Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 131651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 658(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 658(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
I snort before I step into the massive walk-in shower and sit on the bench. Humor her, yeah.
“Haven’t heard that name since you kids used to shit-talk me behind my back.” I touch her face as she kneels next to me again, unable to help myself. “Clee, this isn’t your fault.”
“Maybe not, but I’m still responsible. It’s my inheritance and I accepted it.”
Fuck.
I scrape a hand over my jaw again. After this, I need an icy shower to kill this hard-on.
The second I take my pants off, she’ll know.
Maybe she already knows I want her, but I don’t need to broadcast it like a full gun salute.
“Pants off, my guy,” she insists. “You can keep your shirt on if you want, but someone needs to check out that knee. I can get a better view than you can. Deal?” She holds the first aid kit out of reach so I can’t grab it.
“Deal, damn you.”
It’s not like I have much choice.
I drop my pants and try to stare through her.
Good fucking luck with that.
She sucks in a breath and manages not to focus on the tent in my boxers. Somehow it feels more obscene than if I was butt-ass naked.
“That looks painful,” she says, dropping to her knees in front of me.
My knee.
She means my knee, for fuck’s sake.
Is there anything this woman can do that won’t turn me on?
I grit my teeth. “It’s not that bad,” I mutter.
I look down at the raw patch of skin, this ugly lattice with red clay blood oozing through small cuts.
“You’re lucky it’s not, but we’re not taking any chances. Hold still.” She rests a steady hand on my other knee as she cleans the scrape.
Her fingers feel my other knee, the one that’s not howling at me.
I wish it would.
Might stop the parade of despicable thoughts crowding my head.
The way I see her back under me.
Her sassy mouth engulfing my cock, sucking like it’s a chocolate strawberry.
I need to gag her, to make her deep throat me until her eyes roll.
My hands ball into fists at my sides. I force my fingers to release, splaying them against the cool marble.
“Sorry. This is gonna sting.” Her eyes flash as she dabs on disinfectant.
I welcome the way it foams, like someone spraying down the dumpster fire in my brain.
I hiss through my teeth, grateful it stops me from picturing her naked for ten whole seconds.
“Any swelling?” She gently touches my left knee, then the busted one.
Woman, are you blind?
I’m hard enough to drive fucking nails, thanks to you.
How she hasn’t commented on my dick straining tells me she really could’ve been a nurse. She prods at my knee gently and I flinch.
“Easy,” I snarl, shifting my leg away.
“What’s wrong? Is it deeper than the cuts?”
“Fucking arthritis,” I rasp, wishing I could manifest that word and choke it to death. “It’s been coming on for a little while now. Probably hereditary, my mom has it bad. Little pains. Random flare-ups. It’s been worse the past couple years, but never like this.”
Her brows pull together, and she still has her hands on me, stroking slowly. “I’m sorry, Holden.”
“It’s not your problem.”
“Is there anything you can do?” she asks softly.
“I’ve gotten a couple steroid shots, but they only help so much. They wear off fast in my line of work.” I shrug. “It’s just one of those things you push through. Until today, I managed.”
She cocks her head as she looks up at me, all bright cotton candy eyes and long lashes.
“It bothers you,” she whispers.
I hate the way she sees right through me.
“Unfortunately.” I clench my jaw. “It means I can’t do this job forever.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“Stop apologizing. I’m not useless yet, woman. I’ll still make sure I keep you and that treasure safe if it’s the last thing I do. Duty and all.”
“You need to stop saying that.” She reaches for the bandages. “I’m going to wrap this up.”
“Cleopatra. Shit, I can—”
“Don’t even think about it.” She pushes my hand away.
I’m silent as I watch her bind my knee. Her fingers feel so cool against my skin I don’t want her to stop.
Fucking hell.
With my hand over my face, I tilt my head back so I can’t see her, which makes the pressure of her fingers worse.
Every sense fires on high alert.
I don’t even know how my system does it after a night of little sleep and lingering adrenaline, hollowing me out.
Though I’m not feeling the side effects much now. I force my muscles to relax.
“Holden,” she murmurs.
“Yeah?”
“What are we going to do?”
Finally, a distraction.
I exhale a long breath before I answer.
“I don’t know.” I glance back down at her to find her still on her knees, staring up at me. “I need to get Kit home first. I can’t leave you or the egg. Not now. Then we’ll have to figure out a hotel, a rental house, something.”