Page 34 of High Stakes

I roll my eyes and look over at Hector, who is still standing awkwardly in the doorway. “I don’t mind,” he finally says.

Hayden moves into the bathroom and a few moments later I hear the water beating against the tiles. My muscles tingle at the thought of getting under that hot spray. “Go ahead and bring him in. I can help get him into the water.” Hayden’s voice cuts through the sound of the rushing water.

“Do you, uh, need help?” Hector asks, and motions at my clothes.

If I had more energy and didn’t feel like I’d been thrown out of a burning plane, I’d definitely fuck with him. Instead, I shake my head and pull my shirt over my head. I groan loudly as pain flares to life everywhere. My eyes squeeze shut because I don’t want to be tempted to look at the mangled mess of my body.

Hector clears his throat, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. I don’t want to see the horror and pity in his eyes. I can’t bear it. My stomach drops and I feel an unwelcome wave of nausea hit me. My body tenses when I feel hands gripping the legs of my pants on either side of my thighs. “Easy does it,” he says softly and gently pulls the fabric down my abused skin.

I exhale shakily as the garment leaves my body and open my eyes to find Hector crouching in front of him. The sight would be enough to send me to my knees and have my blood rushing south, if I had enough healthy blood to do anything but keep me alive at this point. My teeth sink into my lower lip as Hector blinks up at me. I watch the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes deeply, his eyes never leaving mine.

Fuck.

I grip my blanket with both fists and will myself not to get an erection with him basically kneeling in front of me, but that’s a losing battle. My cock throbs weakly against my thigh. A pitiful excuse for arousal, if you ask me. But then again, I did just almost die.

His eyes drop to my groin briefly and I can see color seeping into his face. Interesting. “Come on,” he says and stands, holding out both his hands to me. I take them, thankful that some of the awkward tension has evaporated. He walks me into the bathroom, where Hayden is already waiting. In nothing but his boxers.

Fucking fuck.

So much for me not wasting all my blood on a hard-on.

Hayden gently pulls down my last article of clothing and I hold my breath. I close my eyes in mortification as my dick pulses. It’s not as hard as it can be by any means, the pain coursing through my body makes sure of that.

“Don’t worry about it,” he whispers, and helps me step into the hot spray of water.

I groan loudly as the heat works into my muscles, slowly relaxing them one fiber at a time. The water burns my raw skin, but I can’t bring myself to move away. I want it to wash away everything that has happened to me in the last few months.

Hector clears his throat again, drawing my attention to him. I watch as he shifts his feet uncomfortably, his eyes linger on the water dripping down my legs. He takes a step back, stumbling over his feet. And the awkwardness is back. His eyes move from my naked body to Hayden’s tattooed chest. “I’ll let you two finish up here,” he mutters and disappears, closing the door behind him.

“You did that on purpose,” I whisper with a hoarse chuckle as I wash myself with the soap he hands me.

Hayden shrugs his shoulders with a smirk. “I wanted to see if he’d do what I thought he would.”

“And did he?” I ask, and turn off the water. I would stay in the heat forever, but the moisture is starting to make my skin crawl. “He just looked really uncomfortable.”

“He did,” Hayden confirms as he runs a towel gently across my skin.

I close my eyes as the coarse fibers of the towel drag across my burn scars. The nausea rolls my stomach as Hayden helps me into a clean pair of pants. My dick seems to have forgotten that it was looking for a party, to my relief. I let Hayden slowly lower me into the bed and only wince twice as I shift positions and roll to my side. Everything hurts and my eyelids are now heavier than lead balloons. I yawn and relax into my pillow as Haydenpulls the blanket over me. “You should tell Hector you’re sorry,” I say quietly, already half asleep.

He chuckles darkly and if my eyes were open I know I’d see a mischievous glint reflected in his dark gaze. “I don’t think I need to.”

“Why’s that?”

“You didn’t see how he had to adjust himself before he backed out of the room.” My body shudders at his tone and I inhale sharply. “And the look in his eyes,” he continues quietly, “reminded me of what you looked like that first time you saw my dick.” My teeth sink into my lower lip as I remember that day with a small smile. Hector only had eyes for Emelia, we all know this. But…does he want something more? My insides twist at the thought of exploring our curiosities together.

The mattress dips under his weight as Hayden settles in beside me. I fight the urge to turn and burrow into the warmth radiating from his body. “What are you doing?” I ask sleepily, and turn my face toward him.

“If you think I’m not going to hold you the entire night to convince myself that you’re alive and you’re real, you’re fucking stupid.” His arm snakes around my waist, pulling me until my back is snuggly against his front. “Congratulations, you get to be the little spoon,” he whispers, and his warm breath tickles my skin.

I’m too tired and still in too much pain to physically react to him now, so I just let the steady beat of his heart against my back relax me.

I sink into this blissful half-awake and half-asleep state of mind and let myself drift. I’m so thankful to be alive and to be here with the people I care about the most. A soft smile teases my lips as I feel Hayden nuzzle against the back of my head, snoring softly. My body might be broken and healing, but my heart has never felt more whole.

16

EMELIA

Isit on the concrete floor of the garage with my legs tucked underneath me. Silas is sitting directly behind me on a stool with his legs on either side of me. My fingers dance gingerly across the scarred skin of his calf, massaging the tense muscle. I tilt my head to the side slightly and notice that he’s looking down at me and smiling, but it doesn’t meet his eyes. I press my back against the stool and tilt my head until I’m looking up at his upside-down face.

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