Page 34 of Commander in Briefs

Boundaries? What the hell does that mean?

I open my mouth to respond when he cuts me off.

“Let it go, Commander.” His face is so serious that I decide I’ll do as he said. This time. But Theo better not be scaring him off.

Theo wanders off, doing who knows what, while Cade and I pile a shit-ton of food in the buggy, so much that a few looks are thrown our way. In the four weeks he’s been living with me he’s filled out, no longer looking emaciated. His forearms bulge as he maneuvers the buggy through the narrow aisles. His hair has been cut and styled and his booty is popping in his track pants. My Cade has become quite the hottie, if I say so myself.

I grin at the lady currently gawking at his ass. She has been holding that jar of peanut butter for five solid minutes.

“Protein and squats,” I tell her, and she jumps and fumbles the jar. I give her a little wink and swat Cade’s behind. Oh yeah. Definitely the squats and the fact he didn’t have much fat to begin with. We have been building some muscles in those glutes.

Cade jumps at my harassment and turns, giving me his signature stare.

I shrug and tease, “Just setting boundaries.”

He snorts out a laugh. “Did you just spank me, Commander?”

Peanut-butter-lady looks mortified, stowing her jar in a football hold and hightailing it away from us weirdos.

“I did no such thing, Major Jameson.” Oh. Another thing I found out. Hottie here was a major in the Marines. A motherfucking major! A complete badass! He was pretty tight-lipped about it and I don’t know as much as I would like, but I’ll weasel the rest out of him eventually.

“I was merely giving my fellow shopper fitness advice.” Eh. I swatted that backside because I could. I don’t do boundaries.

“Uh huh.” He chuckles. He doesn’t believe me and that’s okay, because it’s a lie. He doesn’t care though. I broke that shy shit the first week he was here. We all have the same parts. An ass is an ass. A dick is a dick. Maybe because I am a doctor and I see so many naked bodies, I’ve just grown accustomed to seeing people in their nakedness. Covering up like a nun and fleeing to the next room just makes me curious. Like, what is so special that you are keeping it under wraps? It’s natural. We all want to know what’s under there.

Cade doesn’t really appreciate my no-boundaries attitude, but he has learned to deal with it. What he hasn’t learned to deal with is Theo’s lack of a moral compass and blatant nudity. It’s a fine line with Theo. Asking him to cover up only encourages his bad behavior.

It’s like when a child drops the f-bomb. Do you gasp and tell them never to say that? Sure, that’s one way to correct them. Perhaps they’d say it a few more times and you’d correct those, too. With repetition, the child would learn that it’s a no-no. Or you could ignore the little spawn, act like they didn’t speak. They don’t get the reaction they want so they have no incentive to say it again.

The latter works with Theo. Ignore him, and it takes the fun out of what he’s doing. If you growl and charge him, as Cade did, he will repeat it about fifteen more times, getting more indecent with each instance. It’s been a long week.

“Commander.” Cade’s deep rasp pulls me away from the Nutella and my thoughts. “Your phone is ringing.”

Right. I jog to the buggy and rifle through the abyss otherwise known as my purse. Feeling the vibration, I snatch it out and answer before catching a glimpse of the caller. “Yeah.”

“Dr. McCallister?”

Damn it. Bellamy.

“Coach Bellamy. How’s it hanging?” Inappropriate? Yep. Was that my intent? Yes, yes it was. Bellamy is a bastard and I harbor no love for the man.

“Dr. McCallister, I’m calling to inquire about the physical status of my player.” Oh. Look who is being professional today. I’m game.

“The physical status of Mr. Von Bremen remains unchanged. However, his physical therapy has improved his range. I will release him on a conditional basis.” Total bullshit. Theo’s shoulder was sore, probably from bad form, but it’s in tip-top shape thanks to my elite expertise.

Continuing before Bellamy can interrupt, I say, “I will be returning with him to monitor his shoulder after each game. I assume the rotation has not been altered?” I can almost hear Bellamy grit his teeth in annoyance.

“No. It has not. I’ll see you both on Thursday.”

Just to annoy the pretentious prick, as cheerily as I can, I say, “We look forward to it!” I toss the phone back into the abyss, my mood darkening.

“You’re leaving?” Cade’s eyes are questioning and he seems disappointed.

Does he think I am leaving his hot ass here at home?

“We’re leaving,” I clarify, giving the buggy a little push, urging him toward the registers.

Theo comes bounding up, looking full of mischief. Oh shit.

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