Page 29

“Oh, yeah, from the hail. You probably are too. Here.” Violet reached for the edge of Lando’s shirt and tugged it upward.

Lando firmly put her hand on Violet’s and jerked her shirt down. Being half-naked in front of Violet Myers was not something Lando was ever going to do. She could inspect herself in the bathroom with the mirror. She stepped around toward Violet’s back so there was less opportunity for undressing to happen.

“You bruise so easily,” Lando whispered, focused on the small dots littering Violet’s skin.

“It’s all part of the job.” Violet shrugged, her tone dropping and the bubbling energy from it dimming to a deep simmer. Violet turned around, killing Lando’s plan to keep some space between them. Even the top of Violet’s chest was littered with the impacts from the hail. “I have some cream that will help them if you want it.”

“I’m not sure I’ll bruise like you do.” Lando had to work harder than she’d expected to raise her gaze from Violet’s collar bones to her face, but she got stuck staring at Violet’s lips. They were thin, but slightly parted. Lando stood far too close for comfort and backed away, making a point to look into Violet’s curious gaze. “I should go check it out and change.”

“Probably. Don’t need you sick on top of stitches.”

“Right. I should probably make sure those are still dry too.”

Violet hummed, and Lando took another step backward. She finally twisted on her toes and faced her bag, grabbing a fresh pair of clothes before hiding out in the bathroom. Taking her shirt off revealed the same pattern across her skin, although she was correct, she was not bruising like Violet was. It had been a good thing they’d gotten out of the hailstorm and into the safety of the vehicle as quickly as they had.

The gauze around her arm was wet, so Lando slowly started unwrapping it. She’d have to find some more so she could keep it clean and dry, especially with the work they did. She was halfway through getting dressed when there was a knock on the door.

“Lando?”

“Yeah?”

“Got a second.”

“I’m not dressed.”

Violet snorted lightly. “Let me in so I can check your arm.”

Lando clenched her jaw. “I need more gauze.”

“I thought as much. I have some.”

In a rush, Lando pulled her shirt over her head and buttoned her pants before unlocking and opening the door. Violet shut it behind her and sat on the edge of the bathtub, an eyebrow raised. Lando sat next to her and held her arm out for Violet’s inspection.

“Diane went to get something to celebrate.”

“That’ll be nice,” Lando murmured, Violet’s fingers warm against her skin.

“It’s alcohol. I wasn’t sure…what do you want me to tell her?” Violet’s hands stopped, and she made eye contact.

Lando’s stomach swam. She hadn’t had alcohol in years, but her problems largely hadn’t been with it. She wouldn’t imbibe, for certain, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be around it. “It’ll be fine.”

Violet’s look softened. “Lando, I want you to be comfortable in your own room. Tell me what to do and I can make it happen. If you don’t want it here, we can drink in her room.”

That would leave Lando all by herself, and she was trying to make a good impression on her team. She wanted to win them over, prove that she could do the job and that she was part of this close-knit family. However, she hadn’t grown up with Diane and Violet, so she’d likely never have the relationship they did.

“It’s fine, really,” Lando murmured. “I won’t drink, but I can be around it.”

“Are you sure?”

Nodding, Lando said nothing else as she waited for Violet to start in again with her arm. The tension in the small bathroom was palpable, but it wasn’t because of how close they sat or even the fact that Violet hadn’t stopped touching her. Lando had taken great care not to be in situations where she would be tempted and yet twice in the last week she was already put in those positions. She’d resisted, easily enough, but it would only get harder as the days continued.

“Take some Tylenol, will you?”

“Yeah,” Lando answered, absentmindedly.

“Good.” Violet patted Lando’s thigh tenderly and then lifted her arm to inspect the stitches. “Well, since we took the gauze off, this looks pretty good. No infection.”

“I’m on antibiotics.”