We spent the rest of the day doing various tasks. I finished up some paperwork for new Club Alias memberships, went online and added Astrid to my gym membership, and answered some texts and emails from a couple of patients. Astrid did a load of laundry, and I peeked into her room to find her reading on her Kindle once I was done with all my stuff.
Now, we sit on the couch, Scout’s ass between us once again, and we’re watching the episode of Indian Matchmaking that she fell asleep during last night. Even though the dog separates our bodies, my arm rests behind her along the back of the couch, and my fingers sift through her blonde hair. She unconsciously twirls Scout’s ear between her fingers, and as she focuses on the TV, I watch as her eyes grow heavy while I play with her hair.
As it turns dark outside and we finish out the first season, she asks if there’s something else I’d like to watch. I tell her to pick again, since her last selection was so good, and she puts on the first episode of The Haunting of Hill House. She says it’s excellent, and when I tell her she doesn’t have to rewatch it just for me, she promises she was already planning to re-binge it because the new season comes out soon and she wants it fresh in her mind.
Scout gets down and puts himself to bed, and with him not between us, there’s nothing to stop me from reaching over and pulling Astrid to me. She doesn’t resist, and I adjust us until her head is resting on my thigh, her legs stretching out in the other direction on the couch. I stroke my fingers through her hair, trying to pay attention to the show, but I keep glancing down at her face, where I can only see the flutter of her eyelashes. And soon, she falls asleep.
So we don’t have a repeat of last night, I leave the TV on as I lift her, and when her eyes open sleepily to see what’s happening, she snuggles deeper against my chest when it’s my face above her. At the top of the steps, I pause outside her door, considering whether I should ask her where she’d rather sleep.
But the Dom in me wins out and I make the decision for her, carrying her to my big bed and slipping us beneath the covers.
Chapter 9
Doc
“You sure you want to go to the gym today? You could barely get out of bed you were so sore,” I ask from the kitchen island, surprised when Astrid comes downstairs the next morning in workout clothes.
“Yes, I’m sure. Your full-body massage worked wonders, thank you very much,” she replies, and my semi-erection goes full-staff at the memory of her relaxing beneath my hands when we woke up. “Sixty-six days to make it an automatic response, right? I’ll just take it easy, maybe just some treadmill time or something.”
“All right, just let me get changed and we’ll go,” I tell her, and she waves me off.
“No, no. You said today is your recovery day. You don’t have to mess up your routine. Let me go all this week, and then I’ll take my recovery day on your next one. That way we can match up,” she offers, and I concede, loving that she’s finding her voice and seems motivated for the gym.
“Do you want me to take you, or do you want the keys to the Audi?” She doesn’t drive very often, but when she does, she likes the car instead of one of my bigger vehicles. She took my truck once last year, when she snuck out of my house to go to her apartment, the night of our first kiss, and she said it was terrifying to park that beast.
“I’ll… take… the Audi, I guess,” she answers, stunted, as if she hadn’t thought that far ahead. And then she clears her throat, looking like she’s summoning her courage. “Um… Neil?”
“Yes, goddess?” I put down the notepad I was reading patient notes from and give her my full attention.
“You know those boxes of mine in the garage? The ones I said I didn’t really need at the moment when I was unpacking my stuff after Twyla and I canceled our lease?”
I nod. “I do.”
She fidgets with her ponytail, looking above my head instead of meeting my eyes. “Would um… if you have time and it’s