Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 92474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
His face went stone cold, and she felt the loss immediately. Not just his body, but the warmth in his eyes when he looked at her. When it felt like all he saw was her.
“Your what?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve asked for a name. I want a name.” That tension was back in his shoulders.
“Nobody hurt me,” she whispered. “I told you that. It was an accident.”
“What sort of an accident?” he asked, giving her a skeptical look.
“My friend and I, we take a dance class for beginners, only we’re really bad.”
He appeared puzzled. “Someone at the dance class did this to you?”
“In a roundabout way,” she told him. “My friend did it.”
“What?”
“She was trying to get her foot up high, only she’s kind of clumsy and she whacked me in the face with her foot.”
“She kicked you?”
“Yes, but it was totally an accident. So, you know, there’s no one to, uh, take care of.”
He stared at her for a long moment.
Another deep breath in. Then out. Long and slow. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“I was trying to, but you seemed rather upset. I should have tried harder to tell you right away.” She stared down at her hands as she twisted her fingers together in her lap. “Sorry.”
There was silence. Then to her shock, he moved closer and gently tilted her face back with his finger under her chin.
“You’re telling the truth?”
“Yes. I’m actually terrible at lying. And do you really think I can make this stuff up?”
He studied her face. “Did you ice it?”
“Yeah, in the beginning, but I think I should have iced it more. It looks pretty bad, huh?”
“Yeah. It does.”
Great. She knew she wasn’t looking her best but having him confirm how bad it looked really made her feel down. She wanted Victor to see her as attractive and sexy.
“It looks sore. Did you take some painkillers?”
“Last night,” she admitted. “I’m not fond of taking any sort of pills.”
He gave her a curious look but nodded. “I get that. But it’s fine to take pain relief if you’re in pain. In fact, I’m going to insist on it.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t like seeing you in pain.” Reaching up, he ran a finger down her cheek, then he sighed. “Your skin is so smooth.”
“Thank you.” Emboldened, she ran a finger down his cheek and over his beard. “You’re hairy.”
Oh, God.
Did she really just say that?
“Thank you, I try.”
“I didn’t mean that negatively,” she said hastily. “I like your beard. Not like hairy as in your legs need a shave, hairy. Like, sexy hairy.”
“That’s . . . good to know,” he replied.
“I’m not usually this awkward . . . there’s just something about you that makes me nervous.”
He nodded solemnly. “I usually make people nervous.”
She could be mistaken, but there seemed to be something lonely about the way he said that.
When he tried to step back, she reached out and grabbed his hand. “Not a bad sort of nervous. Not the kind of nervous where I think you’d hurt me or anything. For some reason, I feel safe around you. As if you’d protect me. I know that sounds silly—”
“It doesn’t sound silly. I would protect you.”
“And I’d protect you.”
His gaze warmed. “That’s good to know, little bit.”
Oh, that was cute.
“So, you see, I’m not nervous for bad reasons. I guess I just get flustered when you look at me.”
He placed his hands on her thighs, moving them around behind her to grasp her ass.
She let out a low moan of pleasure at his touch.
“I shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“Because I’m dangerous to be around,” he replied. “I’d never harm you, but that doesn’t make me a good person.”
“You seem like a good person to me.”
“You don’t know me, little bit.”
“Well, you tip well. And you hold doors open for little old ladies. And you like my sticky buns, so . . .”
“With each day that passes, my soul gets darker and darker.”
“Victor, that’s not true.”
She hated that he thought that. She reached out to touch his face, but he drew back. And it was like a curtain came down over his face. She knew she wouldn’t be reaching him now.
“Where are your painkillers? Do you have some here?”
“Uh, yeah, there’s some in that drawer over there.” She pointed over behind him, trying not to show how sad she was that he’d drawn back from her.
He found the painkillers and shook a couple of pills out of the bottle onto his palm. Then, grabbing a glass from where she had them set on a shelf, he poured her some water before returning to where she still sat on the counter.
She held out her hand and he put the pills in her palm and handed her the glass. She swallowed them down with a grimace.
“You eaten today?” he asked.