Page 54 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part Two

“Layla.”

She stopped speaking as Jackson put her down on the bed. He was so gentle, as if he thought any jarring movements would knock the baby out of her.

“I’ve put your clothes over there. Do you want me to dry your hair first? I don’t want you to catch a chill.”

Never had there ever been a more attentive man. He took care of everything and thought bed rest meant he had to carry her everywhere, which was extremely embarrassing and suffocating. He gave her tonics and supplements to make sure she and the baby stayed healthy and brought her all her meals.

She looked up at the huge man hovering over her as he had done daily for over a month. He was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt because he would go out briefly once she was settled with her breakfast. It was their routine. When he wasn’t fussing over her, he was out training. And then he would work at the other end of the bedroom, keeping her in his sight the rest of the day. Most evenings, he sat on the bed with her for an hour or two to teach her how to focus her senses.

He’d trained so much that his muscles were more defined, and he looked more lethal than before. Every day the sight of him made her heart flutter, and every day they both pretended it wasn’t happening.

Because even though he was acting like an overprotective but devoted lover, he was still cold towards her.

“I can dry my own hair. But thank you,” she answered.

Jackson's brows furrowed before he reached over for the blow dryer and brush. Like he did every morning, he started to dry her hair as if she hadn’t spoken.

She sighed and let him do what he needed to do. It had been over a month, and the guilt she sensed in him still hadn’t stopped.

When her hair finally fell in dry, soft waves down her back, Jackson stopped and started unplugging the hairdryer to put it away. Her hair still looked and felt silkier, though now she was sure it wasn’t because of the shampoo.

“You missed your true calling. You should have been a hairdresser.”

Jackson stopped and gave her a pointed look without cracking a smile. She sighed and reached for her clothes.

“The doctor said everything is okay, Jackson,” she reminded him gently.

“I'm going to get your breakfast. Any special requests?” Jackson said, completely ignoring her statement.

“No,” she answered with another sigh.

Jackson left the room before she stood and dropped the towel. He always did that. He wasn’t interested in seeing her naked at all. After that night at the hotel, she hadn’t expected him to stop looking at her like she was his next meal. The scare with the baby had put a stop to all of that. And unless he was carrying her to and from the bathroom, he didn’t touch her at all.

It was an odd thing to focus on after everything that had happened but she couldn’t help herself. Or the wolf blood in her couldn’t help itself. Whatever. She’d gotten used to ignoring the stupid voice in her head telling her to just throw herself at him and see what happened. She wasn’t that stupid to set herself up for heartbreak like that. It was clear that Jackson was over the whole situation.

When she was dressed, she sat back on the bed to wait. She could already sense that Jackson was on his way up. Focusing her senses was much easier after all the nights Jackson had sat with her to teach her how to do it. He hadn’t taught her everything yet, but she was more confident that she wouldn’t let her eyes glow in public again.

Jackson walked into the bedroom with a large tray of food and set it beside her on the nightstand before he pulled over the overbed table he’d had brought in the first day she’d been on bed rest.

“I’ll be out a little longer today,” he said without looking at her. “Call me if you need anything.”

And then, like he did every morning, he started to walk out of the room.

“Jackson, wait. Talk to me,” she pleaded.

Jackson turned to look in her direction but he didn’t walk back.

“You heard what the doctor said. You have to avoid stressful situations.”

“What’s more stressful than not knowing what the hell is going on? You told me I’m this thing and then talked about my mother. And then we were almost killed because no one wants me here. Am I supposed to wait until the baby is born before you tell me anything?”

“And all of those things will stress you. The baby comes first, Layla,” Jackson growled.

“I know that, but—”

“Then trust me to take care of both of you,” Jackson cut in. “I won’t let either of you die.”

She sensed his guilt flare up again, and her chest tightened. Besides getting the answers to all the questions, she wanted Jackson to open up and let go of whatever troubled him. But she knew he wouldn’t do that with her, not when he agreed with everyone else that she would leave after the baby was born.

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