Savor (32 page)

given everyone a list of things happening. The band would be attending the industry

Christmas party tonight. I almost melted. A whole night to myself. I couldn’t wait. I still had the pictures to frame and wrap. Not having Luka snooping around would definitely make the

process easier. I was supposed to get it done after Phoenix’s shoot, but that never happened,

now did it? Stupid mega cold.

Christmas morning involved a breakfast and opening of presents. It actually said in the

schedule: Nine to ten, opening of presents. New Year’s Eve preparations took up the rest of

the days leading up to the event. I planned on staying out of the way—taking pictures in the

background, of course. A manor as big as Lunar would look magnificent dressed up for a

party. I wondered for a second what the place looked like now. Maybe when the band left for

the party tonight I could sneak out and explore. I wanted to see the Christmas tree and

decorations and not even being hooked up to an IV would stop me.

In the blessed silence, I scanned through the gallery of photos, barely breathing.
Please let
the pictures be there,
I repeated over and over. I reached the end of the screen and a big breath burst out of my lungs. The ones I wanted popped out. Yes!

The door to my quarters opened then shut. I looked up expecting Luka only to be face to

face with Deidra. A deep valley of concern formed between her gray eyebrows.

“Are you feeling better, Miss?” She shuffled closer, a tray of my coffee and yogurt in her

hands.

“Better than fine,” I said. She grimaced at my scratchy voice. “Haven’t you had a sore

throat before?”

She deposited the tray on the bedside table and poured me a cup. “No.”

“Really?”

“I don’t make it a habit of getting sick.”

I pursed my lips, taking the steaming cup with a dash of sugar and milk swirling in the

dark liquid smelling of heaven. It made sense a maid wouldn’t want to get sick. Deidra’s job

asked a lot of her and getting sick would definitely make work an awful experience. I’d had to cover a game with allergies once. Let me tell you, keeping the camera steady while sneezing

was an achievement in itself. I took a sip of the coffee. The hot liquid became the balm my

throat needed. I hummed in pleasure.

“Well, as you can see, I’m sitting up and working. Whatever’s in this IV cocktail they have

me hooked up to is working miracles.”

Deidra nodded like she agreed with whomever I referenced. “The Doc is the best at what

he does. You were in good hands from the start. I will make a call and let him know you are

awake. Would you like me to draw you up a bath?”

A bath sounded heavenly. “Will the Doc allow it?”

“We’ll see what he says after he checks on you, but I believe he’ll allow it.” Deidra excused

herself.

My body tingled at the promise of a bath. I hadn’t seen myself in the mirror, even when I

went to relieve myself. I must look a fright. The hair matted to the back of my head said so.

Two blessed cups of coffee and a bowl of tangy yogurt later, a man in an expensive suit and

a meticulously groomed goatee stepped into my bedroom. He had kind blue eyes and an easy

smile. In his left hand he carried a black doctor’s bag.

“Good morning, Dakota,” he greeted with the same accent Luka and the rest of the band

possessed except for Phoenix. He set his bag on the space the tray didn’t take up on the table.

“I am Doctor Igor Petrovski. Mostly they call me—”

“The Doc,” I interrupted.

He chuckled and nodded. “How are you feeling today?” He stood by my bed and checked

on the IV before reaching for my wrist. He stared at his watch while checking my pulse.

“Seeing as I was out for two days, so much better.” I wasn’t being sarcastic at all. Honest.

He grinned at me. “I see you have a biting sense of humor.” He released my wrist and took

out a stethoscope from inside his bag. “Sit up please.”

I did as I was told, setting my laptop aside. He blew on the scope before touching it against

my chest. I took a couple of deep breaths when he asked then he moved the scope to my back

and we repeated the process.

“Your lungs are clear, which is good. I can rule out pneumonia. But if they hadn’t called

me, you might as well have expected that diagnosis.” He fished out a tongue depressor and a

penlight.

Knowing the drill, I stuck my tongue out and said, “Ah!”

