“All right, you can do the exam.”
She smiled triumphantly. “Good.”
I wasn’t sure I had a choice. I was a strong man, but if this woman wanted something, I didn’t think I could say no. There was something deeper inside me that wanted to see her smile. That wanted to see her happy. That wanted to give her pleasure in every way possible. And fuck. I knew that was only going to happen if I let her through the door.
Four
Gretchen
My heart was about to beat out of my chest. This wasn’t what I envisioned when I volunteered to help veterans have a buddy in the community. I was expecting a scrawny scared kid desert with no one to help him. The man standing in front of me didn’t look like he needed assistance. He was tall and strong. His shoulders were wide enough to fill the doorframe. His voice calm and steady. I was afraid if I looked into his dark eyes one more time my knees would buckle. He was hot. Too hot. The kind of hot that made me blush and made me realize just how wet my panties could get being near him.
I was a damn doctor. A medical professional. I needed to pull it together and give him a physical like any other patient, not wonder what he looked like shirtless. Medicine came first. I was here to be a volunteer in the community, not fall into a hot soldier’s arms.
Holy fucking hell, this was going to be hard.
I looked around the cabin and wondered if this was where he usually called home. There wasn’t much to it. The fireplace was dark and the mantle was clear. I didn’t see a single photo or personal touch.
“Why don’t you sit on the couch?” I suggested.
I inhaled sharply when he brushed past my arm.
“All right.” He moved in front of me.
I looked at him. Normally, I would open my kit and go through the routine physical, but I froze.
“What do you need me to do?” he asked.
I sat next to him and fumbled with the clipboard with his information. “I need to ask you a few questions, first.” I swallowed. “Your form is incomplete.”
“What do you need to know?”
“It’s standard stuff.” I started at the top of the list. “Do you have a history of blood pressure problems?”
“No.”
“Heart disease?”
“No.”
“What about high cholesterol?”
He shook his head. “Again, no.”
I moved through the next columns. I knew the answers before he gave them. The man had to be in perfect health. I had never seen anyone who looked like he did. Muscles firm and toned. Perfect chiseled jawline. A killer smile that made me tingle all over. His dark eyes were clear and alert. He was gorgeous and sexy. Why wasn’t there a place to check that box on the medical form?
“Ok. I’m just going to listen to your heart, take your vitals, and I’ll be done. I promised no shots, remember?” I smiled, knowing I had started to flirt in the worst possible way.
I nudged the earpieces into my ears and held the end of the stethoscope in my hand.
“Do you mind?” I asked, quietly, lifting the hem of his T-shirt.
He shook his head. His eyes watching me as I took in his sculpted abs.
His skin was warm, and as my fingertips grazed over the firm planes of his muscles, I had to remember to breathe. I wasn’t the one being examined, he was. But holy hell, my body was reacting to him. I was a doctor not a call girl. I had a sudden regret in my professional calling.
I pressed the stethoscope above his heart. I didn’t think I’d ever heard a beat thump so strongly before. My eyes met his and I tried to smile, but I was lost in the depths of brown. I wanted to throw my equipment on the floor and explore the rest of his chest and torso with my hands. I was paralyzed with a sudden case of lust.
“Everything all right, doc?” he asked.