Kaylee choked on the fire in her throat. She coughed violently. Her face turned a deep shade of crimson, and tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.
Greyson dropped his burrito onto the plate. His brow creased deeply. He grabbed a napkin from the stack and held it out to her.
Kaylee took the napkin blindly. She reached up to wipe away the tears pooling at the corner of her eye.
She completely forgot that her fingers were coated in the lethal red chili oil from the chicken wing.
The spicy oil smeared directly into the corner of her right eye. A blinding, searing pain exploded in her socket.
Kaylee screamed. Her hand flew up automatically, wanting to rub the burning eye.
Greyson moved faster than she could blink. He grabbed her wrist in a vice grip. "Don't rub it!" he barked.
The soft, harmless tone was entirely gone. His voice was hard, dominant, and left absolutely no room for argument. The sudden, aggressive command sent a violent jolt of fear straight through her nervous system. For a terrifying second, she wasn't in her own apartment; she was back in that dark place, surrounded by the faceless, hateful voices of the internet telling her what to do. She flinched hard against his grip, a tiny gasp of panic escaping her lips, before the searing, physical pain in her eye forcefully dragged her back to reality.
Kaylee shook from the pain. She kept her right eye squeezed shut. Tears poured out of her left eye, blurring her vision completely.
Greyson didn't waste a second. He shoved his chair back and closed the distance between them.
He bent down. He slid one arm under the back of her knees and wrapped the other firmly around her back.
Before Kaylee could process what was happening, Greyson lifted her entirely off the ground.
The sudden weightlessness made Kaylee panic. She threw both arms around his neck and held on tight.
Her body was pressed flush against his broad chest. Through his shirt, she could feel the hard, solid lines of his muscles.
Greyson walked with long, steady strides. He carried her across the living room straight toward the bathroom.
Kaylee's ear was pressed right over his heart. She could hear the heavy, rhythmic thudding inside his chest.
The sheer physical power of him carrying her made her brain short-circuit. For a second, the burning in her eye faded into the background.
Greyson kicked the half-open bathroom door wide with his foot. He carried her inside.
He didn't put her down on the floor. He lifted her higher and set her down directly onto the cold marble edge of the bathroom sink.
The chill of the stone made Kaylee shiver. Before she could even process the movement or utter a word of protest, Greyson stepped right between her knees, his large body blocking her in.
Panic flared instantly in her chest. The position was incredibly intimate, entirely too vulnerable for someone who spent her life keeping men at a safe distance. Every survival instinct she had screamed at her to push his chest away, to slide off the counter and run. But when she opened her uninjured eye, she saw his focus was entirely on her burning face, his expression one of pure, unwavering concern. The raw care in his eyes completely confused her warring instincts, freezing her in place.
He turned on the faucet. He tested the water with his fingers, adjusting it until it was cool.
He cupped the water in both hands. He leaned his face in close to hers. "Open your eye just a little bit," he ordered softly.
They were so close his breath brushed against her cheek. It smelled faintly of mint.
Kaylee fought through the stinging pain and forced her eye open a fraction of an inch. Greyson carefully splashed the cool water against the corner of her eye.
The cold water washed away the surface layer of the sauce. The intense burning dulled slightly.
Greyson stared intently into her eyes. His gaze was so deep it felt like it was pulling her under.
Inside the small, enclosed bathroom, the sound of the running water barely covered the deafening sound of Kaylee's racing pulse.
She looked at the man standing between her legs, entirely focused on taking care of her. The walls she had built around her heart started to crack.
He rinsed her eye for five solid minutes. The redness finally started to fade, but the water had soaked the collar of Kaylee's shirt and the hair around her face.
Greyson reached for a dry towel off the rack. He draped it gently over her head, his movements as careful as if she were made of glass.
