He re-did the bandage. Far worse? He didn’t like to think of her being hurt worse than this. He glanced up at her and saw that she was thinking. Hard. That was never good. He needed to find a way to jolt her out of her thoughts.
“Stop,” he said firmly.
“What?”
“Stop thinking.” He crossed his arms and stared down at her sternly. “You might have had worse injuries, but those weren’t on my watch. You’re under my care now, Georgie-girl. Which means you do as I say. And for the rest of the day, I’m not letting you walk around on that foot. Understood?”
Her face scrunched up. He knew this was difficult for her. But he also had this feeling that a big part of her wanted to submit to him. She’d just never trusted someone enough to give herself over to them. Or maybe she’d never found the right person.
He was going to show her that she could be both strong and submissive. That she could go out there and conquer the world, then come back to him and have him coddle and take care of her.
Georgina stared at the phone like it was a viper about to bite her.
To her surprise, when she’d said she really needed to make a call in private, Ed had just picked her up and carried her into the bedroom without a word.
He’d even found her a clean T-shirt of his to wear. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any pants that would fit her. And her clothes were still all drying. She should have asked Kiesha if she’d grab some comfy clothes in town for her. Except for her onesie, everything she had with her was so formal and drab.
Come on, Georgina. You can do this.
First, she’d send a group message to her brothers. They were the easiest part to tackle.
Georgina: I’m fine. Was out of contact for a few days. Thanks for the concern.
That last part was partially sarcastic.
Satan’s spawn #1: Why were you out of contact?
Satan’s spawn #4: What have you been doing?
Satan’s spawn #3: Have you called Mother? She keeps calling me. I’ve got other things to do than answer her calls about you.
And that’s why her text had been partially sarcastic.
Satan’s spawn #5: Where are you? I sent someone around to your apartment. You haven’t been home.
Georgina: I’m not in danger. I’ll call Mother soon. I was working.
Satan’s spawn #2: You’re quitting that job.
She ground her teeth together.
Georgina: I’m not quitting.
Satan’s spawn #2: You are.
Satan’s spawn #6: I’m going to call you.
Shit. She didn’t need Gareth calling her. At least it wasn’t Evan, number two, who was calling though. He was the most protective. To the point of ridiculousness. And she had no doubt that he would turn up at work, demand to see her boss, and quit on her behalf.
She answered the call. “Gareth, I’m fine.”
“Where are you? Why aren’t you at home?”
“I’m on a job out of town. Not that it’s any of your business.”
There was silence on the other end. “Since when do you work out-of-town assignments?”
She ground her teeth together. “Maybe since I started to do field work.”