Page 12 of How to Break My Heart 1

I’m drawn to the way he concentrates while reading, brows narrowing to focus. His hair is a lighter shade of brown, almost a dark blond, which is parted to the side. My eyes then gravitate toward his sharp jawline, which is freshly shaven. The more I observe him and his desire for my medical history, the more panic begins to creep in.

I’m far from being a hypochondriac, but then I remember the time Dr. Green had to do an emergency tampon removal in my senior year of high school. I called on Maddy, as my best friend, to help me first, but she started freaking out. Her freak-out made me freak out even more, which I believe to this day lodged the tampon even farther up my vaginal canal. Mom also tried, but by then, there was no choice but to seek intervention.

Even though Dr. Green assured me it’s quite common, I was completely mortified. It was a month after I’d lost my virginity to Henry Painter, this guy from my English class, so I assumed it was the perfect time to start using tampons. Boy, was I wrong.

We’d dated for four months before we did the deed, but after the tampon incident, I realized I wasn’t ready for a relationship—and all the stuff that came with it—and called it quits.

“According to Dr. Green’s notes, you’re in good health.”

My shoulders loosen as I release the tension I’d been building up. “That’s always good to hear.”

He chuckles while reaching for the blood pressure machine beside him. “Let me check your blood pressure first.”

As he wraps the Velcro strap around my arm, I glance at the desk again. There’s no photo frame with wedding pictures or kids. Nothing in this space would indicate he is married, including his bare ring finger. My lips curve upward slowly, but then the loud sound of the Velcro ripping brings me back to reality.

“So, tell me a bit about yourself,” he says, gazing at me with eyes that distract me from why I’m here at this consult. “What do you do for a living?”

“I own the donut café on Ginger Grove. It’s called Donuts Ever After.”

His grin distracts me, along with his perfectly white, straight teeth. “Ah yes. I’ve heard good things about the place. A friend of mine suggested the gingerbread donut.To die for, according to her.”

Does he meangirlfriend?

I smile in return, thinking of ways to extract this information.

“Oh, really? So, I guess you’re new to town.”

“Yes and no.” He leans back in his chair, relaxing his posture and fixing his lab coat. “Dr. Green is a family friend, so we’ve been visiting him for as long as I can remember. I moved here from Chicago a few weeks ago.”

“And, um…” I twist my hands but put on a smile so as not to appear like I’m stalking his personal life, even though I clearly am. “By yourself?”

He nods, followed by that sexy grin.That grin will get me into a whole lot of trouble.Thinking of him in a nonprofessional way is surely violating some sort of doctor-patient regulation.I wonder if he would leave the coat on.It’s like a role-play dream except he is an actual doctor, which makes it ten times hotter.

“Yes, unfortunately. I recently broke up with someone.”

I pout my lips. “I’m sorry. Breakups are never easy.”

He places his hand on the desk with a thud. “Enough about me. We are here for you. So, you want to continue birth control?”

“Yes, I like to be responsible in case, you know, I meet someone.” I gulp, then shake my head. “Better to be prepared than not. The last guy I slept with was…” I try to do the math in my head but then become hyperaware Dr. Wilde is staring at me with a smirk. “Okay, too much information. I’m sorry.”

“Miss Woods—”

“Please call me Eva. Everyone else does.”

“Eva,” he says smoothly. “What we discuss in this office is confidential. I like my patients to know they can talk to me about anything.”

“So, what you’re trying to say is you give medicalandrelationship advice?” I question with a laugh. “My best friend, Maddy, would be here in a heartbeat if she found out.”

“Look, you’re doing the right thing by being responsible. There’s nothing wrong with consenting adults enjoying their, let’s say,freedom. I’ll just write this script for you as I’m sure you have better places to be.”

Great, he’s pushing me out the door.

I sigh loudly, unaware I had done so until he raises his chestnut-brown eyes to meet mine. Something inside of me stirs, and I can’t remember the last time a man made me feel this way.

Why does he have to check all the boxes but be off-limits?

His hand extends. “Here is your script, Eva.”