Chapter 16
Sixteen
June
I’m nervous as we sit in the exam room, waiting for the doctor to enter.
My arm isn’t throbbing as badly today, but I don’t have the foggiest clue what he’s going to say needs to be done to it.
I was so out of it while I was in the emergency room the night of my attack that I couldn’t focus on what the ER doctor was telling me.
I was alone and scared. I spent the entire night in the hospital because they wanted to observe to make sure I didn’t have a concussion. I suspect they were mostly making up excuses to keep me as long as possible because they knew I didn’t have anyone to go home to, and they were worried about me.
Blade is at my side where I sit on the exam table. He has one hand on my lower back and one on my thigh, holding my good hand in his. He’s so overprotective that I suspect he’s worried I might fall if he doesn’t hold on to me.
I flinch when the door opens. I’m still so jumpy.
The man who enters immediately puts me at ease. He’s smiling and warm. He reaches for Blade’s hand first, but his gaze is on mine. “Good to see you, Blade. Sorry it’s under these circumstances, but I’m glad my staff squeezed you in.”
The doctor sets his hand on my shoulder next. “Nice to meet you, June. I’m Dr. Reinhardt. Looks like you broke your arm.”
“Yes, sir,” I mumble.
He pulls up a rolling stool. “How did this happen?”
I wince and turn toward Blade.
He pats my back. “She was attacked a few nights ago.”
The doctor cringes. “Shit. Sorry to hear that. Do you recall how the break happened? Did you land on it, or maybe your attacker twisted your arm?”
“I think I landed on it.”
The doctor scoots his chair back and turns to flip on a panel behind him. My X-rays pop up on the screen. He examines them. “Well, the good news is the fracture is small. Hairline. It won’t require surgery or anything like that. It will heal on its own in time.”
That’s a relief.
He turns back around and lifts my arm. “Have you had this temporary brace on the entire time?”
“Yes.”
He carefully removes it and gently holds my forearm in his. “Swelling looks good.”
“Do you need to put a hard cast on it?” Blade asks.
Dr. Reinhardt resumes sitting. “Depends.” He looks at me. “Can you baby it for several weeks, or are you the sort of person who’s going to immediately change the laundry and load the dishwasher after you leave here?”
Blade smirks. “She won’t be doing anything like that. If you say she needs to sit on the couch, that’s what she’ll do.”
I swallow. I’m so damn lucky.
The doctor smiles again. “Then I think she can keep it in a removable brace. I’ll get you set up with something more comfortable than this one.
But it needs to stay on all the time except when you’re in the shower or bath.
Put it right back on afterward. Sleep with it on.
No lifting. Avoid using this arm as much as possible for six-to-eight weeks. Okay?”
I nod. I’m so relieved my shoulders drop. The last thing I wanted was a plaster cast, and I assumed he would put one on me today. That’s what they told me in the emergency room.
Dr. Reinhardt stands. “Do you have a GP you can follow up with?”
“I don’t.”
“How long has it been since you had a physical?”
I wince. “Uh, years.” I used to go regularly until I met Pete. I never went to any doctor while I was with him, and I still haven’t since.
The doctor doesn’t reprimand me, but Blade stiffens. I bet I’ll be in another doctor’s office in under an hour.
“I’ll get her an appointment,” Blade assures him.
“Good. Let me know if you need any recommendations.”
Blade holds out a hand to shake the doctor’s. “Thank you.”
Thirty minutes later, I have a less bulky Velcro brace on, and we’re back in the car. Blade reaches across to buckle me in before shutting the door and rounding to the other side.
“How about we stop for smoothies?” he suggests.
“That sounds yummy.”
He leans over and kisses me before starting up the engine. As soon as we’re on the road, he makes a hands-free call to Rachell. “Hey, can you get June an appointment with Dr. Starion?”
“Will do. I’ll text you the deets.”
He works so efficiently with Rachell that they simply hang up.
“I don’t think it’s an emergency,” I mutter.
He clasps my hand when we reach a traffic light. “Not an emergency, per se.” He glances at me. “We haven’t discussed birth control, though. I assume you’re not on anything?”
He’s right. That’s pretty important. “No.”
“Do you want to be?”
I nod.
He squeezes my hand. “I don’t mean to imply you must. Any option is fine with me. If you’d rather not take anything, we can use condoms. Or nothing at all if having a baby in approximately nine months is on your radar.”
I stare at him. His expression is unreadable. He’s not joking. He’s not giving me anything at all. “You want to have a baby?” My voice cracks. This is a ludicrous conversation. We’ve been together one day.
He glances at me. “I want to do whatever makes you happy, June.”
“Well, I’m not interested in having a baby this year.”
“Then birth control or condoms or both.” He smiles.
He never ceases to shock me. “I’ll go on birth control. We can use condoms in the meantime,” I tell him. Is this really happening?
He lifts my hand and kisses my fingers. I guess this discussion is over. I wonder what he’s going to spring on me next.
Soon, we’re back at his building. We’ve both downed a smoothie. It was delicious. He rounds the car, helps me out, and guides me to what I now know is his private elevator.
I love that we don’t have to traipse through the lobby every time we want to come and go. It makes me feel ridiculously pampered, but it’s nice.
One day, and I’m already getting used to being treated like a princess. I shouldn’t. This bubble could pop. He doesn’t know me. What if he changes his mind about me and we go our separate ways? It could happen.
“You’re awfully quiet, Little one,” he points out in the elevator.
I lean against him and shrug. I don’t know what to say. I’m scared out of my mind. He’s amazing. He’s taking care of me in every imaginable way. The bottom could drop out.
When the elevator opens, he disengages the lock to his apartment and ushers me inside.
