Chapter 6

6

ETHAN

" R esults are good," I say. "Your scans and all the additional testing are all in the normal range. I'd say you're on the mend."

"I feel good, Dr. Collier. Better than even before."

"Well, let's not rush things just yet. I'd encourage you to get up and walk around, just a little at a time, and get used to getting the blood flowing again."

Unfettered joy crosses the older woman's face, and she looks ready to leap out of that bed and run a marathon. Maryanne is a pretty active woman, so being bedridden for as long as she's been has been tough on her. I know she's been frustrated. But she looks like she's bouncing back pretty well, which is always gratifying to see.

"Remember, I want you to go slow right now, Maryanne," I caution her. "Short walks. Nothing too strenuous for a little while. Got it?"

"Nothing too strenuous. Got it."

"I'm serious now."

She laughs. "I understand. I'll start slow."

"I'm going to tell that granddaughter of yours. I'm going to instruct her to keep a close eye on you to make sure you're not going crazy out there," I tell her. "We'll assess in a couple of weeks and devise a plan to get you back to being the active woman you normally are."

"That sounds great. Really. And I promise to be good."

"You better," I say. "And you'll want to keep refraining from Mam's Medicine."

"Well, there goes my good cheer."

I laugh softly. "Just for now. I just want to make sure you're on solid ground before turning you loose like that."

"Fair enough," she grouses, though good-naturedly.

"Okay. I think that's it for now unless you have any questions?"

The older woman shakes her head. "No, I think I'm all right for now. I need to start planning where to take my first walk."

"That's a good idea. Just remember?—"

"Slow and easy at first."

"There you go."

I get to my feet and pick up my bag then head out of her room, softly closing the door behind me. I head for the front door, but when I get to the foyer, I find Elodie waiting for me, sending a quiver through both my heart and my balls. It's been a little while since I last saw her—in person, anyway. Most every night, she's been starring in a series of adult films playing in my mind, each one filthier than the last.

"How is she doing?" she asks.

"She's good. Her scans and tests are all good. I think she's going to be one hundred percent sooner than later," I tell her.

Absolute relief crosses her face and the corners of her mouth turn upward. "That's great news. Thank you, Dr. Collier."

"Please call me Ethan."

She looks down, her expression turning shy. The way she bites her bottom lip is somehow sexy to me, and I find myself fighting the urge to push her up against the wall and kiss her. Feeling my cock twitching and knowing I need to keep it from stiffening, I start mentally running through as much of the medical vocabulary textbook I used back in college that I can remember to stave it off. When I think I've got my hormones under control, I clear my throat.

"She still has a bit of a road ahead of her," I tell Elodie. "I don't want your grandmother exerting herself too much just yet. But I did tell her I want her to begin taking small daily walks. No more than fifteen or twenty minutes at a time for now."

"Fifteen to twenty minutes. Got it."

"Don't let her push it. I'm telling you because I know your grandmother and I know she'll try to push beyond what I want. And I wouldn't put it past her to tell you I said half an hour or more," I tell her with a laugh.

"Wow, you really do know my grandmother."

"I've gotten to know her a bit, yeah. She's a firecracker."

"She really is."

We share a laugh that lapses into a silence that crackles with a sense of anticipation. Elodie raises her jade green eyes to me, her full lips slightly parted, looking like she has something to say but is having trouble finding the words. I'm curious about what's on her mind so I give her a little time to gather her thoughts.

"I just … I wanted to say thank you for stepping in the other day at the diner," she says. "I wanted to thank you for getting Todd to leave me alone."

I'm not sure if that's what she was originally going to say, but I'm not going to press it. If she really has something else to say, she'll get around to it.

"You're welcome," I reply.

She shifts on her feet, looking uncomfortable. "That guy … he's been that way since high school. He's been trying to get me to sleep with him since I was a freshman and he was a senior. He wouldn't take no for an answer back then, and apparently, that hasn't changed."

"Sounds like a real charmer of a guy."

"Right?"

"I haven't dealt with him often since I've been in Emerson, but those few occasions when I've had to, they haven't been pleasant experiences. He's kind of a scumbag."

