Luke
For the past few days, Felicity and I had been polite towards one another. She was clearly embarrassed by me having caught her crying with Sally. Seeing her so vulnerable made me realise there was more than just the argumentative, bitchy side to her personality. For one mad minute, I was tempted to hold her in my arms, run my fingers through her beautiful hair, and tell her it’d be okay.
No way was that going to happen. She’d probably have run me down with the wheelbarrow. I knew she didn’t like me calling her Red, but it was meant as a compliment, if I was honest. Not that I’d tell her, but I’d always had a thing for redheads. I could only imagine how passionate she’d be in bed, eyes flaring, along with her temper, red hair flying everywhere like a fire as she came apart, screaming my name.
“For fuck’s sake, not again.” I groaned as my cock decided it would be a great idea to have sex with her.
I thrust my spade into the earth with more force than I intended. Unfortunately for me, it connected with my work boot and not the dirt. I let out a string of curse words as I sat down on the soil. My big toe was throbbing like crazy. I attempted to undo my laces, but my hands were shaking.
“Are you okay?”
I turned to see Red looking with concern over the fence.
“Would you believe I hit my foot with the spade?” I grimaced, waiting for some witty, sarcastic remark.
“Hang on. I’ll be right there.”
She raced over to me. She wore faded jeans, a grey tank top, and a shirt tied round her waist. Did she have to look so freaking hot? Then the pulsating pain in my toe caught my full attention.
“Here.” She held the spade up. “Use this as a crutch and I’ll help you over to the bench outside your shed.”
I grabbed hold of the spade while she put my free arm around her neck, helping me to the seat. Once I put my foot down, I swore at the pain. How could a toe cause so much discomfort? She sat me down and began the task of undoing my lace. When she started to take the boot off, I grunted in pain.
“Sorry. I’ll be as careful as I can.”
She managed to get the boot off, and then my sock. The feel of her warm, soft hands against my skin sent a shiver of awareness through me. The scent of her perfume invaded my head too. Her gentle fingers touched my toe, and I yelped.
“I don’t think it’s broken. Just badly bruised. Your work boot saved it. If you’d been wearing trainers it would’ve been a different matter.”
“How do you know so much about this?” I asked, intrigued by her knowledge.
She bit her bottom lip and blushed as she looked up at me.
Stop biting that damn lip, please.
“My Aunt Doll used to be a nurse. I learnt things from her. I was an awkward child, always falling over. The first aid has come in handy over the years.”
Silence descended between us, and a heavy tension fell. I realised she still had my foot cradled in her hands. She suddenly seemed to notice and gently rested my foot on an upturned bucket.
“Wait here. I have a cooling spray that will help alleviate the pain.”
I watched her retreat, my body still reacting to the way she touched me.
I am in so much trouble right now.
* * *
Felicity
When I saw Luke drop to the ground in obvious pain, my initial thought was to laugh and leave him there. I could be a bitch at times, however, I had no desire to see another human being suffer. My first aid training kicked in. Having him lean on me was not the repulsive experience I thought it would be. The weight of his body and the scent of his spicy aftershave and his skin sent me into a tailspin.
I felt his gaze on me when I held his foot and experienced the tremor running through him. My body heated when I saw his pupils dilate. Why was he turned on by my touch? We weren’t even friends, let alone lovers. I banished those thoughts from my mind, grabbed the cool spray I used for bruises and sprains, and headed back out of the shed.
His back rested against the side of the shed, his eyes closed. His brow was creased a little, as though fighting the pain. I resisted the urge to give him a hug. Why I even thought about it, I had no idea.
I coughed, alerting him to my presence.
I knelt by the bucket that kept his foot elevated. “This is going to be very cold, but it will help.”