Social niceties weren’t her strong suit. She’d flexed her social muscles to the max back at the security conference in New Orleans, the whole time wishing she could crawl out of her own skin just to escape all the people. She’d done enough forced socializing there to last her a year at least.
She was sitting on the bed when footsteps sounded outside on the concrete stairs. A fist rapped on the door twice. “It’s Matt,” he announced, then put the key in the lock and opened the door.
A gust of wind came through with him. He was carrying a duffel and her pack. He shut and locked the door, then set the bags down on the floor and glanced around before settling his gaze on her.
Just like that, the room seemed to shrink in half. She was acutely aware of his size, the sound of his steady breaths in the sudden quiet, the scent of the wind he brought with him. He was an attractive, intensely masculine man and all those things were impossible to ignore.
Realizing she was staring, Briar jerked her gaze away and folded her hands in her lap. She wasn’t good with people, hated being made to feel awkward because of it.
“How are those stitches doing?”
She glanced up at the question, surprised that he’d care, let alone ask. “Fine.”
He studied her for a moment. “Better go take a look, just to make sure. Schroder’s the best but I rushed him with the stitching. You should check to see if the bleeding’s stopped.”
She’d planned on that, but hadn’t wanted to leave the door unguarded until he came back. Rising, she headed for the bathroom.
“Want this?” he asked, picking up her pack.
She went back for it, took it with a murmur of thanks then hurried to the bathroom. With the door locked she set her pack on the linoleum floor and lifted the cut edge of her bodysuit to peel off the bandage. The tape came away from her skin easily enough and the row of stitches seemed solid. Her skin was puckered and red around the edges but it looked like the bleeding had stopped except for some seepage, probably from when she’d been jostled around on the drive down the mountain.
DeLuca knocked on the door. “Got you some clothes to change into if you want.”
Briar eyed herself in the mirror. The custom-made bodysuit was ruined and crusted with blood. Her pack held an extra pair of gloves, another knit cap and some socks. Great for helping her retain warmth in the field but not a lot of help in the wardrobe department. She opened the door, saw he was holding a T-shirt and sweat pants.
“They’ll be way too big, but they’re better than nothing and they’ll help keep you warm.”
“Thanks.” She took them, noticed the way his gaze dipped to her side and felt a strange stirring at the hint of concern she saw there.
“Still holding together?”
“Yeah, it looks good.”
“I’ll help you get a fresh bandage on there and seal it up so you can shower. If you want,” he added.
She debated that for about two seconds before giving in. She wasn’t going anywhere for at least the next few hours and as she was grimy and had dried blood all over her right side and hip, a shower sounded like heaven. “Okay.”
Briar peeled away the cut and torn edges of the white bodysuit while he went to grab some supplies. He set a small kit on the counter and ripped open a package of gauze bandages. This close she could smell the faint scent of soap on his skin and see the way the muscles in his thick forearms flexed with each movement. His hands were strong, the fingers long and lean, nails clean and cut short.
His fingertips brushed her bare skin as he put the bandage in place and she was unprepared for the jolt of sensation that shot through her. She froze, looked into his face as butterflies took flight in her stomach, hoping he hadn’t noticed her reaction. He stared back at her with those bright green eyes that she now realized had a band of caramel around the pupils, his face only inches from hers. And even though she was inexperienced with men, she clearly read the answering flare of male awareness there.
Pulse kicking erratically, she forced her gaze to the floor and held the ripped edges of cloth out of the way so he could put the pad in place and secure it with medical tape. The tiny bathroom suddenly seemed charged with a different sort of tension, one unfamiliar to her yet not altogether unwelcome. Which made no sense whatsoever, because she didn’t want to be attracted to him or anyone else. Shit, how long until she could be on her own again?
DeLuca surprised her by pulling out a roll of duct tape and pulling a strip off. “Stuff has a million uses,” he said when he saw the startled look on her face, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly in a hidden smile. He measured off a short section, ripped it with his even, white teeth and laid it crosswise over the bandage. The light pressure of his fingertips as he pressed the tape in place set off a wave of goose bumps. Briar swallowed and fought the urge to squirm as tingles scattered across her skin, her nipples tightening.