The Doctor (Nashville Neighborhood, #1)

by Nikki Sloane

We’d gone from soft kisses, to spanking, to brutal fucking, and now sensual cuddling? It should have felt strange, but it didn’t. The way he swung from one extreme to the other was fascinating and perfect.

“Are you okay?” Confidence fled from his voice. “I didn’t mean to be like that.” All the hair pulling had made a mess of my ponytail, and I tucked a loose tendril behind my ear. “I’m fine.” The quiet in the room careened toward awkwardness. “I’m fine,” I said again, trying to convince him. “I, uh, liked the way you were. You couldn’t tell?” He appeared conflicted. “No, I could, it’s just that was probably too much.” The single sip of his disgusting wine must have given me courage. “For who? You?” I straightened so I could stare directly at him. “Because it was great for me.” “Jesus.” He cupped my face, and the corner of his mouth ticked up into a smile. “All right. Let’s add it to the list of all the things we’re not supposed to do, but do anyway.”

“What are we doing?” he asked quietly. I scowled. Like I had any clue. Plus, thinking about us together only brought on guilt. “Okay.” He said it like I’d given him an answer. “What do you want this to be?” What I wanted wasn’t possible. Greg would always be Preston’s father and twenty years older than I was. “I don’t know how to answer that.” “What we just did . . . you want to do it again?” My pulse jumped. It was scary to confess, but I wasn’t going to lie. “Yeah.” He tensed his shoulders, and visibly struggled to get his words out. “Me too,” he admitted softly. “Which means we have to tell Preston.” “Oh my God, no.” Had Greg lost his mind? Not in a million years was I going to do that. “He’s my son, Cassidy. When he was born, I put my needs before everyone else’s and, shit, I was the worst father. Hell, I wasn’t a father at all. But I got a second chance, and I’m not going to blow it this time. It’s taken years for him to forgive me.”

“And I can’t stay away,” I admitted. “I don’t want to stop. Do you?” “No.” “So . . .” The muscles along his jaw flexed and his eyes went narrow. He was in agreement, but not happy about it, and I understood. I wasn’t thrilled about sneaking around either. “Just until the end of summer.”

It was nearly one in the morning when I left his bed. I had to hurry to make it home before curfew. My mom was pretty lax about stuff—I could have texted her if I needed an extension, but it was already so late, and what kind of excuse would I give? “Sorry, Mom. I’m hanging out in Dr. Lowe’s bed and he just banged my brains out.” Yeah, that’d go over just great.

“So . . . you’re like, what? Dating Dr. Daddy now?”

“I swear, Cassidy, this thing keeps getting better every time we talk. I can’t wait until you’re telling me you’re going to be Preston’s new stepmom.”

“I’m teasing. But, seriously, dude. He’s hot and a doctor. Well done, you. You need to teach me your ways.” Me, teach her? Lilith was the sexually confident woman I wanted to be. “Yeah, right. And how many guys have I been with, again?” “You mean, outside of the Lowe family?” She grinned. “Ouch. That was savage.” “I know, I’m sorry. Couldn’t resist.” She propped her elbows on the round table and rested her chin on her hands. “Your number doesn’t matter, because it’s not a contest. Guys can fuck a bunch of different women and still be clueless about sex.” She lifted her eyebrows. “Believe me.” “Well, Greg is—uh—not clueless.” Her smile was wide and genuine. “Glad to hear it. You deserve a good dose of vitamin D.”

“God, I hope he never puts up curtains,” Lilith said wistfully. I smirked. “You pervert.” “Don’t I know it.”

“I’m really sorry. Do you want to try to sell our tickets? Or I can still pay for mine if you want to go with someone else.” I gazed at the sizzling skillet of fajitas in front of me. I was disappointed she couldn’t go, but I still really wanted to. Did I know anyone else who liked Joven? Oh. I did. He’d caught me dancing in my swimsuit to their music once in his darkened garage. Plus, he wasn’t on-call that weekend. “Your face is weird,” Lilith said abruptly, staring at me through the steam from my food. “What are you thinking about?” “Doing something crazy,” I said. “Like, maybe asking Greg if he wants to go.” Her eyes widened along with her smile. She liked this bad idea a lot. “Oh my God, do it.”

