She gestures sharply at the exam table. “Sit.”
I hop onto the table, maybe a little too smoothly. She crouches in front of me, her fingers firm but professional as she palpates. Her touch is warm and confident. If she’s wary of me, she isn’t letting it interfere with her work. Carefully, she removes my boot and slides my pant leg up to my knee. “Does this hurt?” she asks, pressing on the ball of my ankle.
I shouldn’t like this as much as I do.
“Nope.”
She squeezes harder. “This?”
“Still no.”
She glares up at me. “You realize I can tell when someone is lying, right?”
“Occupational hazard for you, too?”
She rolls her eyes and continues her exam by moving my foot through its range of motion.
“Any pain on flexion?”
“No.”
“Rotation?”
“No.”
She pauses, narrowing her eyes. “Weight-bearing?”
I hop off the table and take a few steps with ease as she stares at me unamused. She straightens her spine and plants both her hands on her hips.Which is fucking adorable.“Youdo nothave a sprained ankle.”
I shrug. “It must be a miracle. You healed me.”
She points toward the door, frustrated. “Get out.”
“You didn’t finish the exam,” I counter, my grin growing wider.
Her lips twitch, and she pinches the bridge of her nose to hide the tiny smile. “Why are youactuallyhere”—she air quotes—“John Roberts?”
For a fraction of a second, the truth crowds my throat.
Because you are in danger. Because someone left a threat attached to your door. Because something about you intrigues the fucking hell out of me.
“I wanted to talk to you without an audience.”
Her eyes widen. “About?”
“Nothing illegal,” I promise with a cheap smile. “Well, mostly.”
She studies me momentarily, then steps back and picks up the chart before scribbling in it furiously. “Your ankle is not sprained. My official diagnosis is mild delusion.”
“Harsh.”
She tears a page off her prescription pad and hands it to me, snickering when I read it.
Don’t waste doctors’ time.
“You this friendly with all your patients?”
“Only the ones who lie to get into my exam room,Mr. Roberts.” She emphasizes my fake name.
