I am going to kill Eli.
It’s his fault. It has to be. I don’t know exactly how he planned to find a stranded girl on the road, but I’m sure he did it on purpose. It’s just the sort of thing he’d do. He couldn’t keep himself away from a beautiful woman if his life depended on it.
And of course, she has to be beautiful. It was hard not to watch as she and Eli peeled off all her winter clothes. Her thick coat and fluffy hood fell away, revealing smooth curves, long chestnut hair, and a sweet, heart-shaped face. She’s wearing blue jeans that cling to her hips, and a tight thermal top that shows off her full breasts. I can see the pale line of her bra through the fabric.
And now she’s sitting in front of me, and I have to touch her, feeling the creamy texture of her soft skin. She looks up at me, her doe-brown eyes unblinking as I manipulate her neck, turning it gently from side to side. My hand looks giant under her delicate jaw. She’s tiny, probably barely five feet. I reach the back of her neck, and she winces a bit.
“Does this hurt?” I touch the tender muscle, pressing lightly. She nods, then lets out a little moan as I massage my thumb into the spot, feeling. I grit my teeth as I feel cock harden in my trousers.
Yes. I’m going to kill Eli. Slowly.
Daisy must pick up on my bad mood, because she clears her throat awkwardly. “I’m sorry to bother you like this. This probably isn’t how you wanted to spend your evening.”
“It’s my job,” I say simply.
“You’re a doctor?”
I nod, finishing up with her neck and turning my attention to her head. My fingers smooth through her hair as I feel across her scalp for a wound. It’s like running my hands through silk. Her hair is ridiculously soft, falling all the way to her waist. As I carefully part it, looking for blood or swelling, the sweet scent of peaches fills my nose. My mouth literally waters.
She quivers suddenly, a shiver shaking down her spine.
I pause. “Are you cold? Would you like a blanket?”
“I’m fine.”
“We can turn up the heat, it’s not a problem.”
“I’m not cold. Sorry. It just… it feels nice.”
I stare at her.
She squirms, clearly uncomfortable. “So. Um. You’re a doctor all the way up here? Is there even anyone for you to treat?”
“There are villages nearby. Some native Sami settlements. I pay house calls, mostly, to people who can’t reach the town hospitals.” I finish checking her head. “Look up, please.” She does, wincing a bit. Something twists in my stomach.
I put her through every test I can reasonably do at home, checking her balance, her reflexes, her pupil dilation. She passes every one with flying colours. Finally, I pull my pen out of my pocket to see how well she can track movement. I lift it in front of her face.
“Okay. I’m going to move my pen left and right. I want you to follow it with your eyes.”
She nods, turning her head as I move my pen.
I catch her chin in my hand. “Hold your head still,” I order quietly. She just looks at me, a little dazed. I keep my hand cupped under her jaw as we finish off the test, feeling her pulse batter against my fingers.
She can follow movement without any problem, so I step back, satisfied. “Very good.” I clip the pen back to my pocket. “You don’t have a concussion, although your neck seems a little sprained. You still have full range of motion, though. I wouldn’t worry too much.” Dusting off my hands, I head towards the kitchen cupboard we use as a med cabinet, rooting inside. “I’m going to give you some muscle relaxants for the pain. They’ll make you drowsy, but it’s best you sleep, anyway. Your other symptoms are probably just psychological shock. Near-death experiences tend to make you feel ill.” I find the purple pill packet I was looking for, checking the expiration date. “You should feel more normal after food and sleep. Can you make her some food, Eli? Something hot?”
“Sure.” He bounces off the counter. “You want some, too?”
“I already ate. I want to check out her car before the snow gets too bad.” I hand her the pills. “Take two when you eat. Where are you staying? Kiruna?” Kiruna is the northernmost town in the country. There’s no real reason for a tourist to go any further up than that.
She nods.
“It will take a while for the roads down to the town to be cleared, but there’s a native Sami settlement between here and there. A village. They have a mechanic. Do you have your wallet on you?”
She nods, obediently pulling it out of her jeans pocket and handing it over.
“Seriously?” Eli pipes up. “You made all that fuss about Cole towing your car, but you just give him your wallet?”
She shrugs. “I’m already here, now. If you guys are murderers, I won’t need the money when you’ve hacked me to pieces.”
My lips twitch in spite of myself. “I’m not robbing you. I’m going to call the mechanic. He won’t be able to help until the storm is over, but it’ll be quicker if we book an appointment now.” I flip the wallet open, sorting through her cards. “I’ll need your license and ID.” I spot the edge of her license and go to slide it out.
She suddenly lunges at me, snatching the wallet right out of my hand. “Sorry, sorry, um, no can do,” she babbles, wide-eyed. “I, um. Don’t have one.”
I feel an eyebrow raise. “You don’t have a license?”
“Well, obviously I do.” She swallows. “I just… don’t want to give it to you right now.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know you, yet. You might be trying to steal my identity, or something!”
“O-kay,” I say slowly. She twists to slide the wallet back into her pocket—then suddenly freezes, gripping her ribs. I frown. “Did that hurt you?” I reach for the hem of her t-shirt. “Let me see.”
She bats my hand away. “What the Hell do you think you’re doing?”
I blink. “Take your shirt off. I need to see your torso.”
“What? No!” She skids back on the table. She looks legitimately alarmed, as if I’m about to rip all her clothes off her body. “It’s fine. I just pulled a muscle lifting my suitcase earlier.”
“Take it off,” Cole growls from the doorway. “Don’t be an idiot.”
“Stop calling me an idiot,” she snaps. “It’s not idiotic to not want to take my shirt off, asshole.”
Eli snorts.
“I’m not trying to check you out,” I say calmly. “I just want to see if you’ve hurt your ribs.” She hesitates, and I reach for her again.
She slaps my hands away. “No! Stop!”
I try to push back my frustration. “Why not?”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “Because I said so! Isn’t that enough? I told you, I’m fine.”
I study her for a few seconds. She’s breathing hard, her jaw set fiercely. She looks like she’s about to fight me.
“Alright.” I turn to Eli. “Cook her some food,” I tell him, switching to Swedish. “I’m going to go check on her car. Ask her some questions. Find out who she is, what she’s doing here. Get as much information as you can.”
He gives me a lazy salute. “Right, boss.”
Daisy slips off the table, wincing as pain jolts through her again. I pause in the doorway. I’m so used to Cole hiding bullet wounds and animal bites that I can’t stop my mind going to the worse-case scenario. Internal bleeding. Shattered bone. Infection.
I feel like an asshole for pushing her, but she was in a car crash. If it’s serious, she could end up dying without immediate care. It’s not like she can get whisked off to the ER in the middle of a storm. She needs to get looked at. “Try to get her to take her shirt off,” I add. “See if there’s any bruising or cuts.”
“You perv.”
I roll my eyes and grab my coat, stepping into my snowshoes. “Just do it.” I slip on my gloves and head out into the snow.
Thank God we have Eli. If anyone will make that girl comfortable enough to let me examine her, it will be him. It’s usually a struggle to convince women to keep their clothes on when they’re around him.
He’ll get her talking, too. Eli can charm information out of just about anyone. I bet, before the hour’s up, she will have spilled her whole life story.
Then we’ll find out who this strange girl really is.
