Chapter 1 - The Water Incident
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“Do that again.”
Mia Carter froze.
The porcelain bowl trembled in her hands as comfortably warm water spilled across the bare legs of the most feared mafia boss in Chicago.
“Oh my God! Mr. Russo, I'm so sorry!”
She immediately grabbed a thick, white cotton towel from the cart beside her.
But before she could even touch his skin, Damian Russo caught her wrist.
His grip wasn't bruising, but it was unyielding. His dark, intense eyes were fixed completely on his legs.
“Don't move.”
Mia stopped breathing. Her heart hammered against her ribs.
For three agonizing years, Damian had been paralyzed from the waist down. Three years of highly-paid specialists, grueling experimental treatments, and doctors standing at the foot of his bed telling him the exact same terrible thing.
He would never walk again.
Yet something had just happened in this quiet bedroom that none of them could explain.
Damian slowly lifted his head and looked directly up at Mia.
His voice dropped to a hoarse, disbelieving whisper.
“Was that water hot?”
Mia nodded nervously, her throat tight.
“Yes, sir. I was preparing your heated towels for the evening. I completely lost my grip. I didn't mean to—”
“Do it again.”
She stared at him, utterly bewildered.
“Sir?”
“Not the water. The towel.”
His long fingers tightened around the leather armrest of his wheelchair. The knuckles turned stark white under the strain.
“Press it against my left leg.”
Mia hesitated, terrified of hurting him, terrified of breaking some unspoken medical rule.
Then, very carefully, she pressed the comfortably warm, damp towel against his bare knee.
Damian closed his eyes.
For several long, agonizing seconds, the massive bedroom remained completely silent. The only sound was the ticking of the antique grandfather clock in the corner.
Then, his breathing changed. It hitched, catching in his chest.
“I can feel that.”
Mia's eyes widened in sheer shock.
“What?”
May you like
He opened his dark eyes, and for the first time since she had started working there, she saw a flicker of absolute vulnerability.
“I can feel the warmth.”
