Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 97577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
“It burns!” I hollered, grabbing hold of the sink, trying to wash out my eyes only to have Odette rush to me.
“No water!”
“It burns! Agh!”
“Why would you rub your eye as you’re cutting peppers?” she yelled at me.
“I forgot!”
“Who forgets something as they’re doing it!”
“I am in pain! Why are you yelling at me?”
“Because! Ugh!” She grabbed my arms and led me from the sink.
“Where are we going?” I panicked because I could not open my eyes.
“Don’t worry. I have you. Come on, sit.” She guided me to the stool, helping me sit down. The panic was gone, but the burning still ate its way through my cornea. It hurt so bad my legs shook.
“We should take him to the hospital,” Iskandar said from my left, and I wished I could see his face because he sounded worried.
“You do not take people to the emergency room for this—get me milk,” she said back.
“Milk?”
“Ms. Odette—”
“Iskandar, do you know anything about the American medical system? No. You don’t. If you did, you would know that all the time we used to get there, explain what happened, and did the paperwork, would only leave him like this for longer!” she snapped at him.
“I would not prefer that,” I muttered, wincing in tears that only spread the pain.
“Here’s the milk,” Wolfgang said to my right.
She did not say anything back, but I did feel the soaked paper towel she dabbed on my eyes, milk seeping into them, calming the fire. It did not take too long for my legs to stop trembling. I exhaled with relief.
“You are like a little kid trapped in a man’s body. You know that?” she whispered, her face directly in front of mine.
So close that I could feel her breath on my skin as I could also feel her hands on my face. She turned my head in any direction she needed without even asking.
“I have been told that once or twice,” I whispered. Though I doubted a little kid would fight the desire to touch her like I was. I felt exactly where her body was in front of me. The temptation to wrap my hand around her waist and bring her into me was strong.
“How does it feel now?” she whispered, and a shiver went up my spine.
It felt like I needed more pepper in my eyes to make her stay this close. “Better,” was what I actually said.
“Can you open your eyes?”
I did but only for a half a second before having to close them. Her brown face was a blur, but a very pretty blur.
“Why are you smiling?”
Shit.
“Ugh, am I? I’m just trying to keep my eyes from watering,” I sort of lied.
“Okay, you should lie down.” She put her arm over my shoulder and hugged me... Oh, I definitely need more pepper to the eye.
“I can get him—”
“No, you cannot,” I uttered back to Iskandar in Ersovian.
“What did you say?” Odette asked, her arms still around me.
“I told him not to panic. I’m better.”
“Okay, watch your step,” she said, making us circle around something for a moment. It took a bit more maneuvering before she finally got me to the couch. “Okay, lie back.”
Her hands on my chest and shoulder burned worse than my eyes. When she put a wet towel on my eyes, I reached up, and her hands met mine.
“No, don’t move it. Stay like this for a few minutes.”
“Where are you going?” I grabbed her hand.
“To finish dinner. Don’t worry. Your bodyguard is right here.”
I pouted. “You would leave me in his care? He would call an ambulance if I sneezed now.”
“I see you are feeling better. Part of me wished it burned longer,” Iskandar replied but spoke in Ersovian.
“He said he is not sure if you know what you are doing,” I lied.
“Well, excuse me!” she snapped at him, and I closed my lips. “It’s not my fault this happened, and as you can see, he is getting better. You don’t have to be so uptight about everything. He’s a person. Accidents happen.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
“I’ll be right back. Just give me a few seconds. Call out if it starts to hurt again,” Odette said down to me, and I nodded.
It was only when her footsteps faded a bit that Iskandar spoke again.
“Are you pleased with yourself, sir,” Iskandar whispered.
I grinned. “I apologize, but let me enjoy this. This is the most tender she has been to me since I came here.”
“Fine, so long as you do not go injuring yourself for her attention.”
“I would never do that.” I would definitely think about it, but I would not actually do it.
What a day. I had much more fun than I thought I was going to have. This was how normal people lived. Getting haircuts in kitchens—or wigs—going to grocery stores, making their own dinner, getting pepper in their eyes.