Page 23 of What the Doctor Ordered

K iley

I blinked as sunlight streamed over my eyes from the slit in the curtains. I groaned and rolled over, burying my face into a warm male chest, squeezing my eyes shut tightly to block any mean tendril of light that threatened to announce daytime had sprung upon us.

The chest I curled up against rumbled as Simon laughed. His large hand found my bare back, stroking in gentle circles. He shifted and then his warm breath tickled my ear. “It’s time to get up now, love.”

I didn’t answer, burying my face even deeper into Simon’s smooth skin, inhaling his manly scent of pine and sunshine.

This was how most mornings started nowadays. Ever since Simon and I officially became a couple, I spent most nights at his house. Lily teased me that we hardly ever saw each other anymore but she smirked the whole time she did so, letting me know that she was genuinely happy for me.

Life truly couldn’t get any better. I had everything I wanted.

Except, I was still under contract.

The thought caused a dark cloud to fall over me.

We didn’t talk about the agreement often and I could almost sense Simon’s purposeful attempt to avoid the topic altogether.

He brought me to a couple of social gatherings so that I could pose as his fiancée in front of his colleagues and other business associates.

Those events were different now that we were really together. Simon was much more tender with me and much more physical, looking for any excuse to be touching me, whether it was a hand on my lower back to guide me forward or to pull me close for a dance across a shimmering floor.

He wasn’t just attentive, he was loving, affectionate and just all around perfect.

And yet, I couldn’t fully enjoy it, not when I knew that today was a significant day.

Today, it was exactly six months since I signed that contract.

I had been dreading this day for weeks, terrified of what this would mean for us.

I tried to convince myself that I shouldn’t be worried.

Simon often told me he loved me, and I believed him, but we were still getting to know each other in a lot of ways.

What if he decided he had enough of me?

Simon kissed my ear before his hand snaked down to my bottom. “Are you ignoring me?” he asked dangerously. “I know that you’re awake.”

I hesitantly opened one eye, peeking up at him, my cheek still pressed against his chest.

His eyes looked almost smokey in this dim morning light, and he had a lazy smile on his face.

If nothing else, he was still enjoying my company.

I thought back to the night before, to the world-rocking sex we had.

He had bent me over the foot of the bed and kept a fistful of my hair in his grip as he rammed into me.

He had seemed to enjoy himself last night, convincing me to just take things one day at a time. If he decided to break things off one day, I would just have to learn to accept it and consider myself lucky that I had him for as long as I did.

“No, Sir,” I purred, tracing my fingertip over his bicep, delighting in the way it caused him to shiver and flex.

I squealed when his eyes darkened and he suddenly flipped me over so that I was face down on the bed. He peppered my bare bottom with sharp swats, the slapping sound echoing through the large bedroom.

“Your distractions won’t work on me today,” he said. “We have some things we need to discuss, but first, I thought it would be fun to go on a little date.”

“A date?” I repeated once I had rubbed some of the sting out of my butt he had so casually spanked.

Simon chuckled, sitting up and pulling me so I was sitting in his lap. “Is that so outlandish?” he asked. “Why wouldn’t we go on dates?”

I felt my face grow warm as I averted my eyes. “We just haven’t in a while,” I murmured.

Simon flinched. “I know we’ve been letting life get in the way, and we’ve really only had time to go to work events, but today is going to be a special day.

I decided we are putting everything else on hold to go out on a date.

I have the whole day planned so I suggest you get ready.

” He stood up, set me on my feet on the floor and slapped my bottom soundly.

I made my way over to the walk-in closet, which now held a bunch of my clothes. I wasn’t living here officially, but I had stayed over often during the past several months so a lot of my outfits were here.

I got dressed with nervous butterflies dancing in my stomach.

A part of me was excited to be spending the day with Simon, but the reminder that we were at the end of the contract made me wonder what kinds of things he wanted to discuss.

He must have been aware of what day it was, but I was too much of a chicken to ask him.

We were a couple now, so I shouldn’t be worried, but a part of me was anxious about the fact that our relationship started with a contract. Would that affect us going forward?

I loved him and he loved me but the foundation in which our relationship rested still made me uncertain. He needed someone to be his fake fiancée if he was going to continue to pursue his father’s company.

I slipped on a white sundress with frilly sleeves and pink strawberries all over it. I knew that he loved it on me and I wanted to make myself extra cute for him today, feeling insecure and uncertain about the discussion he wanted to have later.

After applying some light makeup and fixing my hair in the bathroom, I stepped back into the room to find Simon already dressed in a sky-blue button-up and black jeans. His hazel eyes brightened when he saw me. In a few quick strides, he was in front of me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Good choice,” he said, kissing my cheek. “I love this dress on you.”

A flutter went through me when he placed a gentle but firm hand on the small of my back and led me out of the house.

The car ride was silent and I could do nothing but stare down at my lap, trying to quench the nerves but failing miserably.

I was quietly berating myself the whole way.

Simon was clearly trying to make this day a treat and I couldn’t even be excited about it.

“Are you getting car sick?” he asked, clearly misreading my fidgeting. He placed a hand on my thigh as he drove. “Don’t worry. We’re almost there.”

I gave him a tentative smile, hoping that it would be enough to convince him that I was alright.

I knew I couldn’t lie to myself forever, though. By the end of this date, I decided that I was going to have to confront him and ask him where we stood. Even if that meant risking that the answer could shatter my heart.

