Rock God (Hearts of Metal Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

her. Something about a song…
    Her feet touched the ground, and pain exploded all the way up to the top of her skull, despite the thick bandaging and hospital booties. Shayna bit back a cry, only a whimper escaping. Black and white spots flashed before her eyes, and she began to sway.
    Dante steadied her. He murmured soothing nonsense words. The door opened, and he lifted her back into his arms.
    He entered the house. Shayna gaped at her surroundings as the lights went on. The place was immaculate, with gleaming hardwood floors, plush carpeting, and ornate furnishings that were either antique or expensive reproductions. She definitely didn’t belong here.
    Dante began to lower her onto a fluffy couch, and she stiffened. “No!”
    “What’s wrong?” he asked.
    “I need a bath,” she said, panic clawing at her throat. “I don’t want to touch anything until I’m clean.”
    She could practically see stink waves coming off her skin, like Pigpen from the Peanuts cartoons. Grime and sweat from her journey caked every inch of her body. Her hair was greasy and her scalp itched. If she touched anything, it would be contaminated forever.
    “Relax, Shayna. This isn’t a fu—damn shrine.” When she gazed up at him with pleading eyes, however, he sighed. “Fine, I’ll take you upstairs. Don’t squirm. I don’t want to drop you.”
    They made a careful trip up the carpeted stairs and into a fancy bedroom. “You can sleep here, and the bathroom’s in there.” Dante nodded at another door as he set her on the bed. “I’m going to see about getting us some dinner.”
    “Um…” Shayna was mortified that she had to bring up the subject, but it was that or face her host looking like Sasquatch if he happened to get a peek at her legs. “You wouldn’t happen to have an extra razor, would you?”
    Dante opened the bathroom door and pulled a disposable out of a medicine cabinet. His eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to do anything stupid with it, are you?”
    Shayna rolled her eyes. “If I’d wanted to die, I could have let those jerks take care of it earlier.”
    He glared at her, eyes dark as pewter. “That’s not funny,” he said in a cold, flat voice. “And considering what you did to your feet, I think I have the right to ask.”
    Shayna swallowed, but refused to flinch. “I’d really like to take a bath now.” She held her hand out for the razor.
    Dante sighed and handed it to her. “You’d better be out and in one piece in an hour. And be careful with your feet,” he commanded on the way out.
    “Yes, sir !” she fired back, irritated at his bossiness.
    He glanced over his shoulder and raised his eyebrow before closing the door.
    The bathtub was soon full of blissfully steaming water. Shayna carefully undressed and unwrapped the bandages from her aching feet. The hospital had given her a ton of gauze and a giant tube of medicine, but it still seemed a waste to throw away the fresh bandages. But getting clean was her first priority.
    Getting into the tub, Shayna fully dedicated herself to scrubbing every trace of her long walk from her body. The grimy mess of her hair took forever. She saved her feet for last, biting back a cry as the soft sponge grazed her blisters. Thank goodness the ER staff had already cleaned them up pretty well.
    Just as she was getting ready to turn on the shower to rinse and wash her hair a second time, Dante knocked.
    “It hasn’t been an hour yet!” Shayna cried. She couldn’t help her pleading tone. The warm water felt so good.
    “I’m just setting out a shirt and sweats for you to wear…and making sure you’re okay.”
    His voice had taken on that talking-down-a-jumper tone again, and apologetic embarrassment knotted Shayna’s belly. “Oh. Thank you,” she said. She hadn’t thought of the clothing situation. “And I am fine, I promise.”
    She washed her hair again. As she did, she prayed her feet would heal quickly. If there was this much awkwardness between