Total pages in book: 174
Estimated words: 172061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 574(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 172061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 574(@300wpm)
He dipped down to make sure we were eye to eye. “I’m fine,” he reiterated.
“I don’t want to bring you harm,” I whispered.
He released an incredulous sound. “It’s not you who brings harm, Daisy. It’s always, always been me. You need to remember that. It’s me who’s the calamity. Me who’s dangerous.”
Shadows crawled over the defined angles of his face. Ghosts that played and had their way.
“I’m not afraid.” I took his hand and started to tug him deeper into the house.
“You should be.” It was a warning.
A warning to step away from the current that threatened to sweep us both from our feet.
“I’m not,” I said as I walked backward, guiding him in the direction of his room.
“What are you doin’?” he gruffed.
“We need to clean you up and get a bandage on that wound. That is unless you want me to call an ambulance?”
It was more a teasing warning than a true question.
I’d figured out enough about him by then to know there was no chance he would agree to that, even though it looked like he might need one.
He grunted. “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.”
“Shocker.”
“It’s completely unnecessary, Daisy.”
“Then you should know I’m going to take care of you in place of it.”
Pain lanced through his features, and it didn’t have anything to do with the injuries he sustained tonight.
It was old and aged.
This man who believed he committed a sin that sentenced him to torment and Hell when I knew he would have given everything.
“Can take care of myself.”
“I’m sure you can, but that caring goes both ways, remember? You’re caring for me and my family, and I promise you that I will do my best to take care of you.”
A muted groan rolled out of him as I continued to slowly walk backward toward his room.
In the quiet of the night, the energy was louder than it’d ever been. A whir that stoked and inflamed and incited.
I pulled him inside.
A lamp glowed from the nightstand next to his bed, casting the room in a yellowed warmth.
I kept moving toward the bathroom, and I flipped on the light as soon as we stepped inside.
We both blinked against the bright intrusiveness, and I slowly turned back to him.
A horrified gasp raked free when I got a good look at the damage that had been done to his face.
A deep cut was on his temple, and dried blood was smeared across that entire side since he clearly had tried to wipe it away.
Red, inflamed scratches crisscrossed down his arms, and his white tee was tattered and shredded.
“You’re a mess.” I tried to keep the terror out of it.
The chuckle he released was ironic. “You can say that.”
I blew out a breath, trying to keep my crap together when I felt like freaking out again. “You’re lucky you didn’t break something.”
He sent me a wry grin. “Oh, I feel plenty broken.”
My stomach twisted, my gaze hooked on his injuries. I peeked back at the intensity that blazed from his hazel eyes. Eyes that tonight were nothing but yellow flames and fire.
“Are you sure you don’t need an ambulance?”
“I’m sure. You can do it.” There was a message written in the simple words.
A giving.
My nod was quick, and I looked around his bathroom.
It was rustic like the rest of the house. A shower and a freestanding bathtub along the right wall, and the toilet was on the very far side in a little doored alcove.
A long vanity ran the left side of the wall, though it only had one sink and a small mirror in front of it.
Every time I saw it, a blip of sadness rolled through me, though now all my toiletries were scattered on top.
It was clear he had structured his entire life around his solitude. Honestly, I was surprised he even had the extra rooms.
A tangle of nostalgia whisked through me as I thought of what it might mean, the way we’d dreamed of him building us this cabin, then I shoved it off and forced myself to speak. “Is there a first aid kit?”
“Under the sink.”
I shifted away and knelt to retrieve the kit then grabbed a washcloth from the stack in another cabinet.
I set the kit on the counter then turned the faucet to high. I couldn’t tell if I wanted to avert my gaze as I kept peeking at him through the mirror or stare right back the way he was doing.
The man standing right behind me.
His presence profound.
His proximity overwhelming.
The energy coming off him was almost more than I could bear.
The water finally warmed, and I wet the cloth under the fall. I shut off the faucet and wrung out the cloth before I timidly turned back around.
Knowing I was going to get walloped by the severity he exuded.
I inhaled a staggered breath as I fully turned to him.