Isabel
Looking through my windshield, I stare at the house. He’s in there.
Viktor Prinz.
He’s occupied my every thought for the last three weeks of my life. The kiss we shared the last day I saw him has burrowed itself deep in my heart. It doesn’t matter that I’ve tried ignoring this unethical attraction to the man. He’s all I see when I close my eyes at night. The rough timber of his voice visits me in my dreams, and my skin aches for his touch.
This is wrong. He’s my patient. “ACK! Was.Wasmy patient.”
Now I’m sitting outside of Viktor’s like a creeper. Toby told me what happened after his one session with Viktor. I had to bite my cheek to stop myself from laughing. Toby’s a prick. I’ve seen him with patients, and I’m mostly surprised that it has taken this much time to get kicked out for showing a patient pity.
Of course that’s not what Toby told me, but I know better. I’ve also come to know the prideful man that is Viktor Prinz. I really should feel bad for Toby, since I know how it feels to be kicked out of Viktor’s house. But Toby and his huge ego deserve to be put in their place for treating a patient like that.
I’ll never admit it to anyone, but I kind of wish I was there when Viktor kicked him out. An angry Viktor is scary as hell—another reason I don’t know why I’m sitting here in front of his house. I know the man in there has to be pissed at me for not being there last week.
I no longer have a reason to be here at all, but the need to see him is suffocating me. I’m like a drug addict needing my next fix, and Viktor is most definitely my drug of choice. His kiss branded me, and I crave another dose of his sweet, dirty mouth.
I’m also curious to see how he’s adjusting to the prosthetic. He’s performed better than any of my prior patients. It helps that he was in immaculate shape prior to being injured. In two weeks, I watched the muscle memory in his body take charge. I know he pushed himself when I wasn’t around. Each session, I took extra care to make sure his leg was adapting to the stress. I never found a reason to tell him to slow down.
Rubbing my face, I draw in a fortifying breath before I grab the handle to my door. My heart beats faster with each step I take toward his door. My nerves are shooting signals at increasing speeds—excitement over seeing him and fear that he’ll turn me away without an explanation.
I promised him I would return last Monday, and I broke that promise. I hate it, but there was nothing I could do. I asked Toby to apologize and explain to Viktor what happened. He never told me what Viktor said, and I never asked for fear that Toby would see right through me.
My fist hovers in the air before I finally knock on Viktor’s door. I shift my weight from one leg to another. When the door opens every thought flees my mind.
God, he’s so beautiful! He’s wearing a tight, black thermal, and I can see every dip of muscle under the material. Dark jeans hang off his hips, and I smile when I see he’s standing there without crutches or the wheelchair nearby. Instead, I see the plastic foot of his prosthetic.
“Hi.” I know how inefficient and simple of a greeting it is, but I’m excited just to see that strong jawline, even if the muscle over it is ticking furiously. If not for his eyes, I would have turned away right then.
“Belle,” his rough voice whispers. I know he’s as surprised to find me standing here as I am at the all-consuming need to be here.
“May I come in?”
Viktor steps back, and I see the discomfort in his eyes. Getting used to the prosthetic won’t be easy, but the man is stubborn enough to get through it. He closes the door behind me, and my hands shake with nerves. I’m unsure if I should remove my jacket or not, so I stand there. I breathe him in, enjoying the scent of body wash and Viktor.
“You lied.” The skin between his eyes crinkles, and I hear the hurt under his anger.
I make a show of looking at my phone’s screen. “Is today not Monday?”
Viktor doesn’t find it funny. He pulls himself straight, the invisible coat of armor he wears now in place. I hate it. I hate that I put him on the defense.
I close the distance between us, feeling the electrical charge around us. “I’m sorry.”
He looks down his nose at me as if I’m the crap left behind on the sidewalk when an owner doesn’t clean up after their dog. His nostrils flare as he ignores my apology and only continues to stare me down.
Anger rises within me. “What would you have me do?” I snap. “Leave my father after his fall?”
“What? Your dad fell?” Compassionate eyes bore into mine.
Damn Toby to hell. “He didn’t tell you,” I say, because it’s now so obvious.
“Why would your dad tell me he fell? I don’t know him.”
“Not my dad, Toby.”
Viktor’s eyes harden at the name.
“Never mind. Look, I only got home late last night after visiting my dad. I was supposed to be home over a week ago, except dad took a tumble off a ladder.”
