Chapter 4

4

ETHAN

I 'm fighting like hell to stop myself from looking over my shoulder at the girl who answered the door. It would be improper to get caught leering at her like some creepy old pervert. I've seen pictures of her. Maryanne has photos of Elodie all over the place. But those photos didn't prepare me for how beautiful she is in person. The girl is absolutely stunning. Even that doesn't adequately describe how gorgeous Elodie is. She's ethereal and her beauty is otherworldly.

I know I shouldn't be thinking of her in those terms—I'm forty-five and she can't be more than twenty-two or twenty-three. She's literally half my age. But the minute she opened the door, the jolt that hit me was like lightning being shot through my veins. I had to physically stop myself from getting a hard-on in front of her by biting the inside of my cheek hard enough that I thought I was going to draw blood. What a first impression that would have made.

"Dr. Collier," Maryanne beams from her bed. "I didn't know you were coming by today."

"I had a little extra time, so I thought I'd drop by just to check on you. How are you doing, Maryanne?"

"I'm good, Doc. I'm stronger."

"I have no doubt. You're a healthy woman, all things considered," I say. "But let's not overdo things too soon, huh?"

"Between you and my granddaughter, I'm never going to get to do anything fun again."

"I wouldn't say never. You're strong. In time, you'll be able to get out there and tear up the town again. Just not for a little while yet."

"So, you finally met Elodie."

"I did. Lovely girl," I reply, trying like hell to keep the lust and desire out of my voice. "It's nice to finally have a face, live and in person, to put with your stories."

She laughs as I pull the small device from my bag then wrap the Velcro cuff around Maryanne's arm to take her blood pressure. While that's running, I pull out my stethoscope and listen to her heart and lungs. Through it all, Maryanne stays silent and still, letting me do what I need to do. She's a good patient like that. She's a lot better than many of my patients who squirm around when I need them to remain still.

As that's all going on, my thoughts turn to Elodie. I try to banish the images of her slim, tight, yet enticingly curvy body. The last thing I need is to be sitting here with Maryanne getting a raging hard-on as thoughts of her fucking granddaughter flash through my mind. No matter how hard I try, though, I can't stop seeing her golden-blond hair, eyes that sparkle like polished jade, and full, red, heart-shaped lips. I can't stop seeing the swell of her hips or the way her full, round breasts strain against the fabric of her long-sleeved t-shirt.

Her voice is high and sweet, and she's got such a sweet, innocent, girl-next-door look about her that I find entirely appealing. Elodie is such a tiny little thing, five-two at most, which is a little surprising. She just looks taller in the photos I've seen. She's tiny but has a woman's body that makes me imagine picking her up and tossing her around in bed. I imagine having her soft, curvy body wrapped around mine, caught up in the throes of some passionate and intense sexual romp.

"So? How am I doing, Doc?"

Maryanne's voice pulls me out of the parade of lurid thoughts about her granddaughter scrolling through my mind. I try to banish the lingering thoughts as I clear my throat. I quickly remove the cuff and check the monitor, giving her an encouraging nod.

"Well, your heart sounds strong, your lungs are clear," I say. "Your blood pressure is a tick high, but nothing to be concerned about. We'll just want to keep an eye on it. By all accounts, you are in good shape."

"That's good news."

"It is. But that's not the green light to go back to your normal routine," I caution her. "You suffered a major trauma to the most important organ in your body, Maryanne. You need to give yourself some time to heal. Your body needs rest."

"That's what I keep telling her."

Elodie's voice in the doorway ignites the bonfire of desire inside of me and that dam of self-control I've been struggling to maintain starts to crack, threatening to flood my mind with an array of tawdry scenes starring the young woman behind me. She glides into the room and perches lightly on the other side of the bed, and when our eyes meet, my skin warms, and fingers of electricity crawl across my body.

I grit my teeth, trying my best to keep my cock from stiffening, which isn't easy because all I want to do is tear her clothes off and fuck her right there. Honestly, I want her so bad right now, I don't even care if her grandmother watches at this point. I can't say I recall ever having this kind of reaction to a woman before and it's disconcerting as fuck.

"So, what's next for Mam?" Elodie asks.

"Lots of rest for the moment. Take her meds. Watch her blood pressure," I tell her, thankful to focus on the medicine side rather than what I want to do to her. "In a few days, we're going to want to get her into the hospital to run some tests."

"What about medications?" Elodie asks.

I busy myself with tucking my equipment back into my bag, doing my best to avoid eye contact with her. It's hard enough to keep from getting an erection as it is, and I'm sure looking deep into those sparkling green eyes won't lead me anywhere good.

"I currently have her on aspirin, beta-blockers, and a statin," I say. "I recommend she stay on all three for a little while still."

"And what is your recommendation about alcohol consumption?" Elodie asks.

