Adam's Eve

11

Eva looked down at her slightly swollen ankle hoisted on a small plastic table, then at the ointment in Adam's hand, and she shuddered at what was impending.

Their fun for the day had been cut short when Eva had sailed down the snow recklessly, until her lack of knowledge about the braking process had set in and she'd ended up twisting her ankle instead.

"Please tell me you aren't going to be vicious about this."

"Will I now?" Bending in front of her, the man looked at her through narrowed eyes that made him look dark and yet so sexy, eyes gleaming dubiously. "Just let me do my job, Sweetheart."

When his hand fell on her ankle, Eva shut her eyes, bracing herself for a sharp shooting pain, but soothing was all she felt when he began rubbing his thumb on the affected spot.

Then he pressed. The pain went up some notches, causing her to wince and then grit her teeth so hard she feared they would shatter. It only seemed to get worse and his thumb began rubbing with pressure than initially used.

Finally, the pain began to ease a little as he continued rubbing, and Eva was grateful for the bit of reprieve.

"You're lucky." He told her, meeting her eyes briefly. "This could've been worse. Thankfully, you didn't twist it too much and it should be okay by tomorrow."

"Yep, my next novel is definitely going to be about extreme sports."

She blew out a breath, thinking she'd only said that in her head, only to look down to find him looking at her with a degree of curiosity.

"You write? I thought you only work in the textile industry."

"Well, now you know." She said awkwardly. She'd certainly never expected to tell anyone about her secret habit which only her friends knew about. "I love writing."

"Intresting." His nod attested to the fact. "What are some of the books you've written?"

"As if you would even know it. You don't look like you've read a novel in your life." She mused teasingly, a smile touching her lips.

"I've published a few, but so far my best work has been The Red Heifer. Don't know if you've heard of that."

"Wait. Red Heifer, the bestselling novel released last year which had everyone wanting to meet the author."

"Yes! You've read it?" She asked excitedly, hopeful that she was going to get a face to face review.

"Actually...no." He replied, bursting her bubble instantly.

"My friend, Alfredo, loves to read every once in a while. He loved your writing and the novel so much that it was the only thing he kept talking about for two weeks. Thinking about it, the author's name was just E. West. Eva West. Why didn't you ever accept the interviews you were invited for?"

Biting her lip, Eva shrugged. "I just like to keep that part of my life private. Only my best friends and my mum know about it, and 50% of every cent I make goes into charity."

Adam's eyes gleamed with admiration as he nodded. "Feisty with a generous heart. Dangerous combination." He got up and slumped beside her on the couch. "Let's think of something to..."

Her phone rang, cutting him off. Reaching into her jacket pocket, she fetched it out and smiled when she saw the caller ID.

"Hey mum."

"Hello, darling. " Her mother's soft and yet firm voice came through the speakers. "How are you doing? I hope you are having a great time. Know I said I would leave you to your vacation but I just needed to hear your voice."