“It’s fine.”
“I didn’t ask if it was fine. I told you to show me your hand.”
“Oh, I’d do as he says, darlin’,” Maddox warned. “That’s his serious voice.”
“He has a voice that isn’t serious?” she asked, looking genuinely surprised.
Jardin ground his teeth together in frustration.
“He does. Shocking, huh? I mean, he’s always uptight, but sometimes, he smiles,” Maddox whispered that last part as he drew out a cloth and started cleaning up the coffee mess.
“No,” she whispered back.
“If the two of you have finished with your comedy act,” he snapped.
Thea gave him a guilty look but Maddox just grinned.
“Thea. Hand. Now.”
With a deep sigh he didn’t appreciate, she placed her right hand in his. He scowled as he took in her angry, red skin that sported several blisters, one of which had burst.
“What the hell! How did you get this? Your hand is burned!”
3
Jardin inspected her hand, trying to ignore the way his skin heated where it touched hers. Her hands were small and delicate. Like the rest of her.
Part of him wanted to bundle her up, tuck her away somewhere safe, and make sure she was treated like the precious thing she was.
The other part wanted to tie her to his bed and fuck her. Hard. Hot. Until she forgot her name, forgot everything except who she belonged to.
Mine.
Except she wasn’t.
He needed to get his fucking head together. His scowl grew as he stared down at her injured hand. Maddox whistled as he cleaned up the spilled coffee. Jardin gave him a sharp look.
“Since when do you know how to clean?” He’d been in the bunkhouse Maddox shared with most of his brothers. The place was a pigsty. He’d gotten five steps inside before fearing for his health.
Of course, they’d all laughed like it was a big joke.
“Since Mia moved in and wrapped big brother’s balls around her little finger.”
“Maddox!” he snapped before rising to grab the first aid kit from under the sink. Thank God no one else was around at this time of day. That was all he needed to turn this into a total mess.
“What?” Maddox looked over at Thea, who was blushing. “I love Mia. It wasn’t an insult to her. I’m glad she has him firmly by the balls. He was way too uptight before she came along. All ‘Maddox stop getting into bar fights. And Maddox stop leaving your brothers tied up in the middle of nowhere without food, clothes, or water.’ Total bore.”
“You . . . you did that? To your own brother?” Thea asked, wincing as Jardin started putting burn cream on her poor hand.
“It was only once. Or, wait, maybe twice. And they both deserved it. But I’ve learned my lesson. Next time, I’ll leave food and water.” Maddox winked at Thea and she shook her head with a smile. It was obvious she thought he was joking. Jardin knew he wasn’t.
“How did this happen?” he asked quietly. He was debating taking her to the emergency room. He glanced up at her.
She was biting her lip worriedly. She was wearing bright pink lipstick. She wore it every day. A shudder nearly moved through him at the thought of those pink-colored lips wrapped around his cock.
Easy, man.
“My car had smoke pouring out of the hood. So, I opened it up and foolishly reached in to undo the cap where the smoke was coming from. It was hot.”
“Ouch,” Maddox said sympathetically. “Darlin’ as a general rule, if something is smoking, it’s usually hot.”
“Thanks for that lesson, Maddox,” he said dryly. “Maybe you could go wait in my office?”
“Sure. I’ll make sure that bitch has left without stealing any of the office supplies.”
“No, just—”
But it was too late. He was gone. And he’d do whatever the hell he wanted anyway.
After slathering some burn cream on her skin, Jardin reached for a bandage and started wrapping her hand. “You should go to the emergency room.”
“It’s just a small burn. There’s no point in waiting around for hours for a doctor who’ll tell me to put burn cream on it.”
She could have a point. But he still didn’t like it. Didn’t like that she was injured. Hurting. That she’d come to work like that and hadn’t said a word.
“I don’t think it needs to be covered,” she told him.
He simply stared at her then resumed wrapping her hand. “You can’t keep it wrapped up all day. It needs to breathe. Take it off every so often then reapply cream and put it back on. Do you have cream at home?”
“Hmm, oh, I think so.”
He sighed and handed her the tube of cream. “Take this. There are other first aid kits around here. Just remember to order some more. I’ll get a town car to take you home.”
She stiffened, alarm filling her face. “Why? I’m not still fired, am I?”
Suddenly, he felt tired. In fact, it felt like he’d been nothing but tired these past few years.
“No, you’re not still fired.” He should say yes. Get rid of her. But the truth was, he wasn’t sure he could do without her. Not just because she was the best PA he’d ever had. But because he’d fucking miss her. For the first time in years, he looked forward to coming to work because he got to see her.
So, what are you going to do about it?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Coward.
“But you’re going home. You can’t work like that.”
“I can.” She got on her feet. “I’ll be fine.”
“You’ve got burns all along the palm of your hand and your fingers. How are you even going to type?”
“I’ll use my other hand. It’ll be fine.”
He narrowed his gaze, his suspicions aroused. Why didn’t she want to go home?
“Most people would jump at the chance to go home and rest for the day.”
“Well, I’m not most people and I can’t afford the day off,” she countered.
That he could believe.
“It’s with full pay.”
Surprise filled her face, and he saw her think about it. Then she shook her head stubbornly.
Brat.
“Thea,” he said in a low, warning voice. “It’s not a request.”
He preferred his women to defer to him. In and out of the bedroom. He liked to be firmly in charge. No matter where he was.
Her eyes flashed with defiance. His palm itched. He knew that if he ever took her over his knee it would be all over. And he wasn’t just talking about his career, because she’d be in her rights to sue his ass for assault. It was about his inability to keep her at arm’s length. To keep kidding himself that when it came to her, he didn’t care.
“You’re already down a receptionist,” she pointed out in a reasonable voice, ignoring the fact she’d been given an order. He ground his teeth together. At this rate, he’d have no teeth left by the end of the month. “You can’t afford for me to be off as well.”
Fuck.
She had a point. But he didn’t like it. He let out a breath. What was it about her that stirred the darker parts of him? Usually, he kept them better hidden. Most people probably saw him as the easiest Malone brother to deal with. The most reasonable.