Liam seemed absolutely frozen in place. His strong jawline clenched. Then he slowly turned his shoulder toward me more, so I could get a better look at the scar across his right eye and cheek. It was hard to focus very well, but it was as if the scar was supposed to be there. It turned him from a model to an action star, and made him sexy as hell.
I smiled, squeezing his hand. “Tough guy,” I grinned. “I like it.”
He was smiling, but also had this strange aura of complete shock that I found odd. Maybe it was just a surprise of seeing my eyes. They were light blue, and I had a bit of a darker coloring overall, despite my paleness. Maybe he assumed I had brown eyes.
Liam’s eyes were magical. Brownish hazel, deep and expressive. I couldn’t wait until I could focus a little better to study them further.
“I’ll need you to face front for a moment, please,” the doctor said quickly.
I got back into position, as he examined my eyes thoroughly. There was some poking and prodding that made me flinch several times as he did some basic tests, and each time I felt Liam squeeze my hand gently.
When the doctor had to open my eyes wider to check the muscles, Liam rolled closer, switching so that he held my hand with his right, using his left to stroke my back. When I flinched from the light again, he whispered, “You’re doing great, baby. Just breathe.”
It took longer than I expected, but I appreciated how complete the exam was.
“All done. I would say this was a complete success,” the doctor said, and I felt Liam breathe a sigh of relief as I did.
He gave me some eye drops, and complete care instructions, including paperwork to review tomorrow, and a bunch of exercises.
“The most important thing is to not push yourself,” he said. “Think of it like a sprained foot. If you walk on it, you’re going to make it worse, and it will take longer to heal. So stick with baby steps. Tomorrow you might use the computer for ten minutes. The next day, twenty. Build up nice and slow, and listen to your eyes. If they feel tired or stressed, close them. That means you’re done for the day.”
I nodded. “Thank you so much.”
“Best of luck,” he said, leaving the room.
Turning to Liam, he was starting to get up. “Wait,” I said softly, reaching out to cup his face in my hands. “Please, let me look at you.”
His eyes were so tense with worry that it nearly broke my heart. My thumbs skimmed along his cheekbones, then I trailed the backs of my fingers along his scruff of beard.
He was gorgeous. Freakishly, nearly unearthly beautiful.
“It’s interesting,” I said slowly, smiling. “If we look at your face as a work of art, which it is, the scar adds balance. Honestly, you’d be too pretty without it.”
He rolled his eyes, which was adorable to finally see.
“Liam, if you’ve ever wondered why women stare at you, it’s because they’re nervous.”
“I know, that’s what–”
“No, they’re nervous because you’re too stunning for words. They’re nervous because women don’t know how to speak to men as good looking as you.”
He shook his head uncomfortably. “Can we go?” He was looking at me very strangely.
I grinned. “Liam, you’re a hottie. I had no idea.”
He looked a bit squeamish, then stood up, causing my hands to drop. I slung my purse over my shoulder and he took my hand, guiding me. As we began to leave the building, he stopped by the door of the lobby. “Sunglasses.”
“Oh right, thanks.” Before I put them on, I looked up at him. He was trying not to look into my eyes. “Hey.” He turned to face me without meeting my gaze. “What’s wrong?” I asked. In my delight at finally seeing him, I’d actually forgotten that he was seeing my whole face for the first time.
“Please, look at me. I’m sorry if my eyes weren’t what you were expecting, but there’s nothing–”
His shaking hand slid into the back of my hair, holding me close as his eyes locked with mine. “Kayla, I’ve never seen anything in this world as beautiful as you, and I can’t… My mind is actually short-circuiting right now. Please, just let me get you home. I’m so relieved that you’re okay. But right now I need to get you safely into your apartment and focus on nothing but taking care of you.”
“Okay.”
He closed his eyes for a second, taking a long slow breath before looking at me with a polite, strained smile. “Now, how well can you see? Do you want me to keep an arm around you?”
I nodded. “If you don’t mind. Everything is really bright, and still a bit fuzzy. Like things are shifting around.”