Page 13 of Small Town Swoo
“How’s the pain?” he asked, speeding away from Buckley’s Pub.
“Not too bad,” I lied.
“I’m sorry, Ari. It’s my fault.”
I stared at him. “Why would it be your fault?”
“I was making jokes and distracting you while you were trying to work.” He actually sounded sincere.
“It was an accident, Dash. I wasn’t being careful enough.”
He pressed his lips together, saying nothing. His profile was chiseled perfection, making my heart throb as hard as my finger.
When we arrived at the closest hospital, Dash dropped me off at the emergency room doors and told me he’d meet me inside after parking the car.
“You don’t have to stay,” I told him.
“I’ll be right in.”
I was sitting in the waiting room, listening for my name to be called, when he appeared in the doorway. My heartskittered at the sight of him scanning the room, looking for me with that concerned expression on his face. He’d ditched the ball cap, and his hair was slightly disheveled, as if he’d just run his fingers through it.
When he spotted me, he came over and sat down in the chair next to mine.
“You don’t have to stay,” I told him again.
“Are you going to keep saying that, hoping I leave?”
“Maybe.”
He leaned back, crossing an ankle over one knee, arms folded over his chest. “Well, I’m not leaving. How’s the finger?”
“Hurts.”
“Do you want me to call someone? Your parents?”
I shook my head. “They’re out of town for ten days. Anniversary cruise.”
“Boyfriend?”
“No boyfriend,” I said, staring at my sneakers.
“Good.”
I risked eye contact.
He shrugged, his mouth curving up on one side in a sexy crooked grin. “Might have been awkward to call him, since you saw me naked today.”
I looked at my feet again.
“So have you recovered from the trauma of that experience?”
“I’m pretending it didn’t happen.”
“Oh. Cool. We’re good at that.”
“Good at what?”
“Pretending things didn’t happen.”
