Series: Lee Savino
Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 66414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
I run a coffee shop with my grandmother, Daisy
Yes, I drink waaaaay too much caffeine
I’m an avid reader and someday want to expand the cafe to add a bookstore and brewery
But Dr. Hunk–aka Matthias Stark–makes my heart beat faster than a venti blonde roast with quadruple espresso shots
* * *
Right now, I sit on the patient table, staring at the floor. If I look at the good doctor, I will spontaneously combust. I’m already hot all over, just from getting whiffs of his sophisticated cologne.
Be cool, be cool… whatever you do, don’t drool!
He’s wearing blue scrubs. Not the blue scrubs! Blue is a calming color, but that’s not how it affects me. His dark skin seems to glow against it, and the way his short sleeves show off his powerful biceps makes me feel like I have a heart condition.
Have you ever been around a guy so hot it destroys your brain? I live a pretty sheltered life on Bad Bear mountain. I don’t really party. I perv on celebrities like everyone else, but Dr. Hunk is a real life celebrity–sexy, smart, perfect. After the Latte Incident where he said good morning, and I shouted “BLARG!” and spilled an entire oat milk latte on myself, I’ve learned to avoid him. So there is definitely no way I can have this conversation with him.
“I thought you’d be the nurse,” I blurt.
“Nancy had to leave early. I can help you.” He regards me with his dreamy brown eyes. His glasses only emphasize how gorgeous he is. He looks so collected and in control, but I know his secret. He’s a bear shifter. Most of the residents of Bad Bear know that Winnie and the seven now-grown boys she adopted are different from the rest of us, but we protect that secret, and in return, they protect and give back to the town.
The fact that Dr. Hunk is a bear means he has a wild side. I wonder if he lets it out in the bedroom...
Gah! I need to stop perving on the good doctor. He’s not an object of desire. It’s not his fault he’s perfect in every way.
“No. You can’t.” I tug on my shirt, pulling it down to hide my belly. Why, oh why did I wear a cropped sweater today of all days? One of my New Year's resolutions is to be braver. Another was making this health care appointment. Between running the cafe and helping my grandma, Daisy, with Winterfest, I don’t really have time, but the pain has gotten unbearable.
He catches my hand, staying it. It’s a light touch, but his big hand almost swallows mine. “Maisy, please.” His other hand slides over my belly. It’s warm, the touch sensual although I’m sure he doesn’t mean it to be. “What hurts?” He slides his hand across my abdomen like he’s soothing me.
I close my eyes. His sandalwood scent surrounds me, warm and comforting. I want to roll on my back and offer my belly to him like a puppy.
Yes, please. Please touch me more.
Crap, he asked me a question, and he’s waiting for me to answer.
Eek. It took a lot for me to even come in today, and now I have to talk about my private parts with my long-time crush? “It’s my ovaries.”
“Are you on your period? Do you have cramps?”
“No, I just had my period a couple of weeks ago.” I wave to my journal, where I chart my symptoms and cycle regularly. “I won’t get it for a month or more. I’m not very regular. I have cysts. They hurt so bad, but… the Ob-Gyn says there’s no way I could feel that.”
His brow furrows. His hand still rests on my belly, and even though I’m in pain, I start imagining what would happen if he turned his fingers and slid them lower, between my legs.
“She’s wrong. A lot of patients feel pain from ovarian cysts. It’s very common.”
He’s so assuring, and I can’t hold back anymore. The dam bursts. “She said I have PCOS, but there’s no way I’d actually feel the cysts. She said I had to be imagining the pain. She said…” my voice catches, and I mumble the rest, feeling the tug of shame, “She said I just need to lose weight.”
Dr. Hunk frowns, and it’s chilling how handsome he is, even when he’s stern. “She didn’t prescribe something to manage your condition?”
I shake my head, feeling miserable.
For a second, his eyes blaze blue. It must be a bear thing. I’ve seen it before on Axel, his brother, and my pity prom date, but I don’t know what it means. We don’t know much about our, er, different neighbors, but we respect their privacy, and in return, they’d do anything for our little town.
“That’s not okay.” His voice is a guttural growl that sends goosebumps skittering up my arms. “You should never have to suffer like this.”