Page 23 of King of Hearts

I laughed, ducking my head while he began to pump the blood pressure cuff. It squeezed tight for a second before releasing.

The sound of Velcro being ripped apart filled the room while he jotted down my vitals. “Looks good, still healthy and strong, no worries there.”

“Good.” I let out a sigh and leaned back against the pillow.

“Let’s check these next.” He opened my gown by pulling on the little string that kept it closed in the front and palmed my breast. “Any pain here?”

I shook my head as his thumb rubbed over my nipple. Thanks to the frigid air, it had pebbled. I hissed as he repeated the process. When he inspected my chest, it was that same odd feeling I used to have as a little girl when my father’s doctor would examine me. I had to remind myself I was grown and was probably just nervous about being inspected by a good-looking doctor. Every pregnant woman went through this.

“Sorry, guess they’re sensitive, huh?” He grabbed the other breast and did the same thing until both his hands were full and his thumbs were running over my peaked nipples.

I hated that when he rubbed them, I felt my core clench, my thighs nearly squeezing together to hold off on feeling aroused. “Yeah, really sensitive.”

He did the same thing with the other breast until he was finally skimming his cold palm down the expanse of my stomach, pulling the gown up, and scrunching it under my breasts, leaving my entire bottom half open and available for him to see. I always noticed how his eyes caught on the triangle of bare skin between my thighs. Maybe it was in my head, but it seemed like his gaze heated every time.

“Ready to listen?” He moved back toward his counter then returned with the plastic bottle and little machine used to hear my baby’s heart. He squirted an ample amount of gel onto my stomach, some of it dripping down into my lap.

I nodded, holding the fabric of the gown over my breasts while the whooshing, beating sound filled the room. He kept the small wand there for a second, looking at his watch, then smiled again.

“Sounds great.” It was always over far too soon, my little light snuffing into nothing within seconds. I once asked if he could let me listen for a little longer, but he’d chided me, saying he had to keep things moving. I understood, but that little wallop sound was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard in my entire life, and all I wanted was to hold on to it forever.

Walking back to the counter, he grabbed a small towel and began to clean up my stomach, moving it down into the place the lube had fallen.

“Oops, looks like we got some down here.” He swiped at my pubic bone with his fingers, covered by the rag, but the fact that he was so close to my center made my thighs clench together. This plus the nipple situation, and my hormones were officially out of control. “Okay, let’s check you. Feet up, and you can lower the gown.”

I did as he said, putting my feet up in the stirrups and lowering the gown so it covered my belly and lap. Even though his view now was of my entire ass, at least I felt covered.

“You’re going to feel pressure here for a second,” he warned while his gloved hand pressed at my entrance and then began to push in further. “So, how are the hormones? I know you’re single…has that been difficult to manage?”

I watched the ceiling tiles while he navigated my cervix, or whatever it was he was after inside my vagina. “It’s been horrible. I can’t seem to get relief from anything that I try.”

“Hmmm, interesting.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, but since being near Juan, things were exponentially worse.

“Well, there’s a little stimulation trick I can show you, if you want?”

I looked down at him; his face was down, watching what he was doing. He must have found what he was looking for because he withdrew his hand, saying everything was in the right spot.

“What kind of trick?” I felt that same feeling, like nails on a chalkboard, like I was doing something wrong. Doctors talked about sexual things in front of couples all the time; this probably felt weird because I was all alone.

“Well…I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, but I can show you if you want.”

I considered it for a second, and then I thought of how hot and bothered Juan had left me the other night. I wouldn’t survive if that kept happening, but at the same time…the doctor showing me something like that seemed odd. I considered all the weird shit they’d done to me since my first appointment…maybe him showing me a technique wouldn’t be that far off.

With my voice shaky and my insides feeling like I was filling them with lead, I said, “Okay.”

* * *

The sun wasa healing elixir I couldn’t get enough of. I rested on the inflatable pool floatie with my face tipped back and sunglasses perched on my face. I had connected my phone to an outdoor speaker, and “Montana” by Daya danced along the water, forcing my wayward anxiety to settle and calm.

That is until a shadow fell over me, blocking the sun.

“Did you forget you’re pregnant?” Juan’s velvet voice boomed from somewhere near the edge of the pool.

I shoved my shades up, resting them on my hairline. “Excuse me?”

Juan crouched, his powerful legs straining against his denim-clad thighs. The crisp white t-shirt on his firm chest, a stark contrast to his mocha skin, made my mouth go dry. It was worse when I noticed how good he looked with his raven hair swept back and pieces falling into his face while a pair of dark frames covered his whiskey eyes. I loved Juan’s eyes.

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