Aching for His Discretion (The Discretion Dynasty #1)

3. Teegan

Chapter three

Teegan

P lacing my kettle on the stove as I listened to my recorded lecture for the day, I rubbed my eyes and yawned softly. I was growing tired, but boards were coming up soon, and I had to teach myself something if Dr. Wyatt was going to leave me on my own.

“Grayson, dinner is ready, baby!” I yelled as I placed his bowl on the floor, and like magic, he appeared by my feet and began eating. He was a mix of a Russian Blue cat with a British Shorthair. Or at least that’s what the shelter thought when they brought the little guy in as an abandoned kitten.

With his gray fur, beautiful round eyes, enormous appetite, and feistiness of a cat twice his size, I knew I had to have him. Since day one, he’s been my little kitten fur baby, and I have never thought of him as anything else. When my papa calls him a cat, I have to correct him at times.

I glanced at the clock to see it was eight PM, and I still had about 200 flashcards and four chapters due by the morning. I pouted as I listened to the next few words of the lecture.

“ No one said this was going to be easy, but it’s not rocket science,” the lecturer said, pointing to the board, and I closed the laptop as I sighed.

“No... but it sure feels like it is.”

Turning off the stovetop that had finished cooking my alfredo, I set the kitchen island with my plate, a side of garlic bread, and my chamomile tea. As I read my textbook, I indulged in my comfort food happily as Grayson ate alongside me. He ended up in my lap after he’d finished, and I rubbed his head softly as I finished reviewing chapter two.

Through my apartment walls, I heard a few muffled voices and the sound of thumping. It was my neighbor Mitchel. He was around thirty-five years old, lived alone, and was in the process of moving out. He told me some days ago, so I could only assume that was what all the commotion was about.

A few minutes later, the noise had stopped, and there was a knock at my door. I stood up with Grayson in my arms and peeked through the door as I opened it to see my package had come. I squealed softly as I stepped out and noticed the back of the doorman as he went downstairs.

“Thank you, Mr. John!” I said happily, and he gave me a slight wave as he continued down the steps. I let Grayson down to go inside, and he began to fidget. I gasped as he ran over to Mitchel’s door, meowing.

Picking up my package, I called him over. “Grayson, stop! Let’s go inside.”

He ignored me as he stood by the door, purring as he scratched at the base. Suddenly, the door opened, and a blush came to my face as a familiar man stepped out, looking slightly worn out and angry. Grayson rushed back to me and jumped into my arms, causing the man to look at me in confusion.

“Hi, Mr. Amante,” I said, filling the silence.

“Tesoro? What are you doing here?” he asked, and I shrugged, pushing a fallen wavy curl behind my ear.

“I live here. Were you helping Mitchel pack for his move?” I asked, noticing how tired he looked and how worn out his hands were.

He bit his lip as he approached me slowly. “Something like that. Let’s just say he owes me some money and a favor or two,” he muttered, and I nodded as he stopped beside me.

“How’s your shoulder?” I asked as it’d been a few days since I “fixed” it.

He rolled up his sleeve and showed me the stitches that seemed to be healing fairly well. “Better than ever… and that godforsaken headache is gone too,” he replied, causing me to smile.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

At least he’s doing better, and that’s all I could’ve hoped for. You also hoped he’d use that deep voice of his to order you around again.

…That was just a dream, Teegan.

I looked down at my cuffed grey sweatpants and fuzzy socks as I took notice of his expensive black shoes. Should I invite him in? Do you even know the man? Why does he smell so good—

“I should be going soon, Tesoro,” he said, cutting off my thoughts before glancing down at his watch.

Unconsciously, I pouted softly, not wanting him to leave so soon. His eyes briefly flickered to my lips, a fleeting but intense look that made my heart skip a beat.

He then reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone.

“But before I do…” he said, his voice taking on a darker, more measured tone, “perhaps it would be wise to take down your number… Who knows when I may be in trouble again and in need of saving.”

