A Gentleman's Luck Read Online Free PDF Page A

to close to the severe bruising on the top of her scalp.
    When he was finally done with the task and was near his breaking point. He helped her to stand and wrap a drying cloth around her. He lead her to and sat her gently on her bed. He turned from her, in order to catch his breath. Being near her and touching her had undone him more than he was comfortable with. He silently reprimanded himself for the direction of his thoughts. He grabbed the salve and shirt that he had gotten for her and turned back to face her. “I need to put this on your back.” He told her showing her the jar. “It will help.” She looked at the jar and then up at him. She nodded her head but said nothing as she turned her back toward him and let the cloth fall to her waist in the back while holding up the front.
    He had to catch his breath and swallow a few times before he was able to think coherently enough to begin to apply the salve to her badly battered back. He tried to be gentle but also needed to make sure the salve was rubbed into the bruises. So as a result with every wince of pain she inadvertently made his anger level grew higher and higher. He wanted to throttle the son of a bitch that dared to lay his hands on this small little woman. When he was through with her back he placed the jar on the table by the bed. He picked up his shirt and spoke to her over her shoulder. “I could not find any of your clothes so you can wear one of my shirts. It's all I have. Lisa. I am sorry.”
    She looked at him over her shoulder. ”They took them all.” She answered in a hoarse whisper.
    “ I suspected as much” He answered as he helped her slide the shirt over her head from the back. When that task was completed as gently as possible, he helped her lay against the pillows and he brought the comforter over her body. “Are you OK.” He asked. She only nodded. He reached over and picked up the salve from the bedside table. “I am going to put some on your face OK.”  He said asking her permission.
    “ OK.” She responded. He put some on the bruising on the left side of her face as well as the split in her lip. When he was done he replaced the lid and placed the jar back on the table.
    “ Get some sleep.” He told her as he stood to leave. If he didn't leave now he would probably crawl into bed with her in an attempt to take that broken look from her lovely face and end up scaring the hell out of her. Hell his errant thoughts were starting to worry him.
    “ You are leaving?” She asked quietly as he was almost out of the room. He turned back to face her surprised, his smile threatening to show itself. He like the thought that she would not want him to leave. He knew that was silly. She was a young innocent girl who trusted him to be a good boy. Being that he was not entirely sure that he could do that, he needed to be as far away from her as he could get.
    “ I will be on the sofa in the next room. If you need me just call.” He answered. She nodded and closed her eyes. William went to the sofa and tried to get some sleep. He was suddenly exhausted.
    ***
    Na-Lisa lay in her bed staring up at the ceiling. This man was strange. She knew he was not from here. He was American but what was he doing here? He had helped her and did his best not to embarrass her. He did not look down on her or scold her or try to get what was his right to take. He had called her Lisa. She smiled at the memory of the intimate name he had called her. She did not even think he knew that he had done it. She had to admit, she like him. He was a kind man with kind eyes. But she knew that she could not grow to like him anymore. She would not risk her soul for even one moment of happiness. This was wrong and she would not do it. She drifted off to sleep with that assurance going through her mind.
     

Chapter Four
    William woke with a start when he heard Lisa call out. He was by her bed in an instant; surprised he didn’t kill himself over furniture on the way, it was