Page 28 of Love From the Ashes
“There is some slight bruising…”
Reid barely heard their conversation, his gaze glued on Sofie. He knew he should excuse himself or at least turn around, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She had an extremely nice figure, and her pink lace underwear was sexy with the way it cut low in the front and barely covered her cheeks in the back. He could feel himself getting warm when Sofie took hold of the waistband and lowered her undergarment so Dr. Rowland could fully see her injury.
Sofie let go of her hem and sat in the chair, snapping Reid from his thoughts.
“I’d like to look at your eyes and ask you some questions to gauge the extent of your head injury. Can you please put your face close to the screen?” Doctor Rowland said.
Reid got up and walked to the bathroom, leaning against the door frame as he watched her. He had to be the biggest jerk on earth. Dr. Rowland was checking out Sofie because she was injured, and all he could think about was how much he wanted to put his hands all over her sexy-as-hell hips and pull her body against his. He ran his hand through his hair as he turned away. Damn, he wanted her.
“Thank you, Sofie. I don’t have any other questions for you. Can you please put Reid back on the call?”
“I’m here.” Reid sat in the other chair and turned the laptop around to face him. “Well, how is she?”
“The injury on her forehead doesn’t look serious. You can clean it, apply some antibacterial ointment, and dress it. The same goes for her forearm. But don’t scrub it too hard, and make sure you remove any debris from the wound. She’ll need to ice her hip for about twenty minutes every couple of hours. As far as a concussion goes, Sofie isn’t experiencing any of the symptoms we’d consider a red flag, so I’d recommend rest and keeping a close eye on her for now. However, if anything changes, I want you to get a hold of me at once.”
“Thank you, Doctor. Sofie doesn’t have insurance. Can you send me the bill for her charges?”
“Yes, I can do that. And like I said, if anything changes with Sofie, get a hold of me immediately.”
“I will. Good night.”
“Good night.”
Reid hung up the call and closed the laptop.
“I don’t want you to pay my medical bill. I can take care of it,” Sofie said, looking displeased.
“Please don’t argue with me for once. The bill won’t be cheap, and you won’t have any insurance until you become permanent at work. Let me take care of it, all right.”
“Okay, I won’t argue. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now I need to clean and dress your wounds. You’ll be staying here tonight since Dr. Rowland said someone needs to keep an eye on you.”
“Oh, no, no, no. I can’t do that.”
Reid gave her a stern look, daring her to argue with him.
“Fine,” Sofie said, sighing. “Can I take a shower first? The drunk guy that grabbed me was sweaty and smelly. He was pretty gross.”
“Of course. I’ll set you up in the bedroom across the hall. It has its own bathroom, so you’ll have plenty of privacy.” Reid glanced at her dress. “You’ll need something to wear. One of my tee shirts and a robe should work.” He disappeared into his walk-in closet, returning with a folded shirt in his hand and a robe draped over his arm. “The bedroom and bathroom are this way.” He handed the garments to Sofie and led her across the hall.
“This is nice.” She stood there with her back to Reid as she scanned the bedroom with its king-sized bed, fireplace, and sitting area. She placed the garments on the bed.
“There should be towels and all the amenities you’ll need, including a new toothbrush, in the bathroom. Come back to my room after you’re finished.”
“I will.” Sofie’s back was still toward Reid as she glanced toward the bathroom.
He retreated from the bedroom and had almost closed the door when he stopped. He could see through the narrow opening that Sofie’s dress had slipped from her body and was lying in a heap around her ankles, her bra and underwear following. Reid couldn’t resist staring, although he knew he shouldn’t. She was gorgeous. She had long, shapely legs, a tantalizing behind, and a tiny waist. There were two dimples above her rear, and they were sexy as hell. Sofie’s movement as she unclipped her hair snapped him from his reverie. He quietly latched the door and leaned against the wall. It took all his effort to keep from going back into the bedroom and pulling her into his arms.
Reid was sitting in the chair by his fireplace when Sofie finally returned. She was wearing his robe, the collar of his tee shirt visible underneath. He motioned her to sit in the other chair. A tube of antibacterial ointment, some gauze dressings, and Band-Aids were already on the table next to him. Sofie was quiet while Reid took care of her wounds.
“That’s it. I’ll check on your injuries in the morning, although they should be much better. Oh, and the cold pack. I use this brand I found a while back when I hurt my shoulder. It has an advanced technology that lets it stay cold for up to eight hours, so you should be able to use it several times.” Reid retrieved the cold pack and support wrap from the nightstand and handed them to Sofie. “I’m a light sleeper, so if you need anything, call out. I’ll hear you.”
“Thank you. Good night.” Sofie left the bedroom and went across the hall.
Reid showered and crawled into bed, the image of Sofie standing naked in front of him still vivid in his mind.
CHAPTER 11