Chapter 2
Chapter Two
“Ma’am? Ma’am?” Someone is talking to me.
I groan and bat at whatever is in front of me before blinking and realizing the annoying substance is the pouring rain. It’s slapping me in the face because I’m lying on the sidewalk, staring up at the sky.
“Don’t move. I’ll get an ambulance.”
I jerk my attention to the man hovering over me and shake my head, which hurts like hell. “No.” I try to roll to the side so I can push to standing, but I’m dizzy and disoriented.
The man sets a hand on my shoulder, keeping me from rising. “Don’t move. You hit your head pretty hard. You might have other injuries.”
I hurt all over. My head is pounding, but I also landed on my ass and my elbows. Pain shoots up both arms and down my legs. I lick my lips, tasting rainwater. “I’m fine,” I manage to mutter. “Let me get up.” I shove at his hand, but he’s built like a truck. There’s no budging him.
A shadow comes over me, and I realize someone is holding an umbrella above me now. At least rain is no longer pelting my face.
“You need to stay still, ma’am.”
“Layla…” I mutter. I hate it when people call me ma’am, but why am I sharing my name with this stranger?
How big is this guy? He seems two times larger hovering over me than he did when I first noticed him as my body collided with his. His brow is furrowed. His hair is thick and dark. His brown eyes seem to bore into me.
I have to jerk my gaze away from him because he’s kind of beautiful. How hard did I hit my head? I notice he’s holding his phone and tapping the screen with one hand. His other hand is holding me down on the cold sidewalk in a giant puddle. Not that it matters. I can’t get more wet.
But he doesn’t understand that I can’t go to a hospital. I can’t even pay my rent let alone the kind of astronomical bill that would come from a trip in an ambulance.
I reach out and swat the phone out of his hand, causing it to land on the sidewalk next to me. It would be cheaper for me to buy this man a new phone than pay medical bills.
I manage to shock the man enough that he removes his hand from my shoulder to grab his phone. That’s my opportunity to roll away from him and push myself to sitting.
Probably not my best plan. The sudden movement makes me dizzy. I feel like I’m going to vomit. In fact, I cover my mouth as I lean to one side. The last thing I need is to also vomit all over myself. At least the monsoon will rinse me off, though.
I need to get up. It’s imperative that I pull myself together. But when I shift my weight so that I’m on my hands and knees, I realize I’m feeling too weak and oddly uncoordinated to stand. At least not yet. I need another minute.
Suddenly, huge powerful hands are on my waist, and I’m lifted off the ground and cradled against a massive chest. All the air leaves my lungs for a moment, and I blink several times before I realize tall, dark, and handsome is holding me.
Whoever was holding the umbrella hands it to him. Now he’s holding me with one arm. The giant umbrella is in his other hand. How does he manage that? I know I’m not a very big gal, but he’s supporting my weight with one hand. “Take a breath, Layla,” he orders.
I stare at him and sniffle. I must be hallucinating. He gives off strong Daddy vibes. I’m surely making that up. Wishful thinking. Wouldn’t it be cool if I slammed into the only Daddy in the city who would so attentively take care of me and hasn’t left me lying in a puddle after I slapped his phone out of his hand?
He hasn’t even mentioned his phone as if it’s of no consequence. I’m not sure why I’m so focused on his cell. Oh, because that part is important. “Please tell me you didn’t call an ambulance.”
“I didn’t, Little one. Please tell me why you don’t want me to.”
My breath hitches. Did I hear him right? Did he just call me Little one?
“Layla…” he says in a warning tone as though I’ve been naughty.
I definitely conked my head hard. I’ve turned this behemoth of a man into a Daddy Dom in my mind. I must be dreaming. Maybe I died when I hit my head. “Is this heaven?” I ask before I can stop myself.
He chuckles. “You’re soaked, freezing, and injured. Why would this be heaven?”
I swallow. He has a point. I can’t tell him it’s the eye candy.
