A Happily Ever After of Her Own by Nadia Lee Read Free Book Online

dare, all right? We shouldn't have done it, but you know how it is. Look, we won't sue. We'll pretend that we weren't here if you'll do the same."
    George took his time answering, but Melinda knew she'd won when he frowned. "All right."
    "Thanks."
    "Save it. This isn't a favor." He pointed toward the doors. "Out! Both of you. And don't come back unless you have tickets, or I'll press charges."

VI. In Which the Evil Witch Issues an Ultimatum
     
    Melinda leaned against the island in her cheery yellow kitchen and watched Edward take off his shirt. She wanted to offer to help, but she knew it would be the wrong thing to say. He flung the green top over the back of the kitchen stool, and suddenly she felt even cheerier. Holy cow. She knew he had a nice physique. She'd known it even before he'd covered her body with his own back at the Tudor House. But she'd never imagined it would look this good. Lean powerful muscles stretched over his bones in perfect symmetry, every line divine. He looked huge and deliciously male in her small, ultra-feminine apartment. The only thing that stopped her from drooling and making an utter fool out of herself was the enormous bruise on his shoulder.
    "Do you have a steak?" he asked. "Something of moderate size, say, two or three pounds?"
    She had a hard time tearing her gaze away from his body. "A what? A steak?"
    "They are effective for bruises."
    "I, uh, have some ice." She got up and made a bag full for him, which he put on his shoulder.
    The cut on his arm was more or less scabbed over. The big Tinker Bell clock on the wall told her it was 11:47 a.m. It wasn't too bad for the first day. They knew where the Evil Witch was for sure now.
    "We should go to a hospital," she said.
    "No."
    "It's probably a good idea to get it checked out."
    "It is a minor injury. I know what needs to be done."
    "I remember you saying something similar about charging into Tudor Land."
    Edward's mouth tightened. "There were unforeseen factors that I could not have known without a scout, which we didn't have."
    "Well, I'm just glad you're okay. You're not hurt anywhere else, are you? Like maybe your hips?"
    "No."
    "Are you sure? Maybe you should check. I mean, the chandelier did fall on your hips..."
    "The chandelier struck my shoulder and merely came to rest on my hips. I assure you they are intact."
    "Oh thank God. I mean, I'm, uh, glad to hear that."
    "In any event, no hospital. I'll not be bled for something so minor."
    "'Bled'?" She made a face. "Gross. We don't do that."
    The eyebrow he'd raised at the Tudor House went up again.
    "Seriously. If that's stopping you from going to the hospital, come on. We don't leech people anymore."
    "That sort of transparent fabrication worked when I was about seven."
    Melinda crossed her arms and glared at him. "Are you calling me a liar?"
    "I would never presume to do so."
    She settled on the stool next to his. "Edward, I'm just worried about you." A curl fell over one of his eyes as he gazed at her, and she placed both of her hands under her butt so she wouldn't reach out to touch his hair. Touch
him.
"You're here because of me, and this is my world. I feel responsible, and I need to make sure you're going to be okay and get your happy ending."
    Surprise registered on his handsome face, then something soft and mysterious settled over it like a morning dew. "Nobody has ever said that to me before," he murmured. "You need not worry, Melinda."
    It was he who reached out, touched her gently, his fingertips skimming her face with such tenderness that it made her heart ache. She knew it would only lead to trouble, but couldn't help herself. Closing her eyes, she rested her cheek against his warm palm. When he leaned over and brushed his lips against hers, she sighed then opened her mouth, inviting him inside. If souls met on lovers' lips, like a poet once said, she must be meeting the missing part of herself. It was so wonderful, so mesmerizing, it took her breath away. A fine tremor