4. Nova
NOVA
“It was a long night, but I still got here in one piece.”
Olivia listens from across the table with sympathetic hazel eyes. When she heard the tow truck this morning, she came by to check on me. I filled her in on the details as we ate lunch at the local diner.
Some of them, that is. I didn’t mention anything about wolves. Not what I saw on the highway or outside the window—or in my dreams. I can’t deny what I saw, but it makes even less sense sitting here in the daylight and almost too-hot June air.
“That’s a nasty lump. Are you sure you don’t need a few more days to recover?” Olivia reaches for a glass of water. Her hair is pulled into a messy bun, so blonde it looks white in the sun, and she’s wearing a t-shirt and jeans that reflect her down-to-earth personality.
Looking at her, it’s hard to tell she’s almost twice my age. We’ve bonded over books and feeling awkward at most social gatherings. Not all doctors are introverts, but I’m glad I get to work with someone I can relate to.
I shrug. “To be honest, I’m kinda excited to get started? You’ve probably never met someone who actually wants to work on other people’s teeth. But it’s…rewarding. I like working with my hands and helping the patients.”
I cut off a piece of fish on my plate to take a bite. Between this and the venison burger, I’m completely sold on the cuisine around here.
Olivia quirks her eyebrows. “Well, I’ve bet you haven’t met someone who can stay in their office for twenty-four hours straight researching genetic abnormalities.”
We both laugh. It’s refreshing to be able to enjoy myself after eating alone for so long.
“I knew Roen would pick a good one,” Olivia adds.
I pause mid-bite. “Roen picked me?”
She hums. “There were a few applicants who met all the qualifications. I asked him to help break the tie. He’s—well, he takes it on himself to look out for all of us. I trust his judgment.”
My resume didn’t include a photo, and the application didn’t require one. So, if he wasn’t using my appearance or my credentials, then why choose me? A wave of heat rolls through my body. It’s the same as when we made contact last night, but now it’s like he’s touching me everywhere, all at once.
I try to ignore the sweat gathering on my neck as our waitress comes to refill our drinks—a young woman in her teens with natural red hair and vibrant green eyes.
“Thanks, Cleo.” Olivia nods to her. Then she turns to me. “Let me introduce you to our new dentist, Dr. Sterling. She’ll be helping me in the clinic from now on.”
I give Cleo a small wave. Her smile falters for a millisecond as she returns the greeting. “Nice to meet you. I overheard about your accident…” She breaks eye contact to pick up our empty plates. “I hope you get better soon.”
“I’ll be all right. Just a little banged up—nothing a good meal and some rest won’t fix,” I assure her.
She brightens. “I’m not sure how dentists feel about sweets, but Roen brought back some pastries from Grandma’s—it’s a pretty famous bakery from downstate. Everyone who comes in today gets one for free.”
“That sounds delicious,” I reply. “I happen to be a dentist with a sweet tooth.”
“Two pastries coming up!” Cleo whirls and heads back into the kitchen.
“Roen seems kind of famous around here,” I muse. Heat pulses between my thighs as I remember seeing him through the broken glass. His rough hands and gentle touch.
Olivia tilts her head. “I imagine your first encounter with him was a little strange. I hope that doesn’t scare you off. Small towns can be a little quirky.”
An odd feeling nudges the back of my mind. There’s something she’s not saying .
I shift my gaze out the window. “I like the idea of living by the ocean. I wanted to explore a little more, but I can’t go very far without a vehicle.”
“Good thing you don’t need one.”
I glance back at Olivia as Cleo sets down our pastries.
“There’s a trail that leads to a stretch of beach behind the apartment—it’s rocky and the water will be cold, but that’s what you get up north.”
I hum. A dip in some cold water does sound nice. I don’t normally have issues with heat, but right now it feels like I’m suffocating. “Is it safe? I mean, aren’t there wild animals?”
“Ah…” Olivia looks down as she cuts her pastry. “I doubt you’ll run into any. Roen goes hunting from time to time, so animals know to avoid the area.”
That aligns with what he said last night. But I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off. Who is Roen—a nice guy who delivers pastries or a mountain man who hunts beasts?
“I should probably get back and check on the car,” I say. “I’d like to figure out how bad the damage is.”
