Hope on the Rocks (Rainbow Cove)

“In the winter, Teddy had a terrible earache. I went with Ramona to urgent care to be moral support for her. And while we were waiting to be seen, this older guy comes in with shortness of breath. He was downright nasty to the receptionist.”

“That happens, unfortunately.” I wracked my memories for which day this might have been.

“You were passing behind the desk, probably dealing with twenty other important doctor tasks, but you stopped when you heard his tirade. ‘I’ve got this,’ you told the receptionist. And you took him back yourself. “

“Oh.” Now I was starting to remember. Upset patients weren’t that uncommon, but that one had stuck with me.

“Later, when we were in an exam room, I heard you on the phone with Coos Bay, arguing for a transfer. Never raised your voice, but man, did you make your point.” The appreciation in Adam’s voice made my whole body hum with warmth like a furnace kicking on. “Then, when we were getting ready to leave, everyone had to stand clear of the parking lot because a life flight helicopter was incoming.”

“We call them for certain types of cardiac events where time is of the essence.” I couldn’t reveal confidential information about the case, but I did remember the man coding out, right there in exam room three. I damn near broke my own record for CPR and defib rounds that day.

“Yup.” Adam nodded, respect clear in his eyes. “That old guy had had a massive heart attack, but because he was seen so quickly, he lived. He’s an ornery son of a gun, but he’s also a neighbor of Mom’s. So yeah, you puked on my feet on Monday night. I still think you’re a hell of a doctor.”

“Thank you. I truly was just doing my job that day. And he shouldn’t have talked to Natalie like that, but he was scared and in pain, and luckily, he came in when he did.”

“Like you said, you’re a doctor. A professional grownup, not some kid who needs me telling him to tie his shoes or to not jump off the quarry bridge when all his drunk buddies tell him to. And turns out you might be kinky? That, I find hot. Smart, sexy, and maybe up for getting freaky? Yeah, I’m interested.” His expression was a mixture of kind and feral, like he was biding his time before he ate me up.

And I kind of hoped he would.

“Freaky might be pushing it. I’ve poked around on those same apps. I’m not hardcore into pain or things like being tied up. And a lot of my interests are more…theoretical.”

“See, both of those things are appealing to me. It would be fun to introduce you to things you’ve only fantasized about. And I can work with tame.”

“Easily flustered bookish dudes do it for you?” I raised both eyebrows at him.

He took a leisurely bite of the casserole. “You blush easy, I’ll give you that. And that’s super sexy to me, you being all sweet and shy. A lot of guys seem to want a mean, scary Daddy. Lots of punishment, the kind of badass up for dealing with their sass and bratty behavior, and the sort who will put a serious hurt on them. Which is fine for them, but it’s not me.”

“You’re a nice Daddy.” I smiled at him because it was so true. He had the gentle, patient caretaker thing down. “I don’t need mean. Stern maybe. Demanding. But kind. I like feeling…safe. It’s hard to explain.”

“No, I’ve got you.” Using a gentle thumb, he tilted my face up when I would have studied my plate again. “You want to be taken care of. Someone to call you a good boy and give you filthy praise while spanking or fucking you hard, but you don’t want to feel used afterward.”

I swallowed hard because he might as well ask me to hand over my porn search history right there. He seemed to have a direct line to all my fantasies.

“Praise is good,” I mumbled in the understatement of the year. Just hearing him say good boy had me half-hard and aching.

“You’re allowed to want to be taken care of, Quinn. It’s not a character failing. And I’d enjoy taking care of you, giving you what you need in bed.”

“I…wow.”

“You can think about it.” He gestured at my plate. “Eat your dinner. It’s really good. Your mom would be proud.”

“Thank you.” Grateful for the chance to not speak, I took a few bites on automatic. The casserole had turned out nicely. Adam had been right to tease earlier because it was richer than I typically allowed myself. Multiple types of cheese mingling into a creamy sauce topped with buttery crumbs, but well worth the indulgence.

And maybe Adam was too.

“And you still get a brownie for dessert, even if you don’t want to take those theoretical kinks for a test drive with me.” His tone was light and laidback, so perfectly patient that it made my insides ache.