My Bad Boy Doctor

13

He snickers, which turns into a cough. He's forced to release me as he turns his head to hack into his arm. When he recovers, he says, "That's Ajay's sister. She was the woman who cheated on me, and the only reason I haven't blocked her is because Ajay doesn't know. He'd understand if I did, but she's family, and I don't want to create a rift between them."

Shit. I knew my anger was unjustified, and now I feel like a bitch for judging him. "I'm sorry," I repeat. "I'll get my things and go."

"Oh, stop," he commands, pinning me beneath his gaze. "I'd kiss you and say it's okay, but I don't want to get phlegm all over you."

"I appreciate that."

His lips pull into a grin. "I need you to trust me. I'm not a womanizer, and I'm not going to yell at you for a mistake. But I would ask you to speak to me first. I can't defend myself if I don't know why you're angry, and it's unfair to assume the worst about me before knowing the full story."

Damn it, now I feel even worse. And I deserve it, I know I do, but it sucks feeling this way. It's worse because I have always been let down, and I don't know how to lower my guard. Yet what can I say when he's done nothing worthy of my wrath?

"I'm a judgy person," I mumble, burning with shame. "It's so hard for me to open myself up after a lifetime of being hurt."

He pulls me close, stroking my hair. "Kelly, I'm not those people. I will never disrespect you, nor will I intentionally hurt you. What you can count on is that I'll be consistently horny, and I'll punch the first man to say or do anything impolite."

Did he punch his douchey friend at the bar when he insinuated I wasn't worth Blake's time? I'm kind of dying to know, but it's not my place to ask.

I bite my lip and curl into him, ignoring the fact that he smells like a locker room.

"I don't deserve your kindness," I begin.

He holds me at arms-length and smiles. "You do," he affirms in a heavy voice. "You aren't perfect, but neither am I."

Yeah, right. He's been nothing but a gentleman when he's not hiding my panties. "Okay, name one thing you've done that hasn't been acceptable for polite society."

His cheeks turn scarlet, and he clears his throat. "Uh, considering you just told me you're kind of judgy, I'd rather not."

Oh, now I really want to know. "Did you murder someone or do something equally as bad?"

He shakes his head. "Nothing like that."

"Was it illegal?" I still remember him evading that question last week, and it makes me genuinely curious. I don't want to find out that he committed a felony, but on the same note, it's probably better to find out now than later.

He nods. "When I caught Audrey cheating on me, I kind of lost it. I waited a few months before stealing her car and depositing it outside of Tucson. I didn't damage it, but I didn't return it to her either. She never put two and two together that it was me, and even if she did, I made sure there was no proof."

Oops. I can't say I feel bad for this woman. I'd be pissed if someone cheated on me too, and despite grand theft auto falling into the felony category, I'm not really bothered by it. The car wasn't destroyed, and at most, Audrey probably had to pay fees to have it towed. And given that Blake didn't tell her brother what a snake she was, it was much kinder than she deserved.

I shrug. "Okay, I guess that's more of an inconvenience than anything. Just promise me you didn't do anything else."

"Erm... okay, it's super childish, but I TP'd her house when she and Ajay weren't home, and then I used their hose to spray it down. Took them a couple of weeks to peel it off."

I giggle. "What are you, twelve?"

I can't help myself. It's such a juvenile thing to do, but again, it could have been worse.

He shrugs. "She broke my heart, and I found out on our anniversary when she blew me off. Her date tagged her on Snapchat. When hitting the punching bag didn't work, I went for a drive. Two days later and three states away, I was still angry. I stayed home, cried, screamed, burned all of our pictures, and I still couldn't calm myself down. I wanted to shred her clothes and destroy anything I could find, but I didn't want to be held liable for it. Once I knew I couldn't be blamed, I followed her to her boyfriend's house, hotwired the car, and left it on the road. It cost me a fortune to take a Lyft back to Phoenix, but to was worth it if I could hurt her, even if it was in making her pay the impound fees."

Fair. I lean back into him and rub his back. "Not that I approve of breaking the law, but she sounds like a piece of work."

He shrugs. "She begged me to take her back shortly after that. Ajay asked me about it, but didn't press me for the truth when I told him to drop it. I don't forgive cheaters."

"Nor should you," I agree.

When I notice him shivering, I break away and nod at the cooling soup on his nightstand. "Okay, I really think it's time for you to eat and rest. We can talk more about this later. And I really am sorry I invaded your privacy. That was inappropriate."

He pushes himself backward until the bed frame is supporting him and rests his head against the wall. With droopping eyes, he murmurs, "I have nothing to hide from you. Just promise me you'll communicate how you're feeling so we can discuss it first."

It's more than reasonable, and my heart swells with nothing but admiration for him. He's been kind to me, despite my actions, and I'm grateful.

I take the steaming bowl and carefully set it on the bed, pushing the spoon and plate of crackers at him. "I promise. Now please eat. I don't want you to get worse."

"Will you stay with me?"

I grin. His request is so meek and sweet, there's no way I can deny it. "Yes, now stop putting this off, or I'll be forced to ground you."

A small chuckle escapes from his throat. "When I get better, the first thing we're going to do is roleplay with you in charge. You're hot when you're bossy."

Holy moly, how do I answer that? I don't know the first thing about roleplay and fantasies that aren't vanilla, but I nod anyway. I don't mind learning if he's the one to teach me, and in a few short minutes, I've fallen for him.

"Alright, you naughty boy. Food first, then rest. And when you're feeling better, we'll explore your sexy fantasies."

He rewards me with a smile before sipping at his soup. His eyes twinkle, promising a good time later. "I can't wait."