Now he was home hiding, because Duke was pissed off at him for taking unnecessary risks, which he no doubt had told his son by now, so he knew without checking what all the missed calls and angry texts from Vaughan were about. It’d been almost five days since the bust, and he couldn’t ignore his son or his best friend forever. However strong he considered himself to be, there was no way he was going back into the field right now. A few more days of recovery were definitely needed.
He’d just tied his still-wet hair back in a loose ponytail at the base of his neck. Rubbing on a thin layer of deodorant and a little aftershave, he was slowly making his way downstairs when he heard a firm knock on his front door.
“Oh, no,” he grumbled, not in the mood for Vaughan or Duke’s antics tonight. He frowned when the knock became louder and more persistent. It couldn’t be them. They would’ve used their key after the first knock. He couldn’t run down the stairs, so whoever was at the door had better be patient. That thought wasn’t even done before there was another knock… more like a banging.
“Stop knocking on my damn door like that!” Quick shouted from the second landing. He was trying to navigate the short distance between him and the front door, but was moving slowly. Using his leaf blower in the yard earlier today probably wasn’t a great idea, but he’d never been one to sit around and wallow in pain. He came from a long line of tough men. His father worked their farm through every ailment he ever got, so did his grandfather. Surely, Quick could do the same.
When he unlocked the bolt, he twisted the knob and was almost knocked back off his feet when he saw Dr. Chauncey – um, Cayson – standing there on his porch with his large medical bag at his feet. He had on a puffy, mid-thigh, black North Face parka with the large hood trimmed with tawny brown fur. He looked adorable all bundled up and rosy cheeked from the brisk temperature.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to knock like I’m the police. I got a little worried when it took a while. I came… um… Duke told me… he said maybe I should come by. Totally his idea. I promise I’m not just swinging by. As a matter of fact, I think it’s rather rude to stop by unannounced, but Duke said—”
“Cayson, would you like to come in and get out of the cold for a bit?” Quick smiled, pulling the door open wider. The man was blabbering like a silly fool. But Quick new exactly why Cayson was nervous about coming into his home again. He’d make sure the man felt welcome this time.
He wasn’t typically an asshole, especially to nice doctors who saved his best friend’s life, but damn if Cayson didn’t catch him off guard that afternoon he’d come home to find the sexy doctor in his personal space. He was supposed to be there to check up on Duke and Vaughan’s recovery, but Cayson was examining everything but his patients when Quick had come in wearing his bounty hunting gear. Those focused, blue eyes brazenly surveyed him like he was a piece of USDA prime rib in a butcher’s window. He could see Cayson’s chest rise and fall with his elevated, lustful breathing. But to do it right in front of his son and Duke, that wasn’t cool. He was a private man. If the doctor was interested in him, then he should’ve approached Quick privately and asked him out like a real man, not used trickery.
He’d been attracted to men in the past – very deep past – but he’d married a woman and had dated a couple more after the divorce. Now, this handsome, sexy, slightly nerdy in a charming way surgeon was rapidly igniting embers that hadn’t burned in a long time, and Quick had handled it badly, scaring Cayson off. He’d promised Duke and Vaughan that he’d fix it. He’d call the doctor and apologize, make things right, but he hadn’t. He’d copped out. Nerves. Anxiety. Maybe even fear had gripped and held him fast.
“Actually, I wouldn’t mind coming in. Thank you.” Cayson took a breath between ramblings and hefted his large bag to step across the threshold.
Quick immediately noticed Cayson scanning his chest as he walked by, but he didn’t take offense this time. The man was a doctor and Quick was riddled with bruises. It was clear Cayson had been sent by his son or Duke to check him out. “I already know why you’re here. Thank you for coming.”
Cayson was in the process of pulling off his thick coat. He looked a little shocked, and Quick suppressed a grin. Seeing the doctor confused and uncertain was quite entertaining. “I thought I’d have to wrestle you down to examine you.” Cayson closed his eyes and grimaced at his choice of words, but this time, Quick couldn’t hold in his chuckle. “That’s not what I meant. I just… I thought… I wasn’t sure, I mean, if you’d let me examine you. I swear I can be professional. I won’t make you uncomfortable. I really think we got off on the wrong foot last time I was here.”