I was still staring down at my lap when Simon shifted the car into park, got out, and hurried to my side to open the door for me. I took his hand and stepped out, blinking in shock when I realized where we were.

Simon was watching my face carefully. “I’ve been meaning to take you here for a while since you’ve never been before.”

I felt a giddy grin spreading over my mouth. I had always wanted to go to our local zoo, since it was one of the largest in the country, but tickets were rather expensive. I told myself I would splurge after I graduated with my vet degree.

I stretched up on tiptoes to kiss Simon on the cheek. “Thank you,” I breathed.

I turned to head up to the entrance but Simon tugged me back to him and captured my mouth with his.

“You deserve it,” he said when we pulled apart. Then, his expression grew serious. “Things are going to be changing for us, so I wanted to do this for you now.”

My chest constricted at the look he was giving me as my worried brain processed his words. The dread immediately returned despite this fun surprise. He must want to discuss the contract.

I was momentarily distracted when we walked through the grandiose gates with topiaries shaped like different animals.

We were surrounded by large, sprawling enclosures and excited guests milling about.

There was so much to see and so much positive energy around, it was impossible for me not to smile, despite the anxious thoughts whirling in my mind.

Simon was being extremely attentive and gentlemanly, so I was able to relax and try to enjoy myself.

There were several things that made this zoo so special.

It housed several species of animals that were seldom seen in captivity anywhere.

It was also known for its huge enclosures that mimicked the wild habitats native to the animals in them, allowing them to take in more exotic species.

It was a bit of a struggle to resist the urge to press my nose up against the glass of one of these enclosures that was home to several different species of penguins.

I could watch their antics all day. I felt like a little kid in a toy store as I pulled Simon from enclosure to enclosure, barely stopping to breathe.

Simon just chuckled as he followed me around, at least one gentle hand always on me, whether it was intertwined with mine or wound around my waist or shoulder.

“I have another surprise for you,” he said out of the blue.

We had been quietly sitting next to each other on a bench, sharing an ice cream cone, which easily made me blush at the intimacy of it.

I blinked at him. “You’ve already given me an amazing day,” I told him in dismay.

Simon just laughed and pulled me up, tugging me along.

It turned out that Simon had booked us a private safari tour and somehow managed to get the staff to allow us to drive ourselves in the cheetah-patterned jeep.

The zoo had a sprawling savannah where African animals wandered around freely.

I was wide-eyed as we drove past elephants and giraffes, who were mainly resting peacefully as the sun started to go down.

After exploring the huge area, Simon parked the jeep overlooking the vast landscape.

The sky was a breathtaking mix of orange and pinks.

I was suddenly sobered as the beautiful sight reminded me that the sun was also setting on the final day of the agreement between Simon and me.

I found it hard to catch my breath all of a sudden.

Despite the wonderful day we just had, I knew I couldn’t drag this out any longer. It was starting to hurt too much, knowing what could follow if we kept this up. How could I survive losing him?

“Simon,” I said suddenly, turning to face him. I couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes, so I kept my gaze down. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me-”

“Woah!” he exclaimed. “Why does it feel like you’re saying goodbye?”

I forced myself to look up at him, both hating and loving how the orange light made his hazel eyes glow, making them almost look gold. I swallowed hard to gather my courage. “Today is the last day of the contract,” I said through unmoving lips.

Simon fell silent as he stared at me, but then he nodded. “You’re right,” he said. “But what does that have to do with anything?”

My heart thudded painfully in my chest, and I felt my throat constrict.

I rushed to push the words out. “Nothing really, I suppose” I stuttered out.

“I don’t know, this is gonna sound dumb probably, but I’ve been nervous about this day coming since our relationship didn’t exactly start out the way a typical one does. ”

I jumped when Simon grabbed my hand suddenly, pulling me off of the bench seat of the jeep so that we were standing before each other. I stared up at him in dismay, confused.

“I wondered why you were acting so weird,” he said, his voice low.

“This whole time, you thought that the way we met might have some kind of negative effect on our relationship, that I was saying goodbye to you? You couldn’t be more wrong.

Kiley, don’t you know how much I love you?

Haven’t I made that clear to you these last few months? ”

My breathing hitched, hope starting to flutter through me.

“You have!” I said quickly. “I just wasn’t sure, I guess.

We haven’t really talked about what happens now, with the contract ending and everything.

You still need to get your dad’s company back!

I don’t want to get in the way of that. I don’t want to cause you any problems. You’re going to be so busy taking over your father’s company. I just…”

His expression was suddenly fierce. “You could never be in the way,” he grumbled, easily reading my mind.

He gripped my hands tightly. “I apologize. I’ve been so busy with my own plans that I haven’t been paying attention to your feelings.

I plan to remedy that now, and for the rest of our lives, Kiley. ”

I was too busy being stunned by what I was hearing to register that he had dropped to one knee. I was flat out hyperventilating when he pulled out a tiny black velvet box and opened it, revealing a stunning diamond ring surrounded by emeralds.

“Marry me,” he demanded. It wasn’t a request, and it was clear he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

Which was just how I liked it.

I could barely speak and it took me a moment to realize that the tightness in my throat was due to the fact that I was crying, tears streaming down my cheeks in tiny rivers. I nodded my head and wrapped my arms around Simon’s neck, vowing to never let go.