Page 30 of Kind of a Bad Idea

“I think it will be okay,” she says, a mixture of hope and concern in her voice. “I chafed pretty badly with these pants once before, and it healed faster than I could have imagined.” She sucks in a breath and sets her jaw. “I’m going to be fine. And I’m ready. Just…do it. Fast. Like a shot.”

“All right,” I say, bracing myself to hurt her. Even knowing I’m helping with the hurt, it’s not going to be easy. “Here we go.”

I dab the wipe over the wound on her right thigh, the worse of the two. Her muscles go rigid beneath my other hand, but she doesn’t make a sound aside from a sharp hiss of breath. I keep going, cleaning the wound thoroughly.

By the time I’m done, she’s trembling all over.

“Okay?” I ask.

“Just hurry,” she says in a breathy voice. “It’s bad, but it’ll be over soon.”

“It will be,” I promise, pulling out another clean wipe and giving her other wound the same treatment, “There, all done, the worst part is over. We just need to give the skin around them a second to dry before I put on the bandages.” I lift my gaze. “How you holding up?”

She looks down, her pale features weary. “Okay.” She slides her tongue across her bottom lip. “Are you intimidated?”

“By what?”

“By my badass pain tolerance.”

I smile. “Oh, yeah. For sure. Totally intimidated, but not surprised. You’re way more badass than I am.”

“Thanks,” she says, her lips hooking up on one side. “Pretty lies make a girl feel good while she’s waiting to pull up her pants. The petting is nice, too.”

I’m about to ask what she means by that, then realize I’ve been absentmindedly stroking her thighs beneath her wounds, running my thumbs up and down her velvety soft skin.

I pull my hands away with a self-conscious laugh. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she murmurs. “It was nice. Your touch is…nice.”

I hold her gaze and for a moment as I imagine stripping her panties down to her ankles and showing her how nice I can be. I want my mouth between her legs, kissing her in the most intimate way a man can kiss a woman. I want to devour her, worship her, make her tremble for reasons that have nothing to do with pain.

Then, I want to take her from behind, slow and careful, so as not to cause her anything but pleasure.

And I swear, Binx can read my mind. She bites her bottom lip and gives a slight nod, as if giving me permission to ravage her right here in the middle of the woods.

But I don’t.

I carefully apply the bandages, fetch my spare pants from my bag, and turn my back as she puts them on. Then, I swing both bags back onto my back again and set off at a slower pace, willing myself to take it easy, even though I’m desperate to get to the bathroom at the cabin.

A cold shower is exactly what the doctor ordered to cool things off between us.

Or, worst-case scenario, I can jerk off in the shower, hopefully taking the edge off enough that we can make it through a night in close quarters without doing anything we’ll regret.

Yeah, good luck with that, buddy, my dick says a mile later, from where he’s still rock hard and aching behind my fly.

This isn’t going to be easy, but important things rarely are.

It’s important that I never cross the line with Binx again. That’s the right thing to do, and I’m going to keep fighting for the right, even if a part of me is certain it’s a battle I’m doomed to lose.

Chapter 11

BINX

Our progress slows even more after our first aid session. I’m swimming in Seven’s pants, holding them up with one hand as I scuttle forward, doing my best not to disturb the bandages underneath.

The slower pace adds to the anxiety of watching the last sliver of sun sink behind the trees. There’s still a dusky glow in the air, but the temperature starts dropping fast. Soon, my fleece and rain shell don’t feel like they’re providing enough warmth, but there’s no way I’m asking to stop to grab my puffer vest from my pack.

Seven wouldn’t want me to be cold, but he’s already suffering. He’s the strongest man I know, but after a full day of carrying double gear, I can tell he’s about to reach his limit. When we stopped to grab granola bars half an hour ago, he groaned as he loaded the second pack onto his back.

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