"I don't recommend it. Not for a while yet," I respond.

Maryanne groans while Elodie laughs, the sound of it lighting up the room, and making my balls painfully tight. Her laughter is so sweet and musical, I could listen to it all day.

"Elodie dear, did nobody ever tell you that ignorance is bliss?" Maryanne asks.

"No. In fact, I seem to recall you teaching me to always embrace the truth, no matter how painful it might be," she replies lightly.

"Do as I say, not as I do, child."

The interplay between them makes me laugh as I fill out her prescriptions. I tear them off the pad and hand them directly to Elodie, and when our fingers brush, it's like touching a live wire. It sets my heart racing and makes my entire body tingle. Elodie's cheeks flush and her eyes sparkle as she pulls her hand away almost reluctantly. I clear my throat and try to gather myself.

"Anyway, you're going to want to fill those as soon as possible," I tell them. "They only gave you enough at the hospital to get you through the first couple of days, so if I'm counting correctly, you should be getting low."

"I am. Thank you, Dr. Collier," Maryanne says.

"Of course," I reply. "So, I'm going to want to see you again sometime in the next few days. We want to see how everything is looking inside and make sure we're on the right path."

"I'll be making the appointment and keeping track of these things for her," Elodie says.

Maryanne frowns. "Honey, that's several days off. You don't need to?—"

"I'm going to be here for a while, Mam. Like I said, you need to get used to it."

"You have a life back home."

"This is my home. You're my home and I'm going to be here as long as it takes to get you back on your feet," Elodie says. "And that's the last I want to hear of that nonsense."

They're sweet together, and it's easy to see just how much Elodie cares for her grandmother. It's really nice to see. But then, it's kind of par for the course here in Emerson. Families are close and people genuinely go out of their way for one another. It's another one of those big differences between here and LA, and I have to admit, it's a pleasant change of pace.

I get to my feet and pick up my bag. "Then I'll look forward to seeing you in a couple of days, Maryanne. Until then, rest, relax, and stay off the booze."

She laughs and shakes her head as Elodie smiles, and I find myself absolutely captivated by her.

"Have a nice day, ladies."

"Thank you, Dr. Collier, for everything."

"You're welcome," I reply.

"I'll walk you out," Elodie says.

Elodie falls into step beside me as we head down the hallway, heading for the front door. We stop in the small foyer and Elodie turns to me with her hand on the doorknob. I'm not a shy man, nor am I an awkward teenager. Yet, standing there looking into the eyes of this beautiful young woman, I find myself absolutely tongue-tied and unable to speak.

"How is she doing, really, Dr. Collier?" she asks. "Please be honest with me."

Her tone is earnest, and her eyes are filled with concern. It's easy to see that this has thrown her for a major loop, and she's still trying to catch up with it all. She's trying to make sense of what happened and is looking for straight, unvarnished facts to help her not just understand what's happening, but what her next steps need to be. It's a pragmatic and logical approach rather than a purely emotional one, which would be simple to fall back on in a situation like this. I respect that.

"Well, she suffered a relatively severe cardiac event, I'm not going to lie to you," I tell her. "But I've reviewed her file, and as long as she does what she's supposed to do—namely, rest, take her meds, and follow up on all of her appointments—I think she's got a very good chance to make a full recovery. I expect that she'll be fine."

Elodie lets out a long breath, and her shoulders slump, as if the thousand-pound weight she's been carrying has suddenly been lifted. The relief on her face is palpable. And as her full, heart-shaped lips curl upward, I have the almost overpowering urge to pull her into my arms and kiss her. Given that her grandmother is in the other room after having just suffered a heart attack, I know it's not the appropriate time, so I manage to restrain myself.

Hey, I may be fantasizing about this exquisitely gorgeous woman naked and all the delicious things I want to do with her, but I've got some sense of decorum and know this will all just be fodder for jerking off in the shower later.

"Thank you, Dr. Collier. I really appreciate your honesty."

"Of course. And if there's anything else you need or something comes up, don't hesitate to call me," I tell her as I pull a card out of my pocket and hand it to her.

She looks at the card, running her fingertip over the letters in my name, and looks up at me for a moment like she wants to say something. I'm silently praying she's going to tell me to take her home, get her naked, and do filthy things to her. But she doesn't and the moment regrettably passes.

"Thanks again," she says as she opens the door for me. "My Mam is lucky to have you looking over her."

"I think she's luckier to have you looking over her. She's a sweet woman."

"She is."

"Okay, well, have a nice day, Elodie. And it was nice meeting you."

"Yeah. You too."

I head out of the house and head for my car, visions of Elodie naked and on top of me, my hands caressing her body filling my mind. What I want is to go home and take care of this stiff cock in my pants, but I've got a full slate of patients to see, which means I'm going to have to deal with this uncomfortable bulge for a while.

What a day.