The air in the hallway turned to lead. The smell of sterile alcohol clashed violently with the heavy scent of Jakobe's vetiver cologne.
Audra kept her hands pressed against his chest, feeling the hard, rigid muscle beneath his dress shirt. She sucked in a sharp breath, forcing her lungs to work, and made her voice sound as distant and polite as possible.
"I apologize for bumping into you, Mr. Hartman."
Jakobe's eyes narrowed into dark slits. "Mr. Hartman?" He repeated the title slowly. They had been married for three months. They barely saw each other, but hearing that sterile, corporate title come out of her mouth made a hot spike of irritation flare in his chest.
Twisting her torso, Audra tried to break his iron grip on her waist. "I can walk on my own. I don't need your assistance." She reached her hand out into the empty air, her fingers grasping blindly for the cane she had dropped.
Jakobe stared at her, watching her pale fingers grasp at nothing. The irritation in his chest rapidly morphed into a dark, unexplainable anger. He didn't let her go. He didn't bend down to pick up her cane.
Instead, right in front of his shocked assistant, Jakobe bent his knees slightly. He swept his left arm under the back of her knees and kept his right arm firmly wrapped around her back.
Audra let out a short, breathless gasp as her feet left the floor. He lifted her effortlessly into his arms, holding her in a tight princess carry.
The sudden loss of gravity terrified her. Because she couldn't see, the sensation of floating made her stomach lurch. Her hands flew up and clamped down hard on his broad shoulders, her fingernails digging into his expensive suit.
"Put me down!" Audra hissed, keeping her voice low. "Are you out of your mind?"
Jakobe's jaw locked, the muscle in his cheek ticking. "Shut up, unless you want every doctor in this wing staring at you."
Audra clamped her mouth shut. She knew he was right. Any public scene would be front-page news by morning. She went completely rigid in his arms, feeling the steady, powerful rhythm of his strides as he carried her down the hall.
Two nurses walked past. Audra heard them gasp, but A.C. Rowe immediately shot them a lethal glare, silencing them.
Remembering the room she had stumbled out of, Jakobe walked straight toward it. A.C. Rowe rushed ahead and pushed the heavy wooden door open.
Jakobe carried her inside, his dark eyes scanning the standard private room. He noted the cheap furniture and the small window, his upper lip curling in disgust. He walked to the bed and lowered her down.
The moment Audra's back hit the mattress, she scrambled backward like a cornered animal, pulling the thin blanket up to her chest to create a physical barrier.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Hartman," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "You can go back to your acquisition now." She used the title again. A clear dismissal.
Jakobe stood over her. The sight of her cowering away from him felt like a physical insult. He didn't leave. He slowly unbuttoned the center button of his suit jacket and grabbed the metal chair next to the bed, dragging it across the linoleum floor. The harsh scraping sound made Audra flinch.
Jakobe sat down. "A.C.," he said, not taking his eyes off Audra. "Go get the director of this clinic. Now."
Audra's heart hammered against her ribs. "What are you doing? This violates our agreement! You have no right to interfere."
Jakobe leaned forward, his large frame casting a heavy shadow over her. "The agreement states I have the right to protect the Hartman family's public image," he said, his voice dripping with cold authority. "My wife wandering the halls blind like a vagrant damages my assets."
He used the coldest business logic he could find to justify the violent, unfamiliar need to protect her that was currently tearing his chest apart.
Audra opened her mouth to fight back, but no words came out.
