“Can I use the bathroom?” she asks, holding out one hand for the clothes I’ve acquired from the dresser.
“No. I wasn’t joking about the weapon.”
“I wasn’t joking about changing in the bathroom,” Madisyn says.
There’s a fire behind her gaze, and I hate to admit I like it a lot. It’s unheard of that anyone challenges me, and even rarer that it’s a woman.
My gaze moves over her wet clothes again. “You were at the medical center today,” I say, recognizing her from the elevator.
“I’m a nurse,” Madisyn says.
“Then you know that this is strictly business and can appreciate detaching from a situation.”
Her jaw drops, surprised by my remark. “You aren’t serious? I’m not changing in front of you.”
“Then I guess you’re not getting the dry clothes.”
She’s shivering. There are goose pimples on her arms, and her lips are tinged blue.
The girl is probably trying to think warm thoughts, pretend that she’s warm, but there are obvious signs of her distress, and eventually, she’ll succumb to my demands.
“Fine,” she says and turns for the door to the hallway.
Damn, she’s stubborn!
I grunt and throw my head back. “Madisyn!” my voice echoes and booms.
A shiver runs through her, visible as she stands in the doorway, her back to me. I don’t think that last shudder was from the cold, but the rest probably is. Her teeth are chattering.
“Strip, or I will undress you myself,” I say and stalk across the wooden floor, slamming the bedroom shut. “Happy? Now you have privacy.”
My guards don’t need to see her naked, but I need to ensure that she isn’t carrying something that she shouldn’t.
Her bottom lip trembles. I assume it’s the cold, and she’s bluer than when she first stepped foot inside the compound. The place is plenty warm, but with her icy cold and wet clothes clinging to her body, she’s not likely to warm up.
Her hands move to the hem of her shirt, but she’s trembling. It will take all night at this rate, and I’m not a patient man.
I approach her, my hands warm against her icy skin. I let my fingers cover hers and guide her shirt and her hands up and over her head.
She covers her breasts the moment the shirt is in my hands and off her body.
“You’re going to have to take that off, too. Anything you’re wearing that’s wet won’t help you get warm,” I say.
Madisyn presses her lips together and glances past me. She smells like a rain shower, like the outdoors.
I exhale a heavy breath. Her scent is intoxicating and makes my heart hammer in my chest. “Bra comes off. So do your skirt and panties.”
“Can’t you at least look away? You can see I’m not carrying a weapon,” she says.
“I’m no gentleman,” I warn her. There’s no point in pretending to be something that I’m not.
The color comes back into her cheeks, but I can’t tell if it’s from embarrassment or anger. She appears defeated and reaches behind herself, unclasping her bra, holding the thin beige lace in her hands. Madisyn pushes her skirt down and then her panties, dropping her sopping clothes to the floor.
“Can I have something dry to wear now?” There’s a terseness to her tone.
I smirk and head into my bathroom, retrieving a clean, dry towel for her to properly dry off before handing over the clothes that she can wear until her own dry.
Bending down, I pick up her wet linens. “Stay in here,” I order and slip out into the hallway.
Nikita heads up the stairs. “Everything okay, boss?” he asks. By now, word that I brought a stray in has probably reached everyone’s ears.
“Put these in the dryer. There’s also a pair of socks by the garage entrance that need to go in.”
“Of course, sir. Anything else?”
“I want you to run background on the girl, Madisyn.”
“Any chance you have a last name?” My request doesn’t amuse Nikita.
Well, tough shit. I don’t want to make it obvious I’m checking up on her. Running into her twice in one day strikes me as a little more than a coincidence.
I want to be wrong.
“She’s a nurse at Steele Concierge Medical. I’m sure you can look up the staff on their website: blonde hair, deep brown eyes. Luka got a look at her. Run any photographs you see by him.”
“On it.” Nikita grabs the garments and heads down the stairs. I wait a second before breezing right back into my bedroom.
Madisyn already has the black t-shirt on and is lifting the waistband of the sweats as I enter. She secures the drawstring, making the pants fit better than I imagined. They’re still several sizes too big on her, but she looks dynamite in my clothes.
“One of my staff put your clothes in the dryer. Why don’t we head downstairs and contact a tow company?”
“That would be great.”
I open the bedroom door, and she follows me out and down the stairs. I lead her down to the study and leave the pocket door open.
There’s a landline in the study and another in the kitchen. They’re rarely ever used, and I have repeatedly considered dropping the line, but money isn’t an obstacle.
“I don’t suppose you have a phone book?” she asks with a laugh.
“I can’t believe you’re old enough to know what that is,” I say, glancing her over. I pull my cell phone from my pocket. “I’ll give you a number that you can dial. He’s a friend.”
“Thank you.”