There You Stand by Christina Lee Read Free Book Online Page B

pictured it happening after falling on my face because my dog had acted like a moron. I didn’t know which one of us had a bigger hard-on for Jude.
    When I turned to look at him, he was standing so close I could see faint flecks of brown in his vividly green eyes. As his gaze slid down the front of my torso to the ground, his eyes widened. “Your foot is a bloody mess.”
    “What?” That’s when I looked down and saw how right he was. There was a deep scrape below my ankle that I hadn’t even noticed because the fire in my back took precedence. I felt like a little kid who had fallen off his bike and was being checked on by a virtual stranger. “It’s fine.”
    I tried to reach for Chopper’s leash but Jude began hightailing it toward the street and all I could do was hobble behind.
    I gritted my teeth. “Can you hand over my dog? I need to head home.”
    Still he didn’t answer, he just looked over his shoulder and shook his head.
    “What the hell?” When we had gotten to the road, I calculated how far I had to go to make it home. It was not going to be pretty. I was already leaving an impressive trail of blood behind me on the pavement. “Give me the damn leash or I’m just going to leave my dog with you. He’d like that; he’s apparently your biggest fan.”
    Now I saw a dimple indent his cheek as he turned the corner and began heading west. I was about to part ways and go home—to hell with him—when he finally spoke. “Relax. My flat is right over here.”
    My heart almost hurtled out of my chest. “You mean the place you live?”
    He nodded again. I should’ve been grateful but a larger part of me was panicking in a completely different way. He was obviously concerned about me enough to take me somewhere to get cleaned up. My foot was gushing all over the place.
    “I’ll get blood all over your stuff.”
    He stopped and his face swung close to mine. “No worries, mate. Got to get that cleaned up. I’ll come back for my fishing gear later.”
    “It’ll get stolen.”
    He looked up and his eyes scanned the horizon. “It’ll be fine.”
    Right then I heard the distinct sound of an engine. A motorcycle engine. What the fuck? Had Jude been out here with one of the Disciples? Now I was losing it.
    My head was so jumbled, I just nodded and continued following. At this point my abraded shin was stinging and my cut foot was throbbing.
    Chopper trailed beside him on the leash like a good walker. The good walker that he never was with me. Little fucker. It was like he was showing off for Jude or something.
    He turned into the driveway of a house that had this impressive front porch and for a moment I wondered how a guy that worked at the Board Room could afford its rent.
    But then he continued walking past the silver car in the driveway and I spotted a tiny structure in the back of the property. Some of the century-old homes in this town had small cottages on their land and I’d known a few college students who rented them out over the years.
    When he got to the door, he placed his bag on the ground and began digging in his pocket for his keys. I figured at this point he’d hand over the leash so he wouldn’t have to juggle everything, but he never did.
    “Let me.” When I reached past him to grab for the lead, my chin accidentally brushed against the outer shell of his ear. I felt him shudder at the same time my mouth tingled. Either I had surprised him or he was responding to my touch, which made me feel heady. As well as confused. But I couldn’t concentrate on that due to the throbbing.
    He didn’t respond or loosen his grip on the leash as he turned the key in the lock. He stepped inside, flipped on the light, and then walked across the room to a worn-in brown couch. He patted the cushion, directing me to sit down.
    While I hobbled over and took a seat, he returned with a kitchen towel. He secured the rag around my ankle, creating a kind of a tourniquet. Then he grabbed a pillow near the