Page 100 of The Devil's Fire

“If only you knew.” I chuckled. “When did you come?” I asked.

“Not too long ago.” His hand went under the t-shirt I was wearing, drawing soothing circles on my back. “Sleep, baby, I’m here.”

My entire body felt stiff, and my face was hurting from kissing the floor too many times when I woke up. I looked over to where Damiano was sleeping, but his side of the bed was cold and empty.

How does that man even function? He barely sleeps.

I sat at the edge of the bed, trying to figure out how to get to the bathroom with my injured foot. I briefly considered hopping on one but immediately dismissed it as it would only make my body ache some more. So, with no other alternatives, I was forced to take the last option.

To crawl.

I tried my best to keep my injured foot elevated as I crawled on the floor, inching my way towards the bathroom like a fool. The room was literally the size of an apartment, and I was struggling. By the time I got there, I was out of breath, and I couldn’t tell if it was because of the condition I was in or if I was just really out of shape. Probably a mixture of both.

After finishing, I reached out and gripped the edge of the sink to steady myself. I looked at myself in the mirror and gasped at the sight before me.

My hair was a mess, and it showed on my face that I had fallen one too many times, with three stitches visible just above my brow.

“I look like hell.” I muttered. With a sigh, I began removing each hairpin from my tangled locks. I didn’t have a brush, and I had to rely on my fingers to detangle my hair, which was a whole damn workout.

I went through the drawers in the bathroom and grabbed a spare toothbrush since there was an entire stack of them. I washed my face, dabbed it dry, and looked back in the mirror. I still looked like shit, but less.

I was about to limp to the door when it suddenly swung open.

“You can’t just open the door like that. What if I was on the toilet?”

“So?” Damiano raised a brow and closed the distance between us.

“Well, I don’t exactly want to pee in front of you.” I remarked. His muscular arms trapped me as his face drew nearer.

“I have seen all of you. Tasted all of you.” Damiano’s hands moved down my back and grabbed my ass, hoisting me up. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“It’s not the same.” I said, amused, and wrapped my legs around him the best I could as he moved towards the bed. He took a seat with me still sitting on his lap.

“How are you feeling?” He asked softly and looked at my stitched brow.

“I’m sore, tired, and hungry. And this is itching.” I pointed to my brow. “So, like shit, to put it in one word.” I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder.

Even though I had just woken up, my body felt drained, but I knew it was because it was working hard to heal. Closing my eyes, I let myself sink into the sensation of his arms wrapped tightly around me and his steady breathing in my ear.

“We need to get you to the clinic.” I felt his chest shake with a chuckle as I jumped on his lap when he suddenly spoke.

“Sorry.” I said, a bit embarrassed that I was drifting off to sleep on him.

“Don’t be. You can sleep when we come back.”

“Like this again?” I joked.

“However you want.” Damiano’s lips curved into a small, soft smile as he gently kissed my lips before placing me on the bed. He brought some clothes for me to change into, but I only took the sweatpants, tucking the t-shirt into the waistband.

“You’re never getting it back, just so you know.” I warned him. I loved how it smelled like him.

“It’s all yours, piccola.” Damiano effortlessly lifted me into his arms and made his way towards the dining room. The closer we got, the louder Arianna and Raffaele’s bickering became, having me chuckle as Arianna threatened to stab him if he didn’t shut up.

“Look who made an appearance.” Raffaele smiled from ear to ear when he saw us. “Oh, damn! When I said she won’t be able to walk when she comes back, I didn’t mean it like that.” Raffaele erupted with a laugh just as Damiano sat me down on a chair.

I dropped my jaw at his comment, my face burning as he said that in front of everyone. Including Rosana and Sofia, who were in the middle of placing food on the table.

“Shut up, you idiot!” Arianna yelled at him, but it only made him grin.

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