I stop dead in my tracks. “What’s all this?” The living room is littered with boxes. Dozens of them ranging in size from small to gigantic.
He grins. “I might have done some online shopping after you went to sleep last night.”
“What for?”
He lifts me off my feet, causing me to wrap my legs around his waist when he flattens me to his front. Before I know it, we’re in the kitchen, and I’m seated atop the island with his hands bracketing me.
He kisses me and sets his forehead against mine. “Little stuff.”
“Most of that looked big to me.” I frown.
He chuckles. “Not small stuff. Little stuff. Things for a new Little girl who has nothing for age play.”
My eyes widen. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.” He scrunches up his nose. “Are you mad I didn’t let you choose? We can exchange anything you want for another style or color. If there’s anything you hate, we’ll return it.”
I gasp. “Blade. I don’t care about that. I’m just surprised you would spend so much on someone you just met.”
He grips my hips. “When you know, you know. Am I rushing you?”
I swallow. “Kind of.”
He draws in a slow breath. “I don’t mean to be pushy. I just know in my heart that you’re it for me. I think you feel the same way.”
My heart races. “I do, but what if you change your mind?”
“Not going to happen.”
“There’s so much you don’t know about me yet. Maybe I have quirks you can’t stand.”
He chuckles. “Never.”
I roll my eyes. “We haven’t even had sex. What if you don’t like having sex with me?” I’m grasping at straws. Another thought comes to mind. “What if you hate my blowjobs, huh? I’m not very good at them. That could be a deal breaker.”
His brows lift to the ceiling. He stands rigid. “Where is this coming from, June? Did you give that fucker blowjobs and then he had the audacity to suggest you weren’t good at them?”
I cringe. “Yeah.”
Blade’s jaw tightens. “Well, he’s a fucking prick. Did he come?”
I swallow and nod. Why did I say something so idiotic?
“Then how the fuck could he say you weren’t good at them?
Jesus.” He shakes his head. “First of all, your mouth isn’t going anywhere near my cock until I’m certain every memory of your time with that jackass is out of your head.
And even then, blowjobs are not something mandatory in our relationship.
Don’t ever give me one unless you’re craving it more than water in the desert. ”
I inhale deeply. I shouldn’t have said anything.
“Second of all, there’s no such thing as a bad blowjob. If a guy came, it was amazing. There’s no other way about it. He was a dick. I can’t believe he made you go down on him, and yet he never fucking went down on you or tried to give you pleasure.”
I purse my lips. This is the most enraged I’ve seen Blade, and I kind of like it. His ears turn red when I mention anything having to do with Pete. It’s sweet. I never dreamed of ever giving love another shot, let alone meeting someone who would defend me so fiercely.
I flatten my palm on his chest and pat him. “Maybe those were bad examples.” Why am I fighting a grin all of a sudden? I purse my lips to keep from smiling. This isn’t funny. He’s breathing heavily, and he’s pissed.
Not at me, but for me. It’s so damn endearing that I’ve changed my mind. I think I should keep him forever. And yet. Again. Madness.
One day.
Blade lets out a long breath and narrows his gaze, surprising me when he speaks again. “You’re mine, June.”
I inhale sharply. I want all of this to be real. I want to be his.
“Did the sex last night not live up to your expectations, Little one?” He’s teasing me.
I roll my eyes. “That wasn’t sex. You had your pants on.”
“So, you think if I take my pants off and slide my cock into you, it will be horrible? You think maybe the only two orgasms you’re going to have in life happened last night?” Yeah, he’s fucking teasing me.
I sigh. “Maybe we should test the theory?” I push my tongue into my cheek to try to keep from grinning.
He chuckles. “Not today. Not until I’m sure you can do so without wincing in pain.”
I gasp. “That could be weeks. You can’t dangle that in front of me like a maraschino cherry and then pull it out of reach.”
He smirks. “So you like cherries?”
“Yes,” I retort.
“Better get those on the grocery list then.” He lifts me off the counter as if this conversation is done, carrying me over to the kitchen table, where he opens his laptop and clicks around until he has a local grocery store’s site up.
I stare at him. “That’s it? Now we just…order groceries?”
He chuckles. “Then we can open boxes.”
I cross my arms awkwardly and glare at him, even though the effect is a bit messed up since one of my arms is in a brace. “Blade…”
“What, Little one?” He’s fighting the urge to laugh. I can tell.
“Sex,” I shout.
He wraps his arm around me and kisses my temple. “You are so fun and easy to tease.”
I shove at him. “But you will have sex with me?”
He taps his lips as though thinking. “Hmm. Let me ask you this.”
This ought to be good. I lift my brows.
“If I were to throw you over my shoulder, carry you to bed, strip both of us naked, fuck you ten ways to Sunday, and it was amazing, and the roof caught on fire, would you then skip into the living room like a good girl and accept all the gifts I bought you without complaint?”
Gah. He’s so infuriating. “Sex isn’t everything, Blade. What if I fart in my sleep or snore? What if I have some nasty habit like chewing on my toenails, or I secretly want to lick your feet?”
He laughs. Hard. So hard he has to put his hand over his chest. “Naughty girl.” He points at the computer.
“First, we’re going to order food so we don’t starve.
Then, we’re going to open boxes until we find some adorable nighties for you.
After that, you’re going to put one on and take a nap.
You don’t have to make any major decisions except whether or not you want to have water or juice in your sippy cup. ”
“Blade… Be serious.”
“I am, honey.” He kisses my temple again. “Deadly serious.”
“I don’t take naps.”
He grins. “You do now. Little girls need naps. You’ve had a stressful morning. After you nap, you can either sit in the living room and stare at the rest of those boxes until curiosity eats you alive, or you can open them. Your choice.”
I groan. “I’m never going to win an argument with you, am I?”
“Nope.”