Page 12 of Blind Attraction

“No, I’ll take you.” Mitchell clutched her knee, and she fought the urge to squeeze her thighs together. Surely there had to be a hierarchy of priorities in a situation like this, and sexual desires shouldn’t be at the top of the list. “I already have a driver waiting.”

Another uncomfortable silence followed, broken only by Blake clearing his throat in the distance. She wanted to growl in frustration, even blinked her eyes open to try and see what they were doing, but it was no use.

“Maybe I can stay here and have a quick nap while Mitch takes you. It won’t be long until I have to get up for work and I could use some sleep.”

Alana faced Kate. She felt like a burden to everyone and didn’t know who to intrude upon. Should she trust her instincts and go with the intense stranger who wanted to take care of her, or beg her friend to give her the safer option?

“Sorry, I forgot you have to work in the morning.”

“Technically, it’s today, but I’m not too worried. I can run on a few hours sleep.” A tender hand rested on her shoulder and squeezed.

Alana mentally pulled up her big girl panties and raised her chin. She trusted Kate to help lead her into the right decision, and if Mitchell was determined to take her, it would be stupid to protest. “All right.”

She held out her glass and someone took it. Mitchell’s hand supported her elbow as she moved to her feet, and his heady scent filled her nostrils. “I guess that means you’ll be helping me wash my face and use the facilities too.”

Mitch led Alana from the car with one arm around her back, and his other hand entwined with hers. He’d dug himself into a hole simply fighting for the opportunity to take her to the optometrist.

When Kate had begun to agree to drive Alana herself, he’d fixed her with a frown and shook his head. She stared at him in question, but didn’t say a word. Not until Alana was in the bathroom. That’s when the fan girl antics started.

“You feel obligated to help her, don’t you?”

A few tired seconds passed before he understood what the hell she was talking about.

“I watched the interview you did with Sandra Waters a few years ago. You helped resuscitate the groupie who overdosed on your tour bus.”

Mitch clenched his jaw and raised an eyebrow while she continued.

“I remember your offhanded comment about always wanting to help people. You said you felt obligated to stick around until things were resolved. You mentioned you learned it from your mother who’s a charity volunteer.”

Oh, Mitch remembered too. The whole situation had been a publicity stunt. Well to a degree anyway. One of their groupies had come close to permanently checking out on the bus.

Instead of leaving the media’s focus on the bad influence of musicians using drugs, they fudged the facts. With his mom being a long serving supporter and volunteer for numerous charities, they used him as the scapegoat and turned the story around to an uplifting piece on how he saved the life of a fan.

At the time of the nationally broadcasted interview, he’d still been in shock at watching a woman almost choke to death on her own vomit. None of them were aware of the drug use. He’d been so traumatized that he repeated exactly what his PR manager suggested. In the end, it made him appear to be a man who went above and beyond to be a Good Samaritan, instead of the freak under pressure that he was.

But he couldn’t tell Kate it was a load of B.S. so he nodded.

Technically, it wasn’t a lie. For starters, he did feel obligated to help Alana. He also needed to figure out why she seemed important to him—why he didn’t want to watch her leave. The fact that he yearned to get her naked and hear her sigh his name in pleasure came in a close third.

The optometrist’s lights glowed in the darkness of early morning, and a slim woman with gray hair walked toward the sliding doors to meet them.

“You must be Mr. Davies and Ms. Shelton. I’m Louise Pierce.”

He smiled at her. “Please call me Mitch. And this is Alana.” He would’ve offered his hand, but he had no intention of letting go of the warm bundle in his arms anytime soon.

“Nice to meet you, Mitch.” She indicated for them to move inside and locked the door behind them. “So, how are you doing, Alana?”

He squeezed Alana tight around the waist, offering his support.

“I’m all right. A little worried. I’m hoping the damage isn’t permanent.”

Louise strode alongside them, helping lead Alana to the back of the building. “Well, let’s take a look. You can wait out here, Mitch.”

He dropped his arms from around Alana’s body, and a sudden chill swept over him. The women walked away, heading to the first door down the hall. Muffled words brushed his ears as he inspected the display cases filled with glasses, each step bringing him closer to where Alana and Louise spoke.

“These drops will help to show any damage to your cornea. They may sting a little.”

Mitch paused, waiting for a gasp, an oath, a whimper. When nothing came he relaxed a little, still inching further down the hall.

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