of shrubs and river rock where Dorothy’s on her ass, hissing as she pulls her scraped knees to her chest.
“Daddy! Dorfee’s bleeding! Call 9-1-1!” Roman squats next to her.
“Roman …” I grab his hand just as his chubby little finger reaches for the blood on her knee. “Don’t touch her booboo. It will hurt her. Okay?”
“It’s fine.” She starts to stand.
I grab her arm, helping her to her feet. “We’ll get it cleaned up. What happened?”
“Elmo cut me off. Not his fault. I was looking behind me at Romeo chasing me.”
“Well, I know a good doctor.” I help her toward the house.
“Dr. Hathaway already left.”
“Not funny, Mayhem.” I roll my eyes.
She laughs. “I didn’t know if you’d get the joke. Well … not totally a joke.”
“You okay, Dorothy?” Mom asks as soon as we step onto the porch.
“Yep. Fine. I’m clumsy by nature.”
“First aid kit is upstairs under the sink, Eli.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“I’m fine. Really. We can just blot it with a paper towel.”
“Or we can wash it properly and put some antibiotic ointment and a Band-Aid on it.”
Dorothy rolls her eyes. “Sure. Or that. Nice of you to make it, Dr. Hawkins.”
“Eli. And I’m sorry. Really.”
“It’s okay. I like Roman … and even Elmo in spite of recent events.”
“Not my parents?” I give her side-eye as we reach the top of the stairs.
“They’re okay too, but clearly it was only Roman and Elmo who wanted to play chase in the backyard. It’s not an activity on my watch, so I logged it in under outdoor jog. Did you notice I’m kicking your ass now?”
“The day’s not over.” I give her ass a playful slap as I usher her into the guest bedroom. “Take a seat on the bench. I’ll grab the supplies.”
Dorothy gives me a wide-eyed look over her shoulder. “Getting a little sexual for a family brunch, Dr. Hawkins.” She rubs her ass where I lightly tapped it.
“That wasn’t sexual. It was playful.” I grab the first aid kit and a hand towel.
“Would you spank your mom like that?” She sits on the bench, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Really? You casually undressed for me last night in the backseat of your car, but a playful pat on your ass has what … offended you?” I kneel in front of her.
“I was dressed for sex last night. My mind was focused on sex.”
And … there goes my dick, doing its own thing.
“But today, I’m dressed for brunch with your family. So I wasn’t expecting the sexual advance. That’s all.”
Grinning, I shake my head and clean her knees. “I love your rules. Even if I haven’t mastered them yet. I still love that you have them.”
“You love to break them.” She rubs her lips together when I glance up at her. They have luster, like she recently applied her lip balm. They look kissable. I apply two Band-Aids and part her legs just enough to wedge my body between them, placing my hands in the safe zone just above her ass.
“This feels inappropriate.” Her words would carry more weight if she weren’t staring at my lips. “Your parents and Roman could sneak up here and wonder what’s going on.”
“Is something going on?” I kiss her neck.
She sucks in a sharp breath. “You have to stop teasing me. I can’t figure out what’s a playdate and what’s a sex date, not that we’ve had sex, because I can’t figure out how to make you have it with me. And that’s very frustrating. But anyway … you should behave. It feels like the right thing to do. Maybe I’m not the best judge of that all of the time, but this one is pretty obvious.”
“Wait.” I pull back, cocking my head to the side. “You can’t figure out how to make me have sex with you?”
“Duh …” She shrugs. “If getting completely naked for you and bringing my own condoms doesn’t work, I’m not sure anything will work. So I just need to know, are we ever having sex? Or are you just looking for companionship—a hand to hold, a few stolen kisses … an ass to pat? I’m fine with whatever. It’s just I don’t like not knowing. I need to know. So if it’s never happening, that’s cool. Totally cool. I can stop obsessing over when it’s going to happen. I can focus on my activity rings. I don’t have to deal with sexy panties that itch. I can wear my soft and perfectly worn cotton ones.” She blows out