“Good.” He threw the spent depressor into the trashcan beside my bed I hadn’t noticed

until he’d used it. “I expect your throat will be sore for most of the morning, but it will

subside once the IV bag is spent. I believe you have three more hours and then we can

remove the needle.”

My second relieved breath of the day came from his positive words. The news of the IV

coming off alone made me feel a hundred times better.

“Thank you, Doc.”

“My pleasure.” He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a pack of lozenges. “You are a

fighter. I like fighters. Here.” I took the pack from him. Honey lemon, yum. “Take one every

four hours to help with your throat for the rest of the day. If you don’t overtax yourself until tomorrow and get a good night’s sleep, I don’t see why you shouldn’t make a full recovery

come Christmas morning.”

“Best Christmas gift ever.” I smiled up at him, already taking out a yellow lozenge and

popping it into my mouth. My throat thanked me profusely.

“Charming her already, Doc?” Luka leaned against one of my bedroom doors with his arms

crossed. Newly shaven and damp hair combed away from his face. Suddenly, my tongue felt

three times its size inside my mouth. I moved the lozenge around. My distraction had arrived

fresh from his shower.

“Just doing my job.” The Doc packed up his stuff. “I will be in the manor until her IV is

removed. Call me if a fever spikes.”

“Thank you, Doc,” I said, glaring at Luka the whole time. He kept his gaze on the other

man as he walked out of my room. When the door closed behind him, I said, “Do you want to

pee around my bed just to let all other males know this is your territory?”

He wrinkled his nose at me. “Too messy. I’d rather be doing this.” In three quick strides,

he had his hand around the back of my neck and his tongue inside my mouth. I sucked in a

deep breath at the intrusion and was treated to his signature scent. I’d only closed my eyes a second and he was already pulling away. I didn’t know whether to be disappointed or happy.

“Mmm, I always liked the honey lemon ones.”

I searched my mouth. “Hey! That’s my lozenge.”

“Well, it’s mine now.”

“Gross!” A total lie, but he didn’t need to know that. “Aren’t you afraid of getting sick?”

He returned to his chair in the corner. “If it helps me get out of tonight’s party, I’ll take it.”

Then he shrugged. “Unfortunately for me, the Doc says you’re not contagious anymore. The

IV cocktail will do that.”

“Do I even want to know what’s in this thing?” I grabbed my camera and took a picture of

the yellow liquid inside the half-full bag.

“Why would you want to? Think of it this way…you’re eating something exotic and it’s

really good. Would you still want to know what it is?”

“I guess not,” I grumbled, popping another lozenge into my mouth. Since I wasn’t even

halfway through the first one, I didn’t think there would be any side-effects in taking another one so soon.

“Miss Dakota,” Deidra said by my door, “the Doc says you can take a bath. Would you like

me to fill the tub?”

“Yes, Deidra, thank you.”

“A bath?” Luka’s eyebrow quirked.

“Oh no, you’re not!” I shook my finger at him. “Deidra’s the only one allowed in that

bathroom with me.”

He snorted and sank lower into the chair. “If you say so.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Bargain

Steam and the sweet scent of jasmine hitched a ride to my lungs, warming my insides in a

good way. I thanked Deidra for drawing the bath for me and shooed her away only to call her

back in again when I realized I couldn’t get my shirt off. The IV on my arm got in the way.

With a hint of “I told you so” in her eyes, Deidra reentered the bathroom, unhooked the IV

from the stand, and slipped it carefully inside the armhole of my shirt. She managed to keep a straight face for the most part until we reached the scars on my abdomen. An unmistakable

hiss escaped her tight lips.

The lightness in the air shifted. Deidra flicked her gaze at me. I knew a questioning glance

when I saw one. In less than a month, two people had seen my scars. I hid the tumble of my

stomach by grinning.

“Long story,” I said simply.

The frown on Deidra’s face never eased. A deep valley formed between her eyebrows, and I

wanted to comfort her. Tell her everything was alright. But I hardly knew her. What could I

say that wouldn’t sound disingenuous?

