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“Baby,” he whispered.
“They called Reuben. He’s my emergency contact since he was the only person in my life who cared about me. He brought in all these doctors and specialists. Went totally overboard when it was only high blood pressure.”
“Only?” he said sternly.
She winced. “Okay, so I wasn’t taking it very seriously. Then one of the doctors sat down with me and said that unless I changed my lifestyle, I was going to end up with heart disease, maybe even having a stroke or a heart attack. That sort of woke me up to the fact that this was serious.”
“Fuck. What did the doctors say you needed to do?” Worry flooded him. He had to take care of her.
“Start eliminating stress. Take more time to do things I enjoy doing. Spend more time with friends and family. Exercise. Eat a healthier diet. And sleep. Sleep is important. That’s why Reuben sent me here. He thought that I wouldn’t focus on slowing down in the city. It’s hard to do that when you’re constantly rush, rush, rush. And I would probably have found a new job and gone straight back into old habits. He was right to send me here. Even if it was a mostly bogus reason. Although . . . it seems like perhaps there is more to Davidson than just being a prick.”
“Darling girl, I am going to have to keep a close eye on you, aren’t I?”
She stiffened at his words. “I don’t . . . I didn’t tell you because I don’t want to be a burden. Someone you think you have to take care of. I know I don’t always do a great job of looking after myself . . . but I don’t want anyone feeling sorry for me.”
Least of all him. She wanted him to see her as a sexy goddess.
“Even if I’m not a sexy goddess,” she muttered.
“First of all, you are a sexy goddess and that’s going down in your punishment book.”
“But I didn’t mean to say that out loud,” she protested.
He tilted her head back carefully. “Doesn’t matter whether it’s said out loud or in your head. I don’t want you thinking bad things about yourself either. I wish you knew how gorgeous you are.”
“I’m trying,” she whispered. “I’m just used . . .”
“Used to what?”
“To hearing bad remarks. Chad, my boss, he’d say things like how I should dress for my size and that clients would be distracted by my big boobs so had I thought about a reduction? Or that liposuction worked well for his wife, did I want her doctor’s number?”
“That. Fucking. Asshole.” He was going to kill him. “What is his last name?”
She stared up at him in shock. “Uh, I don’t think I’m going to tell you.”
He narrowed his gaze. “You will. Or I can ask Reuben. Actually . . . why hasn’t Reuben done anything about him?”
She grimaced.
“You didn’t tell him?” Hmm, that might be a good distraction for the other man. Get him off Ed’s back. Dominic wanted to deal with the asshole himself, but he had to take care of Gwen.
And Reuben would know more about this guy and what to do to ruin him.
“Oh God, you’re going to sic Reuben on him, aren’t you?”
“Objections?” he asked.
She chewed her lip. “No. He’s a bastard and he deserves it.”
“Why didn’t you tell Reuben?” he asked.
She sighed. “Because I didn’t want him to ruin him, and I knew he would. He’d ride to the rescue. I thought I could get the promotion and move past Chad being my boss. And I was embarrassed by the things he said. Because I believed that everything he said was true.”
“They were not fucking true. That bastard just wanted to put you down because he could see how smart you were. How beautiful. He was probably intimidated.”
“You think so?” she asked.
“I know so. Thank you for telling me all of that.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. But . . .”
“You thought I’d see you as a burden. You know that’s not true now, right? That I want to look after you. And that I most definitely see you as a sexy goddess.”
She smiled. But he could tell some doubts lingered. He’d make those disappear with time and reassurance.
“I want to know everything the doctor said about your care. What medications you’re on, what you’re supposed to eat, and once you’re feeling better we’ll look into your sleep hygiene.”
“Urgh, it’s all so tedious.”
“But you don’t have to worry about it. Because I’ll take care of it all.”
“That’s unfair to you, though.”
“Baby, it would be my complete privilege. The more you give me, the more you allow me to look after you, the better I feel. This is who I am. I’d probably scare most women off. But I don’t scare you, do I?”
