“You really did walk for hours,” I murmur. I assess her foot again and can’t help but wince. It must have been agonizing to walk on. But she hadn’t mentioned it. Apart from the moment in which she’d twisted her ankle, she hadn’t shown signs of any pain at all.
At least that’s one thing to her credit.
I’ve never had the patience to deal with privileged crybabies.
“I told you I did,” Lizzie says. Her voice is strained, as if she’s holding her breath, so I work quickly to remove her sock. “If I’d known it was going to be so far, I’d have changed my shoes, but I’ve walked a mile in these before, no problem.”
“A mile in the woods?” I challenge, looking up.
I’m struck dumb when she smiles and warmth floods my belly.
“I suppose not,” she admits. “But I’d have preferred the risk of a blister over opening my case and sending panties in every direction.”
I blink. Well… That’s a visual.
“I swear that the woman said it was only a little ways.”
Deciding that her foot is a lot less dangerous to watch than her mouth, I lift her heel and assess the damage to her sole. The top of her foot is pale and finely boned, her toes are small and capped with little square nails. Is it possible for toes to look cute?
The underside of her foot, however, is a mess of angry skin and ruptured blisters. Nothing long-term but bad enough to keep her up at night if they’re not treated.
“It is only a short walk,” I tell her. “Like I said, you were going in circles.”
“Which is so confusing,” she adds. “I’ve always had a half-way decent sense of direction. What’s that?”
“Just some antiseptic cream. Let me put it on your feet or you’re going to be hobbling around tomorrow like you’ve had your ass beaten for a week.”
“Excuse m—ah—mm… Oh my…”
Glancing up, I watch as Lizzie’s head falls back in a moment of rapture. As soon as the cooling cream touches her skin she closes her eyes and yields to my touch.
“Mmm… that feels amazing.”
The huskiness in her tone does something to me, low in the gut and desire spikes somewhere deep.
Not only is her skin the softest thing I’ve ever touched, but Lizzie isn’t a woman of high-pitched or breathy noises. She sighs and gasps with the full extent of her throat and chest. Guttural. Sensual.
And sexy as all hell.
Focus, you idiot! I try to shake myself out of it. You’re administering medical aid, not engaging in foreplay!
Determined, I set about Lizzie’s feet with a faster, more impersonal touch and do my best to ignore the delicious noises she’s making.
I’m not successful. By the time all her injuries are tended to, and I’ve put a brace around her ankle, I’m hard as a rock.
Which only proves to me that she can’t stay.
The absolute last thing I need in my life right now is more stress. And a woman who can send my blood pressure through the roof with a simple sigh is a definite source of stress.
I clear my throat and sit back on my heels. Crouching is a better position right now than standing. At least until little Caleb calms the fuck down.
“Once that soaks in, I’ll find you some fresh socks and then we’re heading back into town,” I tell her. “You can’t stay here.”
The rain I’d seen approaching before has started to come down, streaking the windows and pattering over the roof. I’m not looking forward to fighting with the truck in the rain, but the gorgeous blonde in my living room feels like a greater threat right now.
“We’ll find you somewhere else to stay,” I add, feeling like an ass for kicking her out. I’ll at least find her a roof for the night.
“Because your room is unavailable,” she recalls, folding her arms and sitting back in the chair. Her eyes, a pretty melt of blue and green, assess me like a detective scrutinizes a perp. By all rights, that stony gaze should have eased the sudden lack of space in my jeans, but somehow it only makes the situation worse.