7. Doc
W aiting for us outside is Joel. I glare at the redhead as he opens the car door. “I didn’t expect to see you.”
“My brother deserves a day off,” he replies.
“I don’t disagree, but I thought Gabriele was going to take a shift?”
Joel shrugs. “He had prior commitments, and Tennant is on Roman duty today, so I’m available to fill in.”
“Great.”
Joel smiles. “You love me.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Turning to Soren, I gesture to Joel. “Apparently I’m important, which means I have a bodyguard twenty-four seven. Of course he gets days off, so sometimes someone else will take over. This is Joel Rossi. He’s normally Tennant Mason’s guard, but sometimes he likes to come and make my life difficult.”
“You’re dramatic.” Joel rolls his eyes. “It’s nice to meet you, Soren. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, or any of my men.”
“Uh, right, nice to meet you. Thanks.”
“We should get going before you’re late.”
“Such a stickler for the rules, Joel,” I tease. “I don’t know how Tennant puts up with you.”
“He knows I won’t hesitate to shoot him, that’s how,” he deadpans.
Cackling, I slide into the backseat. Soren takes a seat across from me, concern etched on his face. Joel closes the door, and as he makes his way around to the driver’s side, Soren asks, “He was kidding about shooting his boss, right?”
I laugh again and shake my head. “Neither Tennant nor Joel joke about something like that. You’ll learn how things work soon enough.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
I stare at him. “Was it supposed to be?”
He cocks his head to the side, light blond hair spilling across his forehead and into his eyes. “I’m not sure if I should take you seriously or not.”
“Oh, he’s completely serious,” Joel says. “Whether or not you should take it seriously is completely up to you and how sane you are. My advice is to take everything he says with a grain of salt, but remember he’s one of the most dangerous men in the Family.”
Soren seems to absorb his words, and his bright blue eyes seem to lighten with interest as he smiles. “I grew up in the Bratva, I don’t scare easily.”
“I like you,” I tell him.
“Why do I feel like that’s not a good thing?”
Joel laughs. “Because you’re a smart man.”
Soren and I lock eyes, and what I see in that blue gaze of his is enough to take my breath away. I meant what I said, I like what I see so far, and I can have some fun with this before he ultimately gets sick of me and quits. That he’s easy on the eyes is no hardship either.
As innocent as he looks with his freckles and blond hair, there’s something lurking in those blue eyes of his that promises more depth than he’s shown so far. Color me intrigued.
At the clinic, I introduce Soren to the staff on shift, as well as Rose.
“The two of you will be working closely together,” I tell him. “Any questions you have when I’m not around to answer, you can ask Rose.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Rose smiles at him. “I can’t wait to get to know you better.”
The smile Soren gives her is dazzling, and when he shakes her hand, I want nothing more than to force them apart. I haven’t even touched him yet, and being jealous that my medical assistant gets to first is…irrational. But then, no one would use the word rational and me in the same sentence.
“I’ll get you some scrubs. Don’t want to dirty your nice suit,” Rose says.
“Thank you.” Soren smiles at her again.
“I thought you were gay?”
He turns to me, brows furrowed. “Does my sexuality mean I can’t be polite to someone?”
“You weren’t polite to me,” I point out.
He takes a step closer, encroaching on my space. He’s about five inches shorter than my five-eleven, but his sheer presence makes it so that it feels as if he's looming over me. My cock throbs in my scrubs because I love a dominant man. He’s your employee. Cristian will kill you if you start fucking another one.
“Are you jealous, Doc?”
I scoff. “I don’t know you. Why would I be jealous?”
He quirks a brow. “Because I am a good-looking man, and that’s a fact, not ego. Rose is young, not as young as I am, but younger than you. Maybe you don’t like the thought of her looking at someone else.”
I shake my head and cross my arms. “She’s not my type.”
“No?” There’s a look in his eyes that I don’t trust. “What is your type then?”
Pressing my lips together, I glare at him.
Soren steps even closer, and I can feel the body heat emitting from him. There’s scant inches between us, all I have to do is lean forward and kiss him. His lips are pink and shiny with spit from where he’s run his tongue over them, as if taunting me.
It’d be so easy to kiss him, to let him use that tongue on me. I wonder if his cock is getting as hard as mine is.
I don’t take the opportunity in front of me for many reasons. One of those being that I don’t kiss. Anyone. I’m not against it, but I’ve learned over the years to hide my vulnerabilities. Even James doesn’t get that from me, despite how close we are.
He must see something on my face because he backs away, though he keeps eye contact. When there’s a few feet of distance between us, I let out a shaky breath, heart racing and cock hard as a rock in my pants.
Soren breaks eye contact long enough to look down, and he smirks as he meets my gaze once more. His lips part, but whatever he’s about to say is waylaid by Rose returning with a set of scrubs.
“Bathroom’s through there,” she tells him. “Doc, your first appointment is waiting in room three. I can direct Soren there when he’s finished changing.”
Clearing my throat, I adjust my shirt and reach for the lab coat hanging on a hook just next to the door. “That’ll be great, thank you.”
Thankfully, the coat is long enough to hide my deflating erection as I stride from the room and head to my first patient of the day.
Before I enter the room, I pull out my phone and send a text before I second guess myself.
DOC
He’s perfect, I’m keeping him.
THE BOSS
As if you had a choice.
Don’t break him. I’d rather not have Petrov kill you because you fucked with his nephew’s head.
DOC
Have a little faith, Cris. I’m on my best behavior.
THE BOSS
I mean it, behave and ease him into the crazy.
I make a face at him doubting me, not that I can really blame him.
DOC
Yes, Boss.
Switching text threads, I don’t think before sending my next message.
DOC
I need you to fuck me like you hate me.
SOULMATE
Sometimes I do, dear.
Everything okay?
DOC
Fine, will explain later. Meet for dinner?
SOULMATE
Anything but Thai. Any other requests?
DOC
Nothing you and your cock can’t handle.
SOULMATE
I live to serve, my dear.
DOC
Damn right you do.
SOULMATE
Brat. My cock and I will see you later then.
Plans made, I put my phone away, grab the chart hanging on the door, and get to work.