“What’s your name, gorgeous?” I blinked. Did he really just say that? Even though it was technically a compliment, the way he’d delivered the cheesy line was anything but flattering, and I felt my expression sour. “My name is ‘Not Interested.’” His friends snickered, but the guy was unfazed. If anything, it seemed to egg him on. He stepped toward me, invading my space. He was close. Too close, and I backpedaled—only the wall was there, hot against my back. His friends kept their distance. Most seemed uninterested in what was going on, but it was hard not to feel intimidated with the tall guy looming over me, and the way his smile reached his eyes, it was clear he knew it. He saw how nervous he made me and enjoyed it. He was scary. “Why not?” he asked, looking smug. “You got a boyfriend?” I’d been raised by a strong, feminist mother, and since I was literally trapped, this guy had activated the part of me which was all teeth and claws. “Does that make a difference?” I snapped. My question caught him off-guard, but he recovered and looked at me like I was being silly. His tone dripped with condescension. “Of course, it does.” “Why?” I lifted my chin and narrowed my gaze, giving him time to come up with an answer, but he stumbled. “Is it,” I continued, “because that means I belong to someone else?” Confusion threaded his eyebrows together. “Uh . . .” “I already told you I wasn’t interested, but, no. You won’t respect that. You’ll only step off when you think I’m another man’s...

“That was impressive.” “What?” He shifted toward me, placing a hand on the small of my back and drawing me near. The warmth of his touch made the space between us feel intimate. Like it was just the two of us in the evening shadows. His gaze captured me and refused to let go. “What you said to him. How you put that jerk in his place.” I couldn’t think straight when he was this close and I could breathe in his cologne. “I’m not an object,” I said and made a face. “I mean, I’m not going to be treated like one anymore.” The statement hung for a moment. He knew who I was talking about and nodded slowly in understanding. “Is it okay if I tell you that you look amazing, though? Because you do.”

I told him I wasn’t going to be anyone’s possession, but maybe I’d been wrong. Because this kiss? It owned me.

Greg: Want to go for a midnight swim?

Cassidy: What if I didn’t pack a swimsuit?

Greg: Did you?

Cassidy: Yeah.

Greg: Good. It’ll be fun to take it off.

I’d wanted a lot of things in my life. Getting into a good school. Someday becoming a veterinarian. Maybe even a father who gave a fuck about me. But I’d never wanted anything as badly as I wanted Greg right now.

“Thanks for asking me to go with you. I’m sorry I was late.” I nodded. “I get it.” He’d told me between acts at the concert that one of his patients had developed a nasty post-op infection, and the call had been a lengthy deliberation between doctors on how to handle it. It really put my annoyance at waiting for him in perspective. I took a long drink of my beer. “I mean, it was literal life and death, right?” “Yeah, but—” “Then I can wait. I’m not that important.” Greg froze mid-sip, and then lowered his bottle. “Don’t say that. Of course, you’re important.”

Greg was going to fuck me in the exact same spot he’d watched me last month with his son.

“This is my fantasy,” he said. He rubbed the tip of his cock on my slit, making me squirm and shift. I needed him inside me. Couldn’t he see how desperate I was? His gaze moved along my body until it connected with mine. “My fantasy,” he continued, “every day since I saw you out here with him.”

“I was jealous. So unbelievably jealous.” Greg widened his knees, which were tucked under my spread legs, and pumped his hips a second time. I recoiled with pleasure, and a victorious look lit up his eyes. “Watching him get to fuck you, when I wanted it to be me. I wanted it to be like this.”

“I stood there watching, and I didn’t know I was capable of being that jealous about anything until then. I wanted you so fucking bad, Cassidy.”

“I wanted it to be you,” I said in a blur. I hadn’t even admitted it to myself, and now here I was, saying it out loud. “After I saw you—” How far should I go with this? Should I tell him all of it? “I closed my eyes and imagined I was with you.”

“How long did you stand there, watching?” “Long enough to know I could do it better.” My eyes went wide. It was indecent, yet all the liquid in my body rushed to my center. Greg’s expression was pure dominance. “Am I right?” “Yes,” I said, gulping down a breath and nodding profusely. “Good. I’m going to fuck you until all you remember is being with me on this chair.”

