Page 51 of Storm Bound
“The talk of the…” Adam breathed and used his clipboard to fan himself. “I’m not feeling so well.”
“Relax, it will all blow over soon. Everyone’s just interested in Doc and his little boy toy.”
“Ava. You’re not helping,” I snapped at her, and she pursed her lips shut.
Then I took Adam back to his office and helped him to his chair.
“Are you okay, baby?” I asked him, running my fingers through his curls and pulling his head close to my chest.
“Uh… I-I don’t know,” he said.
“What are you worried about?”
He sighed. “People talking. What they will think of me. What they will think of you.”
“Deep breaths, sweetie. Deep breaths. People were going to talk either way. That’s the magic of living in a small town. And you can’t control what people think of you any more than you can control what they do. They’ll get over it. You’ve shown them already how dedicated you are, and you will continue to show them what a great doctor you are, too. And as for me… let them think whatever. I’m used to it.”
He took a deep breath, and I felt it on my body as if it were my own. He looked up at me with those needy blue eyes, and I couldn’t resist giving his lips a quick lick before we started our workday.
“Good boy. Now keep taking deep breaths and forget about the gossip. Just do your job, my little witch,” I told him and squeezed a cheek in my fingers before letting him go.
“Thank you, honey,” he said.
I loved it when he called me honey. We’d agreed that was an acceptable term in public for me, and damn it if I wasn’t already falling for the way the words came out of his mouth and how they sounded when he called me that. I could get used to this. Iwasgetting used to this.
“Okay, I’ve got to go take my medicine and go through the patient files for today. Would you like a coffee?”
He shook his head and smiled at me. “I’m okay.”
“What’s that smile all about?” I asked him.
“Nothing,” he said, but his face was giving him away. He was hiding something. And I couldn’t wait to edge it out of him.
“Tell me what it is,” I told him. He stood up and ironed out his coat with his palms.
“I’m afraid it will have to wait until later.Honey. I’ve got patients to see now,” he said and walked over to the doors and slid them open.
I gave him the stink eye, but there wasn’t much else I could do to him while we were at work. I’d just have to make sure he paid the price at home.
I left his office and ducked into mine, took my colitis drugs, and poured some fresh coffee before I went through the files of the patients I was seeing today.
My phone beeped, and I reached for it.
“How’s the boy toy?” said the message from Benji.
I chuckled. Benji liked having me to himself and looked out for me just as much as I looked out for him.
“He’s a very good boy. Why? Are you jealous?”
Leaving Benji alone for six months had been a bigger deal than just sorting out the issues with rent. It was the first time he’d be left alone to take care of himself. And after years of being his caregiver—his dom in a non-sexual way—I had to check on him regularly and make sure he was doing well, even if I was supposed to stay out of his way. At least until I returned.
“Me? Jealous? Why would I be? I’m living the life here having the pad to myself.”
“Okay, and now for the truth?” I messaged back.
Benji grew up in an abusive home, so he had serious confidence issues along with all the other traumatic shit his parents had imprinted on him. I’d helped him overcome some of those issues by being a caring dominant to him.
In a way, my move was a good test for him to figure out life without me. Hopefully find someone that could take care of him in other ways, too.
