Page 35 of Beautiful Dark Temptation

“Yeah, I’m good. No. I don’t have iton.”

I could hear Fox yelling at him but not theexact words.

“It died. Yeah. Fine,” he growled out andhung up. Handing me back my phone, he looked down at his wet shirt.“Were you trying to save me or drown me?” He still looked pasty anddisoriented and when he got to his feet, he swayed a littlebit.

Accepting that I wasn’t getting thatapology, I got to my feet and took his elbow.

“I’m fine,” he hissed out.

“Yeah, no. Come on. I’ll put you to bed.”The last part had all sorts of images clouding my mind. Filthyimages of putting Kieran to bed, under me, and I quickly shoved itaway. His apology probably meant shit. And I wasn’t into dudes. Iwas just tired, horny, and needed a blunt right about now.

I ignored his protests and it eventuallyjust turned to mumbles of shit I didn’t care to listen to. I wasused to this. Whenever my mother turned up drugged out of her mindon our doorstep, or whenever I found her slumped in the livingroom, I carried her into the tub and made sure she didn’t die. Icouldn’t call an ambulance then either. Daniel had warned me thatfoster care would get involved and then I’d have to live withstrangers because Dad would never allow a background check andMiguel alone would have the social worker running, screaming out ofthe house.

I set him down on the bed. “I should takeyou to the hospital.”

“Fuck no. I’m fine. I just need to measuremy blood sugar.” He got to his feet, and I followed him to hisdresser in case he fell. He still looked out of it.

I hung back and watched as he pulled stuffout of a false bottom on his top drawer then meticulously prick hisfinger. All that time, he said nothing and didn’t even look at me.Once he was done, he dropped his ass back on the bed. I took in afew calming breaths before I approached him. “Let me help you.” Isounded worn out.

“I’m fine,” he said, without moving.

I placed my hand on his chest, feeling hisracing heartbeat even through the layer of clothing. “You’re notfine.”

“I’m just tired. I’ll be fine.”

I knew he wasn’t fine because he didn’targue with me for pulling off his t-shirt when I did, leaving himexposed. I tried not to look at his toned chest then realized hewas a dude. Icouldlook. His skin was pale, but the kind ofpale that could take a good suntan and not burn much. His nippleswere pebbled and pink. He spent way too much time lifting weightsto get that kind of definition. He had a burn scar just under hisribs. A perfect circle. I tossed the shirt on the floor.

“Pick it up,” he grumbled.

At least he was well enough to complain.“Fine. Later. Let me get a towel to clean you up.”

He shook his head. “I’m not getting into bedlike this. I need a shower.”

“You can’t even stand, bro. How are yougoing to take a shower?”

He glared at me. The color coming back tohis face. I’d argue with him more if it got him back to his oldself. Better. Healthier. “Fine. But let me help you.”

He nodded.

I guided him to the bathroom which wasepically clean. No surprise.

“What?” he asked.

I hadn’t realized I snorted. “You’re agermophobe.”

“Why, because I clean my room?”

“Bro, yeah.”

“Stop calling me bro. I’m not your bro.”

We didn’t talk as I undressed him down tohis boxers. Not the flowy kind, but the tight sports kind. Iquickly busied myself with the shower to distract myself from hisripped, perfect body but when I turned back, he was naked. Juststanding there. Naked. I couldn’t help but look. I mean, anyonewould’ve looked. It was rightthere. He had a thin scar fromhis navel to pelvis that looked like an old surgery wound. Andalthough his dick was soft it was … yeah, it was nice. I felt heatrush to my cheeks. I needed to leave. But he stood clinging to thatsink as if his life depended on it. If something happened to him,Fox would kill me.

I kicked out of my sneakers and dropped mycellphone inside the shoe.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t worry,bro. You’re not mytype. I just want to make sure you don’t fall and hurtyourself.”

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