Page 83 of Done with You

“But she does.”

At that comment Joy’s head reared back. “How do you know?”

“Because she propositioned me in her office. After she declined seeing me as a patient, she told me that she felt a connection with me and would like to see me on a personal level again if I was willing. That she couldn’t see me as a patient, but would like to know if I wanted to go out.”

“Wow. That’s …” Joy blinked. “That’s a bold and brave move on her part.”

“I was fuming. I shut her down.”

“Yes. And?”

“And told her she was bad in bed.”

“I heard about that. And you still think she wants you to like her after that? After your behavior since then?”

Aiden scratched at his jaw. “I don’t know. Probably not.”

“And yet, you keep pushing her buttons.”

“Because she already thinks I’m an asshole. Might as well just play into the role, right?”

“I don’t know. Is that what you think should be happening? That you need to be an asshole, that you need to make her angry?”

Aiden lifted a shoulder.

“What happens when she gets angry?”

“I get angry.”

Joy nodded.

A knock at the door had them both looking up.

Aiden cleared his throat as Joy set down her coffee mug and pried herself out of her chair to go answer the door. “Hello, honey, come on in.”

Aiden swallowed, though it ended up being harder than he thought given the sudden knot at the top of his throat. He took a sip of his coffee—Joy made a strong brew—and slowly swallowed, allowing it to massage his esophagus.

Jordan came around the corner behind Joy, his expression hesitant but also curious. “I can come back if—”

“It’s all good,” Aiden said quickly, standing up. He maneuvered around the coffee table, draining his mug on his way to the kitchen where he rinsed it out with soapy water, then set it in the drying rack before returning to the living room. Joy was watching him with a smile in her eyes.

Jordan focused on Joy. “Have you talked to Rayma? I’m worried about her.”

“She’s out running errands with Grant. He offered to drive her around after she got the news from Pasha about her parents flying out early. He didn’t want her driving in this nutty Christmas weekend traffic with that on her mind. A recipe for an accident.”

Jordan blew out a breath of relief. “Oh, I’m glad he’s with her.”

Joy smiled. “They always have fun together. I think she’s okay. She had a little bit of a panic at first, but then she held her head up high and resolved that she wasn’t going to let them ruin anything. That she’s come too far. She had that Rayma strength that we all love.”

“That’s my woman,” Jordan said with pride.

Joy patted him on the arm. “I do like Pasha’s plan to not let her be alone with them at all, though. She’s a strong woman, but she needs people to have her back.”

“I agree,” Jordan said. “We’ll all make sure of it.” Then he faced Aiden. “You okay?”

Aiden nodded. “Yeah.” He turned to Joy, his brain firing in a million different directions. “Uh … thanks.”

Joy grinned. “Anytime, honey. If you want to talk in a professional or personal manner, I’m here. But I’m sure we’ll see each other again before the wedding.” Then she leaned in and up onto her tip toes and gave each of the boys a hug. “You two behave, okay?”