His words had that same absolute certainty I’d grown up around, but he didn’t sound condescending.
“Okay, Thayer. Though I have to say, Cage suits the scary medic who appears out of nowhere vibe you’ve got going.”
“I’m a doctor, not a medic.” His hand shifted slightly on my back, the pressure changing just enough to steer me around a pothole I hadn’t noticed. “And you talk a lot for someone with a head wound.”
“Yeah, because I’m nervous,” I admitted, the words tumbling out before my usual filter could catch them.
Thayer’s gaze flicked down to me for a moment, his eyes looking grayer in the dim lighting of the parking lot. “Nothing to be nervous about. You’ll be okay.”
Around my parents’ circle, I always measured every syllable. But with Thayer staring down at me, the truth just slipped free. “I’m being escorted by a tall, very bossy biker who won’t let me finish a sentence. So yeah…nervous. But not in a bad way.”
His lips tilted up just the tiniest bit, and my cheeks filled with heat.
Luckily, we reached his SUV, so his intense gaze shifted to the passenger door. Opening it, he turned back to me. One hand gripped my waist, while the other braced my elbow as I stepped onto the running board. I settled into the leather seat and watched as he leaned in just enough to buckle my seat belt for me. His forearm brushed my shoulder, and the faint scent of leather and cedar wrapped around me.
He closed the door and rounded the hood before climbing into the driver’s seat. The cab felt smaller the moment he slid inside, more due to his compelling presence than his size.
I should have felt awkward. Or at least a little indignant that a stranger had taken over so completely. Instead, a strange warmth spread through my chest.
In my parents’ world, people handled me like fragile porcelain meant for display. They kept a careful distance so nothing smudged the perfect image. Thayer acted as though he didn’t believe in personal space. To him, my bleeding temple was a problem he intended to solve, not an inconvenience.
When he started the engine, I murmured, “Thank you. You didn’t have to drop everything and play knight in leather.”
His mouth twitched again—not quite a smile, but close enough to make my stomach flip. “It’s not every day that a gorgeous woman decides to stand too close to flying debris.”
He shifted the truck into gear and pulled out of the lot, completely unaware of the impact of his compliment. At home, praise always came with an agenda, but his words felt real instead of calculated.
My head still throbbed, but the dizziness had faded to a dull ache. What hadn’t dimmed was my awareness of the man beside me. I settled deeper into the seat, studying his profile in the glow of the dashboard lights.
Sitting next to Thayer in the quiet felt dangerously good.
As the SUV hummed along the dark county road, I kept stealing glances at him while trying to look like I wasn’t. His hands rested on the wheel with casual confidence. The way his thumb occasionally tapped made something low in my stomach tighten. Everything about him felt contained, like a storm held perfectly in check. His eyes scanned the road and flicked toward me every few minutes like he was still assessing damage.
He didn’t fill the silence with small talk, and the quiet between us crackled with awareness.
“You’re staring.”
I startled, then laughed softly, the sound a little breathless. “Guilty. It’s not every day a stranger scoops me up from an underground race and drives me to the hospital like it’s the most normal thing in the world.”
“I’m a trauma surgeon, so it is the most normal thing in the world to me.”
“It’s lucky for me that you were there, then.” I shifted in the seat, wincing when the cut on my temple pulled. “Most people in my life would have called an assistant or arranged a discreet car service.”
“Most people in your life sound useless.”
The bluntness surprised a real laugh out of me. For once, I didn’t try to soften it to sound more ladylike. “It’s just that my parents believe there’s a proper way to handle stuff so nothing looks messy.”
His gaze slid to me again, darker in the glow of the dashboard. “I’m not about to let you suffer needlessly on my watch.”
I swallowed, suddenly aware of how small the space between us felt. “Is that part of your normal bedside manner, or do you just enjoy making injured women blush?”
“You’re nothing like my usual patient.” His mouth curved into a faint smirk that made butterflies swarm in my belly. “Once I decide something’s mine to handle, I don’t half-ass it.”
I pressed my lips together, fighting the ridiculous smile threatening to break free.
We were only a few miles from the hospital now, the glow of streetlights growing brighter ahead. My head still ached, but I wasn’t worried about what would happen next. With Thayerlooking out for me, the usual knot of anxiety in my chest had loosened.
I didn’t want to shrink back into the neat, perfect box my parents had built for me. I wanted to let this unexpected man see the parts of me I usually kept hidden from the world.
