The Surgeon and the Princess Karin Baine (websites to read books for free .TXT) 📖

that someone would want to reciprocate the kindness he showed towards people every day.

‘I’m hoping by the time it comes around I’ll be ready to go back into the land of the living,’ she joked, but she was already freaking out about what she’d agreed to do. It had been a knee-jerk reaction to knowing he needed assistance and wanting to ease his workload. Like her, he was someone who obviously didn’t depend too much on others to get the job done. He was beginning to show her how counterproductive that was at times. Sometimes more could be achieved by accepting a hand every now and then.

‘We’ll do our best to make that a possibility. Now I can go and have that swim with one less worry on my mind. I’ll get ready and meet you outside the changing rooms. Try not to break anything until I get there.’ It wasn’t the charming smile that was devastating her as much as the words accompanying it.

‘You’re going in the pool too?’

‘Yeah. I did say you’d need someone with you.’ He looked concerned that she was querying his decision, when she hadn’t considered he would actually be getting in the pool with her.

‘But I thought...’ She didn’t know what she’d thought. It would’ve been creepy if he’d told her he’d be keeping an eye on her via CCTV. With all her demands for privacy he couldn’t very well have drafted someone else in to do the job either. She hadn’t really left him with any options since she’d shown him she couldn’t be trusted on her own.

He was waiting, listening for her version of their crossed wires, but she wouldn’t make a big deal of it. After all, it surely would’ve been more uncomfortable for both of them if he’d had to sit fully clothed at the side of the pool watching her. ‘It doesn’t matter. Just don’t get in my way.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’ He gave her a mock salute, at which she didn’t even pretend to hide her non-impressed face.

Georgiana was torn between leaving the changing room at all and ignoring his instruction to wait, jumping straight in the pool. There were numerous difficult decisions she had to make on a daily basis now. Such as whether to take her leg off now or poolside.

It was a toss-up between losing her dignity by having to hop across the floor and potentially risk another floor show or removing it in front of him. In the end she opted for walking out with a modicum of dignity. Ed wouldn’t consider removing a prosthetic leg to swim anything out of the ordinary in his line of work. She had to keep telling herself that.

‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to get my stopwatch out.’ He was waiting for her as promised outside the changing room. Georgiana would confess to being somewhat distracted by his physical appearance now that he was bare-chested and she could see exactly what he’d been hiding under those restrictive shirts.

Broad and toned just as she’d known he would be. With a smattering of golden-brown hair on his chest, which became darker as it trailed down his torso and disappeared into his blue swim shorts.

‘Pardon me?’ It was hypocritical of her to be staring at his body, appreciating it from a merely aesthetic point of view when it was the thing she was most afraid of herself. Although her fairly plain black all-in-one was more than he had seen her in lately.

‘I mean I’m not assessing your form or treating this as some sort of training session. I’m here strictly to prevent you from hurting yourself again.’ He was teasing her. She was getting used to seeing that light in his eye and tilt of his mouth as he baited her. Now she recognised it as the good humour he intended it to be, she didn’t rise to it.

‘You know you could do that from a distance, fully dressed, right?’ In keeping with their new dynamic, she threw a dismissive glance at his swimwear this time. Ed wasn’t liable to take offence. He was much too sure of himself to be self-conscious wearing a non-revealing pair of shorts. Budgie-smuggler trunks might have been a very different story for both of them.

‘I thought I’d mix business with pleasure.’ He gave her a wink and pulled on a pair of swimming goggles. Georgiana was left wondering which category she fell into as he dived into the water, his body a perfect arch as he hit the surface.

With Ed doing the front crawl away from her, she could take her time getting pool ready knowing she wasn’t under surveillance. She wasn’t quite as impressive hitting the water but it sure felt good to take the pressure off her limbs.

Ed was already on his second lap by the time she reached the deep end but she didn’t care. This wasn’t a race or somewhere she had to prove she was every bit as good as her previously able-bodied self. She saw this as more of a wind-down, therapy for the mind rather than her body.

She rested her arms on the edge of the pool, kicking her leg out in front of her to keep afloat as she watched Ed’s progress. His fitness levels and confidence were evident in every stroke. The pace was more than she could manage now but, as he’d said, it wasn’t a competition. She shouldn’t envy the ease with which he covered the length of the pool.

Ed popped his head up beside her, removed his goggles and rested his elbows back on the edge of the pool.

‘Can I ask you a question?’ He rubbed one hand over his head, raking his hair into wet spikes.

‘Sure.’ As long as it wasn’t anything personal. She was becoming more comfortable in his company now he’d seen her at her worst and hadn’t run off screaming. It was nice to be around someone who treated her normally. The only thing that could ruin that would be