Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
He chuckles. “You’re soaked, freezing, and injured. Why would this be heaven?”
I swallow. He has a point. I can’t tell him it’s the eye candy.
He starts walking, balancing me and the umbrella. Where is he going?
“Your phone?”
“It’s fine. It’s in my pocket. You still haven’t answered my question.”
Question…? Oh, right. “I don’t have insurance.” I don’t have a job anymore, either. Tears start falling again. I’m a hot mess. Maybe he won’t notice since my face is soaked anyway.
“Hey… Shhh… I’ve got you. It’s going to be okay.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“There’s a clinic around the corner. I know the head doctor there. He’ll take a look at you.”
I squirm in his arms. It really feels nice to be held by him, but it’s not practical. “I can’t pay him. Please put me down. I’m fine. I just need to get to the bus stop.”
He frowns again. “Sorry, Little one. I’m not going to let you walk away. You’re hurt. I played a role in that. I need to make sure you’re going to be okay.”
“But…” I glance around. It’s still raining. My savior is also wet, but he’s keeping us from continuing to get drenched. The fact that he’s holding both me and a giant umbrella without appearing to exert himself is mindboggling.
“Just a bit farther. We’ll be there in a minute.”
“But, I can’t pay for it, Sir,” I argue again.
He looks at me, his mouth curving up into a slow smile. Is it because I called him Sir? I couldn’t stop myself. He’s so…dominant.
“You don’t need to pay for it. I’ve got it. Don’t you worry.”
I start shivering. My adrenaline rush is subsiding, and still, my head hurts. My elbows do, too. I wonder if they’re bleeding. I wonder if I tore my blouse. I don’t have many blouses I can wear to work. This one is probably ruined. I whimper as I turn my face in to his chest.
The big man pauses, and I’m aware of him lowering the umbrella and pulling a door open. Finally, we’re inside, but I’m not sure that’s a blessing. At least it’s no longer raining on me, but the cold breeze from the air conditioner makes me shiver.
“Theo. Oh my. What happened?” asks a feminine voice.
“Hey, Kristen. We had a collision. I’m worried Layla here might have a concussion. She hit her head pretty hard on the sidewalk.”
“Come on back. Goodness. She’s shivering. Let’s get her warmed up. I’ll find Dr. Rubio.”
I’m sniffling as my hero follows the peppy women through a door and down a hall. When we enter an exam room, the woman bustles around opening cabinets. She pulls out a hospital gown and a blanket.
I now know my hero’s name is Theo. It suits him. I like it.
He sets me on the exam table, and I wince the moment my butt hits the surface. I hit my tailbone hard, but I think there’s also abrasions on the backs of my legs. My thighs hurt.
“Oh, you poor thing,” Kristen says. I assume she’s a nurse. “You really got banged up, didn’t you?” She lifts one of my arms and winces slightly as she examines my elbow.
Theo still has both hands on my hips. “Does your bottom hurt, Little one?”
I tip my head back to look in his eyes. He absolutely definitely positively called me Little one. How could he possibly know I’m Little? I nod, eyes wide.
“You two just met?” Kristen asks.
Theo lifts his hands to my cheeks and strokes away the silent tears. “We haven’t even really met, yet. I could tell she was injured, so I scooped her up and carried her here.”
“Well, good thing you were there.”
Theo doesn’t even glance at the nurse. He’s still looking at me. He gives a wry smile. “She probably wouldn’t have been injured if I’d been standing somewhere besides directly in her path.”
I lick my lips. “I wasn’t watching where I was going. I’m so sorry.”
“No reason to be sorry, Layla. Accidents happen.”
“They happen to me more than others,” I mutter.
Kristen sets the blanket and gown on the end of the table. “You’re freezing, sweetheart. How about if I help you get out of these wet clothes?”
Theo cups the side of my face. “I’ll wait out in the hall, okay?”
I nod. I’m stunned. It seems like the world has started spinning a different direction. I can’t process what’s happening.
“I’ll take good care of her,” the nurse says.
Theo steps out into the hallway.
Why does the room feel colder and empty without him?
Chapter Three
I try hard not to cry while Nurse Kristen helps me undress. I just feel so emotional. I was on the edge of a panic attack before I collided with Theo and fell to the ground. Now I’ve added to my problems. Not only is my head pounding and I have various scrapes and bruises, but I still don’t have a job, and now I’m not even out looking for one. I’m losing a day. I might lose more than a day.