Page 30 of One for the Money
My brother freezes, and I bite my lip to keep from laughing. “I’m not leaving because I can’t handle it.”
She shrugs, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “Dario, fifteen minutes is the max recommendation. You’re at seven. Can you continue?”
“Sure thing, Doc.” In my head, I start to count, and before I get to twenty, Dexter is back in his tub. He never could back down from a challenge, and I knew he wouldn’t let the doctor get the best of him.
As we soak, Alex reaches into her pocket and pulls out two packets, setting them on the small table beside her with two bottles of water. “Electrolytes. You’re elite athletes, and you need to treat yourself as such, and I don’t think that’s been happening. You’re more than just carnies.”
“What’s wrong with carnies?” Dexter growls.
She rolls her eyes. Like, honest to god eye rolling in the face of his aggression. “Nothing. But they aren’t doing the incredible things you two do out there on the tightrope and trapeze. Listening to the chatter of your audience, you’re good enough to be booked in one of those big Vegas shows, and even if you never want to do that, I want you to be treated as they do their performers.” A timer goes offon her phone. “You can get out now. Try to eat a protein-rich dinner, with some complex carbs, okay?”
The doctor doesn’t wait for our acceptance before slipping out of the tent.
“Who do you think she is going to terrorize next?” Dexter asks, teeth chattering as he climbs out of the tub.
I snag a towel for myself and toss the other into his face. “Shut up. You’re just mad because she’s doing her job.”
“She’s here for injury and illness!”
“And no doubt this will prevent injury. Proactive is better than reactive, dude. You don’t expect her to stay locked in her trailer all day until someone beckons her?”
He wraps the towel around his waist as he picks up a water bottle and the electrolyte packet. He examines it like he’s worried Alex tampered with it. “That’s what the others have done.”
“Like it or not, we’ve got an Omega here now. She’s going to try to take care of us. That’s what they do.”
He scoffs and walks out of the tent. “Until they don’t.”
Chapter 12
“Oh my god,this place is too nice!” I’m nearly bouncing out of my seat as Rich pulls up to the intimate restaurant. It’s small, with crawling ivy and beautiful, warm-toned lights wound through trellises. A valet stand is out front, and I watch one of the attendants drive away with a sports car that costs as much as med school did.
I’m now wondering if my outfit is appropriate for this type of place.
Rich grabs my hand and kisses the back of it. He flashes me a gorgeous grin that threatens to melt me. “What, did you think I forgot what today was?”
Our anniversary.
We’ve been dating for four years now, and every moment of it has been bliss.
We met during our first year of residency, and we were both fortunate to secure full-time positions in the emergency medicine department at St. Mark’s Medical Center in Florida after graduation. It wasn’t a big deal for me to move across the country to work alongside him. My first preference was closer to my parents, but when it comes to choosing my parents or the man I love, I’m choosing Rich every time.
My Alpha is a dream. He’s kind, gentle, and understanding.I’ve never met someone so attuned to how others are feeling. He’s a great doctor and an even better partner. He defies all stereotypes about Alphas, and I love him all the more for it.
I could never be with a chest-banging, caveman-like, aggressive Alpha. Even some of the Alphas with larger statures make me nervous. Rich is tall, but not exceptionally tall, and his build is on the slender side for an Alpha.
I feel safe in his arms.
He opens my car door, but before I can climb out, he crowds me, stealing a kiss from my lips. I melt under his touch.
Four years and he still makes my knees weak.
“Come on, gorgeous,” he purrs, taking my hand and pulling me out of his sports car. He tosses the keys at the valet without looking. I wobble a bit on my heels but correct myself quickly, and he wraps a hand around my lower back, tucking me into his side.
The restaurant is softly lit, creating a romantic ambiance that has my heart galloping.
We haven’t discussed marriage much, and my Omega hasn’t pushed me to bond with him yet. I don’t know why. Maybe I need a ring first, the stability of that promise, for my Omega to take over and bond him. I’ve heard about how it’s nearly impossible to hold back a bond with your scent match, especially during heat, but I haven’t struggled.
Maybe it’s because I’ve not yet gone through a heat with him because of the suppressants I’m on.
