Page 9 of Promise Me Never

“Brothers, am I right?” she asks with an exasperated sigh. “Can you tell me your full name and age?”

“Eliana Hart, twenty years old. You’re his sister?” Now that I look closer, I see the resemblance in their eyes, both the shape and color. Their personalities couldn’t be any different though. She’s warm and friendly to his cold and grumpy.

“Unfortunately for him, yes.” She pulls on a pair of latex gloves and leans forward. “Tell me what happened while I clean this up and decide if you need stitches.”

I go through the entire accident while she cleans my wound. Grandpa and Grandma hang back and listen while Janey works on me. They’re both silent and calm, which is what I need to stay relaxed.

“I’m going to have to put a few stitches in this, okay?” She numbs the area and begins the process.

She asks a few questions after she’s done and leaves the room to give the doctor she works for a call to get her opinion. I take the opportunity to go up to my room and change out of my bloody clothes. Right as I finish pulling on a pair of shorts and Bruins shirt, I hear a knock on my door.

I expect my grandparents or maybe Janey to be on the other side, but instead I’m met with a set of hard blue eyes. I open the door in invitation but walk into the en suite, so I can get the remainder of the blood off my skin and hand.

I wet a washcloth and start dabbing the skin around my stitches while Luke leans against the doorjamb. He crosses his hands over his chest and watches my movements with rapt attention. I ignore him because I can’t figure out where his concern is coming from. He knows I’m okay, but it doesn’t stop him from boring his gaze into the back of my head like he’s trying to see how everything is working in there.

“Are you just going to stand there looming over me, or do you have a reason for being here?” I put too much pressure on my palm and drop the cloth from my hand. “Ouch,” I mutter.

He pushes off the wall and walks to me. He holds his out for mine expectantly. Even his stance is bossy and impatient. He raises an eyebrow as he waits for me to give in. I think we’d stand here all night if I refused him, so I put my hand palm up in his.

“Did you tell Janey about this cut?”

“No. I wasn’t thinking about it while she was sewing me up.”

I watch as he runs the washcloth under fresh warm water and begins to dab the cut on my palm. His thumb from the hand supporting mine runs in comforting strokes along the inside of my wrist. The tender caress sends goosebumps up my arm.

“Your sister is nice.” I clear my throat to try to distract myself from having such a ridiculous reaction to his attention. I can’t be getting tingles from a married man. “It’s good to see that your grouchiness isn’t a family trait.”

His lips twitch again right before he presses a bit too hard on the cut.

“Ouch.” I try to pull my hand away.

“Sorry.” His grip on me remains firm. “Slipped.”

“Mmm, well be careful. That’s how I got into this mess to begin with.”

“Knock, knock,” Janey’s voice calls from the bedroom. “I need to give you instructions.”

“I’m in here,” I call out.

Janey joins us in the bathroom, blinking in surprise at the sight of her brother. Then her eyes move to my hand where he’s cleaning the cut. She looks up at me and then to him, curiosity sparking in her gaze.

“Dr. McPherson doesn’t think you need to come in.”

“What?” Luke’s gaze sharpens on her. “Did you tell her about the cut and that Eli passed out?”

“I didn’t pass out.”

“Yes, you did. You were in my arms when it happened.” His livid eyes lock on mine.

“Listen, Luke, you can’t be in here if you’re going to upset her. She needs to rest, not worry about you flying off the handle because you’re triggered.”

He drops my hand and drags a breath in, a hard look on his face. “I’ll speak to you later,” he says to her as his shoulder knocks into hers when he exits the room.

She watches him go with a resigned sigh. I’m definitely missing what’s going on here, but I’m too tired to try to figure anything out.

“Sorry about that.” She lifts my hand to inspect the cut. “It looks like he did a good job cleaning it. Let me grab some gauze to wrap around it.”

She leaves the room, and I turn my attention to my reflection. Most of the blood is gone, but I see a few dried flakes along my hairline. I’m cleaning those off when I see her walk back into the room.

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