Page 102 of Aching for His Discretion

“Killian, leave the poor girl alone,” she said angrily, and I laughed as she gave me a sorry look.

“It appears you did your homework on me, Mr. Russel. As a matter of fact, I am. Is that why my attending called me here specifically?” I asked, and he nodded.

“As well as the fact that you were at the top of your class and still outranking your fellow colleagues,” he stated, and I continued smiling as I spotted the healthy growing baby on the scan.

“We were flying back from Virginia to go to New York when we had to land for her safety,” he explained, and I nodded as I looked away from the screen.

“Well, from what the scans tell me, your baby boy is just fine. I will order some extra tests for your hemoglobin, leukocytes, glucose, and a few others as well, just to be safe. But I must warn you, Mr. Russel, your wife is seven months pregnant. She’s bound to feel pain here and there, whether it be from discomfort, nausea, hunger... The more you stress about her safety, the more it jeopardizes her actual health, as it causes her unnecessary stress,” I compromised with him. Brielle sent me a thankful smile as he nodded slowly.

“Understood, Dr. Monroe. Thank you,” he replied, and I nodded, but not before hearing the little girl he was holding speak as well.

“...Thank you, Dr. Monroe,” she whispered, and I “awwed” as Mr. Russel rubbed her back softly as he rocked her slightly on his hip.

“Delilah, sweetie, try to go back to sleep, honey. You’ve been up for a long time,” he whispered softly, and I gave a final smile as I stepped out, giving them some space.

As I entered my apartment complex, I noticed Mr. Rivera and Mr. Frank talking by the front desk. They noticed me and went silent for a moment, as I went over to my mailbox.

“Um... good evening, gentlemen,” I greeted softly, and Mr. Frank simply nodded his head. Mr. Rivera didn’t do anything. He looked like he wanted to say something—badly—but it was almost like he couldn’t spit it out.

“Did you manage to do something about the heater? I think we may have some snow later,” I tried to fill the silence, and Mr. Rivera sighed as he looked at Mr. Frank.

“That’s what we’re discussing now, sweet pea. We hope to get it up and running for the night, but it’s been giving us problems… Use the space heaters if you need to, okay?” he said to me, and I nodded politely as I grabbed my things.

“Not a problem. I’ll let you know if anything else comes up,” I said, and Mr. Frank nodded wordlessly again. Mr. Rivera, however, finally said part of what he seemed to be holding back.

“Be careful, okay, Teegan?” he almost pleaded, and I furrowed my eyebrows momentarily before nodding.

“I will be. Have a good night, guys,” I said softly and ascended the steps as I walked to my apartment.

I reached into my bag for my keys when I noticed my door was cracked slightly. Looking around quickly, however, I didn’t see a trace of anyone who may have stopped by. My heart rate quickened as I had slight flashbacks of what had happened before when I thought someone had killed my little kitty… wait…Grayson!

I pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to see one of my favorite candles burning and the sound of slow classical music. Hearing footsteps approach me from my room, I felt frozen as I looked up to see the man who broke me—the man who made me suffer—the man who was able to put me back together—the man whoownedmy entirety whether I wanted him to or not.

“Hello, Tesoro,” he muttered, and I watched as he held Grayson in his arms and pet him softly.

“Levi,” I whispered, and he looked down at my kitty for a moment.

“Don’t worry, Tesoro… he’s sleeping,” he said nonchalantly, and my hands felt clammy.

Levi lookeddifferent.He looked more dominating, more intimidating, even more attractive if that was possible, and I almost felt weak in the knees. After the rejection, after crying myeyes out and vowing to no longer give this man my heart… he still had an effect on me, even though I tried to convince myself he didn’t.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered, and he approached me once again to the point where we were only a foot away.

“...I’m here to see you, Tesoro.”

Chapter forty-three

Teegan

“I’m here to see you, Tesoro,” he said, and I had to hold back the scoff that wanted to surface.

“Here to see me…” I muttered, placing my bags down and slipping my shoes off. “What for?” I asked, my hands beginning to feel more clammy as my heart pounded in my chest. I had to do my best to avoid eye contact as he stepped a bit closer.

“I missed you,” he admitted, and I crossed my arms.

“That’s not a valid reason.”

“And why is that?” he asked.

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