“Do you have a
restroom?”
“Outside. Round
the back. They’re not locked.”
Ashley hurried
around the back of the building as fast as her injured feet could take her.
She opened the
door to the women’s bathroom and stepped inside. Then she jumped back outside
and took an urgent breath.
She had never
smelled anything quite so foul as that bathroom, and it looked like it hadn’t
been cleaned in months.
But this was an
emergency, so she took a deep breath and summoned her courage. She rushed in,
hovered over the toilet so she could pee without contaminating herself on the
seat, then flushed and opened the door again.
Glancing
around, she saw a large rock. She used that to prop the door open, so she could
have some fresh air as she tended to her feet.
She wet down
some paper towels and wiped off the toilet seat so she could prop her foot up
on it. Then she dampened some more paper towels, took off her right sandal, and
looked at the bloody mess on her foot.
She seemed to
have developed more blisters along the way, and those had broken open as well.
Wiping off the
blood as much as she could, she mentally screamed at herself for not buying any
bandages at the drugstore the day before.
“What the
hell?”
Ethan’s voice
was the last sound she wanted to hear just then, but there was no way she could
get away.
He entered the
bathroom, wrinkling his nose at the stench. He was glaring at her feet. “Damn
it, Ashley. Why didn’t you tell me your feet were hurt?”
Ashley was in
no state to argue with him. “What good would it have done to whine about them?”
“Of all the
stubborn, infuriating females…” And then he stormed out of the bathroom.
Ashley stared
dumbfounded at the empty doorway. “Talk about infuriating,” she muttered. “Come
in and yell at me, and then stomp away in a snit.”
She started
mopping up the blood some more, since more had seeped out of the torn skin.
Before she could do much, Ethan had brought with him a box of Band-Aids, a
bottle of antiseptic wash, and some gauze.
“Oh,” Ashley
said, when she saw he was planning to help her.
He was shaking
his head and muttering under his breath, but he started preparing his first aid
supplies. He poured some of the antiseptic wash onto a piece of the gauze.
Ashley was
about to reach over to take it from him, but before she could, he knelt down on
the dirty floor, took her ankle with his hand, and started treating her
injuries himself.
There was no
excuse for her reaction. No reason for it. No justification. No way she could
explain it away, to herself or anyone else.
But Ashley
panicked. She just absolutely panicked. It wasn’t just Ethan’s warm hand on her
bare ankle. Or his submissive position before her. Or his inexplicable gesture
of kindness and compassion. But it was perhaps the combination of all of them.
Frantically,
she tried to pull away from him.
It wasn’t a
good idea. She was standing on one leg, and Ethan had a firm grasp of her other
one. Her abrupt movement made her lose her balance, and she couldn’t get her
other foot down to the floor to support herself.
Ethan jumped up
in time to catch her before she toppled over. “Damn it, Ashley,” he roared.
“What the hell are you doing?”
She was
confused and upset and disoriented, and her feet were hurting. And Ethan’s arm
was now around her waist. “I can do it myself,” she said, gesturing at the
first aid supplies.
“Well, you
aren’t going to do it yourself,” Ethan gritted through clenched teeth. He was clearly
stressed and at the end of his patience. “You’re damn well going to suffer my
touch long enough for me to make sure you don’t get an infection. I’m certainly
not trying to make a move on you—so there’s no need to behave like an outraged
virgin. Now stand still and stop acting like an idiot.” He knelt back down on
the floor and started applying the antiseptic, which stung the raw flesh.
The tears that
had been lingering in
restroom?”
“Outside. Round
the back. They’re not locked.”
Ashley hurried
around the back of the building as fast as her injured feet could take her.
She opened the
door to the women’s bathroom and stepped inside. Then she jumped back outside
and took an urgent breath.
She had never
smelled anything quite so foul as that bathroom, and it looked like it hadn’t
been cleaned in months.
But this was an
emergency, so she took a deep breath and summoned her courage. She rushed in,
hovered over the toilet so she could pee without contaminating herself on the
seat, then flushed and opened the door again.
Glancing
around, she saw a large rock. She used that to prop the door open, so she could
have some fresh air as she tended to her feet.
She wet down
some paper towels and wiped off the toilet seat so she could prop her foot up
on it. Then she dampened some more paper towels, took off her right sandal, and
looked at the bloody mess on her foot.
She seemed to
have developed more blisters along the way, and those had broken open as well.
Wiping off the
blood as much as she could, she mentally screamed at herself for not buying any
bandages at the drugstore the day before.
“What the
hell?”
Ethan’s voice
was the last sound she wanted to hear just then, but there was no way she could
get away.
He entered the
bathroom, wrinkling his nose at the stench. He was glaring at her feet. “Damn
it, Ashley. Why didn’t you tell me your feet were hurt?”
Ashley was in
no state to argue with him. “What good would it have done to whine about them?”
“Of all the
stubborn, infuriating females…” And then he stormed out of the bathroom.
Ashley stared
dumbfounded at the empty doorway. “Talk about infuriating,” she muttered. “Come
in and yell at me, and then stomp away in a snit.”
She started
mopping up the blood some more, since more had seeped out of the torn skin.
Before she could do much, Ethan had brought with him a box of Band-Aids, a
bottle of antiseptic wash, and some gauze.
“Oh,” Ashley
said, when she saw he was planning to help her.
He was shaking
his head and muttering under his breath, but he started preparing his first aid
supplies. He poured some of the antiseptic wash onto a piece of the gauze.
Ashley was
about to reach over to take it from him, but before she could, he knelt down on
the dirty floor, took her ankle with his hand, and started treating her
injuries himself.
There was no
excuse for her reaction. No reason for it. No justification. No way she could
explain it away, to herself or anyone else.
But Ashley
panicked. She just absolutely panicked. It wasn’t just Ethan’s warm hand on her
bare ankle. Or his submissive position before her. Or his inexplicable gesture
of kindness and compassion. But it was perhaps the combination of all of them.
Frantically,
she tried to pull away from him.
It wasn’t a
good idea. She was standing on one leg, and Ethan had a firm grasp of her other
one. Her abrupt movement made her lose her balance, and she couldn’t get her
other foot down to the floor to support herself.
Ethan jumped up
in time to catch her before she toppled over. “Damn it, Ashley,” he roared.
“What the hell are you doing?”
She was
confused and upset and disoriented, and her feet were hurting. And Ethan’s arm
was now around her waist. “I can do it myself,” she said, gesturing at the
first aid supplies.
“Well, you
aren’t going to do it yourself,” Ethan gritted through clenched teeth. He was clearly
stressed and at the end of his patience. “You’re damn well going to suffer my
touch long enough for me to make sure you don’t get an infection. I’m certainly
not trying to make a move on you—so there’s no need to behave like an outraged
virgin. Now stand still and stop acting like an idiot.” He knelt back down on
the floor and started applying the antiseptic, which stung the raw flesh.
The tears that
had been lingering in
Similar Books
