“Where are the bandages?” he asked her as he met her gaze.
His eyes were a beautiful amber with a tiny glint of fire flaring in them. They were unlike anything she’d ever seen before. His cocoa-colored hair was mussed sexily, and she wanted to reach up and thread her fingers through it. Laik cleared his throat and she blinked, remembering he’d asked her a question.
“Oh...um...in the bathroom, third drawer on the right,” she told him. “But please before you get hurt too, let me clean up my mess.” She scooted forward. Glass was everywhere and he too was going to end up with a cut foot.
Laik reached out and placed his hands on her thighs. She glanced down at his hands and wondered how it would feel if they traveled just a little farther up. Heat crept over her cheeks as she realized she was wearing her teeny, tiny boy shorts and a tank top with no bra. It’s not as ridiculous as my gold bikini that I wear during the show at the casino, she reasoned.
“Stay here. I got it,” he replied as he met her gaze.
Elly licked her lips then swallowed the lump forming in her throat. I could get lost in his eyes.
Laik cocked his head staring a moment longer before spinning away and heading off to the bathroom. Elly watched his backside as he sauntered away. His black lounge pants hung low on his hips and she nibbled her lip as she watched his firm ass. He probably spent a lot of time at the gym.
He disappeared into the bathroom and she sighed, turning her attention to her injury. She lifted the towel and huffed. The cut was almost the width of her foot. That will make dancing in heels fun, she mused.
Laik’s footsteps drew her attention back to him. Her gaze fell on his chiseled chest and she forced her gaze up to meet his eyes. If he can manage not to ogle me then I can do the same. Of course he might not be interested in me too.
She bit her lip at the realization. A relationship wasn’t something she should be pursuing right now anyway. Her psycho boss had driven her from LA. He was most likely looking for her. Ian Palmer was a nut and she wouldn’t put it past him. He thought they were destined to be together and had insisted she move in with him or else she’d be sorry. He’d given her 24 hours to come to her senses. She hadn’t stuck around to find out if he’d follow through on his threat. But she was sorry—sorry her luck had turned from bad to downright rotten. Perhaps her luck was changing...
Her eyes narrowed, glancing over Laik as he strode into the kitchen with a box and a few other items.
“Careful where you step,” she warned as he padded over the tile without watching where he was walking.
“I’ve got thick skin. I assure you, I’ll be fine,” he promised. “Let’s see that foot.” He set the items from the bathroom on the counter as he grasped her foot again.
Elly propped her leg up as he set to work bandaging her. “Acelynn didn’t tell me you were staying the night,” she said breaking the silence.
“My sister felt obligated to let me stay since she invited me,” he explained.
“Oh...right, you probably stay in my room normally?” Elly sighed, as she threaded her fingers through her hair. It had been the guest room until Acelynn had offered it to her. That’s a great way to make a good impression. Steal the guy’s room. I’d be grumpy if I had to sleep on the couch. Laik was tall; she’d guess him to be over six feet. He wouldn’t fit on there easily.
“It’s no problem at all,” he told her as he rubbed something over her cut.
She hissed as the wound burned. Her fingers gripped the edges of the counter while the sensation seared its way over her cut. Tears pricked her eyes and she closed them to keep them from falling.
“Sorry. I had to disinfect it,” he apologized, without looking up.
Elly opened her eyes, letting them wander over him while he was preoccupied with her foot. Her gaze darted to his hands as they blotted at her foot.
On his right hand he wore a thick-banded ring. It was unlike any jewelry she’d ever seen before. Made of solid gold, the ring featured a dragon surrounded by a ruby stone in the center. She opened her mouth to ask about it but stopped when he crinkled his nose and sniffed with a frown.
What do my feet stink?
“Something's burning,” he commented as he turned around to look at the counter behind him.
Elly followed his gaze. Black smoke trickled out of the toaster. “Oh crap! My pastries,” she cried out.
Laik lunged to the opposite counter and flicked the lever on the toaster. The charred pastries popped out. Steam billowed off the blackened food. She groaned and shook her head. So much for a late night snack.
“What is wrong with me? I can’t even get a drink and snack without causing bodily harm to myself or someone else. I should come with some sort of a safety warning,” she mumbled.
“It can’t be all that bad, can it?” Laik asked as he wrapped gauze around her foot.