“You okay?”
Wally watched her with concern, and she hesitated a moment before shaking her head.
“I’m so sorry. I have never done anything like that before.”
Wally glanced at the stranger and smirked at her. “I have to say, I will worry about you a lot less knowing you can handle yourself against someone his size.”
Charlotte frowned. “It’s not funny.”
Deep down, Charlotte was proud of how she stood up for herself, but her pride took a back seat to how badly she overreacted to a guest's request for extra towels. With her ear buds in, playing her favorite pop music, she hadn’t heard him approach. When she felt the hand on her shoulder, her worstfear reared up, pushing her to fight for her life without waiting to assess the situation. Of course, if the man had been an attacker, her quick action probably saved her life or, at the very least, bought her a few precious minutes to find help.
The thought did little to assuage her guilt. She hated being afraid and hated even more that her gut reaction was to run away from anyone she didn’t know regardless of the circumstances.
Wally patted her back. “Come on. Look at him. Anyone would be afraid if they were randomly approached by him, especially when it’s getting dark.”
Wally was right about one thing. The man was big. Compared to her five-foot-five stature, he towered over her like a giant. His skin was tanned, making his eyebrows and hair appear as black as night. His arms were muscled and strained against the seam of his sleeves. His thighs were like tree trunks, and his shoulders were broad enough that she wondered how he fit through the doorway of his room.
He was beyond intimidating. He was frightening. If he had decided to take his anger out on her, she would have been powerless to stop him. A shiver snaked down her spine, and she turned away as the crunch of his nose being shifted back into the socket reached her ears.
“I should pay whatever it costs to have the paramedics treat him. At the very least, I should have his clothes cleaned or replaced,” she murmured so only Wally heard her.
“No need. If he pushes it, I’ll comp a day or two off his stay, but he only has himself to blame. I told him to letmeknow if heneeded anything. He’s the one who decided to sneak up on you when you were alone.”
“Ssh, Wally! He’s going to hear you, and you’re wrong. He had every reason to believe he could get what he needed from the motel’s housekeeper. I’m the one who overreacted.”
The paramedic’s voice caught Charlotte’s attention as she stepped away from the stranger. “You sure we can’t give you a lift to the hospital? Just to check that everything’s okay.”
“No, but thanks. This isn’t my first broken nose, so I know the drill. Appreciate you setting it so I didn’t have to go to the ER. I just want to get cleaned up and turn in for the night.”
God, his voice.Deep, warm, and sexy, the rich tones washed over her. He could probably read to her the most boring book ever written, and she would be held enthralled by the low timbre. The idea startled her enough to turn back and study him with a fresh perspective.
He looked scary, but he was also striking in the proverbial tall, dark, and handsome way. His dark hair was thick, short, but wavy. His eyes, equally dark, were intense and brooding, even while he was acting polite and friendly to the paramedic. Charlotte studied the other woman, talking to the man as a professional, but something about the paramedic’s smile made Charlotte wonder. Was the man charming the woman with his southern charm? Didn’t the paramedic see what Charlotte saw — a man who was equally attractive and dangerous?
Obviously not, since the paramedic continued to smile friendly at him as she spoke. “Okay. Well, if your symptoms get worse, don’t try to be a tough guy and power through them. Get to a doctor to be safe.”
He nodded, winced at the movement, and stopped. “I will. Promise.”
Wally stepped closer to the paramedic and her partner. “Thanks, Tasha. Can I get you and Jeremy a coffee before you head out?”
Charlotte shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was. Ivy Springs was a small town, but even she was amazed by how many people her boss knew on a first-name basis. Most of his time was spent at the motel or with Mona, so she had no idea when he found the opportunity to meet people, much less remember them by name.
Tasha looked over at Jeremy before nodding in Wally’s direction. “Yeah, that sounds good. The temperature’s dropping out there.”
Wally led them over to the coffee pot, his voice carrying through the motel’s lobby. “Charlotte makes the best coffee around, and there’s always a fresh pot brewing. You guys are welcome to stop by anytime you’re on shift.”
With the others preoccupied, Charlotte focused on the stranger. Though he hid it well, she detected the pain etched in the lines of his face. He pinched the bridge of his nose and gingerly stood. Charlotte automatically took a step back, feeling vulnerable next to his considerable height and build. She forced herself to peer at his face.
“I’m very sorry.”
He pierced her with a dark stare, the area around his eyes already darkening from his injury. But the dark irises seemed almost kind, as if he wanted to comfort her, though he was the one with the injury. “No need to apologize. I shouldn’t haveapproached you like that. I can’t be mad at you for defending yourself.”
She almost wished he were a little mad. If anything, it would justify her fear of him. Then she might feel less guilty for breaking his nose. “I can pay to have your clothes cleaned or just replace them altogether if you’d rather not keep anything you bled on.”
He chuckled, and Charlotte felt his mirth all the way to her toes. “They’re just work clothes. As sweaty and dirty as they are, they probably need to be burned anyway.”
She glanced down for a moment, her hair brushing against her cheeks. “I feel like I should do something. You know, to make up for stomping your foot and elbowing your stomach and well…for your nose.”
He barked out a laugh and then grimaced. “Don’t feel bad. My brothers and I have done worse to each other when we roughhoused. If you want to make it up to me, you can tell me a good place to get some dinner, hopefully delivered to the motel.”
