THE PHONE

Halle stood on shaky legs, her senses heightened due to the darkness. She knew where everything was but at the same time was still way too cautious to act on impulse.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He held her hand and pulled her back, his voice sounded weaker but it didn’t lose that dark undertone or danger it made her feel.

“You s…said to patch you up,” She stuttered, “and I don’t have night vision,”

Fuck!. Her coping mechanism was rearing its ugly head! Making jokes when it wasn’t really needed. Halle couldn’t see the man’s expression but she could feel the tension radiating off him with just a hint of anger.

Yeah, she was definitely going to lose her life tonight but she’d be damned if she lets him take her down without a fight.

Surprisingly, he lets go of her hand and nods, “Turn the lights on but don’t try anything else…” He warned in a low voice.

Halle swallowed with much difficulty, nodding vigorously like she was being paid to do it before willing her already weakened legs to carry the weight of the rest of her body.

The light switch was only a few steps away from the bed. As Halle walked to the bedside with slow and calculated steps in the dark, she contemplated feeling the sheets for her phone and calling the police.

He might get to her before then, then he’d shoot her in the head.

Halle exhaled shakily as her hands met the wall and she felt around for the light switch.

It turned on in an instant, blinding lights heading straight for her eyes and brightening up the apartment.

She blinked back the prickly tears and then turned around slowly.

The first thing noticed was the gun in her face, then deep dark brown eyes that glittered under the lights in the apartment.

Holy-shit-he-is-hot

Halle didn’t realize she was holding her breath, her gaze drifted down from his thick and lovely-shaped eyebrows to his pale pink lips, they were full and looked extremely soft. Halle’s fingers itched to feel the skin beneath her fingers, then she mentally slapped herself for the stupid thoughts.

No. She would not be swayed by his beautiful eyes and well-defined jaw, that dark stubble that covered his chin, cheeks, and the top of his lips…his bronze skin, and long black hair that reached the top of his shoulders.

No…she was definitely not affected and definitely will not be affected by the mesmerizing sight of him!

“Like what you see?” He smirked, his deep voice bringing her out of her lust-filled thoughts and back to the present.

Right.

There was a gun pointed at her face.

Halle’s eyes roamed across his body again, she avoided his eyes and bent her head just so he wouldn’t see her flushed cheeks.

He wore a black leather jacket with a grey shirt underneath, black jeans, and black sneakers.

He looked like a man on a mission, the dark emotions that swirled in his eyes and the hardness of his jaw.

He wasn’t one to mess with.

“Where are you hurt?”

Halle was shocked by the fact that she managed a sentence without sounding like a blubbering fool. His eyes narrowed as he lowered his gun but never put it in his waistband as they did in the movies or set the gun down. He held it In his hand like it was a fifth limb he couldn’t get rid of.

He used his other hand to open the side of his jacket, his eyes never leaving Halle’s as he did so.

Halle bit her bottom lip at the first sight of blood in his clothes. The left side hidden under the jacket was dyed red and by the look of it, was still spreading.

Halle took a subconscious step back. Sure she was a medical student but she’s only just begun school! She was only taught the basics and even then she didn’t want anything to do with blood.

So much for wanting to be a nurse.

“You look like you’re about to pass out,” She heard him chuckle as he closed his jacket and crossed his arms over his chest.

His voice was weak get his eyes were alight with humor but that didn’t lessen the dangerous air around him.

It was almost suffocating and the fact that he towered over her small frame like a fucking building didn’t really help matters.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of blood,” A beautiful eyebrow cocked and Halle’s attention was slowly taken away.

"A medical student afraid of blood," He laughed and shook his head, "That's a first for me,"

“I…” She coughed, a poor attempt to clear her throat, “I am not afraid of blood,” She rambled.

"And I have only been a nursing student for half a year, just because I'm not used to-" Halle caught herself before she could ramble some more.

"I am not afraid of blood..." She said again.

A lie, but he didn’t need to know that.

She lifted her chin and squared her shoulders with false confidence.

“Please take off your shirt and sit on the bed,” She said, her cheeks setting ablaze the second the words left her lips.

“Damn…” Came that deep baritone chuckle, “Don’t you think that’s going a bit too fast?”

“Huh?”

“We’ve only just met,” He teased.

Halle’s eyes widened in realization, she gasped and looked away from the outrageous man, her hands moving up to palm her cheeks.

“You know that’s not what I meant!” She exclaimed which only managed to earn her a chuckle from him and a sarcastic,

“Sure,”

"Just do as I asked,"

"Your wish is my command," He replied, showing his pearly whites as he grinned.

He was getting to her.

She will not let him get to her!

Halle stared down at her feet and gritted her teeth to hold back a snarky reply.

That would earn her a bullet in her pretty little head and there might be a chance that she’d survive it.

She wouldn’t be able to afford the hospital bills…Her mouth had to stay shut.

When she was sure she was calm enough to look him in the eyes, she turned around.

He was already seated on the bed, which made her wonder how he moved without her hearing his footsteps.

His jacket and shirt were tossed clumsily on the bedside table, staining the brown wood with blood.

Her sheets too had already been stained, and blood trickled down his left side, it looked like a stab wound to his rib but thankfully it hadn’t hit any vital points that would cause excessive bleeding.

He just sat there, half-naked and bleeding on her bed. His body looked like the perfectly sculpted body of a god.

He had a toned muscular structure, well-defined and built curves, his forearms and biceps covered in black and grey tattoos, his waist was narrow, his abdomen…

Shit!

Shit!

Halle barely managed to look away from his body. She preferred him with the clothing on, that way she wouldn’t have compromising thoughts about a man that might end up murdering her tonight.

“I…” Her tongue felt heavy, “I will get my kit,”

The edges of his lips curled up as she spoke, his eyes told her he knew what he was doing…Damn it!

“I’ll be waiting…” He replied. He didn’t think she was capable of doing anything crazy to get away from him.

"Don't take too long," He teased, knowing fully well that she was just going to be a few steps away.

His hand still lay lazily on his gun and his eyes followed her every movement.

Halle’s eyes drifted to her phone that sat at the edge of the bed, just a few feet away from the man

Did he notice it?

She inhaled deeply and clenched her fists.

She had to get that phone!