Maybe she did have a serious head injury. She was getting soft thoughts about a man who thought she was a waste of space.
She’d go back to her hotel and lie down for a while. That should cure her.
Would Richard be there or had he already flown home?
She stared at herself in the mirror, the question she’d been ignoring looming in her mind.
If she hadn’t stepped back, would he have hit her?
The question went round and round in her mind as she splashed cold water on her face.
Then she tiptoed back into the bedroom intending to find her shoes. Instead, she walked straight into the solid wall of muscle that was Alec Hunter.
His hands gripped her arms and there was a fierce frown on his handsome face. “Where are you going?”
“Back to my hotel. Thank you for your hospitality.”
His grip on her didn’t ease. “You can’t be on your own.”
“I’m fine. I haven’t been sick again and I’ll take those instructions your doctor friend left. If I feel worse, I’ll take a cab to the hospital.”
“It’s December and it’s snowing. Not easy to get a cab.”
“I’ll find one.” Last night she’d been too ill to feel anything other than annoyance and embarrassment but now, in daylight, the whole incident felt sordid. “Look, I’m really grateful for everything you’ve done. I owe you, and part of my repayment is getting out of your way. You have a life to live, Alec. I heard you telling your friend that you were going home to your family.” She paused, distracted by the stack of gifts by the door. “Is there anything in those parcels?”
“Of course. You think I wrapped up empty boxes?” His gaze was curious and she felt the slow burn of embarrassment stain her cheeks.
He was probably wondering if her strange question was a symptom of her head injury.
“Ignore me. Looks like you’re in for a few days of fun.”
A normal Christmas.
The sort she’d never experienced.
“It’s an early family Christmas. We do this every year.” He dismissed it. “You can’t stay on your own, Sky.”
“You’re forgetting I have a bottle of champagne waiting for me at the hotel. I’m going to take a ride on the London Eye at night and go skating at Somerset House. Or maybe I’ll try the rink at the Natural History Museum. What do you think?”
“I think,” he said slowly, “that you’ve damaged yourself enough for one weekend.”
“I’ll have you know I’m a very competent skater. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“So you’re going to go skating by yourself and then drink all the champagne by yourself. That sounds like a lonely way to spend a weekend.”
“I might also order up a ton of cookies and comfort eat while watching holiday movies back-to-back. I’ll be fine, Alec. Go do whatever it is you were planning on doing today before you peeled me off the floor.”
“Will he be there?” He was blunt and direct and she sighed.
“At my hotel? I doubt it, but if he is then I’m sure we’ll have a few things to say to each other.”
“I’m not leaving you on your own with him.”
She was caught in a swirling tide of emotion. Exasperation, frustration that this had happened and something else. Something softer and more dangerous. She was touched. Really touched that he’d helped her and was still helping her.
“You don’t have to be all caveman around me.” Standing this close, she could see the masculine lines of his face and the stubble that shadowed his jaw. He was strikingly handsome and she now knew he was also strong and decent. For some reason she’d found it easier when she hadn’t known that about him. “I can handle Richard.”
“The way you handled him last night?”