The man was positively sexy in a suit and tie, but in construction gear he was breathtaking. She couldn’t take her eyes from him, as he lifted a water bottle and took a big sip, then bent down and picked up a four-by-four. His arm muscles flexed under the weight of the wood, and she quickly closed her mouth to keep from drooling.
Why was he at a construction site? She looked around and noticed the Habitat for Humanity sign, and her last piece of ice melted around her heart. If she hadn’t been head-over-heels for the man before that moment, she was now. She knew he was generous but she’d just assumed he signed his name to a bunch of checks for charity, not that he actually came and used his own two hands, and what sexy hands they were.
She walked closer, almost as if she was in a trance. Max looked up and their eyes connected. He finished what he was doing, then jogged over to her.
“I’m glad you made it. Now, remember this isn’t for your article, but this is incredibly important to me. My dad always made sure we did more than just sign checks, he wanted us to get out in the community and really learn service,” Max told her. She didn’t know if she could talk. Thankfully she was saved from having to.
“Wow, Max, this site has sure gotten a whole lot prettier,” a man said as he stepped toward them.
“Cassie, this is my younger brother, Austin. Austin, Cassie,” Max introduced them.
“Very nice to meet you, pretty lady,” Austin said, taking her hand and giving it a kiss. She felt like she was in an old black and white film. She didn’t recognize Austin in his construction clothes, but then again, she hadn’t looked at a whole lot of pictures of him. She’d been focused on Max.
“It’s nice to meet you, too. How long have the two of you been volunteering, here?” she asked.
“I couldn’t tell you when we started. We were kids,” Austin said. Max just shrugged as if it didn’t matter.
“Do you want to help out today?” Max said, taking in her appearance. She was wearing slacks, and a blouse, and the completely wrong shoes. If he’d told her what they were doing, she would’ve dressed more properly. “I purchased some clothes, just in case,” he finished. Of course he did, she thought, but how could she be upset by something so amazing.
“In that case, I’d love to. Show me where I can get changed, then put me to work,” she told him. Max got the clothes from the trunk of the car, he’d even thought of work boots for her, then led her to a trailer where she got changed.
The day flew by for Cassie. She was put on grunt labor, picking up discarded materials, and bringing the workers supplies as they ran out, but she didn’t mind. It was exciting to be a part of it all, to watch a home be built for a deserving family. She decided she was definitely going to sign up for one of their projects. She’d find one Max wasn’t working on, though, because seeing him in those tight jeans was causing too much havoc with her body.
“Heads up,” she heard someone yell in a panic. She looked up, toward the roof, just in time to see a large piece of wood flying through the air. She jumped, but it was too late. The heavy scrap landed right on her foot, causing her to tumble over. Shooting pain shot up her leg, and she couldn’t stop the cry from escaping her lips.
“Cassie, are you okay?” Max yelled as he raced from inside the house, and dropped to his knees in front of her.
“I’m okay. It mainly just startled me,” she gasped. “It’ll stop hurting in just a moment,” she told him.
He immediately began untying her boot, and she cried out again as he pulled it off. Her foot was already starting to swell, and there was a nasty looking bruise on it.
“I’m sorry, but we had to get the boot off before your foot swelled too much,” he said, hating to be causing her any additional pain.
“I’m okay, really. I’ll just head home, prop it up, and slap some ice on it,” she told him through clenched teeth. She was trying to stop the chattering, but it really hurt, far more than she thought it should. She was sure it was nothing more than a bad bruise.
“You’re not okay. We’re going to the hospital,” he said with authority. She glared at him.
“The car’s waiting, Brother,” Austin said. She sent him a glare for good measure.
“I told you I’m fine. I just need to go home,” she said, but she may as well have been speaking to the ground.
Once they loaded her in the car, Max adjusted her so her leg was propped up on his lap. She wanted to remove it, but being down made it throb too much, so she sat there, pouting, while they made their way to the hospital. Logically, she knew she should probably have it looked at, but she was uncomfortable being pampered, plus she didn’t like taking him from the house.
“How are you feeling?”
“It hurts,” she admitted. He rubbed along her exposed calf, which took her mind away from the throbbing in her foot. Cassie stared out the window and waited for their arrival.
“You can just drop me at the hospital and get back to the house. I’m sure they still need you there. I’ll be fine,” she said. He didn’t even bother responding, just looked at her like she had a screw loose. They didn’t talk any further on the thirty minute drive.
By the time they arrived, Cassie was aching and miserable. Her foot hurt, her stomach was in knots and she hoped they just gave her something to knock her out so she could sleep the rest of the day.
Max helped her from the car, placing her in a wheelchair, which she didn’t like at all, but it was better than him carrying her around, since he was determined she not put any pressure on her foot. She couldn’t lie in his arms, anymore, without it tearing her up inside.
