The Medic’s Little Girl by Pepper North – Sample

Chapter One

Watching the attractive barmaid flit through the dense crowd of military personnel, Doniphan smiled as the slender brunette gracefully turned to avoid crashing into another waitress. River seemed to know precisely where everyone moved as she roamed through the room. Turning here and there, she avoided uninvited caresses from inebriated soldiers. Her lithe body moved smoothly, avoiding potential mishaps.

Setting the half-empty warm beer down on the table, Doniphan orchestrated his trajectory and moved to intercept his target. She did not anticipate him to appear as she turned around with the tray laden with empty bottles and glasses.

“Whoa, River!” He smiled at her, automatically steadying her tray.

“Um… Hi! I’m sorry I didn’t see you, Doniphan,” she stammered as if suddenly nervous.

Doniphan smiled at her. Even in the dim light of the bar, he could see the color flood her cheeks. He made her jumpy. The career military man was fine with that. No, more than fine. He liked it a hell of a lot. “Can you take a break for a couple of minutes?” he asked, holding her blue eyes with his intent gaze.

“Um… Give me five minutes. I need to drop off this tray and signal Cricket that I’ll be away for a few,” she said before biting her lip.

His index finger whisked over her lower lip, smoothing the line of her mouth. “No biting, River,” he gently reprimanded her. When she nodded, he repeated her suggested time frame. “Five minutes. Meet me at the back door.”

River Reynolds wove through the crowd, moving automatically to the side and around tangled snarls of patrons. She liked working at this busy bar and grill located just off the military base. The tips were good, and there was a lot of military-grade eye candy to make her job pleasant. Most of all, it stayed busy enough to keep her mind distracted.

Quickly she dropped off her tray and waved at the cheerful blonde covering the next section. Cricket nodded and gave her a thumbs up. They always worked together well. Heavens knew that was the only way they’d have time to wait for a free bathroom stall on the busiest of nights.

Smoothing her hair back into the ponytail where she’d corralled her long dark curls, River wove her way to the back entrance. The sight of the handsome officer who lounged against the door waiting for her made her heart flutter strangely in her chest. She had no idea why he would be interested in her, but all the other waitresses were sure Doniphan had been attracted to her when he’d come in for lunch for that first time. They’d mentioned something about the way he watched her.

She’d known Doniphan Williams for a couple of months now. She guessed that the medic was in his late forties or early fifties. She had never been attracted to an older man before, but he exuded a calm and quiet control that drew her toward him. River had noticed this demeanor in some of the highly trained soldiers who routinely disappeared for secret missions.

It didn’t hurt that Doniphan was drop-dead gorgeous. In prime physical form, there didn’t seem to be an ounce of extra flesh on his trim body. From his broad shoulders to his narrow hips, the tight t-shirts and low-slung jeans revealed a physique that stood out even in a crowd of military men. The silvery threads mixed into his dark hair made her fingers want to brush through the thick bristle on the top of his head. His unusual light brown eyes didn’t seem to miss anything when he looked at her.

Those eyes glanced up to link with hers as she approached. He straightened from the wall, tucking the phone that had held his attention back into his pocket.

“Um, hi! I can’t talk long. Cricket’s a saint for watching my tables for a bit,” she said nervously.

Doniphan didn’t answer but just stood back and ushered her through the door. His warm hand settled in the small of her back as he steered her past the random groups hanging out in the parking lot. Once in a private area, he stopped her with a gentle hand wrapped around her side.

“Thank you for making time for me, River. When’s your next day off work?” he asked with a small smile.

“The schedule goes up tomorrow for the week. I usually have Wednesdays off,” she told him, trying to not hope that he would ask her out. Stay cool. Stay cool!

“Let me have your phone,” he instructed, holding his hand out.

Automatically, she reached into her apron and handed her phone to him. When he swiped across the screen, she tried to grab it back from him. She’d forgotten that she’d changed the background picture to one of her new stuffies. The green cat was so cute in her unicorn dress that she hadn’t wanted to leave it at home. Having it on her phone let River look at Katty as many times as she wanted.

He held onto the phone easily. Looking up, those brown eyes seemed to know all her secrets. “Cute stuffie. What’s her name?” he asked with a gentle smile.

“Oh, that’s my niece’s. She is cute, isn’t she?” River tried to lie, but she’d never been good at it. Her eyes slid to the side, unable to meet his.

“Don’t.”

Her gaze jumped to his face at the one-word answer. “What?”

“Don’t lie to me, little girl. Daddies always know when Littles are lying,” Doniphan answered quietly. The steel underlying his words made her shiver.

River opened her mouth to make a joke, but her jaw closed with a snap when those brown eyes darkened and narrowed. “Katty,” she whispered.

