They were blue.
A piercing bright blue that seemed to fight against the darkness this man wore like armor. The kind of blue that stopped you in your tracks and distracted you from… well, everything.
The second our stares connected, those bright-blue eyes narrowed as if looking at me wasn’t near as pleasurable as it was to look at him.
You just nearly ran him down!a voice inside me screamed.
But I’m the one on my knees.
The thought had me sucking in a breath and something hot pooling in my belly. It was a nice replacement for the nausea.
Sitting back so I was just on my knees and not my hands, I continued to stare up at this dark stranger without a word.
I should say something to him. Apologize.
“I like being on my knees for you.”
There was a brief moment of charged silence, and then those blue eyes flared in surprise.
Oh my God.
Mortification seeped over me, turning my face and ears hot. Wheezing, I scrambled to my feet, pitching to the side. Thankfully, the wall was there and offered something solid for me to lean against.
“I have a head injury!” I burst out, not exactly an apology but an explanation for my wild behavior.
The elevator across from us dinged and started to slide open.
Still red hot with shame, I lunged for it, hoping it would just swallow me whole. I almost made it. I saw salvation in the form of a small, claustrophobic box. It was so close that I whimpered.
And then I was snatched back, left to gape as the doors closed, abandoning me to the hell I’d created. I tried one last time, putting every last bit of energy I could muster into diving toward escape.
Again, I was yanked back, my entire back colliding with something much more formidable. I squeezed my eyes closed, hoping it wasn’t the dark man with the bright eyes even as the heat from his hand collared the back of my neck.
“D-doctor?” I asked, frail hope filling my tone.
“No.”
It was that voice again, even closer than before. The single word gusted against my ear and set off an earthquake beneath my skin.
Trembling, I turned to look over my shoulder, but the hand collaring my neck tightened so I couldn’t.
“You’re hurting me,” I whimpered.
“The real hazard here is you.”
The insult seemed to give some clarity, and I started to struggle, twisting and fighting against the steady hold. “Let me go,” I demanded, stomping my bare foot down on his shoe-covered one.
I could have sworn he laughed, but before I could figure out for sure, my doctor appeared.
“Oh, Mr. Maddox. There you are.”
I tensed, my entire body screaming in pain and exhaustion.
“I was wondering where you went. I was concerned you left after we strongly cautioned against it.”
I slumped, feeling defeated.
“Who’s this?” the doctor asked, shifting his attention to the man still gripping my neck.
