Page 40 of Wild For You

Kissing her has only fueled my wants and needs. Kissing her has made me realize what I have been missing out on. I want her to leave, but at the same time I want her to stay.

“Dad hired you,” I say matter-of-factly. “I didn’t get a say in the matter. So, naturally, you’re staying because of him.”

She nods. “Yes, but I want to assure you—”

I laugh. “Please, Erin. Stop with the reassurances. I know you’re good. I Googled you the moment you told me your name.”

“You remembered my name and pretended you didn’t?” Her brows shoot up in annoyance.

“I had to make sure he hired a therapist, not a dragon.” I sigh. “Don’t take it personally. People around here don’t wait for an invitation. They just show up and meddle in your affairs before you’re even aware of your own matters. Dad means well, but he can be a little overbearing.”

Her lips quirk a little, which brings a tiny smile to my face. Who knew Little Miss Prissy had a sense of humor?

I try to sit up straight, silently cursing and groaning. Maybe my family’s right and I need help to get back on my feet.

I can feel Erin’s hand hovering near my arm.

“Don’t,” I say sharply.

Thankfully, I’ve found a comfortable position that makes the pain subside, but it doesn’t melt away. In fact, it’s become such a part of my life that it feels as though it’s been with me forever.

“You’ve been avoiding me since my arrival,” Erin says, ignoring my silent invitation to sit down. “You think that’s the way to get rid of me. This and being rude, and obnoxious.”

“It’s not doing the trick, is it?”

She stares at me gravely, then shakes her head. “You think I’ve never had patients who swear and proclaim their profound hate for me? Well, think again. It’s natural to be resentful, to want to be alone in hard times.”

“Tell that to my family.”

“I can try, but they won’t understand,” Erin says. “They think what we’re doing is like a workout. You train, and you get better. But in the beginning, during the first few weeks, therapy can be very frustrating. It often feels like you take one step forward and two steps back. It’s hard, and it’s cruel. Most patients want to give up. It might take all your willpower to keep going. When the frustration kicks in, I’m the one who’ll help you to overcome it.” She touches my arm. “You will walk again one day, Cash, there’s no doubt about that. I’ll make that path easier and shorter for you, I promise you.”

“Okay.” I suck in a sharp breath, but not because I’m pissed. In the fairy lights twinkling above our heads, her eyes are such a beautiful shade of blue that I can barely look away. She isn’t just pretty; she’s something else. Cool and unaffected. Professional and maybe even a little bit sad. It’s such a strange combination; strong, and yet fragile. Unreachable, yet so damn alluring.

“Okay as in ‘you’ll stop avoiding me, and you’ll let me help you?’ Or ‘okay as in shut your mouth, and move on?’” she asks.

“No.” I draw out the word. “Okay as in ‘Will you finally stop with the preaching if I submit myself to your care, but only under a few conditions’?”

“Conditions?” she asks, warily.

“You didn’t really think I would go down without putting up a fight, did you? I’ll need you to get accustomed to my wishes. Come here, Erin.” I pat the space on my recliner, right next to my bad leg.

She crosses her arms over her chest, and our eyes connect fiercely. There’s a battle in her eyes. It’s not like her to follow a man’s command, but she most certainly hasn’t met someone like me yet.

“I’m not going to repeat myself. Come here,” I say calmly and watch her as she slowly gets up and lowers herself next to me, making sure not to touch me. The fact that she’s put as much distance as she possibly can between us irks me, but I choose to ignore it, for the time being.

“My father hired you because he thinks I need help,” I begin. “I don’t particularly agree with him.”

She opens her mouth to speak. I hold up a hand to silence her and continue, “This isn’t my first injury, and it probably won’t be my last. I’ve dealt with things like this on my own my entire life. I don’t want you here, meddling in my affairs. But I assume you need the job, and you don’t seem so bad.”

“Gee, thanks.” She smirks. “That’s quite the compliment.”

I frown at her sarcasm. “My point is, if I send you away, my father will hire the next therapist. And that one might not be so…agreeable.”

Or fuckable.

“Agreeable?” Her brows shoot up, and she licks her lips. Her emotions are written all over her face. She’s angry as hell. Offended. I realize my words weren’t well chosen, but I need her to know her place.

“This is what I propose. I want you to stop working for my father. Instead, I want you to work for me. As long as you’re here, I’m the boss, and you’re to agree to my wishes. You do what I want and when I want it.” I hold her gaze. “I expect you to respect my privacy and don’t let people in unless I’ve explicitly told you so. Those are my conditions.”

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