“I’m going to put my number in your phone, little one. I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon,” he informed her. “We’ll talk, and I’ll answer all of your questions.”

Tilting the screen toward her, the handsome man held her phone out to her to unlock. Quickly, Doniphan located her contacts and entered his number into her phone. Pressing the call button, he waited to hear his ring from the depth of his pocket before ending the call and offering her smartphone to her.

Instead of releasing it, his fingers tightened on the case. When her eyes lifted to meet his gaze, River felt confused by his serious expression. “Did I do something wrong?” she whispered.

“No, River. I’m fighting myself to allow you enough time to become as comfortable with the idea of our relationship as I am,” he smiled reassuringly.

“Do we… have a relationship?” she forced from her mouth. She felt as if she was walking on thin ice, and the danger of falling through was real.

“Yes, River. It will just take some time for you to realize that you’re mine. My heart and mind are already committed,” he answered, lifting his hand from the phone case to cup the back of her head. Slowly, as if allowing her time to jerk away or refuse, his hand drew her face toward his.

With her breath catching in her throat, River watched his lips move closer to hers. At the last second, her eyes closed as watching him became too intimate. When those firm lips gently met hers, she lifted her head eagerly toward him with a soft sound of delight.

His lips opened, and his tongue swept across her lower lip, asking for access to her mouth. Unable to deny him anything, River’s lips parted. Without a moment’s hesitation, Doniphan deepened the kiss. His flavor burst across her taste buds as his tongue dipped into her mouth for just a second.

Her blue eyes opened as the handsome man lifted his lips from hers. She swayed softly toward him, seeking the stability of his muscular form. “Doniphan…” she began, only to stop as his hands wrapped around her shoulders.

“Little girl, you are the definition of temptation,” he said, stepping back from her body. “I will call you tomorrow afternoon. We’ll meet somewhere other than a dimly lit parking lot. Be careful tonight. Walk out with the other waitresses, okay?”

“Okay,” she agreed. Moving automatically, she allowed him to guide her with that warm hand on her waist.

Once at the back door for the establishment, he leaned forward to press his lips against hers once again. This time harder and more demanding. Lifting his mouth, he said in a voice harsh with desire, “Tomorrow, River.”

She slipped back in the door as he opened it and turned to say goodbye, but the hall behind her was empty. He was gone. Her hand rose to her mouth, and River’s fingertip traced her lips as she walked back to her section. Dazed, she automatically avoided patrons who would have blundered into her. What just happened?

Chapter Two

A bright sunbeam stretched across her pillow slowly as morning morphed into the afternoon. On the weekends, the bar and grill was open late. By the time she’d shooed all the lingering patrons out of the bar and cleaned her section, River usually didn’t make it home until three a.m. Showering off the spilled beer from her skin had delayed her even more.

The hands on the clock were approaching one in the afternoon when the determined sunlight reached her tightly closed eyes. Throwing a forearm over her eyes, River tried to convince herself that she should go back to sleep, but Doniphan’s handsome face flashed into her mind. All possibility of sleeping longer flew out the window as she realized that he might call any minute.

Grabbing her phone, River double-checked to make sure she hadn’t slept through his phone call. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she set the phone down on the pillow and threw back the covers. She forced herself to sit up. The minute her feet hit the floor, her phone began to ring insistently.

River grabbed her phone and hit the green talk button on the screen. “Hello?” she answered in a voice husky with sleep.

“You sound as if you just woke up. Did I wake you?” Doniphan’s masculine voice made her shiver slightly in response.

“You didn’t wake me up, but I did just open my eyes,” she reassured him. Pulling the covers back over her bare thighs, River lifted her free hand to try to smooth her hair. She knew that he couldn’t see her, but she wanted to feel confident as she talked to him. Wearing only the short t-shirt that was her usual bedtime attire, she felt exposed as his deep voice wrapped around her.

“Oh, good. It’s important that you get enough sleep. Would you like to go out and get some lunch?” he asked before laughing. “Or maybe breakfast for you?”

Her stomach growled loudly at the idea of eating. River pressed her hand to her abdomen, hoping that he hadn’t heard that all the way through the phone. Quickly, she answered, “I’m starving.” Second thinking that response—she wanted to let him know she wasn’t just going to eat—River added, “I’d love to go with you to lunch.”

“Then it’s a date. Can I come to pick you up, or would you rather meet me at the restaurant?” he asked.

River looked at the small one-room apartment. She’d worked so many hours lately that she had straightened nothing for a long time. She didn’t want him to think she lived in a pigsty. She rushed to answer, “I’ll meet you. Where would you like to go?”

He named one of her favorite hangouts. She didn’t have the luxury of eating out often. This place served breakfast and lunch only. Suddenly the thought of eating a platter-sized cinnamon roll pancake sounded amazing. Her stomach growled again.

