Page 28 of Dr Feel Good
He was a guarded, rigid man, but his behavior over the last several days had grown even chillier.
We still slept side-by-side, but unlike that first night, he kept his hands to himself and never repeated his dirty talk. Even his attempts at casual conversation had stopped. He continued checking on my injuries, though. His sponge baths also stopped. Instead, he’d begun bringing me pans of water and retreating from the bedroom as I cleaned myself. He acted as if he hadn’t already seen my naked flesh.
Pride prevented me from demanding an explanation.Besides, my belief that he regretted our kiss stung me. Perhaps, he thought he was too good to slum it with a ‘lowlife’ like me, an assumption that nearly killed me with rage. Who did that pretentious fuck think he was, leading me on, and then pulling away when I responded to his advances?
By the fourth day of his icy treatment, I was fed up, and I wanted fucking answers. We’d been in this fucking cabin almost ten goddamn days. Not only was I starting to go stir crazy, his cantankerous, unfriendly ass was my only company.
Fuck him. He’d talk to me or fucking else.
Even with my hurt and simmering anger, I attempted conversation at breakfast, to minimal results. It fed my ire, so when he went outside for more firewood, I stormed behind him.
The blizzard was long over, but light snow fell intermittently, like now. I made sure to steal some of Felix’s clothes and bundle up. Dressing myself had been a bitch, but I managed, just as I managed to hobble where he was splitting wood with an axe.
He didn’t notice me immediately, and for a moment, I just admired how handsome he looked each time he raised the axe and hit the wood. The outline of his muscles was visible, flexing with every move he made. A soft grunt escaped him each time he split a piece of wood. Whenever he bent over to get another piece, I resisted the urge to go to him and squeeze his fine ass cheeks.
Fuck him for being so goddamn sexy.
I didn’t want to startle him and cause an accident, so instead, I just waited until he was done. Besides, he claimed standing and walking helped prevent blood clots, so I’d pretend those were the reasons I observed him as he cut firewood, and not me ogling him or fantasizing about him bouncing me up and down on his cock.
“What do you want, Athena?” he demanded as he tossed the axe aside.
My eyebrows rose. He’d given no indication that he’d noticed my presence.
“How long have you been watching me?” he continued, turning around to face me.
“A while,” I said honestly, taking a step towards him.
“Why?”
“I wanted to talk.”
“Funny, because I haven’t heard you say a goddamn thing.”
A sound of pure frustration left me. “Do you always have to be so fucking combative?”
He laughed, a sharp sound that lacked amusement. “Rich coming from you. Now, why did you come out here when you know you should be resting?”
“I’m fucking tired of resting,” I snapped, marching up to him. “All I’ve been doing is fucking resting, and I came out here because I’m also tired of you barely acknowledging me!”
If it wasn’t for the narrowing of his eyes, it would be easy to assume he was unbothered by my statement. “I’m treating you as a doctor should treat his patient.”
It was my turn to let out a humorless laugh. “Don’t give me that bullshit. Doctors don’t flirt with their patients, they don’t call their patients pet, and they sure as hell don’t kiss their patients and leave them wanting more! What the fuck is your problem, dude?”
“You’re my problem,” he snapped, leaning down until our faces were inches apart. When he spoke again, his voice lowered into a growl that I shouldn’t have found so sexy. “You’re a fucking annoying little tease who’s disturbed my peace. You’re infuriating, Athena, a hardheaded bitch who’s difficult for no goddamn reason. I should be counting down the days until you’re fucking gone, until I can live in peace again without a criminal in my presence, but I’m not. I’m dreading when youblaze out of my life. I shouldn’t want you, shouldn’t fucking fantasize about you, but I do, and it’s fucking annoying.”
His confession inspired conflicting emotions to well within me. Desire, because everything he did left me wanting him. Satisfaction knowing that he wanted me, too. Rage at the reckless way he talked to me, a manner that has gotten people’s ass beat in the past. The dominant emotion was offense that he saw me as a criminal seductress who had infringed on his peace.
For a moment, we engaged in a silent staring contest, the air between us heated despite the chilly temperature. I was the one who broke first.
“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth, taking a step back. “If I’m such a fucking nuisance, I’ll go.”
“That’s not what I said, and you fucking know it,” he hissed, coming closer as I retreated. “Now stop being dramatic and go back inside before you freeze your ass off.”
“Fuck you,” I snapped, even though I longed to listen to his advice.
I still had my pride, though, and while I didn’t intend to rough it in the wild, a stroll through the woods didn’t sound half bad.
“I’m not playing, Athena,” he said when I didn’t obey him.
