Page 6 of Forged in Peril

“All right, babe,” Grace was saying from behind her computer, the lobby silent as the sounds of her keyboard ceased. “I’ve got your time card all logged in, and I’ll make sure you get an ID badge before lunch so you don’t need to be escorted through all of the doors. Security company, you know how it is.”

Grace let out a laugh that reminded Bristol of tinkling glass, and she couldn’t help but to give her a genuine smile back.

“I appreciate that, thanks a lot,” she said, pausing as she waited for further direction. Before Grace could tell her where to head next, however, she heard a booming voice behind her.

“Bristol!” the man said, almost directly over her shoulder.

She spun around at once, and she was just in time to see Cameron’s surprised expression as she dumped a half-full cup of hot tea all over the tops of her hands and down the front of her skirt, her metal travel mug making a thunderous crash as it fell against the floor.

CAMERON

For several long seconds, Cameron stood perfectly still, unable to do anything but stare as the puddle of liquid seeped out across the lobby floor. Bristol was staring down at her soaked black skirt, holding up her reddened hands as though she wasn’t quite sure they belonged to her.

Finally, he snapped into action, wanting to smack himself, not only for startling her but for standing around like an idiot when she had clearly been burned.

“Come on, there’s a first aid kit in my office,” he said, gesturing toward the elevator. Bristol followed without a word, and as soon as she was inside, he pushed the button for the third floor. She remained silent as the elevator slid neatly upward, her mouth a tight line.

Great first impression.

Burning a woman with scalding tea is always a memorable choice.

He cleared his throat, wanting to say something, but before he could come up with so much as a proper apology, the doors were opening in front of them. Bristol stepped through ahead of him, pausing as he directed her down the hallway leading to the left. Several people passed them as they rushed toward his office, including his brother Ben, who was on his way to the stairwell, balancing a tray of takeout coffees in each hand.

“Woah, woah, woah,” he said, glancing down at Bristol, who was not only much shorter than he was but about a third of his weight. “What happened? Hey, are you okay?”

Bristol’s face looked nearly as red as her hands as she gazed up at the big man.

Though Bristol had known all of his brothers when they were children and then teenagers, Cameron doubted that she’d expected the computer nerd of the family to turn into such a gym bro. Thanks to his sheer bulk he looked downright intimidating now, in his early thirties.

“I’m fine, just spilled a little tea. It’s good to see you, Ben,” she said, giving him a quick smile.

Ben looked around for a place to set down the coffees, and finding that no table had materialized in the hallway, gave Cameron a warning glance.

“You need to make sure she runs those burns under cold water for a full five minutes, at minimum,” he said, his gravelly voice firm. Bristol gave him a funny look, but he didn’t seem to notice. “That’s the best first aid for a burn. Make sure you take the time before you worry about bandages or anything else.”

“Okay, okay,” Cam said, gesturing toward the stairwell. “I’ve got this, bro.”

With a final grunt, Ben continued on his way, the paper takeout cups looking laughably tiny next to his bulky hands and arms as he shouldered his way into the staircase.

“Five minutes sounds like total overkill, but if he’s still the smart one, I guess we should listen to him,” Bristol said as they crossed the final few feet of carpet toward his office door. It was the first full sentence she’d said to him since her arrival, and despite his determination not to let her presence get to him, he couldn’t deny the warmth that rose in his chest as he looked at her.

Despite her burned hands and ruined skirt, she was just as beautiful as he remembered her, perhaps even more so. Her light brown hair brushed against her shoulders, and her green eyes were striking against her pale, slightly freckled skin. He could tell that she was wearing a little makeup, mostly mascara and a hint of something glimmering and copper on her eyelids, but it was hardly necessary. The woman woke up gorgeous.

“He’s definitely still the nerd of the family,” he said, remembering just in time that she’d spoken and was expecting him to respond. “When he goes to the public gym, women are always trying to talk to him, impressed by the muscles, you know. And then he starts going on about the latest blockchain innovation or the present state of the NFT market and they realize just how badly they chose their target.”

Bristol laughed at that, just as they reached the half-open door of his office.

“Well, I guess you should hit the sink before the burns permanently disfigure your pretty hands,” he said in a rush, gesturing toward his private bathroom at the far end of the room, half-hoping that she wouldn’t notice his awkward attempt at a compliment.

She entered the bathroom without comment, but after several long seconds standing there at the open door and listening to the sound of the running sink, he realized he couldn’t exactly wait around like an idiot for the next five minutes.

He rushed over to his desk, settling into his ergonomic chair and rooting around in search of the first aid kit he’d stashed.

Over time, all of his desk drawers had become filled with all manner of random and pointless objects. After several minutes of digging through drawer after drawer, he drew the small red bag from beneath a stack of plastic sheet protectors.

He waited for several more seconds, wondering if he had time to make the top of his desk a little more presentable before Bristol re-emerged, but before he could decide, he heard her calling out to ask him if he had any bandages.

He let out a breath as he unzipped the first aid kit, relieved to see that unlike the rest of his office, its contents were well organized–likely because he hadn’t had a chance to use this one yet. Selecting a roll of non-adhesive wound dressing, he strode into the bathroom, just in time to nearly plow into Bristol as she came out.

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