‘Open the door, Carissa. I need to make sure you’re okay.’
Great. Another man who refused to take a woman’s word or believe she could look after herself.
But Alexei thought her stupid, didn’t he?
To her horror, fresh tears prickled her eyes and she blinked frantically. She felt...raw, unprotected, unable to summon the assurance she projected to keep people at a distance.
It was ridiculous. Words couldn’t hurt her. Yet Alexei’s expression as he’d spoken... The knowledge he’d been right—
‘Open the doornow, Carissa, or I’ll break it down.’
‘I said—’
‘Now!’ He didn’t shout like before. But the low resonance of his voice convinced her more than any ranting threat.
Mina stumbled to the door and flicked the latch. It swung open and Alexei surged in, making her back up.
She refused to meet his eyes, turning instead to the packet she’d dropped on the floor. ‘Since you’re here—’ she tugged in a swift breath and tried to sound nonchalant ‘—would you mind picking that up? My hands are a bit unsteady.’ There was no way of hiding that so she might as well admit it.
Without waiting for a response Mina turned to the basin and ran water over the jagged cut in the fleshy part of her hand, cleaning away the dripping blood. Her grasp of the screwdriver had slipped on the last screw and dug into her flesh. Strange, she couldn’t feel any pain.
‘Here, let me.’ A large hand took her elbow and Alexei pushed her down onto a chair beside the vast bath. His touch was surprisingly gentle. Mina opened her mouth to protest but found she didn’t have the inclination. Her shoulders slumped as her energy ebbed.
Alexei wrapped a fluffy white hand towel around her hand. Mina frowned, thinking of blood on the pristine cloth, but said nothing. It was his towel.
He took her other hand and pressed it to the cloth to keep the pressure steady. Then he collected the packet she’d dropped plus a bottle from the cupboard and hunkered before her.
She was aware of his heat above all, like a furnace sending out warmth to tease her frozen body. But she refused to meet his eyes. Instead she concentrated on those hard, beautiful hands. They worked deftly.
‘This will sting.’ He unwrapped the towel and dabbed the wound. Mina felt the burn of antiseptic but didn’t flinch.
‘It doesn’t look too deep.’
‘No. Fortunately it drove along my hand instead of in.’ If it had surely she wouldn’t feel so calm. A major injury to her hand would be catastrophe.
Alexei’s grip tightened for a second, then eased. Mina frowned, watching him work. A moment later it was all over.
‘How does that feel?’
‘Fine.’ She flexed her hand, discovering she’d stopped shaking as he held her. ‘Thank you.’
He didn’t move. Beyond the thick shutters, Mina heard the rush of the wind driving against the building. It reminded her of the danger she’d put them both in.
Her heart thudded against her ribs as if trying to fly away on the storm. She drew in another breath, this time through her mouth, trying not to inhale Alexei’s spicy scent. The storm seemed to have heightened it rather than washed it away.
‘Carissa, I’m sorry. I—’
Mina surged up, stepping sideways, away from him. It felt wrong, hearing him apologise, when she’d been at fault.
It felt even more wrong, hearing him call her by someone else’s name. She wantedhername on his lips. How crazy was that?
‘No. Don’t.’ She swallowed. He rose and she fixed her eyes on his collarbone. ‘I apologise. I was wrong to put you in danger by making you look for me.’ She sucked in a shallow breath. ‘You’re right. A sculpture isn’t as important as a person.’ If he’d died because of her...
Reluctantly she lifted her eyes and met his deep green gaze. A thrill of recognition and awareness shot down her spine. Strangely, he didn’t look angry any more.
‘Itwasstupid of me. I thought I had more time. Obviously I underestimated the force and speed of the storm.’
‘I applaud your desire to save the sculpture. Just not your timing.’ His mouth flattened. ‘I shouldn’t have spoken the way I did. That was fear talking. But it was no excuse.’