Page 40 of Tempted By her Daddies

Lord. He sounded like a blathering idiot!

“I’m fine,” she groaned, pushing herself up so she stood. He held out his hands, not touching her but doing his best to be there in case she fell.

“Just a bit embarrassed, TBH.”

“To be honest? There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” he told her. “Although you really shouldn’t have been running down the stairs.”

Blathering badgers.

What was he doing, scolding her, when he was the one who had made her run?

“You need to sit down. I’ll get you some painkillers. Are you sure you’re not hurt? Does anything feel like it’s broken?”

“Definitely not broken. I know what broken bones feel like.”

“You do? Did you break a lot as a child?”

“Um, yes.” She gave him a strange look. “Also, I don’t need any painkillers.”

He followed her into the kitchen, watching her carefully. But she didn’t appear to be moving too stiffly. She sat on a stool at the kitchen island while he grabbed some painkillers and gave them to her along with a bottle of water.

Then he turned on the kettle and got out some cups.

“You don’t have to do that,” she said as she slid off the stool. “I have to get back to work.”

“Do not move,” he barked.

They both froze and she stood there, half on, half off the stool.

“I mean, sit.”

He really should be more careful with this new superpower.

“I don’t want you to work for the rest of the day,” he told her.

“But it’s only three.”

“You took quite a spill. You should rest. I’ll call you a cab to take you home after your cup of tea.”

A cup of tea could fix most things, he’d found.

“No need! I skated today.”

“You . . . skated today,” he asked as he made the tea.

“Yes.”

“To here? From home?”

“Well, yes. I mean I did have to take the underground for part of it. I did really well. Only fell over twice.”

“You must be covered in bruises!”

“It’s just bruises.”

He didn’t like how dismissive she was of injuries to her body. She should take them more seriously.

“I don’t want you to roller skate to work again,” he ordered. “Did you even have any safety gear on?”

---