“I had a wonderful time. Thank you again for the invite.” His large hands traveled down her bare arms to her hips, where they rested. The move was intimate and made her uncomfortable and unsure of what his intentions were. In the last few weeks, there had been a slight change in his attentiveness towards her in the office. But after tonight with his blatant flirting, she was beginning to think that Elijah may be interested in her more than just a colleague. She wasn’t about to venture down that path. Most women would call her crazy, but he just didn’t do anything for her.
A waiter appeared with a champagne tray, and she used that opportunity to step out of his firm hold. Taking a glass from the tray, she thanked the waiter before swallowing about half the glass in one gulp. She had been careful to limit her drinks. This was only her third and final for the evening.  Elijah never took his eye off her. There was a gleam in his gaze, and she recognized it. It was the same look guys at a bar or club would give her before they’d try and charm their way into her pants. She wasn’t an easy lay and had even punched a guy for insisting she was.
“There wasn’t a man in the room that couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
She lowered her eyes, wishing the floor would swallow her up. She drank the remaining champagne in her glass. She wasn’t sure how to respond to his comment. Maybe it was the alcohol, but she smiled and looked up at him.
“I could say the same for you. There were quite a few women who appeared put off that you ignored them.”
His eyes grew darker, and he licked his bottom lip.
“That is because I only had eyes for one woman in the room.” His gaze was intense. He had a fire in his pupils, and she knew he was speaking about her. It put her on edge. She swallowed hard and wished someone would use this exact time to