His low laughter carried over the phone, making her inner thighs clench in reaction to the sensual sound. “Little girl, we need to feed that tummy. Meet me there in thirty minutes. Does that give you enough time to get ready and drive there?”

“Yes,” she replied breathily. Saying goodbye, River disconnected the call. Still holding the phone cradled to her chest, she could feel her heart beating faster.

Two minutes later, she looked at the clock on her phone and exploded out of bed. She needed to get ready—now!

Parking her old, reliable compact on the side of the restaurant, River stepped out of the car. She began walking up to the front door when she saw him. His slow smile greeted her. River walked a bit faster and stepped through the door.

Clumsily, she stumbled slightly on the rug stretching out in front of the entrance. Masculine hands caught her shoulders to steady her. “Thank you,” she rushed to say as her eyes rose to meet the light brown eyes that always fascinated her.

“Our table is back here,” Doniphan smoothly shared as he wrapped an arm around her waist to steer her the correct way. Reaching the table, he pulled out a chair next to the one where he had been sitting and held it for her.

“Thanks!” Before she could say anything else, a waitress in her forties stopped to ask for her drink order. The server might have been asking what River wanted to drink, but her eyes were focused on the handsome man at the table. River asked for coffee and watched the woman bustle away.

River laughed to herself. The waitress had already sized up Doniphan and decided he would be a great treat.

“I’m not interested in her,” Doniphan said quietly. When River’s blue eyes flew to meet his, he continued, “She’s not the type that I’ve been searching for.”

Bravely, River swallowed and asked, “What type do you like?”

“My eyes are on a little girl with curly brown hair and the prettiest blue eyes. She works hard and tries to make everyone’s world just a bit nicer,” Doniphan answered with a smile.

“You keep calling me a little girl. You know I’m over twenty-one, don’t you?” she asked.

“How old are you, River?” he asked.

She noticed that his smile hadn’t ever wavered. He was pleased with her. “I’m twenty-three.”

“That is a wonderful age. I am much older than you are. I’m forty-seven. Do you think that’s too old?” he asked.

“No,” she answered immediately. He was simply perfect.

The waitress returned with River’s coffee and asked for their order. Without even needing to look at the menu, she ordered, “I’ll have a cinnamon roll pancake, please.”

Doniphan’s low chuckle did something to the pit of her stomach. She looked at him with wide eyes, realizing just what a potent effect he had on her body and mind. River heard him order something as she studied his handsome face.

“Little girl, you’re going to eat me alive with your eyes,” he murmured, drawing her out of her daze.

“Sorry. I must not be quite awake yet,” she said quickly to excuse her stare. Taking a sip of her coffee to give herself some time to think, River almost spit it out when he answered her previous question.

“I call you little girl because that is what I believe you are. Little not as in size or age but Little with a capital L. A woman who is at her core submissive,” he explained carefully. His brown eyes watched her like a specimen under a microscope.

Her mind raced as she tried to decide how to answer. As time began to drag between his statement and her pending response, River started to panic. When his hand reached to cover hers, she jumped.

“Breathe, River. It’s okay. I’m not judging you negatively. I’ve been looking for my little girl for a very long time,” he reassured her. His thumb began to caress her fingers, drawing her attention to their intertwined hands.

“I’ve never been Little,” she admitted, peeking up at him. River had no idea why she felt comfortable to share this intimate information. She just did.

“I know.”

When he didn’t say anything else, she admitted, “I’ve read a lot of books.” River looked around to see if anyone was listening at nearby tables. Judging it safe, her voice lowered to a whisper, and she clarified, “You know. Those books—age play.”

“Many Littles discover the truth about themselves by reading. I enjoy reading them as well. Perhaps we can read one together?” he suggested with a smile.

“I don’t know if I could be that brave,” she admitted after a long pause.

“I have a feeling you are one of the bravest people I know. Littles usually are,” he said before nodding to the waitress, who approached with their meals.

Nodding thankfully at him for alerting her to the server’s presence, River noticed that she had leaned in toward Doniphan. Quickly, she sat up straight to allow the waitress to place the pancake in front of her. Laughing at the sight of the pancake sporting whipped cream eyes and a mouth, she lifted dancing eyes to meet the handsome man’s watchful gaze.

“I wondered if you’d heard me add that to your order,” he smiled broadly as the server delivered his hamburger and fries.

With an annoyed sniff, the waitress finally figured out that Doniphan was not interested in her. With a snarky, “We usually decorate pancakes for kids,” she waltzed away.

River couldn’t help laughing at her disdain. Waitresses who passed judgments on her customers rarely earned healthy tips. “I don’t think she likes me,” she laughed.

“Eat up, River. That whipped cream will disappear like magic!” he urged.

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