Page 26 of No Man's Land

Alex didn’t reply, but Josef saw an amused glint in his eyes that made his heart jump infuriatingly. For God’s sake, the man had practically kidnapped him at gunpoint.

They were met in the foyer by a concierge who tipped his hat and said, “Good evening, my lord.” His gaze alighted on Josef in his shabby coat and flat cap, more dishevelled than usual after this evening’s events. He probably had blood on his collar.

“All right?” Josef said, injecting as much Spitalfields as possible into his accent.

“Sir.” No inflection whatsoever in the concierge’s voice. Perhaps he was used to Alex bringing home rough young men for the evening?

The thought didn’t sit well, for reasons Josef chose not to consider.

“I’m on the fourth floor,” Alex said, striding across the foyer toward a bank of lifts.

Josef followed, gazing around at the elegantly dressed men and women coming and going. He’d never been inside one before, but these modern mansion flats were all the rage among a certain class of toff. Half hotel, half lodging house, the place came with an army of servants to pamper its residents and, no doubt, all sorts of modern conveniences.

The only convenience Josef wanted as he stood in the lift was somewhere to lie down. As his tension subsided, his headache grew more severe, thumping in the back of his skull.

The lift slowed to a stop, and he felt Alex’s hand on his arm. “Here we are.”

Josef blinked open his eyes; he didn’t remember closing them.

One hand keeping a firm grip on his bicep, Alex marched him out of the lift and down a short hallway to a door that he unlocked. It led into…well, had he been in less pain, Josef might have whistled in astonishment. As it was, he had a brief glimpse of opulence before Alex steered him toward a large bathroom. “Sit,” he said.

Josef sat, knees folding as he collapsed onto the wicker chair in the corner. Half his brain thought ‘fancy having a bathroom big enough for a chair’. The other half shut down, and he slumped forward, face in his hands, and concentrated on quelling the pain.

A gurgle of pipes and the splash of running water roused him, and he lifted one eyelid to see Alex leaning over the bath, testing the temperature of the water coming out of the taps.

Odd.

As he watched, Alex straightened and turned around, drying his hands on a fluffy towel. “Right,” he said, with the air of a man meeting a challenge. “Let’s have a look at you.”

Josef said, “Youarea doctor then?”

“Let’s just say I’ve had some experience in field medicine.” Which, like most of Alex’s answers, was hardly an answer at all. He crouched down in front of Josef, took his face in both hands, and examined his eyes. Warm hands, large and comforting. Which was ridiculous, all things considered. But this close, Josef could see a livid bruise rising along Alex’s jaw and a raw scrape over his high cheekbone. They made him more real, somehow, tarnishing his patrician polish. And it was impossible not to notice the flecks of green in his dark blue eyes. Or the fact that they were…gazing at each other.

Alex seemed to notice at the same time and cleared his throat. “Good,” he said with a curt nod. Josef assumed that meant neither of his pupils were blown. Standing, Alex ran his fingers lightly through Josef’s hair to the back of his skull. “Lean forward,” he said quietly.

Josef leaned, refusing to acknowledge the electric sensation caused by Alex’s fingers in his hair.

“Well, you’ve got a lump the size of an egg back here, but the cut isn't deep, and it’s stopped bleeding. Devil of a headache, I imagine.”

“And how.”

“Possibly a trifle concussed.” Alex’s fingers lingered in Josef’s hair, and after a hesitation, he added, “I need to know if it bit you.”

Reluctantly, Josef sat up, dislodging Alex’s hands. “Tell me what it was.”

“Show me your neck first.”

Too tired to argue, Josef unbuttoned his collar and pulled it aside, tipping his head to let Alex see. He jumped when Alex’s warm fingers brushed his skin, probing into his hairline and down over his collarbone. Despite his aches and pains, Josef felt a powerful charge building inside his body. Entirely autonomic and completely beyond his conscious control. If Alex was the lightning, Josef was the copper wire electrified by his touch.

“Good,” Alex said again, stepping back. His voice was a little throaty. “Now, take off your clothes and get in the bath.”

Josef stared. “What?”

“I need to see—”

“You already saw.”

Delightfully, a flush crept across those refined features. “I need to ensure there are no bites.”

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