Page 25 of Claimed Gem

“I didn’t want anything to happen to you. I thought maybe I could help…”

“I wanted you to stay behind so that you were out of danger, and yet, you ran right into it.”

“I saw that man aiming at your back.”

“And you saved me,” Ries said quietly, still processing that fact.

“You put yourself in danger. I don’t think I could handle it if anything happened to you because of me,” Ries told her, taking her hand and raising it to his lips. He kissed the back of her hand and then turned it over so that their palms were nestled against one another.

The sexual tension that had been simmering just below the surface for the last several hours, threatened to burn brightly, if only they were in a different place…and his shoulder wasn’t pulsing in pain with each beat of his heart.

He wanted nothing more than to lay Stephanie down on the gurney beside him and see if she was feeling the same way he was.

“Sorry for the delay, Mr. Kafatos,” the doctor said as he arrived, breaking the magnetic pull between Ries and Stephanie. She let go of his hand.

Ries kept his eyes on hers, seeing the worry on her face, the way she bit her bottom lip, and each wince she gave as his wound was probed, cleaned, and stitched close. Once the doctor was finished dressing Ries’ shoulder, he placed his arm in a sling and turned his attention towards Stephanie. He gave her a cursory exam and declared her good to go. She would have a few bruises but Ries was placated that she had suffered no real injuries.

Ries refused to leave the hospital in a wheelchair, declaring he had walked in and was determined to walk out under his own steam.

The nurses tittered nervously, none of them quite brave enough to challenge his authority. In the end, his assigned nurse merely followed right behind him with pursed lips, as he and Stephanie made their way to the door.

Chris was waiting with the vehicle and twenty minutes later they were at the rented apartment. Ries had never been so relieved in his life.

Ries pulled Stephanie straight to the master bedroom, telling Chris to secure the premises and to not disturb them until the morning. Now that the pain medication the doctor had given him was beginning to work, he needed to have a discussion with Stephanie.

Several things were about to change, and he only hoped she wouldn’t put up too much of a fuss.

11

Ries’room smelled like him but Stephanie didn’t have time to dwell on that thought because he pushed her into the bathroom.

“Ries?” she asked when he stopped and dropped her hand, reaching into the shower to turn on the water. “What are you doing? You can’t get your wound wet.”

“The shower is for you,” he told her, retrieving a clean towel and washcloth from the shelves next to the sink.

“I can take a shower later.” She took the towel and washcloth and returned them to their original location. “You need to go lie down.”

Stephanie retreated into the bedroom, efficiently turning down the bed for him to rest..

“The doctor said you needed to take it easy so that your wound won’t start bleeding again.”

Ries approached her, clasping her head between his hands and meeting her eyes. “I could have lost you today. I just thought…”

“I’ll clean up in a bit.” Stephanie’s eyes softened and she reached up and touched his cheek. “You didn’t lose me, I’m fine.”

“Your shirt is covered in my blood.”

“I’ll change once you lie down," she offered, seeing his pallor and wanting to get him settled before he started hurting again. “Let me help you.”

Ries sat down, snagging her hand and pulling her down beside him. “We need to talk.”

“We can talk later,” she replied.

“No. This is too important. Stephanie…you shouldn’t have come to the docks. There’s a good chance that the same man who is gunning for me has now seen your face and will be coming after you as well.”

“I don’t think anyone saw me…”

“You don’t know that. Chris said the culprit got into a boat and moved away from the docks but stopped just out of our reach and turned back. This happened about the same time you came running toward me.”