My cheeks practically flamed as he towered over me. My throat went dry as my stomach fluttered slightly. Mr. Amante was all man—his demeanor, his presence, his voice, and even the faint, dangerous glint in his eyes seemed to envelop me, making the air between us feel charged.

“I hope you’ll be in need of saving from something other than guns, Mr. Amante. I specifically remember I told you to stay away from them and to be careful.”

“I’m not one to defy my doctor’s order, Tesoro, but accidents happen. Having your number simply serves as a… precaution.”

Letting Grayson down, a small smile graced my lips as I eagerly grabbed his phone. I entered my number as my little kitty began sniffing him. Going back to hand the phone to him, Grayson then began to purr, and I quickly grabbed him in mid-air as he went to jump into Mr. Amante’s arms.

“No, bad kitty. Go inside now,” I scolded him before I let him run into the living room. I looked back over to Mr. Amante, who was still staring at me with the same distinct, almost alluring look in his eyes. “Sorry. He’s a jumper, and he seems to like you a lot,” I said, shrugging. I’m starting to like you a lot.

“Not a problem. I’ll see you soon, Teegan,” he replied, and I nodded as I waved him goodbye.

“Bye, Mr. Amante!” I said happily as I entered my apartment. I closed the door and squealed softly. He remembered my name!

Walking into the cafe, I ordered a medium frappuccino with whipped cream, savoring the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee beans that filled the air.

After saying thank-you to the cashier, I quickly left the building and headed over to class. Today, we had a few lectures in person, and I had clinic for the rest of the afternoon. Despite me being overwhelmed by our upcoming exams, my somewhat flexible schedule today was not too shabby.

I entered the lecture hall and sat in the front as I usually do. Still about thirty minutes early to class, I decided to review some notes.

My phone buzzed as I’d received a message, and I smiled as I opened it to see it was from Mr. Amante.

Mr. Amante: How are you, Tesoro?

I bit my lip excitedly. At first, I didn’t exactly know what “Tesoro” meant, but I was not too eager to find out. My mind was already romanticizing what it might mean, and I didn’t want to disappoint myself with the actual translation.

But eventually, I learned it was a term of endearment, and I was definitely overly excited to learn that.

I’m good, Mr. Amante! I’m in class right now, and it is going to start soon. How are you doing?

I’m doing good.

Tell me, sweetheart, what was the name of that numbing medicine you gave me when you stitched me up?

Oh, it’s just called lidocaine. It’s a local anesthetic that prevents pain by blocking the signals at the nerve endings in the skin.

Perfect. Thank you so much for the information, Tesoro. Such a smart girl.

My face went red as my heart fluttered at his praise. He thinks I’m smart… Oh, what it’s like to be loved.

He sent me another message, but I wasn’t able to read it as someone sat beside me and grabbed my muffin from my table. I looked over my shoulder and sighed to see one of the gunners in our class, Alec Harrington. He was very smart and always went out of his way to show me that I wasn’t as bright as he was. He was good-looking to an extent, but he definitely had nothing on my personal Levi Ackerman.

“Mind if I take a bite?” he asked, his boyish grin plastered on his face, and I grabbed the muffin from his hand, annoyed. Thankfully, it was still wrapped in a napkin.

“No, you can’t. Go away,” I muttered.

I flinched as he leaned in closer. “You’re so feisty. I love it.”

I scooted away from him and gasped internally as he placed a hand on my thigh… Did I mention he was a little touchy-feely and took rejection a bit negatively?

“My friends and I are throwing a party soon. You should come. It’ll be fun,” he mentioned, leaning in, and I went to speak when our professor thankfully came over.

“Mr. Harrington… please do the both of us a favor and leave Ms. Monroe alone,” he said.

Alec ignored him as he gave my thigh one last final squeeze and stood up.

I looked over to my professor and silently thanked him with my eyes as he went to the board. Did I also mention Alec was the son of a very prestigious doctor who donates heavily to the institution fund every year and practically could do anything he wanted in our school? It was annoying when he did, but thankfully, I had a good reputation with my professors, and they knew of his small antics.

