Page 4 of The Hitman's Virgin
“You saved me,” she whispered.
He didn’t respond, but got up to stand by her bedside.
“How’re you feeling?”
“Surprisingly well,” she said
“Probably the painkillers.” He winked, then reached out to feel her forehead. “You seem well.”
“I don’t even remember coming to the hospital. The last thing I remember…” She lifted her bandaged hands. “The blood.”
“Are you normally a fainter?”
She nodded. “Since I was a kid. The sight of blood is too much for me.”
Evander knew all about her accident. She’d been twelve years old when she’d been in a bad car wreck that almost took her life. After that, she’d visited the shrink a few times but then her mother expected her to move on. He knew all about childhood trauma and how it could fuck with your head as an adult.
It had only been nine years ago. Her mother may not have given her time to heal, but he’d give her all the time she needed. He’d protect her, coddle her, allow her time to process her past.
She tried to sit up, pushing with her hands, then winced.
“Hey there, take it easy. No rush to get up. Your hands will be tender for a while.”
“This isn’t good. I kind of need my hands for work.”
“Work should be the last thing on your mind right now, Callie.” He brushed some stray hairs aside, loving the soft texture of her cheek. “You should just rest.”
“I don’t have that luxury. Guy certainly won’t put up with me missing a shift with less than twenty-four hours’ notice.”
“What about that man who did this to you? Aren’t you afraid of running into him again? You never asked about calling the cops or anything.” Part of him was angry she’d think solow of herself. He wanted her to feel angry, scared, vengeful, anything but worrying about her next fucking paycheck while she was confined to a hospital bed.
“I don’t know, Evander. It’s part of the job. I shouldn’t have gone out back alone. It was my fault.”
He clenched his jaw to keep from saying what he felt. Besides the way his cock twitched when she said his name, he was pissed off she’d blame herself.
“It was not your fault.”
“Guy was supposed to replace the lightbulb in the back, but I knew better.”
He wasn’t having this one bit. No way would he allow Callie to think she had any part in this bullshit. Even though he knew the asshole would never bother her again, she didn’t. As far as she was aware, he’d be waiting for her again tomorrow.
“No man should raise a hand to a woman or force himself on her without permission,” he said, matter-of-factly. “Not you. Not any woman. Don’t allow yourself to accept anything less.”
“Why do you care?” she asked. Then she smiled. “Ah, I was right about you after all. You don’t belong in that place. You’re better than that. Your mother obviously raised you to be a gentleman, and you’re a very rare breed. Trust me on that.”
He wanted to tell her he raised himself, that he’d been on the streets since he was seven years old. Whatever fucking horror movies she’d watched in her lifetime wouldn’t compare to what he’d been through the past forty years. His morals were his own, and he didn’t have many, just a few.
Instead, he replied, “You deserve better if you think that’s the standard.”
“What are you going to do, Evander? Whisk me away to your castle? This isn’t a Cinderella story, no matter how much I wish it were some days.”
****
Callie wondered why her mysterious knight in shining armor had bothered to stick around after saving her in the back alley. It meant a lot that he’d brought her to the hospital and made sure she was okay. It wasn’t something she was used to, but it was immensely nice for a change.
His eyes were the oddest shade of green and they contrasted against his dark hair and five-o’clock shadow. The man was built, a completely different breed than her usual clientele. He’d taken off his suit jacket and the material of his shirt strained against his hard muscles. Why would a man like him bother going to a place like Guy’s Titties night after night in the first place? It didn’t make sense to her. He could get any woman he wanted—for free.
“You need a little magic back in your life, sweetheart. You need to smile more.”
