Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 42128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
It was fucking ridiculous how hard my body reacted to her. Even exhausted and bruised, every little thing about her was affecting me.
The soft weight of her pressed against my chest, the warmth of her thighs resting over my forearm beneath the thin cotton scrubs, the faint scent of clean skin and soap now lingering beneath the remnants of fear and adrenaline—it all hit me harder than it should have. My cock thickened painfully behind my zipper while my mind instantly filled with filthy images I had no business thinking about right now.
Whether her skin would flush pink all over when I kissed my way down her body. The sounds that would drag from her pretty mouth that had nothing to do with fear. What she’d look like stretched out naked beneath me on dark sheets while I buried myself deep inside her.
Wondering if she’d make those same soft little sounds if my mouth was between her thighs instead of my hands wrapped around her waist. I desperately fucking wanted to know how she’d look coming apart underneath me while those striking hazel eyes went glassy and dazed with pleasure instead of panic.
For fuck’s sake, man. Get your damn head on straight.
I carried her back toward the hospital bed, but the second I started lowering her, her arms tightened around my neck, stopping me before I could fully set her down. Not panicked this time, just unwilling to let go. It felt more instinctive, like her body simply refused to let too much distance settle between us. That sent another pulse of heat straight through my bloodstream.
“Angel,” I murmured, my voice roughening despite myself.
Her lashes fluttered heavily while she looked up at me with obvious exhaustion. “Don’t go.”
The words were soft enough that they were probably impossible for anyone else in the room to hear clearly, but I caught every single syllable. Something possessive unfurled in my chest at the sound of it.
Instead of forcing her onto the table, I shifted directions and lowered myself onto the chair beside it, settling her carefully onto my lap instead. She curled against me, her body fitting against my chest like she’d always belonged there. My hand spread across her lower back beneath the oversized scrub top while the other settled over her thighs, keeping her secure against me.
The position was dangerously intimate, considering how badly my body already wanted her. But it felt right.
Every tiny movement she made only tightened the leash on my control further. My mind kept slipping toward thoughts that were hotter and dirtier than they had any right to be under the circumstances, especially every time the loose neckline of the scrub top shifted enough to expose another tempting glimpse of pale skin.
Cage glanced over while tossing supplies into a trash bin, his expression dry as hell. “If you stare at her any harder, you’re gonna set off smoke alarms. And try not to look at her like you’re deciding between marriage and murder, brother. It’s unsettling.”
Hadley snorted softly while organizing bandages nearby. “That’s rich coming from you considering how psychotic you acted when I got a paper cut making dinner.”
Cage looked offended. “You needed stitches.”
“I absolutely did not.”
“It bled aggressively.”
“My man’s dramatic,” Hadley teased.
“I’m attentive,” Cage calmly corrected.
“You hover like a homicidal mother hen,” Hadley shot back sweetly.
“Same thing.”
Despite myself, the corner of my mouth twitched faintly while Delaney shifted weakly against my chest, clearly too exhausted to follow the conversation anymore.
“You okay, angel?” I murmured quietly against her hair.
“Mm-hmm.” The sleepy sound barely resembled a real word anymore. “Tired.”
“No shit,” Cage muttered.
Hadley elbowed him lightly before smiling toward me. “She feels safe with you.”
Delaney’s fight to stay conscious was clearly fading fast. Her breathing slowed against my chest while the tension gradually drained from her body inch by inch. Every few minutes, her head would jerk lightly like she was trying to stay awake, but exhaustion kept dragging her under.
“You can sleep, angel,” I murmured, my thumb brushing slowly across the small of her back.
Her fingers tightened faintly against my shoulder while she whispered, “Don’t leave.”
The plea scraped through my chest hard enough that I had to tighten my jaw before answering.
“I’m not going anywhere right now,” I promised.
That seemed to settle something inside her because her body finally relaxed fully against mine within mere minutes. Her breathing evened out while her face softened with sleep, her lashes resting against cheeks that were still faintly flushed from fear.
I stared down at her far longer than I probably should have, unable to stop touching her. My hand kept sliding slowly across her back beneath the thin cotton top, feeling the warmth of her skin while my possessiveness grew with every passing second.
Delaney shifted weakly against me, and my entire body tightened when her knee brushed higher against my thigh. Fucking hell. Even half-asleep and wrapped in oversized scrubs, she was killing me slowly. My hand flexed against her waist while my cock pressed heavily against my jeans, painfully hard from holding her this close for so long.