If Olivia picks up the abrupt change of topic, she doesn’t acknowledge it. “Sure, why don’t we get a to-go box for your pastry?”
Back at my apartment—or Roen’s house, I can’t figure out which should come first—I wave as Olivia drives off. The property looks larger than I first thought it was. There’s no mowed grass or garden beds, only a carpet of pine needles and a sprinkling of wildflowers between the brush.
A stone exterior gives the house a rough, yet cozy look. Wines crawl up to a wide balcony on the second story. To the left of the yard, a titan of a tow truck is parked by a second garage. The door’s been left open, and the faint rumble of TV or radio drifts from inside.
Roen left my suitcases on the porch before I woke up this morning. No note. No greeting. I debate on whether to leave him alone, but maybe seeing each other in the light will cast out all these suspicions running through the back of my mind.
I set the to-go box by the doorstep and turn toward the garage. My poor car comes into view, dwarfed by Roan bending over the hood. His biceps flex under a black t-shirt as he fiddles with the engine, a smear of grease on his forearm. His face is hardened with concentration.
Then I recognize the voice coming through the speakers. It’s my audiobook. Roen is listening to my smutty audiobook.
My jaw drops.
“It looks worse than it is. I should be able to—hold on.” He walks around to a workbench.
“You know I’ll do whatever I have to. Now get on your knees.”
“Yes, Master ? —”
I. Am. Deceased.
Finally, he turns off the audio. “I should be able to get it running within a week or two, depending on how fast the parts arrive. I had some lying around, but I wanted to get you a new window and fix some other things while I was at it.”
“You’re listening to my book.”
We stare at each other.
His eyebrow quirks. “You’re concerned about the book, not your car?”
I blink. Lately, I’ve been concerned about a lot of things.
Mostly what hearing that dialogue while looking at Roen does to my body.
His beard is just as scruffy as I remembered, flecks of silver peeking through the black.
He’s obviously older than me, but his physique isn’t lacking in the slightest.
He picks something off the table and passes it. “Found your phone underneath the seat. The screen lit up, and I know the saying is not to judge a book by its cover, but it looked interesting. So I bought a copy.”
“That’s, uh—” I clear my throat, noticing the sound was coming from a different device. “Not everyone’s into that kind of book.”
He leans his shoulder against the car and wipes his hands off with a rag. “Violence doesn’t bother me.”
An image of him hunting flashes through my mind. Followed by a wolf covered in blood. “Well, that, and the romance is, um, not very…realistic.”
His lips twitch. Is he laughing at me? Of course he is , a voice in my mind echoes. No guy would stay loyal to a fat bitch. That’s why you need all those books—cause you’ll never find a man who actually wants you.
His expression shifts. “Maybe I’m out of touch, but the sex scenes seemed realistic if you know what you’re doing. And dominants are regular people—I’m sure we all have a secret or two.”
I look down and slide my phone into my pocket, trying to laugh it off. “Guess I’ll have to find a real-life dominant and ask him someday.”
He does that thing again, a barely-there chuckle. “ I’m a real-life dominant.”
My heart flips. Heat slides through my veins, overriding the voice in my mind. I lick my lips. “Will you tell me your secrets?”
I’m never this forward. I don’t make first moves. I hardly even flirt. But something makes me step closer. I need to feel him again, even though I’m already burning up. I need him to touch me.
His eyes flash—that same bright blue I saw in the forest last night. He grabs my wrist as I reach for his chest and holds it in the air between us. His thumb presses against my pulse, radiating heat. I like it too much. I want him to press harder.
“Any sub of mine would have to earn that answer.” His grip is tight enough that I know I wouldn’t be able to pull away, but I don’t try. I’m practically panting. He could pin me like this. Just one move and I’d be trapped between him and the car. Or he could shove me down?—
“Go inside, Nova.”
The heat snaps and fizzles at his command. I turn without question, without a second thought. I can’t tell if I’m relieved or disappointed when he doesn’t follow.
As soon as I’m out of the garage, it’s like I can breathe again. What the hell was that? I need to clear my head and cool off. I need answers. It’s time to test if there’s really a beast out here, and if I can trust Roen or not.