Page 59 of Ravaged From Fate

Fuck.

“Right.”

“The real question is, what are you doing here?”

Realizing my presence at Elsa’s place would be very perplexing to the man, I don’t know what to do other than offer out my hand to shake. “I’m Caspian Pierce. You must be East Springs’s doctor. Elsa’s talked about you, sir.”

That explains a whole lot.

He did say he’s helped the gang out before. He’s probably attended to them medically.

Elsa’s father doesn’t shake my hand. “I’m going to ask you again, what are you doing at my daughter’s house?”

I raise my hands to signal that I mean no harm. Even though I’m practically twice the size of the man, I’m the one feeling intimidated at this moment. Elsa’s dad certainly packs a bite. “Elsa and I are… friends.”

“Well, I’m here to see my daughter, so I’m seeing her. Get out of my way.” Elsa’s dad brushes past me inside. I step to the side to give him space as he marches in.

Oh, boy. This is a tough one.

I should not be here. I should leave. This is all getting way too complicated for what I’m comfortable with. This is not the situation I’ve planned to be in.

“Hi, Dad.” I hear Elsa greet him from the next room. She must be out of the shower already. I wonder how much of that doorway conversation she overheard. I close the front door and head down the hallway into the kitchen. They’re both in there. Elsa has her towel wrapped around her and a big smile plastered on her face. “What are you doing here, Dad?”

“I’m hungry,” the man grumbles. “I’m here for your famous lasagna. You said you made some last night, so I reckoned there’ll be leftovers.”

“There sure is,” Elsa replies before she turns to me. “Caspian, meet my father, Dr. James Barlowe.”

I nod at the doctor. He merely grunts in my direction.

Well, it seems I’ve started things on the wrong foot.

“I’m just going to get changed properly and then we can eat,” Elsa continues. She’s so bubbly; it’s like she doesn’t see the masculine tension between her father and the man she was fucking only minutes ago.

I look at her to plead for her to stay – I don’t want to be left alone with this grumpy old man – but Elsa is already skipping into her bedroom.

“Beer?” I ask him when his daughter disappears. I want to break this awkward silence between the two of us.

“I can get it myself,” the doctor grumbles. “I know where the goddamn fridge in my daughter’s house is.”

“Do you prefer if I call you James?” I’m being cheeky, I know.

“I prefer you’ll call me doctor.” His eyes dart towards Elsa’s bedroom. He sighs. “But, yeah, I guess you can call me James.”

Grudgingly, James hands me a bottle from the fridge. We crack them open.

“What’s it like being the only doctor in town?” I ask. “Must be stressful.”

“Yep.”

“Good to have your daughter work with you, though.”

“Yep.”

James’ eyes travel down my bare chest in disapproval. I then realize that I’ve been in nothing but my shorts this entire time. That must’ve been adding to the awkwardness between me and the doctor. “I’ll get a shirt,” I announce.

“Good idea.”

But as I turn towards the bedroom, Elsa reappears. Still with that beaming smile on her face. She looks at the both of us.