Page 46 of Claimed By the Damned

She shook her head. “It’s okay. You’re okay now.”

He scowled a little. “I told you I’d stop. It’s not okay.”

“Don’t worry about that,” she murmured, hushing him a little. “We’ll figure it out. You just focus on resting.” She was trying really hard to be supportive, but a part of her really wanted to shake the crap out of him and ask him what the hell he was thinking.

“It won’t happen again,” he promised, rubbing small, weak circles with his thumb on the back of her hand. “Will you help me get clean?”

She took his hand in both of hers and brought it to her lips, pressing a lingering kiss against his knuckles. “All you had to do was ask. I will do everything I can.”

Chapter Twenty

Amara

Five days had passed since Amara had found Knox passed out. Five days of constant worry and fear that he might never fully recover. And in those five days, she hardly left his side.

She had closed the bookstore in order to stay with him, and she’d only gone back home once to get some clean clothes and to make an appearance for her father. He wasn’t happy about her being gone so much, but she no longer cared. It wasn’t him that she cared about.

Drake and Zeke alternated keeping an eye on the bar because they both seemed to know that Knox was in good hands with her. However, they were taking turns taking care of her because, if they didn’t bring her food and water, she wouldn’t have eaten or drunk anything. Her focus was solely on Knox, but she did take the time to go through his room and most of the apartment to see if he had stashed drugs anywhere else. She ended up flushing six baggies.

The side effects of withdrawal were what scared her most. She’d never seen someone go through it before. Knox was constantly asking for more drugs, and he seemed to be famished all the time. It frustrated her that he was picky about what kind of food they brought him, and sometimes he got so upset he’d throw the plate across the room. Once, he narrowly missed hitting Zeke in the face.

He was irritable, paranoid, and having trouble sleeping. From his groans, she could tell he ached all over, and he was sweating so much that she had to change the sheets every day. Amara felt helpless because there was nothing she could do to make it better.

As the days went on, the side effects lessened, but the cravings hadn’t gone away, and Amara was insisting that he stay in bed a few more days just to be sure he was okay.

Now, as she walked down the hallway with a cup of coffee in her hand meant for Knox, she could hear the sheets rustling. She quickened her steps with a scowl on her face and found Knox getting out of bed. “What are you doing?” she demanded, putting her free hand on her hip.

Without glancing at her, he rummaged through a drawer. “Getting out of this fucking bedroom. I cannot stare at these four walls anymore.” He pulled out a clean pair of shorts and slid them on.

“Stop being a baby, and get back into bed, Knox.”

The smirk he wore surprised her. She hadn’t seen it in days.

He crossed the distance between them and pulled her flush against his chest. “I’m only going back to bed if you let me bury my cock in your pussy, and nothing more.” She could feel the beginnings of his erection press against her belly.

She gently shoved against his chest, loving that the playful yet hungry side of him was returning. “I promised you I was going to help you through this. Why won’t you just let me do that?”

He kissed her quickly and spanked her ass. “You have. But I still need fresh air. You can’t deny that this room is stale.”

“So open a damn window!”

He was silent for a moment as he tried to think of another excuse. When he couldn’t, he set his expression. “I’m leaving this room, little bunny. You’ll have to stab me to stop me, and I just might like that.”

She sighed and rolled her eyes, knowing that fighting him was pointless. “Fine, but the patio only! I mean it, Knox.”

The nip on her bottom lip stung a little, but he lifted her up and set her aside like a doll. Then, he marched out of the room. “Compromise,” he said over his shoulder. “I’ll allow it this time.”

She turned and followed him out, knowing that she needed to keep an eye on him. She didn’t go through all this crap only to have him fall off the wagon this soon.

Stepping out onto the patio, she set the coffee down on the small table next to Knox before stretching. She had spent more time sleeping in the chair next to his bed than she would have liked. It wasn’t the most comfortable, and her sleeping positions had been in odd angles. Every muscle in her shoulders and back was tight.

“How are you feeling?” she glanced at him from over her shoulder. “Apart from restless.”

“I’m fine,” was his only answer. That was always his answer, but she knew he’d just been playing off how he was feeling. He sat down in the chair and closed his eyes, basking in the sun that made his skin and tattoos glow.

“Liar,” she muttered under her breath.

He peeked open an eye before closing it again and slouching in the chair. “Antsy.”

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