The Healing Touch - Apryl Baker Page 0,3

behind the closed door, he knocked more forcefully. Given the neighborhood she lived in, an unexpected knock at the door might be the wrong way to go about this.

“Becca!” He raised his voice loud enough for anyone in the nearby apartments to hear him. “I’m not going away. I can stand here all day!”

Not that he could. His legs would soon give out if he didn’t sit.

He heard movement, the sound of feet running, and then the door was all but ripped open. She stood gaping up at him, all five feet, three inches of blonde fluff. She didn’t even come to his shoulder. A strong gust of wind could knock her over.

“Wh…what are you doing here?” Her voice was as soft as he remembered it. Dainty.

“What did you expect me to do? You quit and then wouldn’t answer your damn phone.” Three doors opened, and her nosy neighbors made no bones about eavesdropping. “Can I come in? Please?”

She stepped back and held the door open. Her brown eyes were not friendly, though. She went from shocked to see him to pissed in a matter of heartbeats. Did she honestly think he’d just let her quit without a fight?

Her apartment, unlike the rest of the building, was clean and tidy. The small loveseat that served as a couch was a deep red, with a white quilt across the back of it. White and black throw pillows decorated each end. The scuffed-up coffee table looked worn out. Thrift store purchases, maybe? Here she was, living in a dump with secondhand furniture, while he was out living it up. She deserved better than this, and he’d make sure she had it.

“I repeat, what are you doing here, Dimitri?” She stayed with her back pressed against the door, and he delved deeper into the living room. Her laptop lay open on the table, and he noticed she was looking through job openings on Monster.com. Damn, she really was looking for a new job.

“What the hell is that?” He gestured to the laptop, his irritation growing.

“A laptop?”

“Don’t be cute, Rebecca. You know exactly what I mean.”

Becca did know exactly what he meant. She was job hunting. He’d given her an ultimatum—come to Charleston or be fired. Since there was no way her anxiety would allow her to go to his signing, she’d quit and started looking for something else right away. She had rent to pay, and it wasn’t easy finding something she could do from home.

What she hadn’t expected was for him to show up at her door before she’d even had a shower. Here she was in a Got Coffee? nightshirt, and he was there dressed in some designer special. They weren’t exactly on even footing at the moment.

“I have to find a job, D. I have bills to pay.”

“You have a job.”

“No, I don’t, because I can’t go with you.” She pushed off the door and went into her barely there kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. She needed caffeine if they were going to verbally brawl. It would help soothe her nerves. Having Dimitri in her space wasn’t helping her anxiety either. Yes, she’d known him for what seemed like forever, but she hadn’t seen him in person since the end of her freshman year in high school. He took up the entire room without even trying. Dimitri was a big man. Tall, over six feet, easily. Blond hair like her own with blue eyes that reminded her of a cloudless summer sky. He was beautiful.

The only problem? He knew it and used it to his advantage. All his brothers were like that, though. Well, except for Viktor. He was always on the lookout for “the one.” She wished Dimitri would be more like his brother. That way she wouldn’t have to hear all about the crazy things women did to get his attention. They had no clue he could give two shits about their shenanigans. He just wanted in their pants, and once he became bored, he tossed them aside like yesterday’s first draft.

So why shouldn’t she think he would discard her as easily as he did all the others? Once her usefulness ran out, what other reason could he have for sticking around?

“Well, why can’t you go?” He sat on her couch, and she winced when it barely fit him. He looked pristine next to the faded fabric, making her want him here even less.

How to tell him she was terrified of going outside her door?