Chapter Thirty-Seven
Axle
The clinic door swings open as I shoulder my way inside with Trent Walker trailing behind me, one hand clamped around a bloody towel wrapped around his thumb.
The kid looks greener than fresh-cut grass.
“Dr. Seth, Jovie!” I call. “Anybody here?”
Jovie appears from deep in the clinic, carrying a set of vibrant-colored resistance bands.
“What happened?” she asks as she rushes to us.
Her eyes drop to Trent’s hand.
“Tie-down roping practice,” I say. “His hand got caught between the rope and the saddle horn. Filleted his thumb.”
Trent winces.
“Let’s take a look.” She guides Trent onto the exam table.
The moment she unwraps the towel, he looks away.
The skin on his thumb has peeled back where it got trapped while he was pulling slack.
I’ve seen worse. Royce damn near lost his ring finger once when his grip got trapped.
“Ouch,” Jovie says softly. “Good news? Nothing appears broken.”
Trent visibly relaxes.
“Bad news? This is going to hurt.”
“It already fucking hurts,” Trent says, and I chuckle to myself as he uses tough language while visibly fighting back tears.
Jovie starts cleaning the injury. The second the antiseptic touches the wound, he nearly launches himself off the table.
“Sweet mother of—”
“Language,” I say. “There’s a lady present.”
He bites down on his lip.
“You’re doing great, Trent,” Jovie says. “And don’t worry; I won’t tell anyone you let a few cuss words slip.” Her eyes flick toward mine, and her lips twitch. “Patient-doctor confidentiality.”
I grin.
She spends the next several minutes cleaning, dressing, and wrapping the injury while Trent tries and fails to put on a brave face. If the boy gets this worked up over a little pain and some blood, he’s never going to make it in this sport.
When Jovie finally finishes, she steps back. “There.”
Trent studies the bandage. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“Don’t I need stitches?”
“No stitches.”
“Are you sure?”
She folds her arms. “One hundred percent sure.”
He nods. “Okay.” Then pauses. “Can I still rope?”
“I wouldn’t advise it. Not until your skin grows back in.”
His face falls. “I still have four days.”
“We can review the tape and see what went wrong, and you can help me coach for a few days. Unless you want to call your parents and have them pick you up early,” I say.
He shakes his head. “No, sir. I wanna stay.”
“That’s the spirit. Now go eat lunch before you pass out.”
“Can I tell everybody I almost lost my thumb?”
“No,” Jovie says.
“Yes,” I say.
She looks at me.
I shrug. “Kid earned a good story.”
“Thanks, Axle.” He hops off the table and heads toward the door.
“Take it easy,” Jovie calls after him. “And once you’ve eaten, swing back by, and I’ll give you some Tylenol.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
The door closes behind him.
“He bounced back quickly,” Jovie says as she cleans up the area.
I watch her for a second.
Finally, she glances over her shoulder. “Do you need something else, Mr. Trust?”
“Yes.”
She raises a brow.
My boots thud softly against the floor as I cross the room.
Her eyes stay locked on mine.
“About that patient-doctor confidentiality thing …”
“What about it?”
A challenge.
I keep moving until she’s standing directly in front of me.
Then I gently take her hand.
She lets me.
That’s all the encouragement I need.
I guide her backward toward the folding privacy screen beside the exam table.
Her breath catches. “Axle.”
“I’ve got an issue.”
“Oh?”
“A serious one.”
“And what would that be?”
I back her behind the screen, where the rest of the clinic disappears from view, and my hands settle on her waist.
Her fingers curl into the front of my shirt.
“What’s the problem?” she asks quietly.
I lean down.
My mouth brushes the side of her neck as I take her hand and guide it to the front of my jeans.
She inhales sharply.
“That’s the problem.”
Her eyes flutter closed.
“Mmm, I see. That is a big problem,” she murmurs.
“Told you it was serious.” I smile against her skin. “Needs immediate attention.”
“Uh-huh,” she says as she caresses my growing erection through the denim.
“Do you have a cure for something like that?” I ask as I kiss my way up to her jaw.
That earns a sigh. The kind that makes me want to hear it again.
I lift my head.
Her cheeks are pink.
And for one dangerous second, I forget every reason I have to behave myself in the middle of the day.
She glances toward the front of the clinic. “I have a PT patient coming in ten minutes, and I need to prep,” she says.
I groan against her mouth.
She palms my cock, and the smile she gives me nearly knocks me to my knees.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to make an appointment.”
I step closer. “Do you make house calls?”
Her eyebrow lifts. “Not usually. No.”
I sigh dramatically. “That’s disappointing.”
“However …”
“Yeah?”
“If somebody asked really nicely …”
I run my tongue over my bottom lip, and her eyes track the movement.
“Really nicely, huh?” I slide a hand along her jaw. “I can do nice.”
The tension between us stretches tight enough to snap.
So, I kiss her. Slow. Unhurried. Like I’ve got all the time in the world. It’s the first time I’ve kissed her in the light of day.
She releases her grip on my manhood, and her fingers glide into my hair. The kiss deepens for one moment before we finally pull apart. My forehead rests against hers.
“House call?” I murmur.
“Tonight,” she whispers against my lips.
I steal one more quick kiss, and she lets out the softest breath.
“Tonight.”
The front door opens, and we freeze.
A familiar male voice echoes from the reception area. “Jovie? I brought doughnuts from Ryse & Shine.”
Dr. Seth.
Perfect fucking timing.
Jovie tries not to laugh as I adjust myself.
She smooths her hair, and we both attempt to look casual.
I step around the folding screen first.
Seth is standing behind his desk with a powdered doughnut between his lips.
His gaze bounces from me to the screen.
“Axle,” he says, “everything okay?”
“Afternoon, Dr. Stoke.” I flash my biggest grin. “Absolutely.” I hook a thumb toward the screen. “Jovie’s one hell of an assistant.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Yes, sir. Fixed my injured roper right up.”
His expression grows amused. “Good to know.”
“Yep.”
I start backing toward the door. “Anyway, I’ll let y’all get back to work.”
“Probably for the best,” he says.
I tip my hat.
Then I catch one last glimpse of Jovie stepping out from behind the screen.
Her cheeks are still pink.
Her eyes meet mine.
And the smile she gives me promises that tonight’s house call will be all I think about for the rest of the day.