Soon, the seats began to fill with many of the students, and class began. I took a few notes as the professor went over some anatomy and material we needed to cover for our Step 2CK and CS exams.

He placed a few practice problems on the board and began passing out our recent written take-home quizzes. He stopped beside me and leaned down, placing the quiz down before me.

“I expect more, Ms. Monroe. You know that,” he muttered, and I bit my lip as a C+ was in red at the top of my paper. It wasn’t going to truly count in my final grade, but it let me know that I’d been slacking and that I needed to reevaluate my test-taking.

Oh gosh, I don’t want to cry. It wasn’t a terrible grade by far within the class, but I thrived on academic validation, and without it, I felt like a failure.

It was times like this when I wished I had a bit more of a backbone, that I could brush off something like this and not let it ruin my entire day. But with my overthinking kicking into overdrive, I couldn’t help but fixate on how this one grade might impact my chances at residency. Obviously it wouldn’t, but to me, the little things mattered, and the pressure to excel was relentless.

If Grayson was here, he’d understand my frustration.

Eventually, the class ended, and I left the hall with the intent of going home to get changed and heading straight to the hospital to face the wrath of Dr. Wyatt once again.

I hung onto a tiny bit of hope that my day could possibly get better, but I didn’t see that in my near future. No, I saw myself potentially crying the second I got home after my shift. Oh well. A t least my muffin and coffee were good while they lasted.

“Patient rated pain an eight on a scale from one to ten and has not responded well to medication. Will follow up when the new dose of pain relievers is administered,” I said into the microphone, which typed my words into the computer as I finished up my last report of the night.

Dr. Wyatt didn’t pay me much attention today, and I was thankful he didn’t overload me with things I could mess up, as he had more assistance on the floor than just me.

Clocking out of my shift, I made my way home, listening to the sound of the cars and crickets. It was only a ten-minute walk, and I was happy to be so close to the hospital and my campus.

Entering my building, I walked up to my floor only to see Mr. Amante once again—only this time, he was waiting by my door with his phone in his hand.

“Tesoro. I was wondering when you’d get home. You didn’t respond to my text,” he muttered.

I found myself not even questioning why he was there. All I wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep.

He walked over to me and brushed my hair out of my face. “It seems like you’ve had quite a long day, hmm?” he asked, and the moment he said that the waterworks began to flow, and tears welled up in my eyes.

“I-I got a 79% on my test today,” I muttered, defeated.

He cooed softly, bringing me closer to him, and I felt a massive relief as I was brought into his embrace. It felt so warm. I was unaccustomed to being held this close to a man… and he smelled so good.

“I studied s-so hard. I only slept a few hours a night. I thought I was doing g-good,” I whispered, and he shushed me, grabbing my keys from me and opening my door for me. Stepping in, as I wiped my tears, he helped me place my many bags down as I pulled off my cardigan.

“Will you stay a little longer today?” I asked cautiously, as I didn’t want to cling too much, but I rather enjoyed his company despite knowing him for a short time.

Does “stranger danger” ring a bell, Teegan?

His jaw clenched slightly as he looked down at me, and he sighed as he pushed the door closed and placed a hand on the side of my face.

“I’ll do anything you want me to, Tesoro. I’ll even kill the person who made you this upset.”

I giggled softly as he used the same joke as the other day. “You know that joke is going to get old very quickly…” I whispered, and he didn’t say anything more as Grayson made his presence known and ran over to us. Levi didn’t seem to mind, his attention still on me as he took my sweater from me and placed it on my coat rack. God, he’s so perfect.

“No more tears. You’re both smart and intelligent, Tesoro. Don’t let one grade bring your entire night down or make you think otherwise,” he muttered, caressing my face in his hands, and I melted slightly as I nodded, staring into his eyes.

“I’ll try not to,” I responded, and he hummed.

“Good girl.”

My knees felt weak as my face went red once again. Those two words are going to be the death of me.