Royal Line (Tattered Royals #1) - Carrie Ann Ryan Page 0,15
her perfume, the light floral base with spicy accents was a distraction I couldn’t afford though.
Then she climbed onto my back. She was light. But that wasn’t what I noticed the most. It was her scent again. Something flowery and light with a hint of vanilla? Jasmine? It clouded my brain for just a moment.
Her voice was soft in my ear. “Like this?”
I cleared my throat. “Like that. Hold on tight.”
“Are you sure you can hold me?”
I angled my head so our gazes met for a moment. “You don’t think I’m strong enough?”
Her lids lowered for a moment, and then she met my gaze. In the moonlight, her skin looked incandescent despite the cuts and bruises. “You’re clearly solid enough. I just… I don’t want to be too much.”
“Miss London, I don’t think you are ever too much.”
She laughed then. “In that case, I don’t think you’ve met my brothers. They would disagree.”
“Well, maybe we’ll get you home and I can meet them.”
She said nothing in response. I credited that to nerves or the fact that I didn’t make much sense. And then I began our climb up. Without gloves, it was murder on my hands, but I was careful. Choosing which rocks to trust and which ones to avoid. When I lost my footing once, London held on tight, spider monkey style, and squeaked. She had a strong grip.
She didn’t panic or scream, which was beyond helpful. When we reached the top, we lay there panting for several moments.
“Oh my God, I honestly thought I was going to die down there. I’d been screaming, but no one heard me. I guess it was all in my head.”
“Well, you have so much more life to live. Don’t die on my account.”
She reached her arms around me and squeezed me tightly. “This doesn’t mean I’m a fan of your pickup lines. I’m just really grateful.”
Her warm, soft body was pressed up against me, and I didn’t know what to do with my hands. Gently, I used one to pat her back until she released me. I eased us apart as much as the rope allowed. “Let’s get this rigging off you.”
When I had the rope off of the two of us and the grappling hook disconnected, I grabbed my supplies and helped her stand. “Okay, put your arm around my shoulders, and I’ll walk you to the car. We’ll get you to a hospital so you can get checked out.”
“Oh, I don’t need a hospital. I just want to get to my friend’s place.”
I glanced down at her, caught off guard by her tone. “Are you in some kind of trouble?”
She frowned. “No, I just want to get to my friend’s. I’m fine.”
“These cuts need to be cleaned up, and you are going to bruise come the morning. You’re going to look like Barney’s cousin.”
She lifted a brow. “Who’s Barney?”
I sighed. “Giant eggplant-colored dinosaur.”
Her lips quirked. “I’m going to look like a dick?”
The laugh tore out of my throat before I realized what I was doing. “Jesus.”
She snorted a laugh. “Yes, I know who Barney is.”
“You’re fucking with me?”
“A little.”
I sighed. “God, save me from sarcastic women.”
She gave a prim shake of her head. “I can do this all day.”
She probably could. I wasn’t going to let her do that though. “Let’s get you in the passenger seat, Captain America. We can argue about where I’m taking you once we’re settled in.”
“Nice movie reference. I like how you slid that right in. As far as where we’re going, you’re taking me to my friend’s house.”
I rolled my eyes. “Uh-huh. Feet in. Careful of the ankle.”
She winced a little, but then she sat back and practically moaned as she sank into the leather. “Oh my God, this leather is divine.”
“I know, right? Seats might be the sole reason I bought this car.”
I closed the door, deposited my tools and her bag in the trunk, and then climbed into the driver’s seat. “Okay, I still say we need to take you to a hospital. At the very least, we should call the police.”
“And I will call them. I swear. I mostly just really want a hot soak.”
“You could have internal injuries.”
She met my gaze stubbornly. “I’ll call a doctor to come to the house.”
My brows lifted then. “A doctor to come to the house?”
“You know, like a concierge service. This is Paris; I know they have them. And I guarantee you, Rian will have the name of one.”