CHAPTER TWO
Chad wove his way down a long corridor in the Naval Medical Center in search of Ms. Foret’s office. The doctor he’d worked with in Virginia had said she was the best PT to work with on his rehabilitation and he was about to see if that was true.
Truth was, he didn’t care who he worked with as long as his recovery went quickly and smoothly. Glancing into the various rooms, he noticed people working with therapists and wondered if this Foret woman was as good as his doctor thought.
As he hit the last office, he checked the number and found he was in the right place. The door was ajar, so he knocked lightly before entering, and heard a soft voice call out, “Come in.” Swinging it open, he whistled silently. The woman who was about to put him through his paces had her back turned, so he took a moment to appreciate a very fine heart-shaped ass. Quickly cataloging her attributes, he noticed she had the same halo of blonde curls that his beautiful neighbor had.
“Be right with you,” she called out. “My apologies for running late. We had a department meeting this morning, and I’ve been behind ever since.”
Her soft Louisiana made him think of a humid night spent dancing under the stars. Why that picture filled his mind, he had no idea. Standing still, he took a quick mental inventory of his physical state and noted his heart beating rapidly, short breaths, and brain functioning minimally.
Conclusion: heart attack or serious fucking attraction.
How was it possible to meet two women in the same day that made him feel similar things? Thirty-two years on this earth and he’d never had something close and now a double blast.
“Take your time,” he replied. When she lifted her head and turned around, he let out a bark of laughter. “Neighbor Willa!”
“Neighbor Chad,” she replied with a smile.
Direct hit, he thought as her smile pierced his gut. Desire thrummed through his veins just as strongly as it had earlier, and the only question he had was how long it was going to take before he could make her his.
Every single one of his brain cells worked furiously on his primal, irresistible urge to mate.
His mind, wiped clean of logic, could only repeat: take, mate, and secure.
Willa closed the file and set it on a tall pile on her desk and then picked up another one. Opening it, she looked up and nodded. “Petty Officer Dawson, you’re an SWCC operator.”
“Guilty as charged.”
“How did you tear up your knee?”
“The mission is classified, but I can tell you it occurred on an interdiction op in the Northern Arabian Gulf.”
Nodding, she moved her hair off her shoulder. “All the boat guys I’ve had in here are some kind of crazy and I’m guessing you’re not the exception to the rule.”
“That’s a safe bet, to be sure.” Turning, she set the folder on her desk, and he counted his lucky stars that she was his therapist.
“I have a course of treatment planned, but before we get started, I’d like to hear how you’re feeling and what your goals are.”
You can take three steps toward me, so I can wrap my arms around you and taste your lips; after that, I’m open to suggestions, he said silently. Clearing his mind of the filthy pictures running through it, he managed a reply. “I have a new bionic knee, and I’m in my ninth week of recovery. Dr. Melton suggested that I work with you because you’ve had a lot of success getting people cleared for active duty.”
Leaning against her desk, she nodded. “I’ll do everything I can to make that possible. As you know, my specialty is shoulder and knee rehabilitation, so you’re in good hands.” Holding hers up, she laughed. They may be small, but I’ve been known to work wonders.”
Her hands on his body would absolutely work wonders, but there was no way they were talking about the same thing. He was in the middle of a chemical reaction, and he prayed she didn’t think he was crazy. Seeing her expectant look made him realize he hadn’t responded yet. “Great, are we starting today?”
“Of course, but it will just be an evaluation. I want to assess your progress and see what’s working and then make changes accordingly.”
Her eyes ran over his T-shirt and shorts, and he swore there was a bit of heat in her gaze. At least he prayed that’s what he saw. Because if the chemistry thing wasn’t a two-way street, then it was the universe’s cruelest joke. “Ready when you are.”
“Right.” Stepping over to the examination table, she nodded. “Let’s get your brace off, so I can look at your knee.”
“Roger that.” Walking over to the table, he mentally prepared himself for his new mission and hoped Willa Foret was ready. He was coming for her, and hopefully, she’d be interested in what he had to offer.
