Where the Streets Have No Name(4)

In a soft tone, she answered, “If you wanted to hurt me, Daniel, you would have done it already.”

“That answers that.”

His laugh came out more like choking. She pulled an unopened bottle of water from her shoulder bag and tossed it onto the crisp, white comforter. Daniel jumped to the other side of the room, looking for all the world like she would be the one to attack him.

He spotted the bottle and reached for it, mumbling, “Thanks.”

Amelia nodded. “Look, maybe we don’t know each other at all but at this precise moment in time, what do either of us have to lose if you stay the night?”

She paused to roll up the leg of her khakis, inspecting the affected area. The most loathsome part of her DNA was instant bruising and the purplish skin around her kneecap would get worse before it got better.

“Christ!” Daniel grimaced. “We should get you to a hos–”

“No!” The pant-leg went back down. “No hospitals.”

Daniel muttered a curse and sipped his water.

“It’s not that bad. Really. We Quinlivans bruise when poked.”

Water shot across the room in a fine mist from his mouth, most of which landed on her face. Daniel stared at her, mouth open, eyes wide. “Eh?”

Heat prickled her skin in a head to toe blush when Amelia realized what she accidentally implied. “I-I meant like this.” Using her index finger, she prodded herself in the clavicle, wincing when she pushed too hard. “You know, poke.”

Like repeating the words could make matters any better.

For the first time since their meeting, Daniel smiled. It wasn’t just a half-smile either, a slight curve of the lips that doesn’t quite reach the eyes. No, his entire face changed. Brightened even. Those earthy brown eyes glinted, creasing at the corners. Cheeks lifted with the outer edges of his lips, which parted wide to reveal a flash of teeth.

All too soon, it ended. His face took on what she assumed to be a practiced indifferent look, eyes guarded and flicking away from her every few seconds to check on his surroundings.

What had he been through?

She desperately wanted to know. Could it have been anything like what she suffered as a teenager?

Don’t think about it.

Daniel stood up, taking just two strides to reach the bathroom door. Without a word, he went inside and turned on the light. Rather than staying in there, he came back out holding one wet cloth and one dry hand towel. He knelt in front of her, offering the slightest fraction of the smile he had bestowed upon her moments ago.

“Didn’t mean to spit in your face,” he murmured, using the damp cloth to wipe away the water. Slow, tender, and methodical, he pressed the material to her forehead…

Amelia stared into his eyes. He wasn’t gorgeous by society’s standards, but she liked the way he looked.

The cloth moved between her brows and down the ridge of her nose…

Even with the little nicks and cuts on his face – microscopic and almost unnoticeable scars – peppered over his forehead and down one side of his cheek, hidden in the day-old brown-black stubble.

What were they from?

Daniel swept the cloth over her cheekbones, and then he reached her mouth.

Thoughts of his scars were interrupted by the warm caress, trailing the cloth over her lips. Never had cotton felt so…so…sensual before. Amelia retracted that thought; the heat swirling inside her body like oil ran through her veins and someone set fire to it wasn’t just sensual. It felt downright erotic.

And the cloth did little more than blaze the trail for the rough pad of his fingertip, grazing the hypersensitive flesh of her upper lip. For such a large man, he had a gentle touch.

“Sorry,” he said again. “Erm, I saw a chemist’s down the lane. How about I go and fetch some supplies, for your injuries?”

Amelia blinked a few times, clearing out some of the smoke from her eyes. There wasn’t any smoke in the room. She must be imagining things.

“I can go with you–”

“Not a bloody chance. You’ll be sitting on that bed, propped up and waiting, ready for me to doctor you when I get back. It’s my fault you’re in this scrape – no pun intended.” He smiled a sheepish smile this time.

Amelia smiled back. The mood lightened, however short the reprieve would last she didn’t know.

“Fine, but I’m ordering food for us so you’ll have to tell me what you want.” She thrust the menu in his direction.

After a thorough perusal of the room service meals on offer, Daniel elected to have the steak as well. Though it took some convincing, eventually he left the room taking a few bills she gave him and a small list of items to get, which included some for himself.