Tempted to argue, she forced herself to listen to the voice, and began pushing on Paul’s hard chest.
“Ow!” he cried, wincing.
“Oh!” How could she have forgotten about his wounds? The man had wrestled and killed a crocodile less than seventy-two hours ago, and she pushed on his chest as though…
As though he hadn’t just saved her life.
She closed her eyes, refraining from pushing any more. “Can you get up?”
“Ask me nicely.”
“People are beginning to stare,” she whispered through a forced smile. “They’re going to think something is wrong.”
“Ask me nicely,” he repeated more slowly, deliberately.
“Very well,” she huffed, annoyance growing like a weed in her belly. “Will you please get off me?”
“If you insist.”
Slowly, interminably so, he stood. Then, like a gentleman or some ancient knight, he offered his hand to help her rise. It might as well have been a snake. She’d touched him before. She’d nearly fallen into the darkness hidden behind the light of his eyes only moments ago. She couldn’t trust herself to feel the warmth of his flesh again so soon.
“Are you going to sit there all afternoon, love? People are beginning to stare.”
The echo of her earlier words, spoken in the drawn-out lilt that was uniquely his, sent a challenge up her spine. Instantly, she scrambled to her feet. Without his help.
“Are you two all right?” the driver asked, again. “Nobody hurt, right?”
“We’re fine,” Paul answered the frantic gentleman, but he never looked away from Helen’s face.
There was something in the way he looked at her that promised intense pleasure. But along with pleasure came pain. If she’d learned anything from Reginald, she’d learned that.
Satisfied that all was well, the driver left. The crowd that had stopped to see the excitement began to disburse. Helen spun away from a greater danger than a speeding motorcar and crossed the street as quickly as her boots would carry her.
Paul still followed. He would, of course. He struck her as the kind of man who wouldn’t trust her to make it home alive without his expert help. At the same time, he made her want to feel safe. Protected.
But the truth was anything but safe. Not if he continued to follow her home. What if he invited himself inside? She would have to think of some excuse why he couldn’t.
She quickened her pace. Perhaps a part of her thought she could outrun him. But his stride easily kept pace with her. In fact, he wasn’t even trying. She’d never seen such long legs on a man, and yet they were in perfect proportion to his incredible height. He towered over her, even now, clipping along the boardwalk.
She glanced at him, hoping he wouldn’t notice. He didn’t, apparently. Instead, he focused his attention straight ahead, his leisurely gait mocking the fact she took three steps to each of his. One would think she was trying to keep up with him, not the other way around.
Finally, she reached her street. Doc’s office, with her apartment above it, stood in the center of a row of connected buildings. She pinned the bright-red front door and refused to look to her side again. Any moment, she’d reach it and she would be rid of Paul Campbell for the remainder of the day.
“Would you like some ice cream?” he asked, breaking the silence of their walk so suddenly she jumped.
“No.”
“You don’t eat ice cream?”
“Yes. I don’t want any at the moment.”
“You don’t want to go for a drive. You don’t want any ice cream. What are you planning to do with the rest of your day?”
“I told you. I have work to finish.”
“Too right. You did say something about that. Of course, you have no patients today, have you?”
“There is more to what I do than seeing patients. I have files to complete. And if I finish those, I am perfectly capable of entertaining myself.”
“Ah, but wouldn’t it be more fun if you allowed me to entertain you? A nice dinner at Marie
“Ow!” he cried, wincing.
“Oh!” How could she have forgotten about his wounds? The man had wrestled and killed a crocodile less than seventy-two hours ago, and she pushed on his chest as though…
As though he hadn’t just saved her life.
She closed her eyes, refraining from pushing any more. “Can you get up?”
“Ask me nicely.”
“People are beginning to stare,” she whispered through a forced smile. “They’re going to think something is wrong.”
“Ask me nicely,” he repeated more slowly, deliberately.
“Very well,” she huffed, annoyance growing like a weed in her belly. “Will you please get off me?”
“If you insist.”
Slowly, interminably so, he stood. Then, like a gentleman or some ancient knight, he offered his hand to help her rise. It might as well have been a snake. She’d touched him before. She’d nearly fallen into the darkness hidden behind the light of his eyes only moments ago. She couldn’t trust herself to feel the warmth of his flesh again so soon.
“Are you going to sit there all afternoon, love? People are beginning to stare.”
The echo of her earlier words, spoken in the drawn-out lilt that was uniquely his, sent a challenge up her spine. Instantly, she scrambled to her feet. Without his help.
“Are you two all right?” the driver asked, again. “Nobody hurt, right?”
“We’re fine,” Paul answered the frantic gentleman, but he never looked away from Helen’s face.
There was something in the way he looked at her that promised intense pleasure. But along with pleasure came pain. If she’d learned anything from Reginald, she’d learned that.
Satisfied that all was well, the driver left. The crowd that had stopped to see the excitement began to disburse. Helen spun away from a greater danger than a speeding motorcar and crossed the street as quickly as her boots would carry her.
Paul still followed. He would, of course. He struck her as the kind of man who wouldn’t trust her to make it home alive without his expert help. At the same time, he made her want to feel safe. Protected.
But the truth was anything but safe. Not if he continued to follow her home. What if he invited himself inside? She would have to think of some excuse why he couldn’t.
She quickened her pace. Perhaps a part of her thought she could outrun him. But his stride easily kept pace with her. In fact, he wasn’t even trying. She’d never seen such long legs on a man, and yet they were in perfect proportion to his incredible height. He towered over her, even now, clipping along the boardwalk.
She glanced at him, hoping he wouldn’t notice. He didn’t, apparently. Instead, he focused his attention straight ahead, his leisurely gait mocking the fact she took three steps to each of his. One would think she was trying to keep up with him, not the other way around.
Finally, she reached her street. Doc’s office, with her apartment above it, stood in the center of a row of connected buildings. She pinned the bright-red front door and refused to look to her side again. Any moment, she’d reach it and she would be rid of Paul Campbell for the remainder of the day.
“Would you like some ice cream?” he asked, breaking the silence of their walk so suddenly she jumped.
“No.”
“You don’t eat ice cream?”
“Yes. I don’t want any at the moment.”
“You don’t want to go for a drive. You don’t want any ice cream. What are you planning to do with the rest of your day?”
“I told you. I have work to finish.”
“Too right. You did say something about that. Of course, you have no patients today, have you?”
“There is more to what I do than seeing patients. I have files to complete. And if I finish those, I am perfectly capable of entertaining myself.”
“Ah, but wouldn’t it be more fun if you allowed me to entertain you? A nice dinner at Marie
Similar Books
