Page 46 of Demo

His skin looked like he’d spent the day in the sun without any protection. He snorted, remembering aTikTokvideo about how women enjoy showers so hot, it could cook chicken. Guess, he was the chicken in this current scenario.

Demo heard his phone ring and looked around for where he’d left it. Finally finding it in the pants he’d discarded on the floor, he smiled broadly when he saw it was Paige calling.

Unable to resist, Demo leaned back against the vanity and switched to a video call before answering. He held the phone back so she had a broader view of him.

Paige’s jaw dropped when she appeared on his screen. Her eyes went wide as they roamed down his naked torso. He’d cut the image off just above his groin.

Demo’s grin was full of lust and promise when her eyes finally made it back to his face. “You know,” he drawled playfully, “if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were only with me for my body.”

Her cheeks burned. “Until this moment, I would have argued otherwise. I—” Demo saw her eyes narrow and his grin dropped to a frown. She leaned closer to her screen. “What the hell is on your shoulder?”

Demo glanced down, saw the bruise developing from when he’d slammed his shoulder into the door frame, and cursed. “It’s nothing,” he said quickly, moving the view of the camera up so only his face now showed. Shit, this had turned not-so-sexy fast.

“Demo!” she snapped. She almost looked angry. “Let me see.”

“I didn’t call you for a medical consult, Doc.”

Paige’s eyes narrowed. “No,Icalledyouto see if you were okay because I hadn’t heard from you. Now show me your damn shoulder.”

With a reluctant sigh, Demo dropped the phone down so she could see his left shoulder. He supposed he shouldn’t be so annoyed that Paige had noticed the bruising, but he was a bit abashed that his finely toned abs hadn’t distracted her very long. He’d worked hard to gain a body he was proud of. Most saw him and didn’t thinkaccountant, which always amused the hell out of Demo. Sure, Paige had stopped and stared. She definitely appreciated his form, he knew that. But she also hadn’t gawked or turned into a bumbling bimbo at the sight of his nakedness.

Why was that so arousing to him? It certainly had a humbling effect.

“Demo, your shoulder has chronic pain. Your nerves respond to stimuli.Pleasetell me you did not try to increase your pain by slamming your shoulder against something to then decrease your pain?”

Demo brought the phone back up to his face. “What would you have me do, beautiful? I couldn’t even get my shirt off. It was like my arm would only respond to pain.”

“You call me,” she snapped. “Regardless of whatever else is going on between us, Demo, I am your doctor. You call me and let me help you.” When he turned his head away from the screen, Paige scolded, “Do not make me go all legal name on you. Because I will. I will even call up Lucky right now to figure out what your middle name is because I don’t have your chart in front of me.”

Demo snorted. He turned back to the phone. “Lucky doesn’t even know my middle name.”

“Maybe not, but it got you to look at me.” She gave him a sexy-as-fuck, sassy smile.

Demo grinned back. Fuck, he loved smart women. “You truly are beautiful. Don’t ever doubt that, Paige.”

A blush creeped across her cheeks. “I am getting ready to head out to the clinic. Are you able to meet me there? I can work on your shoulder before my first appointment comes in.”

Demo glanced down at himself. “I might startle some old biddies into a heart attack on my way, but yeah I can head over that way.”

Paige smiled widely. “They’ll die happy. Butpleaseput on some clothes. I’d hate to have to treat certain areas for frostbite.”

Demo flinched at the implication. “Fuck. Yeah, probably a good idea. I think I have a pair of gray sweatpants around here.”

“Or come in the tightest jeans you own so I have to have you remove them.”

Demo chuckled. “Not sure you know where the shoulder is, Doc, if you need me to remove my jeans to get to it.”

Paige shrugged. There was enough mischievousness in her eyes to call her smile a smirk. “There is a method to my madness.”

Demo saw her moving around by her front door. Remembering the snow on her driveway when he’d left earlier, he cursed. “I meant to shovel your drive before I left this morning, but obviously that didn’t happen when I got called away.” He started towards his bedroom. “Wait, there. I’m on my way.”

“No, you don’t need to,” she told him. “Ronald came over this morning and took care of it.”

Demo stopped in the middle of his studio apartment. His king bed and dresser were against the far wall, parallel to the little kitchenette he rarely used. Despite the fact that she’d used his name, Demo obviously knew she wasn’t talking about him. “Ronald? As in, Hannigan?”

She blinked, as if trying to discern the sudden hostility in his voice. “Yes, my father-in-law. The boys’ grandfather,” she said pointedly.

As if he needed the reminder.

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