Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
“As long as I don’t nod my head, move too much, blink, or do much of anything else, it’s not too bad.” Liza laughed at her own joke, and her head pounded harder. “Obviously, it’s pretty bad,” she admitted.
The other woman nodded. “When you’re sitting still, on a scale of one to ten, one being the least amount of pain, how is it?”
“Four,” Liza said.
“And if you move?”
“Eight.”
Dr. Collins nodded. “The good news is the tests didn’t show anything life-threatening to worry about. The bad news is it’s a mild concussion. I can prescribe some painkillers and send you home, but you’ll either be in too much pain to walk around and take care of yourself or too woozy from the meds. Do you have someone who can help you out?”
No, Liza was alone. Always had been. “I’m sure I’ll be okay. I’m pretty low maintenance.”
The pretty doctor cocked a skeptical eyebrow. “Let’s see you get up and walk yourself to the bathroom before I discharge you.” The doctor braced her hands on her hips, not offering her help to rise.
Knowing she didn’t have handrails on her bed at home, Liza tried to push herself into a sitting position first. The pain blasted through her head, and she ended up flat on her back, staring at the ceiling while waiting for the agony to subside.
“Do you have any family I can call?” the doctor asked more gently.
“Not local.”
“Friends?” the doctor persisted.
Rachel and Tawny, her college friends, were in Manhattan. If she called, they’d come in a heartbeat to help her, but Liza hated asking them to disrupt their lives for her.
“She has me.”
Alexa turned to stare at Dare.
Liza hated feeling helpless and at anyone’s mercy. And she refused to meet Dare’s gaze as she automatically argued with his offer. “I’m sure you have more important things to do,” she told him.
“Actually, I don’t.” He eased his hands into his jeans’ pockets, looking all too sexy and sure of himself. “I’m off the whole weekend.”
“All right, then.” Alexa turned back to Liza, a grin on her face. “Since you’re in good hands, I can release you.”
Liza didn’t fight this time. She couldn’t. She obviously needed help, he was offering it, and she ought to be a lot more grateful. She just didn’t understand why he was being so sweet to her. Before their kiss, they’d barely tolerated one another.
They weren’t friends.
They didn’t have a relationship. Liza didn’t do relationships. Her first and only serious pick of a man had been so far off base that she wasn’t willing to try again. Besides, even those closest to her, like Brian and her parents, consistently hurt her. Why add anyone else to her almost nonexistent inner circle?
So what did Dare see that made him want to help her? Why didn’t he view today as a prime example of an I told you so situation where her brother was concerned? She didn’t know, but apparently, she’d have the weekend to find out.
“I’ll go write up the prescriptions and your release papers. A nurse will be back in to go over everything with you,” the doctor said.
“Thanks, Alexa,” Dare said.
“It’s my job.” She smiled at him. “But if you need anything later on, don’t bother with my service. Just call me at home. You have my number.”
And that had nothing to do with her job, Liza thought.
“Will do.” Dare waited until the doctor disappeared behind the drawn curtain and turned to Liza.
Walking over, he lowered the side rail and settled onto the mattress beside her. “How are you doing?” he asked, his voice gruff.
That tone triggered memories of his reaction in the minutes after Brian nailed her and she’d fallen to the ground.
“You called me ‘baby,’” she said, remembering. “After I got hit, I mean.” She knew it was an inane comment, but she couldn’t believe it then or now.
“Yeah, I guess I did.” Dare paused. “Does that bother you?”
No, actually, she’d liked the familiarity. “It’s just that baby implies we have a connection or something.”
Then again, so did his stepping up and offering to take care of her.
“Are you saying we don’t?” he asked.
He lifted her hand, threading his fingers through hers. Heat exploded across her skin, making his question purely rhetorical.
“Come on. Let me help get you home. Right now you need to sleep a hell of a lot more than you need to analyze us.”
She couldn’t argue with that point either. So she exhaled and placed her hand inside his.
* * *
Liza gave Dare the address to her house right before leaning her head back and falling asleep, leaving him with nothing but time to think about Liza and the puzzle she presented him with. He might not know her well, but there were two things he’d figured out about her already. Intimacy scared her and she didn’t like needing anybody for anything.