Page 10 of Daddy's Little Patient

Cricket. Her name was motherfuckingCricket, which was better than anything he’d imagined. So sweet and playful that he hadn’t been able to stop himself from kissing her freckled forehead.

Owen crept out of his bedroom and left the door open a crack. Good thing his office was just across the hall. He didn’t think he’d be able to stomach being any further away from her.

He did trot downstairs and grab a beer out of the fridge before he sank into the big leather sofa in his office. Cricket would look phenomenal draped over one of the large, rounded arms with her backside exposed.

It had been seven kinds of hell to get her undressed and dressed and act as though it meant nothing more than helping a friend or a patient. Never had it been so difficult to maintain a neutral demeanor as when he stripped her and she was naked, her gorgeous, bountiful body on display. He’d wanted so badly to bury his face in her tits and bite her thighs, feel her voluptuous curves pressed against him, never mind dig his fingers into that abundant bottom.

He couldn’t think about Cricket naked while he had things to do because he’d have to jerk off in the shower or have an impromptu date with his left hand, a squeeze of lube, and a tissue before he could tackle anything else. That wasn’t what she needed right now. There were a few phone calls he needed to make, starting with taking care of Cricket’s car as he’d promised. So he clicked on Linc’s number in his contacts.

“What up, O?”

“I’ve got a job for you.”

“Cool. Lay it on me, whaddya need?”

That was one thing Owen appreciated about Lincoln Donall; the guy was pretty much up for anything at any time. He wasn’t always around—kind of a rolling stone who odd-jobbed his way across Alaska and occasionally down to the lower forty-eight—but when he was in town, he was a good friend and a reliable Linc-of-all-trades.

“I need you to pick up a car and bring it back to my place. You’ll have to swing by to get the keys.”

“No problem. You have a little too much to drink? Why didn’t you invite me?”

Owen laughed. “No. A, uh, friend of mine from work had a rough day so she’s staying with me for a bit. Her car’s still at the office.”

“Alright, alright. Friend, huh?”

Owen responded with a noncommittal grunt because he wasn’t sure what he and Cricket would end up being to each other, but he sure as fuck hoped it wouldn’t be friends. That wasn’t any of Linc’s business…yet. If he did manage to make Cricket his, he’d shout it from the rooftops. Until then, he’d remain more circumspect. Although who was he kidding? Linc was a savvy guy.

“Are you coming over here or what?” he asked, avoiding the question.

“Yeah, man. I’ll see you in half an hour.”

“Right on.”

Those arrangements made, Owen poked his head into his bedroom to check on Cricket. She’d turned on her stomach and was clutching Bandit. He liked seeing her in his bed. Of course he’d like it even better if he could’ve put her in the crib to sleep and turned on the monitor to keep an eye on her. Maybe someday. He didn’t want to horrify her if he was wrong about her being a Little.

Satisfied she was fine, Owen made a call he thought he’d be making hours earlier, and for a much different conversation.

“Hey, doc, how’s it going?”

“I’m doing alright. How are you and the girls?”

“I’m as well as I can be with those two hellcats,” Taj told him, which sounded about right. Taj’s wife Jojo was a handful and they had an infant, Sabby or Sabrina if she was making trouble, who already had a big personality. “You calling to finalize the details of your visit? Looking forward to having you here when there’s not a medical emergency.”

“I was actually calling because I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make it.”

“Everything okay?”

Taj Hovick might look like an enormous meathead but he was a sharp and intuitive guy who cared about his people fiercely. He’d probably always been like that, especially as the sixth of seven kids, and that part of his personality got distilled over a decade plus in the Navy, most of them as a SEAL.

“I think so? Maybe better than okay, but that remains to be seen.”

“You’re not changing your mind about coming out here, are you?”

“No. I’m still looking forward to having more of a presence on Enclave, and I can’t wait to visit. It just might not be next week.”

“I hear you. The only constant is change. Lemme know what’s up and we’ll figure something out between your plans, ’Pollo’s availability, and the goddamn weather.”

Chapter Seven

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