Page 84 of Stone Cold Touch

“You doing okay over there?”

“Yeah,” I croaked, feeling flushed for a whole different reason. I turned slowly.

He chuckled as he wrapped the sheet around his waist, covering his...his goodies.

“I’m going to have to drop this again to get changed.” His eyes danced with mischief. “Not saying you have to leave, but...”

“I’m leaving.” I shot around the bed, my hair trailing out behind me. As I passed him, he reached out, tapping my behind. I jumped, shooting him a look. “You are so bad.”

“Terrible.” He grinned as he backed up, one hand resting on the knot of the sheet. “See you in a bit.”

I meeped something to the affirmative, and then flew out into the hall. My entire body was flaming as I pressed one hand against my still-tingling lips and the image of Zayne’s behind emblazoned itself into my eye sockets.

He had a great ass.

And from what I’d seen, he wasn’t hurting in any other department either.

I giggled as I turned to the stairs, almost plowing straight into Maddox. He halted at the top step. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

His expression was sharp, not entirely trusting, but he nodded. As he stepped to the side to let me past, a wave of irritation pricked its way up my back. Would it kill him to say something? The Warden had never spoken to me.

Not once.

Taking a deep breath, I moved my foot to the step below and a cold blast of air came from the hall behind me, stirring my hair and sending thin tendrils around my face.

I looked to my left and all I saw was Maddox’s face white with shock, and then he tumbled head over feet down the steep stairs.

Screaming, I hurried down the steps, grimacing when he smacked the hardwood floor below, his head cracking off the floor. I reached his side as feet pounded from every corner in the house.

He lay at an unnatural angle, arm twisted behind him and one leg bent at the knee. I bent down. “Maddox?”

He didn’t answer.

21

Seconds later, and I still had no idea what just happened.

Dez was the first to reach us. He placed a hand on my shoulder and gently moved me aside as he knelt. “Maddox?” he said to the pale, unmoving Warden. When there was no response, he placed a hand on Maddox’s chest. “Christ.”

I folded my arms over my chest. I knew that Maddox had to be alive. A fall wouldn’t kill a Warden, but in their human form, they were susceptible to injury, even the severe kind.

“How did this happen?” Dez looked over his shoulder at me.

I shook my head. “I don’t know. He was coming up the stairs and then he just fell backward.”

Zayne came down the stairs, dressed only in a pair of loose sweats. “What the Hell?”

“He fell,” I explained lamely.

“Jasmine!” shouted Dez as he rose.

Within seconds, Jasmine arrived, her eyes widening. She turned, handing Drake off to Danika. “Keep Izzy and Drake out of here,” she said, turning back to Maddox.

Danika nodded, glancing to where Zayne and I stood. She turned, quickly taking Drake back the way they’d come. A door shut softly.

As Jasmine knelt on Maddox’s other side and placed slim fingers on his neck, the rest of the crew arrived. Once they heard that Maddox had fallen backward down the stairs, Abbot turned to me.

Shrinking back, I realized I was so about to be crucified.

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