I was pissed when she said it, but maybe I needed the reminder. Not that I’ve ever been a violent person, but making this stranger cry was a low I want to come back from. “I wish I could have seen that.”
“I’m sure my sister has a photo around somewhere.” In fact, I know she does. She keeps it as blackmail, as if I could give one shit about it. I was a hot mermaid. I don’t give a fuck. Atlas dressed as Prince Eric and Oli decided to go as King Triton. It was a rare halloween off. It was a good night.
I want to have more of those.
“The other rules?” Felix’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts.
My brain takes a moment to understand what he means. “Oh yeah. Um, another is no pictures. Especially while I’m changing or in the bathtub if I need help. I will fire you in a heartbeat.”
“Why would I do that?” His brows scrunch but my silence answers for me. “Have people done that?”
I nod. I don’t want to talk about it. “And three...” He takes a sip of his drink. “No visitors here. If you need time away or time off, that’s fine, you can leave. No boyfriends, girlfriends, or friends. I don’t care.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t. This is your house. I’m just here to help you. I promise.”
Boyfriend. Okay. “I don’t like strangers in my space.”
“Would never have guessed.” He smiles slightly. I can hear that his can’s almost empty. I crack another one open and hand it to him. “Oh no, that’s okay.”
“Drink. Night off. We’ll start again tomorrow. Fresh.”
He nods, taking another sip. “Can I have some rules?”
“Awfully ballsy, but I’m too curious not to hear them.”
He drags his chair closer to me. What the hell is he doing? Slowly he reaches out, touching my knee. It’s gentle, and his brow is furrowed. I can’t look away from his hand or the feeling that crawls up my thigh to a place that’s had little to no attention in quite some time.
Fuck, get it together. I really am touch starved if this is what gets me going. “It’s so hot.” Has his voice always been that breathy? “Your knee.” He pulls away. “You have to cooperate with me if you want to get better. I want you to spend at least a few hours during the day with your leg up on ice. Then again at night when you’re done for the day.”
“Some kind of a doctor?”
He shakes his head. “I’ve had enough experience with injuries to know how to get the swelling to go down fast—heat and ice, baths, and taking it easy.”
I grit my teeth. “Fine.” Wait... what does he mean? Has he had experience in healthcare? “Anything else?”
I watch his throat work as he looks away. “Please...” He rubs his thumbs together with his fingers wrapped around the can. “No yelling or slamming things. I know I made you mad but just talk to me. I shouldn’t have just walked into that room. I’m sorry. Just please, talk to me. If I upset you, talk to me.”
His voice is so quiet I can barely hear it over the crackling fire, but it’s the look in his eyes that guts me. I’m an asshole. Pieces are starting to come together. I don’t want to assume, but with my own history, how can I not understand what he’s getting at?
“I promise I’m not a violent person, despite my job.”
He takes a big sip. His features relax and he drains his second drink. “I don’t drink much.”
“I can tell by how flushed your face is.” I’m still working on my first one, and I don’t think I’ll drink any more. I’d rather let him. “Where did you grow up?”
“About an hour from here. Small town.”
“What made you want to take this job?”
“Money,” he jokes, and I bark out a laugh at his honesty. “Circumstance actually. I wanted to help. Alyssa seemed... desperate.”
“She is.”
“How much does it hurt?” Felix eyes my knee and yeah, I’m dying. My knee is really tight. More pain than usual. “That much?” He smiles, and I like the way it reaches his eyes. Warm and brown.
“We start tomorrow, okay? I promise I’ll lie down when we get inside.”
“What happened?”