Sitting down as instructed allowed their faces to be level and he saw a smattering of freckles that he hadn’t noticed earlier. God damn, she was adorable.
“Chad, on a scale of one to ten, what is your pain level on an average day?”
Rubbing his hand across his neck, he shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt; it’s more of an irritation.”
Shaking her head, she wrote something down on a form. “My experience with Spec Ops men is their recovery takes twice as long because their threshold for pain is high. Most don’t recognize when they’ve overdone it, so they end up re-injuring themselves.”
“Not me, I’m a model patient. No strenuous activity for me. No, ma’am.”
“Had you stopped with one answer, I might’ve believed you.” Sliding her hand on her hip, she waited patiently. “The three told me you were lying, so try again.”
Crossing his arms, he grinned. “I never lie. Unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Arching an eyebrow, she tapped her finger against her hip. And what great hips they were. Willa had curves in all the right places, and he couldn’t wait to find out how good she was going to feel when he got her under him. “I’ve been doing a lot of swimming and biking.”
“And what else?” she asked patiently.
The way her eyes bore into him made him realize he was going to get away with very little, and it surprisingly pleased the hell out of him. A woman had never given him a run for his money, and it seemed that’s exactly what he wanted. “I’ve been walking around ten miles a day for the last couple of weeks and standing for at least six hours. When I was in Virginia, they were short instructors, and so I lent a hand at the base.”
“Thank you for being honest. I can’t help you unless you let me.”
The approving smile she gave him as she rested her hand on his knee made him feel ten feet tall. “Maybe I should come every day, so you can make sure I’m following orders.”
“No need, two or three times a week should be plenty.” Stepping away, she set her folder down and put her hair up in a ponytail. “Now, swing your leg up on the table and let me see what we’re working with.”
Following her directions, he laid down and let her examine his knee. As her hands started moving over his skin, he gritted his teeth. God damn, her touch felt amazing. Closing his eyes, he began calculating an air-drop of a RIB from a C-130 because doing advanced math was the only thing that was going keep his mind out of the gutter.
“Breathe, Chad; I’m not going to torture you and promise to handle you gently.”
“I don’t mind if you get rough. Soft or hard, I’ll take what I can get.” When she snorted and lifted her hand away, he looked up. “Did I just say that out loud?”
“Yes, and I’m going to assume that it was incompletely innocuous, and any hidden sexual innuendos were simply a misunderstanding.”
“All right. If you buy it, then that’s what I’m selling.” Taking a deep breath, he crossed his arms over his chest and sealed his mouth shut. Best not to let anything else escape.
He’d never been a subtle man and today wasn’t going to change that. He spoke plainly and said what was on his mind, and it had always worked in the environments he’d been in. Willa, however, was a whole new environment, and he should probably start filtering what he said so he didn’t scare her away. “I promise not to give you any trouble.”
“That’s helpful to know, though I wasn’t really expecting any.”
“Good, because I plan on being your best patient.” She nodded in response and her ponytail brushed against his leg, giving him more pleasure than he was ready for and a lot of dirty ideas.
Ideas that involved him fisting her hair as he drove himself in and out of her tight heat.
Immediately drunk with desire, he realized it had ahold of him as every feeling in his body was about the primal irresistible urge to mate. Sitting up abruptly, he moved away from her hands and swallowed loudly.
“Did I hurt you?”
Feeling like a grade-A asshole, he responded, “No, just a twinge.” It was a lie, of course, but she didn’t need to know that he was a damn animal ready to imprint himself on her skin.
Letting out a breath, she grinned. “I try not to torture my patients on the first day, but I guess I’m making an exception in your case.”
He watched her lift a folder and then write some notes. As far as he could tell, this whole thing was going to be torture. The kind he looked forward to. “Do whatever you feel is necessary.”
“I usually do,” she said with a grin.
“I look forward to it.” Their eyes locked and the energy that passed between them suggested whatever they had in front of them was going to be not only hot as hell but damn fun.
Something he’d never had before.
Seemed Willa Foret was not only going to help him get cleared for active duty but quite possibly be the thing he’d been searching for.