I never understood it in porn. Until this moment, watching a guy come on a woman had done nothing for me. If anything, I found it degrading. A man marking his territory. But as I stared down at my spattered skin, I flooded with a different kind of satisfaction. I liked how Greg had marked me as his. I liked it a whole fucking lot.

“What?” “Nothing.” I forced a laugh and reached for the towel. “It’s stupid.” He drew away, pulling the towel with him and out of my grasp. His expression went skeptical. “What’s stupid?” I groaned inside my head. If Greg and I were going to keep our relationship on the down-low, I needed to get a lot better at being a decent actress. My tone was sheepish. “I thought you were going to grab your phone.” He didn’t follow. “You thought I needed to call someone?” “No,” I squeaked out. Oh, God, I wilted with embarrassment. “You were staring at me like you liked the way I looked, and . . . You know.” Although he clearly didn’t. My voice was shallow. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” He blinked away his confusion as he considered the statement. Then, his expression turned into something so lewd and exciting, it stole my breath. His bare feet slapped against the stone when he sped to the table, plucked up his phone, and hurried back to me. The smart voice in the back of my mind announced its concern but was instantly overruled as Greg held up the phone and studied the screen. He was so focused, and I held perfectly still as he moved in and shifted to get exactly the right shot. When the flash went off, I jolted with unexpected satisfaction. I’d never taken sexy pics of myself, and certainly not with Preston. But the concept of this filthy picture in Greg’s phone? It was so sexy. And then he showed it to me. I flushed hot all over at the image of myself sprawled out on the cushi...

“We can’t fall asleep out here,” he said. But his deep voice was soothing, and I snuggled closer. “Mm-hm.” “I’m serious. The mosquitos will eat us alive.” “I’m too comfortable. You’re going to have to carry me.” I’d meant it as a joke, but he extricated himself from my hold, stood, and slipped his arms under my body. “I was kidding!” I scrambled away from his hands and onto my feet. “Were you really going to carry me to bed?” He reached a hand up and massaged the back of his neck, flashing a smirk. “I was going to attempt it. But I also did upper-body today at the gym, so I appreciate you making it easier on me. Just like I’m sure you appreciate me not dropping you while we’re halfway up the stairs, because that was probably going to happen.”

Had he compared me to his past girlfriends? Was that even what I was? We hadn’t defined this thing between us, and I was more comfortable that way right now. I’d just gotten out of a major relationship—my first love. I shouldn’t rebound right into another. Plus, I’d go back to school in another month to start my sophomore year. He was forty years old with a demanding job. We couldn’t date, even if he was interested in doing that. Was he interested?

“That’s not going to make enough for both of us.” “I don’t want any coffee.” I was mesmerized by how comfortable and casual he seemed standing this close to me while we were both barely dressed. His confusion only lasted a moment. “You were making it for me?” I stood with my back against the counter and nodded. His smile started in his eyes. “I guess I can’t be mad at you for leaving my bed, then.”

The way Preston had described Ms. Maligner, it had given me a very different impression. I’d expected a frumpy older woman. One who was oblivious that Dr. Lowe was out of her league. But was she out of his league? Judy was pretty and slender. She had a job, owned a house, could order a beer at a bar. I wasn’t stupid. I knew it made more sense for him to be with her than me, and suddenly I was grateful he’d brushed her off all those times.

“Her car’s in the driveway.” Greg’s tone was pointed. “And?” There came a sound like she was flustered. “Well, when no one answered the door, I thought she’d spent the night with Preston while you weren’t home. I assumed you’re a good father who doesn’t allow that sort of thing.” “What ‘sort of thing?’” Greg’s words were sharp, and I pictured his expression matching his voice. “You know what I mean. Letting your son’s teenage girlfriend sleep over.” She said the word teenage the same way I imagined prim and conservative Judy would say atheist democrat. A long and very male sigh rang out. “First of all, Cassidy isn’t Preston’s girlfriend—” “Well, I’d certainly hope not.” “And she’s an adult. Second, how I raise my son isn’t really your business. Did I ask you to come into my yard and look through my windows?” The pitch and volume of her voice climbed. “I was doing you a favor! I thought you’d want to know how that girl spent the night, because it’s so inappropriate.” Judy drew in a deep breath. “Lordy, I had no idea just how inappropriate it really was.” “Judy—” “She’s a child. What are you doing with her?” I slumped against the wall. “That’s definitely none of your business,” he answered, maintaining an even keel, but I heard the edge beneath. He was close to losing his patience. “This is why you’re not interested?” she spat out. “I’m not young enough for you.” I sucked in a sharp breath. “No,” Greg snapped. “I’m not interested in you, because of you. I’ve tried to be poli...

