Page 33 of Her Bossy Daddy

“Your feet aside, if you’ve got a got a deep cut you might need stitches. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

Liam told me he had gotten his paramedic certification but I didn’t think he’d spent a lot of time in the field. He returned to the couch with a duffle bag in one hand, a tee-shirt in the other. “What’s in that?”

“Name it. It’s probably in here.”

“A thermometer?”

“Don’t get cheeky. I keep that in another bag but I can easily go and get it.”

“I was trying to be funny, but I’m not really in the mood.” I squirmed. “Are you trained to apply stitches?”

“Trained would be an overstatement, but I’ve done it about a dozen times or so.” He pulled out a bunch of supplies. “My mates back in Ireland sometimes beat the crap out of one another after too much drinking, or they’d pick a fight with some other bloke at the pub.” Liam dabbed something on my knee and it burned badly.

“Ouch!” I threw my legs off the coffee table and shook my head. “No more. That hurt.”

“I’m sorry, love, but we can’t have those wounds getting infected.” Liam lifted my knees and deposited them back onto the table. “After I get you bandaged up, I’ll make us some tea.”

“Tea sounds fantastic.” Sarcasm dripped from my words. I wasn’t in the mood for tea or anything else. Liam gently probed the edge of the largest wound and I winced though I’d somehow managed to stay still. “Is it really a good idea to trust a sadist with a needle and thread?”

“Em, well, my mates don’t know about my extracurricular activities, love,” he chuckled. “Lucky for you, I don’t need to show you my epic sewing skills. The cut on your knee isn’t as deep as I thought it might be.” He kissed me just above the nasty gash, and then he blotted a small pad against it. I braced for the sting, but he blew lightly across the top of it and it eased the pain. He repeated the process, and it hurt less and less each time.

“Super lucky,” I muttered. Liam applied gauze and antibiotic ointment to each cut, and then he inspected the rest of my body until he reached my face. I ached all over and wanted this ordeal to be done with.

“No chipped teeth. That’s a good sign.” He released my chin and then motioned for the papers littering the couch.

“I think Milly is behind this stunt at work.” I handed him the wrappings for the bandages and tape. “I might just go all out on her tomorrow.”

“Em, no. No, you won’t be going all out on Milly or on anyone tomorrow. I’m not talking about her or my suspension for the rest of the night. Get me?” He unzipped my dress, and then removed the rest of my clothing.

Somewhere along the way, he made the decision for me to stay tonight. Relief flooded my brain; he wanted me here. “She has to come clean,” I whined. “You can’t just let her wreck everything.” A shirt appeared over my head and I fought to get my arms through. “Why won’t you listen?”

“This isn’t open for discussion at the moment.”

“No, it never is.” I smoothed the shirt down over my body, loving how soft it felt against my skin and how the subtle scent of his aftershave lingered. It almost distracted me from the point.

“I have to sort this out, Lacey. Please do not involve yourself any more than you already have.”

“We don’t have any rule that prevents me from doing so. “

“We don’t explicitly have a rule about it.” His lips drew into a straight line. “I’m telling you to mind yourself.”

“And if I don’t?” I’d pushed against his order, but Milly needed to pay for her false accusations. It had to be her.

“Enough, Lacey. We’re both exhausted.” His eyebrows furrowed. “Let’s skip tea, and go lie down in bed. It’s early, but we’ve both put ourselves through the ringer today.”

“Whatever,” I snapped, but immediately wished I hadn’t. “I mean whatever you want.”

“Em, I doubt you meant that, but I’ll let it slide. We have several things to discuss tomorrow, and not all of them will be pleasurable.”

“Can we please talk about it all now?”

“No.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not entirely sober, and you just scared the life out of me. It’s not the time.”

Shit. I imagined our talk wouldn’t be fun for me, but I needed further clarification. “But—”

“This topic is done. Come with me or stay out here, but hurry up and pick one.” He fiddled on his phone while he waited for a response.

“Is your phone more important than my answer?”

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