And she desperately wanted to sleep.
In his arms.
* * *
She woke up cozy and warm. With a yawn, she stretched, groaning at the pull in her back. She might need to look at a new chair. She was falling apart.
Her arm slammed against something solid. Something that was definitely not Bumbly. It was then she realized that she wasn’t pressed up against her body pillow.
But rather an actual body.
She threw herself back with a gasp and slid right off the edge of the bed, landing on her ass.
Ouch.
“Oh, shit, baby doll.” A sleepy-eyed, hair-tousled, bearded face looked over the edge of the mattress down at her. “What happened? Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
Just her ass. And her pride.
She closed her eyes, lying on her back. She was an idiot. Total dork.
Had she seriously just fallen out of bed?
Her eyes flew open as she was picked up in the air and placed down on the bed. She gaped up at a concerned-looking Doc as he started running his hands over her body.
“Where does it hurt? Your bottom? Your back?”
Oh God.
She had to face facts. She wasn’t that good at looking after herself. She definitely wasn’t good at taking care of her stuff. Or keeping on top of anything except work, which she’d thrown herself into in order to try to stop thinking about Dave.
But this…oh, she’d missed this. Even if he was over-the-top protective, Doc actually cared.
It wasn’t something she’d ever thought she would have again.
“I’m fine,” she told him, trying to sit up.
He held her down. “Stay there until I check your bottom. Let’s roll you over.”
And then she was lying on her front as he raised the back of her pajama top. He lightly pressed down on her back. She let out a groan.
He stopped. “Sore?”
“Not from the fall. It was already sore.”
“It was? Why didn’t you tell me?”
She rolled slightly over to look up at him. “I sit at a desk for long hours. It’s bound to get sore. And my hands and shoulders. Just part of the job.”
He frowned. “You need to take more breaks. Stretch. You need an ergonomic desk and chair. And you should tell your Dom when you’re hurting so he can help you.”
She sucked in a breath. “My Dom?”
He gave a nod without a hint of hesitation. “Your Dom. I’d be your Daddy too, but I don’t think you’re ready for that yet.”
“Ahh, no. I’m not entirely sure I’m ready for anything yet.”
“You let me take control last night. You trusted me enough for that. To sleep in your bed. Are you attracted to me?”