He wheeled her up to the counter and explained the situation. They got her into a back room, immediately. She knew if she’d come in on her own she would’ve sat in the waiting area forever. She felt a bit guilty that he was able to use his name to get her quicker service for such a minor injury, when she was sure there were people there that needed help far worse than her, but her foot was really throbbing so she didn’t complain about it.
He stayed by her side the entire time. The doctor walked in, shook Max’s hand, then had her x-rayed, cleaned up, and wrapped in no time. It figured that Max knew the doctor on call. Who didn’t he or his family know?
Luckily, her foot wasn’t broken, just had a nasty bruise, and a slight crack. It didn’t need a cast, thank goodness, and she should be on her feet in no time. It was as she’d suspected. The doctor gave her a few sample packets of pills so she wouldn’t have to stop at the pharmacy, then ordered her to keep off her foot for the next few days. She knew that would be impossible. She lived on her own.
“Thank you, Max,” she practically choked out. He gave her a wide smile.
“I’m sure that thank you caused more pain than your injury,” he said with a wink.
“I do appreciate it, but you didn’t have to ruin your day by catering to me. It’s not even a bad injury,” she pouted.
“So, in your opinion, I should’ve just left you twitching on the ground.” When he said it like that, he made her sound ridiculous. Of course, he wouldn’t just leave her lying there, but his driver could’ve easily taken her to the hospital. She was sure Max knew she would’ve made him take her home and forgone the hospital.
He wheeled her back outside, where his driver was waiting. They loaded her back into the car, and she leaned her head against the seat. The pain pills were kicking in and she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes open. She decided to rest them for a moment. She was partially pulled from her sleep when she felt Max’s arms come around her. She just couldn’t open her eyes, so she laid her head on his shoulder, and quickly fell back asleep.
Cassie woke up with her foot throbbing and turned over. She slowly opened her eyes as she realized she wasn’t in her bed. She pushed her arm out, feeling the satin sheets, and the soft pillow. Yep, definitely not her bed. She looked around just as Max walked in the room.
“Your foot is probably throbbing again. You’ve been asleep for several hours,” he said casually as he helped her sit up and placed a tray on her lap.
“Where am I?” she asked, though she had a bad feeling she already knew.
“My house. The doctor said you couldn’t put any weight on your foot over the next few days so that ruled out your place,” he said. She had to fight down the panic. She couldn’t stay with him, in his bed, surrounded by his scent. She was trying to distance herself from the man. Him taking care of her wouldn’t help her accomplish that goal.
“I…I can’t stay here,” she stuttered.
“Of course you can,” he said with steel running through his voice. It was the tone she was used to when he wasn’t willing to compromise. She’d lost the battle before she uttered a single word. His mind was made up, and short of a band of thieves coming in and kidnapping her, she wouldn’t be leaving his house until she could walk.
“Do you often take women as prisoners into your home?” she asked.
“Only the really lucky ones,” he said with a wink. She was trying to irritate him into leaving her alone, but apparently it wasn’t working.
The pain in her foot overruled her stubbornness, and she finally took the pill from the tray and drank it down, then picked at the food so she wouldn’t get nauseous from the pill.
“Feel better?” he asked after they sat in silence for about ten minutes. She could feel some immediate effects, and hated to admit it to him, but she was feeling a bit better already, but her eyes were already starting to droop. She needed to use the restroom, but she didn’t want to ask for his help, she’d rather crawl in there. As if he could read her mind, he pulled back the covers. She noticed, for the first time, she was wearing an oversized t-shirt, and nothing else. He must have changed her, which brought a blush to her cheeks.
“I’m going to carry you to the bathroom. I’ll come back in ten minutes and pick you up again. There’s a toothbrush in there. The doctor wants your foot to stay in this wrap all night, so you should wait to bathe until tomorrow,” he said as he placed his arms under her waist and knees. She began to protest, but he ignored her as he carried her into the luxurious bathroom, and gently sat her on the edge of the tub. “I’ll be back in ten,” he said before shutting the door.
Cassie quickly took care of her needs, and even managed to wash her face. She was getting more and more tired, though, and it was hard to hop around the bathroom. The jarring movement caused more pain to shoot through her foot. She was going to try and hop back to the bed, but she didn’t know if she could make it without falling on her face. She could’ve in her small apartment, but not his huge master bedroom.
Right on time, there was a light tap on the door, then Max peeked in. When he saw her swaying by the bathroom sink, he quickly stepped in and scooped her back up in his arms.
“Why are you so stubborn?” he admonished her. She was too worn out to argue with him, so she just rested her head on his chest, and sighed when he placed her back into the soft bed. He covered her up, and she fell asleep before he could even turn out the light.