Thankfully, the argument emanating from my living room distracted us. I grabbed a towel

from the rack and wrapped it around my body. I still had on underwear, but I didn’t feel like

listening in on the conversation half-naked.

Tugging the IV stand and moving closer to the sliding doors, I heard Yana say something

about a party. I immediately connected it to the one the band had to attend tonight. Luka

replied, but his voice didn’t carry into the bathroom. I sucked my teeth, tempted to pull aside one of the doors a crack. Yana shrieked, quickly followed by a slammed door. This happened a

lot in the Visraya household. I secured the towel tight around me and gave in to sliding the

door open.

“What was that about?” I asked a heavily breathing Luka. It seemed he barely kept himself

from blowing a gasket. Tucking my hair behind my ear, I continued. “Are you torturing Yana

again by being an ass?”

He ran a trembling hand through his already disheveled curls. “I’m not going to the party

tonight. That was Yana showing her displeasure.”

“And why not?”

“Because you need me here.”

“Says who? The IV comes off in a couple of hours. After my bath I’ll feel more human

again,” I told him with a level stare. “I know my throat doesn’t make it seem so, but I’m really feeling so much better. The cocktail the Doc has me on is working miracles. Plus, a night

without you here would do me some good, I think.”

He faced me with those intense eyes of his. “Don’t say that. You don’t mean it.”

I sighed, feeling bad for him a bit. “I do mean it. You should man up and face your

responsibilities, Luka. I’m here because of my responsibilities to myself and my future. You

hovering won’t change things. Go to the party.”

Of course, I didn’t add the fact that I needed time to wrap up all their presents. Having

Luka around would put a damper on the surprise factor. And I wanted to explore the manor.

Deidra told me the Christmas decorations were especially magnificent this year. Like a kid

excited to go to the zoo, I had to see for myself what the holidays at Lunar Manor looked like.

Luka’s stubborn refusal brought me back to our pointless conversation. I tilted my head

and smirked, “If I wasn’t here, what would you have done?”

The break in his intensity said I’d gotten him there. “I’d be at the party.”

“Then this conversation is over. I have Deidra with me and a host of other servants. The

Doc is here too. I’d say I’m pretty much covered for one night.”

Luka crossed his arms and dropped his gaze, seeming to consider my rationale. A mini-

cheer bounced around in my brain. But just when a triumphant smile spread across my lips,

Luka’s next words proved I’d celebrated too soon. I should have caught the devilish grin.

Damn.

“I’ll go to the party…” He paused, hitting me with a mischievous stare. I swallowed,

dreading what was to come next. “If you let me bathe you.”

My knees knocked together so hard I wouldn’t have been able to stand without the IV

stand supporting some of my weight. The inside of my mouth dried up, making it hard to

speak. But I managed an: “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” He took a predatory step forward, dropping his hands to his sides. “Let me

bathe you and I will go to the party.”

Yup, that was what he said. I just needed to hear it again to ascertain the insanity of the

bargain.

Lifting my chin, I said, “I don’t negotiate with terrorists.”

Luka chuckled. The sensually deep sound set my insides aflutter. “Then I guess I’m

staying in for the night.”

Groaning, I closed my eye and thought about my options. Luka staying meant I’d be stuck

in my room all day and night. The presents wouldn’t get wrapped and the exploration of the

manor was as good as cancelled. If I let Luka bathe me…the thought practically short-

circuited my brain function. Soap and his hands on my body? Oh God. The flutters turned

into quivers and goose bumps. I forced myself to focus. If I let him do what he wanted, I’d get the house to myself.

How bad could letting Luka bathe me be?

The question became my downfall.

Shaking my head, I opened my eye and said, “You may go, Deidra. Luka can take things

from here.”

The gleam of victory in Luka’s blue eyes made me want to throw something at him.

Instead, I gripped the stand tighter. Without question, Deidra skirted past me and exited my

room. So much for having an ally. Why would a servant stand up to the master of the manor?

I couldn’t blame her. Luka seemed like the type who didn’t take crap from anyone…but me,