Page 32 of Storm Bound
They had a point. But the whole reason for me moving here was to look after Yaya, and considering she only listened to me, if I didn’t work with her assigned doctor, she’d find her way to lie to me and not follow any of the advice I or Adam gave her.
“Well, then, if he’s the one, I’m sure he can wait five months,” I said.
Which, after what happened during the storm, I was convinced he was. He was damn near perfect for me. He was king of the nerds, he was funny, and he was a sweetheart. And that didn’t even include his sub preferences.
But for crying out loud, hooking up with him could only end in disaster, right?
There was no such thing as Mr. Perfect. Or Dr. Perfect, as the case may be.
Maybe resistance was futile. Or maybe everyone was wrong, myself included, and Adam was not meant for me.
“Agh! Why did things have to get so complicated?” I sighed.
“Okay, Avril.” Rohan laughed.
“Fine. Laugh with my pain. Go ahead,” I said, and they did.
But maybe Rohan was right. Maybe I was being dramatic. Was I overthinking this? Was I being an idiot for denying myself Adam?
What the hell was I going to do?
Ten
Adam
“Are you going to any parties, Doc?” Ava asked, holding the panel up against the window while I drilled the screws around it.
Charlie was in his office seeing a patient about an emergency prescription. We had a lot of those in the last couple of days since the news announced Tropical Storm Ana was bound to impact Cedarwood Beach today.
I drilled another screw in place. The confidence I exuded while we prepared was just a facade. I was freaking out inside.
Yes, I’d read all the resources I could find, the instructions on preparing for tropical storms and hurricanes, but that didn’t make me any more confident. It just made me more knowledgeable. But that knowledge counted for shit in the thick of it. I was sure of that.
All I needed was a strong, confident man to tell me what to do and reassure me everything was going to be okay, take me in his arms, and keep me there until it was all over.
And when I said a man, it was obvious I meant Charlie. In my head, he was my dom and he told me what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Offering me guidance and comfort, and a little bit of authority.
But of course, in real life, he was none of those things for me. He was simply Charlie.
“No parties for me. I don’t think I’d have the balls to do a party in the middle of it all,” I said as we finished up the last window.
Other than those dropping in for emergency care and drugs, there weren’t really any appointments today. Most people were busy preparing their houses for the storm like we were. I’d already boarded up my house the night before since I knew I’d be here for most of the day.
“What about you?” I asked.
Ava turned to me, her skin catching the light as she beamed at me, and we walked back inside.
“I’m having a party with my little girl, of course. She’s the only gal pal I party with nowadays,” she said.
“I’m sure she’s great company,” I said.
She shrugged. “Eh. Sometimes she can be a real gossip.” She giggled.
“Thank you, Charlie dear. Stay safe,” said Mrs. Bartkowicz and patted Charlie’s cheek as if he was a little boy and not her nurse.
Charlie didn’t seem to mind, though. He just smiled brighter at her and took her hand in both of his.
“You rush home now, Mrs. Bartkowicz. No detours. All right? And we’ll see you again soon,” he told her and walked her to the door.
