The Better Brother novel Chapter 1

Sarah Vance had just finished removing the needles from her previous patient and was washing her hands at the clinic sink.

She didn't even look up as a figure stepped into the room, her voice soft but professional. "Lower your trousers and lie face down on the treatment bed."

She focused on scrubbing between her fingers, catching only a glimpse of a tall silhouette from the corner of her eye.

He was a strikingly well-built man with broad shoulders and long legs, taking up a considerable amount of space just by standing there.

When she turned off the faucet and dried her hands with sterile gauze, she turned to find the man still sitting rigidly on the chair against the wall, making no move to undress.

Sarah was more than used to this kind of hesitation.

As a practitioner in the Department of Integrative Medicine, she understood the reservations her patients had, especially when it came to exposing their lower backs and hips.

She opened her sterilized kit, arranging the fine silver needles by length, and softened her tone. "You don't need to be embarrassed. To a doctor, there are no genders, only patients who need treatment."

She picked up a needle, its fine tip catching the cold overhead light, and added, "Just lie face down and lower your trousers slightly to expose your lower back."

The man fell silent for a few seconds, closed his eyes, and finally reached for his belt. The metal buckle gave a soft click in the quiet room.

Taking advantage of the moment, Sarah picked up the intake form from her desk. "Killian Jameson? You're here for lower back pain, correct?"

The man was already lying face down on the bed, his face half-buried in the pillow. He gave a low, muffled grunt of confirmation.

Sarah brought her kit over and hooked a stool closer with her heel, sitting just close enough to clearly see the tension points along his lower back.

"The chart just says back pain. Did you twist it recently, or is this an old injury?"

"Neither," the man replied, his words clipped and guarded.

Sarah couldn't help but glance at his exposed profile. His jawline was sharp and tightly clenched.

Most of her patients would ramble on about their medical history and every minor ache they'd ever had, but this man refused to offer a single extra word.

She didn't press the issue, her cool fingertips lightly pressing into the side of his lower waist.

The muscles beneath her touch were incredibly firm, but thrummed with a heavy, unnatural tension.

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