Grant’s sip of coffee became a splutter, spraying the table with droplets. Theo looked on, unimpressed, as Grant coughed around the sip of coffee he’d managed to inhale into his throat.
“Excuse me?” Grant spluttered.
Oh god, was the man actually blushing? Well, that was...actually as endearing as the puppylike cock of his head he’d given Theo earlier.
Theo snickered. “You heard me.”
Grant cleared his throat, saving face with another drink of coffee. “No. No one has ever called me...daddy before.”
Theo’s grin grew even wider at Grant’s pained tone. “Would you like me to?”
This time he was ready for the spray of coffee as Grant once more choked on his drink. Theo wondered how much of the man’s coffee would end up on the floor and table rather than inside Grant.
“What?” Grant managed around a wheeze.
Theo appraised the doctor openly, even leaning back in his seat to see if he could spot the curve of the man’s ass. He couldn’t, not with the coat in the way. Yet he would place a good sum of money on the fact that it was as nice as the rest of Grant. For his part, Grant somehow managed to get even redder in the face as Theo looked him over.
“Eh, I’ve never done it before, then again, never had anyone in my bed who made me want to,” Theo noted.
Grant’s eyes widened comically. “Uh, I’m not quite sure what to say to that.”
Theo shrugged, drinking the last of his coffee. “Say yes, then we can find us a nice quiet spot.”
“Are...you’re propositioning me?” Grant managed.
Theo narrowed his eyes. “I’m not a whore.”
Grant’s eyes somehow managed to grow even wider. “No! No, I wasn’t trying to say that you were...no, not at all.”
Theo smirked. “Good because I’m not. I’m a slut.”
“How...candid of you,” Grant said, staring.
“Eh, it helps to know what you are, makes life a lot easier.”
“Oh?”
“Know what you are, and no one will ever have a weapon to use against you.”
Grant cleared his throat. “And why do you assume I would be interested in the first place?”
“Is this your way of asking if I somehow know you’re into dick?”
“Crass, but apt.”
Theo snorted. “I didn’t, not totally. I mean, don’t think I didn’t see the way you looked at me before you left the room. But mostly, I don’t know any straight or unwilling guy on the planet who would have reacted the way you did to my offer.”
Still, it had been a little bit of a gamble. It was mostly the way Grant’s eyes had swept over Theo in the examination room than anything else. The tattoos were probably the main interest at first, but Theo had felt the heat emanating from Grant when the man’s eyes had locked with his. The bashful and awkward reaction to the offer had only confirmed his theory. Though it was nice to know when he was right.
Grant grimaced. “Apparently, I’m not the only observant one at this table.”
“I watch people. It’s a hobby.”
“And developed into a skill somewhere along the line,” Grant muttered.
Theo squinted. “This isn’t a yes or a no I’m hearing from you, this is you stalling for time.”
Grant’s head snapped to him. “Are you always this blunt, or only when you’re trying to get into someone’s pants?”
Theo laughed. “I’m blunt, but I tend to get even blunter when I see something or someone I want.”
Grant chuckled. “And I just happen to be in your crosshairs.”
“In my pants is far more fun.”
Grant shook his head. “God save me, this is actually charming.”
“Another skill of mine,” Theo said, winking.
Grant stood up. “Well, as...charmed as I am, and appreciate the attention, I’m going to have to decline.”
“Oh, that’s a shame,” Theo said, disappointment bubbling in his gut.
Grant smiled. “Call it bad timing. I’m still on the clock and have to return.”
Theo looked up, flicking his finger on the edge of his cup. “Dedicated.”
“And observant.”
“And very daddy.”
This time Grant kept his reaction to a faint pink blush to his cheeks. “Perhaps another time, Theo.”
Theo watched him go, the corner of his lips twitching. As much as he’d insisted Grant call him Theo, it had felt almost…intimate to hear it come from his mouth. It only added another layer of disappointment to his morning.
“Getting sentimental in your old age, Theo?” he asked himself.
He turned his gaze back to the window, well, at least he could still watch the sunrise.
Grant
Another day, another set of rounds. For the most part, Grant took refuge in the predictable pattern of his days. When he woke up, he would go for a run, no matter what time of day he dragged himself out of bed. His first meal was eaten on the way to work, and he would begin his rounds the moment he arrived. His second meal came whenever he could get it, though most days he had an hour, long enough to eat and take some time in the gym next to the hospital. Then it was the remainder of his shift, maybe a meeting or three, and then he would head home.
There were some days where he worked the clinic, and that was the most variation he typically experienced in any given week. And as certain nosy co-workers liked to remind him, there was even less variation in his personal time. Fridays felt like Wednesdays, and he couldn’t tell the difference between a Tuesday and a Saturday.
It was just how he liked it.
Lydia spotted him approaching the nurse’s desk and grinned widely. “Well, a happy Monday to you. Tell me, did you do anything fun this weekend?”
Grant dropped off the charts in his hand and grabbed the next batch. “We both know the answer to that question.”
She shook her head slowly. “Honestly, Dr. Andrews, one of these days you have to find something besides work to occupy your time.”
As if the fresh batch of patients wasn’t enough. The latest was resting in a nearby room, watched over by his friend and coworker. An explosion had catapulted the man into Grant’s care as if the fires weren’t enough.
“We both know this place keeps us plenty busy,” Grant told her.
Lydia wrinkled her nose. “I’m getting a sense of deja vu, why is that?”
Leon looked up from the computer. “Probably because you have this conversation with him at least once a week, usually twice.”
“I believe the record so far is four times in one week,” Grant said dryly, opening the top folder.
She narrowed her eyes. “You’ve counted.”
Leon snorted. “You lost me money, you’re damn right I’m petty enough to keep count.”
“Lost...why did you,” she stopped, nostrils flaring. “You made a bet.”
Grant chuckled. “I told him you couldn’t go one week without mentioning that I’m single, or that I need to find a man, or if I’d met anyone.”
Lydia blinked at Leon. “Aw, and you thought I could make it?”
Grant smirked. “No.”