He starts walking, balancing me and the umbrella. Where is he going?
“Your phone?”
“It’s fine. It’s in my pocket. You still haven’t answered my question.”
Question…? Oh, right. “I don’t have insurance.” I don’t have a job anymore, either. Tears start falling again. I’m a hot mess. Maybe he won’t notice since my face is soaked anyway.
“Hey… Shhh… I’ve got you. It’s going to be okay.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“There’s a clinic around the corner. I know the head doctor there. He’ll take a look at you.”
I squirm in his arms. It really feels nice to be held by him, but it’s not practical. “I can’t pay him. Please put me down. I’m fine. I just need to get to the bus stop.”
He frowns again. “Sorry, Little one. I’m not going to let you walk away. You’re hurt. I played a role in that. I need to make sure you’re going to be okay.”
“But…” I glance around. It’s still raining. My savior is also wet, but he’s keeping us from continuing to get drenched. The fact that he’s holding both me and a giant umbrella without appearing to exert himself is mindboggling.
“Just a bit farther. We’ll be there in a minute.”
“But, I can’t pay for it, Sir,” I argue again.
He looks at me, his mouth curving up into a slow smile. Is it because I called him Sir? I couldn’t stop myself. He’s so…dominant.
“You don’t need to pay for it. I’ve got it. Don’t you worry.”
I start shivering. My adrenaline rush is subsiding, and still, my head hurts. My elbows do, too. I wonder if they’re bleeding. I wonder if I tore my blouse. I don’t have many blouses I can wear to work. This one is probably ruined. I whimper as I turn my face in to his chest.
The big man pauses, and I’m aware of him lowering the umbrella and pulling a door open. Finally, we’re inside, but I’m not sure that’s a blessing. At least it’s no longer raining on me, but the cold breeze from the air conditioner makes me shiver.
“Theo. Oh my. What happened?” asks a feminine voice.
“Hey, Kristen. We had a collision. I’m worried Layla here might have a concussion. She hit her head pretty hard on the sidewalk.”
“Come on back. Goodness. She’s shivering. Let’s get her warmed up. I’ll find Dr. Rubio.”
I’m sniffling as my hero follows the peppy women through a door and down a hall. When we enter an exam room, the woman bustles around opening cabinets. She pulls out a hospital gown and a blanket.
I now know my hero’s name is Theo. It suits him. I like it.
He sets me on the exam table, and I wince the moment my butt hits the surface. I hit my tailbone hard, but I think there’s also abrasions on the backs of my legs. My thighs hurt.
“Oh, you poor thing,” Kristen says. I assume she’s a nurse. “You really got banged up, didn’t you?” She lifts one of my arms and winces slightly as she examines my elbow.
Theo still has both hands on my hips. “Does your bottom hurt, Little one?”
I tip my head back to look in his eyes. He absolutely definitely positively called me Little one. How could he possibly know I’m Little? I nod, eyes wide.
“You two just met?” Kristen asks.
Theo lifts his hands to my cheeks and strokes away the silent tears. “We haven’t even really met, yet. I could tell she was injured, so I scooped her up and carried her here.”
“Well, good thing you were there.”
Theo doesn’t even glance at the nurse. He’s still looking at me. He gives a wry smile. “She probably wouldn’t have been injured if I’d been standing somewhere besides directly in her path.”
I lick my lips. “I wasn’t watching where I was going. I’m so sorry.”
“No reason to be sorry, Layla. Accidents happen.”
“They happen to me more than others,” I mutter.
Kristen sets the blanket and gown on the end of the table. “You’re freezing, sweetheart. How about if I help you get out of these wet clothes?”
Theo cups the side of my face. “I’ll wait out in the hall, okay?”
I nod. I’m stunned. It seems like the world has started spinning a different direction. I can’t process what’s happening.
“I’ll take good care of her,” the nurse says.
Theo steps out into the hallway.
Why does the room feel colder and empty without him?