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He smiled, and I swear I gasped as he rumbled out, “Okay.”
I was only able to function after he turned away and led me out of my work and into the night. With his hand on my lower back, he guided me to our adjacent parking lot where a sleek black sedan idled. I may not have born into wealth, but Kayla’s family had serious money and I’d spent a lot of time at her house while we were growing up. Plus, I loved to read those gossip columns about the rich and famous doing stupid things, then dream about what it would be like to have that kind of money. Because of my love of celebrity dirt, I knew the car in front of us was a Rolls Royce, and I knew it probably cost over half a million dollars. One of the stars I read about in an entertainment blog had bought his girlfriend one to make up for cheating on her with his maid.
A man got out as we approached, dressed in a suit similar to Leo’s. He had light brown hair and his gray eyes that matched his suit studied me intently. His gaze went from Leo, to me, to the arm that I was clearly favoring, and he frowned.
“Mark,” Leo said from behind me as we approached. “Call Dr. Gardener and let her know we’re coming in. Hannah burned herself and refuses to go to a hospital.”
Feeling like a scolded child, I frowned at him and resisted the urge to step on his big foot. “Hey, not all of us are rolling in a Rolls, bro. Some of us have to work for a living.”
Mark gave me a shocked look while Leo stared at me like I was some kind of weird insect. “Rolling in a Rolls…bro?”
My arm had begun to throb, making me more snippy and irritable than usual. “Can we just get to wherever we’re going? It’s starting to really hurt.”
Leo brushed away a tear that had managed to escape. “Of course.”
He helped me into the car and I got situated in a way that the top of my forearm wouldn’t touch anything. Leo got in next to me and it wasn’t until we were moving that I had a chance to look around inside. Though it was dark, I could see through the tasteful and dim lighting to the back of Mark’s head, above the cream and dark gold leather seat. I’d never been surrounded by such luxury, and I took my time studying it, wanting to memorize the details so I could tell my friends. They’d never believe it, and I wondered if Leo would think I was weird if I took a selfie in his car.
“Where are we going? The hospital’s the other way.”
“My downtown office.”
“Why are we going to your downtown office?”
“That’s where the doctor is.” He studied me in the passing light, and I tried to keep from squirming beneath his intense regard. “Do you believe in destiny?”
“Um—pardon me?”
“Never mind. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I have some messages I need to check.”
Confused, tired, and hurting, I tried to relax and get as comfortable as I could without jostling my arm. This led to me sniffing back tears and shifting restlessly, which drew Leo’s attention back to me. When I noticed him watching like a hunter assessing his wounded prey, I stilled and pretended to examine the buildings we passed in the business district of Phoenix. This kept my mind off the sting for approximately ten seconds, and I tried to not whine like a baby. If Leo could be typing a text message with his injured hand, the least I could do was suck it up just sitting here, so I stared out the window and tried to resist the urge to stare at him instead.
We were let off in front of one of the newer office buildings and I was tempted to throw my coat over my shoulders to hide my uniform, but just the freaking breeze felt like someone was briskly rubbing my arm and my hurt overtook any embarrassment.
Leo must have seen me flinch, because he ducked down to look me right in the eye. “Just a little bit farther and we’ll take the pain away. You are doing so well, being so strong for me.”
I blinked back tears then wiped under my eyes with my good hand. “Crap, is my makeup all messed up?”
He cupped my face and I was instantly aware of a sense of calm and safety enveloping me. I’d never felt anything like it before, and I could barely breathe as some kind of energy flowed from his body into mine, leaving me trembling in his power. When he closed his eyes my knees went weak, and I closed mine, anticipating his kiss, hoping I didn’t faint.
