Sheryl Lister - A Touch Of Love

His brow lifted. “No need to get all upset. I’m just concerned about your safety. He could’ve been dangerous.” The huge man could have easily overpowered her.

She placed a hand on her hip and scowled up at him. “Are you always so arrogant and judgmental?”

He angled his head thoughtfully. He really had upset her. A small knot of people viewed their exchange curiously. Not wanting to draw any more attention, he gently steered her toward the café.

She snatched her arm away. “What are you doing?”

Khalil grasped her hand. “People are staring. Let’s go sit inside and you can tell me all about my arrogant and judgmental self.” He escorted her over to the same booth they’d sat in previously.

Lexia sat across from him with her lips tightly pursed.

Having her angry with him didn’t sit well. “I don’t consider myself to be arrogant and judgmental, and I apologize for upsetting you. Like I said, I was only concerned about your safety.”

Some of the anger drained from her face. “I wasn’t in any danger. He’s a friend.”

“What happened to him?”

“He lost his wife and children in a car accident about a year and a half ago.”

“Damn,” he whispered.

“Right. So, before you go forming an opinion about someone, you should get all the facts first.”

Khalil heard the censure in her voice. He had never been one to pass judgment on someone without even hearing his or her side and wondered why he had been so quick to jump to conclusions this time. “You’re right.” Her surprised expression prompted him to ask, “What? I don’t have a problem admitting when I’m wrong.”

Lexia studied him a moment, as if searching for the truth. “I’m glad to hear it.”

He smiled. “So, can we start our date now?”

She shook her head and chuckled. “You don’t let up for a moment, do you?”

“And risk some other guy snatching you up first? Nah.” He winked and signaled the hostess. Lexia rolled her eyes and he laughed.

While eating a few minutes later, Lexia said, “I thought you didn’t come here often.”

“I usually don’t, but I’m designing some specialized equipment for the gym and having it made and produced by my family’s company.”

She frowned and broke off a small piece of coffee cake. “How does that fit with home safety?”

Khalil smiled. “Since I started designing the equipment three years ago, they added a small extension to the company.” When a few of his personal clients mentioned the difficulties they had using some of the machines, he transformed a section of the gym to accommodate those who were in wheelchairs, had limbs amputated or other disabilities. The new equipment would have braille and he had just installed a section of flooring that had the same feel as a mat, but without the uneven surface for those with low vision or blindness. As he had told Lexia, he didn’t want any barriers for people wanting to work out.

“Wait. Do you own the gym?”

“Yep.” He sipped his tea.

“Was that before or after mod—?” Lexia stopped midsentence and picked up her cup.

Khalil placed his cup on the table and observed her. If she knew about the modeling, she had obviously looked him up. “After.”

“I...um...I wasn’t stalking you or anything.”

“Actually, I’m flattered.”

“How did you get into modeling?”

“A couple of my high school friends dared me to enter one of those model search contests.” He shrugged. “I won, so...”

She laughed. “I bet they were shocked. I guess it worked out for you by all the photos—”

“I’m glad to know you were thinking about me because I definitely thought about you.” He reached for her hand. “All week long.” He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had invaded his dreams, but this petite fireball had not only entered them, but also consumed every corner of his mind each night.

Lexia withdrew her hand. “Khalil, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Why not? Are you saying you don’t like my company?” he asked, referencing her earlier comment.

She slanted him a look. “Your company is fine...for now. But...”

Khalil’s cell rang and interrupted whatever he planned to say. He pulled out the phone to check the display and cursed under his breath. It was his assistant manager. “Can you excuse me a minute, Lexia? I have to take this. I won’t be long.”

“Sure.”

He slid out of the booth and answered while heading out to the lobby. “Hey, Felicia.”

“Hi, Khalil. You asked me to call if I noticed anything regarding the charges and I thought you’d like to know that I saw Logan going into your office. I asked what he was doing and he said you asked him to check something on the computer.”

He shoved the front doors open and stepped out onto the sidewalk. “Logan knows damn well I never told him to enter my office,” he said through clenched teeth. He mentally retraced his morning. Had he been so anxious to leave that he forgot to lock the door? He always kept it secure when he wasn’t there.

“I thought the same. That’s why I called.”

“Is he still there?” With the noise coming from traffic and the road construction, he stuck a finger in his ear to hear her better.

“No. He went to lunch. He didn’t get a chance to log on to your computer because I busted him as soon as he went in. After he walked out, I locked your door.”

Khalil paced in front of the building. Thank goodness Alonzo had come in to install the cameras last week. Khalil would be able to see exactly what Logan had been up to. “Thanks, Felicia. I’ll check it out when—” A loud explosion sounded and before he could turn around, he was pitched backward and airborne.

Khalil came to lying on the ground. Every inch of his body hurt, he had difficulty breathing and there was a loud ringing in his ears. He tried to get up, but the pain forced him back down. He moaned. He could see glass and debris everywhere and people scrambling for cover. He closed his eyes as another wave of pain hit.

“Khalil! Are you okay?”

He felt someone touch him and looked up to find Lexia on her knees next to him.

She palmed his face. “Where are you hurt?”

His eyes widened, his heart raced and his chest tightened. Her mouth was moving, but he heard not one sound. He lifted his head and scanned the area—flashing lights from police vehicles, people still running, cars, but he didn’t hear anything. “I can’t hear you,” he said, panicking. He grabbed her hand. “I can’t hear you,” he said again. But he didn’t even hear his own voice.

Chapter 4

Lexia scanned her surroundings. Thick smoke filled the air, a large hole sat in the center of the street and nearby buildings were damaged, including the one housing her café. Her front window had been shattered, as well as several other ones in the building. She saw a few injured people being tended to and wondered if anyone had been killed. Since it was midmorning, most people were working. Had it been an hour later, things would have been much worse. She turned her attention to Khalil, who lay with his eyes closed. Lexia toyed with trying to get him up and inside, but every movement seemed to increase his pain and she didn’t want to cause him further injury.

Khalil opened his eyes. “Lexia, I can’t hear anything.”

Although he tried to hide it, Lexia saw it for a split second. Fear. She assumed the blast had damaged his hearing and prayed it was temporary. She sensed his fear rising and placed her hand gently on his chest. She used the other one to turn his face toward her and mouthed, “You’re going to be okay.” He placed his hand over hers on his chest and she leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Khalil stared up at her with a strange look on his face and, belatedly, she realized what she had done. Before she could analyze it, people began streaming from the building and she caught the gaze of his brother. Lexia waved at him.