Chapter Three
Emma looked around the dark underground parking. “Where are we?”
“We’re home.”
The throbbing of the cut on her arm intensified, and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying. She’d done the best she could to take care of it, but she knew it wasn’t enough.
“Hang on. We’re just about there.”
She didn’t notice the elevator ride or the walk through a darkened apartment. She squinted against the bright light when he set her on top of the bathroom counter.
“Can you sit for a minute, baby?”
She nodded and leaned back against the mirror.
That was when she got her first good look at him, and she gasped. He was beautiful. He was very tall, well over six feet, with broad shoulders and a massive chest. His hands looked the size of dinner plates. There was nothing soft about his face except for the vivid blue color of his eyes. His jaw was square and dark with whiskers that were as black as the hair on his head. His nose was a bit crooked on the bridge, and he had a broad forehead.
He interrupted her thoughts. “We need to get your clothes off, and I need to check out your injury and then get you into the shower.”
“I … no.” She could feel the edge of panic start to take hold.
“Honey, you can’t do this by yourself.”
She shook her head. “I’m not getting naked.”
He sighed. “Nothing bad is going to happen, baby. I’m just here to take care of you.”
“I can’t…”
“Baby, you’re dirty, tired, and injured.”
She was more exhausted than she could ever remember being, and her body hurt so badly, but to get naked in front of him…
He placed his hand on her leg. “I’m only here to help you. I want to make you better. Please let me do that for you.”
Damn, she really didn’t have a choice. Her gaze darted from his face to the shower and back. “You’re going to help me?”
“Yes. You’re not strong enough to do it yourself. I’ll keep my boxers on, all right? They are a lot like swim trunks.”
She knew she didn’t have a choice. Since she couldn’t sit there very much longer, she nodded. The thought of being really clean again took any apprehension she felt.
“All right. Good,” he said.
He started to pull her sweatshirt over her head, but she cried out in pain when she lifted her arm.
“Damn, honey. I’m going to have to cut this off. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Okay.”
He pulled a pair of scissors out of a drawer, and before she blinked, the sweatshirt was lying next to her on the counter.
Her bra went next, and then her shoes, socks, and sweatpants until all she had on was a pair of panties.
It took everything in her, every bit of strength she had left even to sit still, but she had the urge to run. She pressed her legs together and covered her breasts with her good arm as she felt her embarrassment deepen. She’d never been naked in front of anyone except her grandmother and aunt. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to bother him, so she tried to relax.
“When did the injury happen, baby?”
“The day before yesterday, I think. I cut it on a piece of metal when I climbed out of my window.”
“I’ll keep the bandage on until we’re done. I have so many questions for you, but it will have to wait. Now, don’t freak. I’m going to take my clothes off except for my boxers so I can help you in the shower.”
She inhaled, stared at him for a brief moment, and then nodded. She wanted to feel clean again, and she knew if her injury wasn’t taken care of quickly, it would get infected—if it already wasn’t.
Her eyes widened, and her pulse rose with every piece of clothing he pulled off. God, she had thought he was big before, but standing in front of her now, she saw every starkly defined muscle. He had a patch of dark hair between his pectoral muscles, and she had an immense urge to press her face against him and inhale his musky, manly scent into her lungs.
He smiled, telling her she had probably talked out loud again. God, she had to stop doing that.
“Let’s get you into the shower.”