"I'd say you know him as well as you know my grandmother then."

My lips twist wryly. "Trust me, your grandmother is a lot more pleasant to deal with."

Another silence descends on us, and this one seems a little more awkward and expectant. Elodie shifts on her feet again, her hands in the pockets of her jeans, and that urge to grab and kiss her becomes almost overpowering. Controlling myself is getting exponentially harder the longer I stand here looking into those big green eyes.

"I didn't, you know," she says suddenly.

"Didn't what?"

"Sleep with him. Todd. I never slept with him. I've never slept with anybody—" she stammers then quickly bites off her words as if she realizes she's said too much.

"I didn't think you did. You seem to be a woman with better taste than that," I say lightly. "Not that it's any of my business, anyway."

Why she feels the need to explain her sexual history is beyond me, but the way her cheeks flush and the deep dimples in her cheeks, as she smiles, are adorable. She giggles, and it's a light, sweet sound. Elodie's eyes gleam with an inner light and she looks embarrassed. But there's something else in her eyes too. It's almost as if she wanted me to know she's a virgin for some reason. I don't know why, but it's actually kind of hot.

"Sorry," she says when she stops giggling. "I tend to ramble sometimes."

"Nothing for you to be sorry about."

"I just don't want you thinking I have a totally high body count or something," she rambles.

"Body count?"

"Oh. Uh. Number of sexual partners."

"Oh. Well, I didn't think you were," I reply. "But it's not my place to judge you even if you were. Nor would I."

She cringes and mortification crosses her face. "Oh, God, I'm doing it again. I'm sorry. I tend to ramble on and talk too much."

I laugh. "It's actually kind of sweet. Don't apologize."

It's a charming personality quirk, to be sure. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't also enjoy knowing that Elodie is a virgin. The thought of being the first to taste her sweet nectar and plunge into her warm, wet depths is a heady one. There's a certain glimmer in her eyes that makes me think she wants me to know that about her. That perhaps she's nervous and rambling, but she wants me to have that piece of personal information. It could be wishful thinking, but I don't think it is.

Acting on impulse, I drop my bag and step forward, pushing Elodie back against the door, cupping her face between my hands. She looks up at me, her eyes wide. She swallows hard and licks her full lips, and we're standing so close together, I can feel her heart pounding in her breast. Leaning down, I press my mouth to hers. Elodie is tentative at first, and her entire body stiffens. But then her lips part, allowing me to slide my tongue into her mouth, and almost instantly, she melts against me.

I swallow the soft sigh that drifts from her mouth as our tongues languidly roll around one another. My hands slide down her neck and arms then down to her hips. And when I slide them both up, trailing them across her flat belly, she tenses again, her body tauter than a bowstring. As our kiss deepens, I take her full, round breasts in my hands and groan as I softly knead them. Elodie trembles as I trace her stiff nipples with my thumbs then squeaks softly when I give them a firm pinch. Her body softens as she grabs my forearms and squeezes them tight.

Pulling back, I glance down into her face and see the same lust and desire flashing through her eyes I know is within mine. My cock is stiff and straining against the front of my slacks. I know she can feel it pressed against her, but she doesn't seem to mind. Instead, she rolls her hips, lightly grinding herself against me, and a low groan passes my lips. I want to strip Elodie down and do a million things with her. For her part, she seems game.

"Elodie, sweetheart," Maryanne calls from the bedroom. "Can you help me get dressed, dear? I'd like to go for a walk."

"Damn," I mutter.

She gives me a flirty smirk as I step back and set her free. Elodie quickly smooths down her hair and clothing, her expression quickly morphing from lustful to dutiful.

"Coming, Mam," she calls. "Sorry, I should go."

"Right. Of course," I reply. "I'll let myself out."

"Thanks."

I watch her bound down the hall, my eyes fixed on the way her jeans hug her ass. My cock is so rigid right now, it's painful and begging for release. As I head out of the Carter home, the taste of Elodie's lips still on mine, I grumble to myself, seeing yet another jerk-off session in the shower in my immediate future.