“Last night was great, and I don’t want to ruin that. She rattled us. Let’s cool off for now, and we can talk later. Okay?”

“What seems to be the problem?” “Problem?” I whispered. “You’re flushed. Breathing hard.” He seized my wrist, pressed his index finger to my pulse point, and peered down at his watch, counting the seconds. “Your pulse is elevated.” I had no idea my wrist was an erogenous zone, but in Greg’s hands, every inch of my skin felt that way. I swallowed a breath. “I’m having a reaction to something.” God, his expression was corrupt and victorious as he walked me backward toward a wall. He feigned concern. “Any idea what’s causing it?” He wasn’t playing fair, but I liked it. “No . . . Doctor.”

“Undo your pants,” he rasped into my ear. “I want to check and see how severe this reaction is.”

“I have a diagnosis, but we’ll have to delay treatment." “Why?” I gasped. My greedy body moved against his hand. I was close. So fucking close. “I need to administer it at my house.” The kiss he gave me was erotic. “In my bed.” His tongue slashed against mine. “Preferably with my mouth.”

“Soon, Cassidy. I don’t want you to have to be quiet. I need to hear all those sexy sounds you make.” He looked down at his hand still lodged in my panties and how I gyrated against it. “Although, I’m not going to lie, what you’re doing right now is really fucking hot.”

“I want you to take off your clothes, get into my bed, and make yourself come.”

“You,” he said, “playing with yourself in my bed? Fuck.” He smoothed a hand down his leg, straightening the swell that threatened. “That’s my fantasy. I want you rolling around in my sheets, making them smell like you. Make that whole room smell like sex by the time I get home.”

Should I slow down? Maybe it’d be better if he caught me like this when he came home. He’d yank me out of his bed, bend me over his knee, and pretend to show me what a bad girl I had been. I’d squeeze fistfuls of his expensive slacks in my hands while he spanked my bottom bright red.

The feeling was temporary—my self-induced orgasm was a Band-Aid, not a real fix. Only Dr. Lowe could make it better.

He’d be here soon, ready to turn my fantasies into reality.

“Are you still experiencing discomfort?” Confusion flooded me. “What?” “Your problem earlier.” His expression hinted at the game. “Do you still have symptoms?” My mouth rounded into an “oh” as I got it. Our scene from before, the fantasy I’d asked for. I softened. “Greg, you’ve got to be exhausted. We don’t have to—” A sad smile curled at the edge of his lips. “You’re always thinking about other people and never yourself. That ends tonight. Cassidy, you want this, and I want to give it to you.” I frowned and opened my mouth to tell him he was being silly. It was three in the morning, but he cut me off. “What if I tell you I need this?”

My body was in command, and I was merely a slave to it. A passenger along for the crazed, exquisite ride.

God, he looked amazing. So professional in his fitted doctor’s coat and tie. He looked like a man who’d finish surgery and then enjoy eighteen holes of golf. Instead, he’d come home to a naked nineteen-year-old girl waiting in his bed for him to fuck her senseless.

As long as I was disobeying him and not being a good ‘patient,’ I figured I’d cross the line completely. My hand shot out a second time and I skated my palm over the thick line of his erection, caressing and stroking the hard muscle beneath the fly of his pants. His expression went razor-sharp, and it squeezed the air from my lungs. But instead of pulling away, his hand came off my stomach and ripped at his belt, trying ...

He could touch me a million times and I was sure I’d never get used to it. It’d always feel this amazing. It’d always cause my toes to curl and my heart to beat wildly.

Going down on him was like drowning, only in a way you enjoyed losing the battle. The struggle to breathe, the desperate movement to keep up. I wanted to push myself and see how much I could take.

“You’re tense.” His tone was reassuring. “Try to relax.” Was he kidding? I was tense because he’d left me in this worked up state half the damn night— Thoughts scattered when his hand veered up between my legs, running through my cleft, and then continued its indecent path up, slipping shockingly between my cheeks. Holy fuck.