Page 44 of Embers

“How far did you walk?”

“No idea.” He shakes his head and drops his eyes, wincing slightly as I touch one of his feet. “No other choice. Had to get back.”

I reach over to touch his beard. “Cal.”

He lifts his gaze to meet mine. “Had to get back to you.”

My face twists, but I manage not to crumple into tears again. “I need to fix up your feet. Can you get in a chair?”

“Course I can.” Despite his matter-of-fact mutter, it takes visible effort for him to heft himself to a standing position. He limps over to one of the chairs at the table and stifles a groan as he sinks into it.

I run to get our first aid stuff and wet an old washcloth so I can clean off his feet first. It takes a long time. There’s fresh blood and dried blood and some that’s already hardening into scabs. I work as carefully as I can since I know it’s got to hurt him, but I’m not going to risk any sort of infection, so I have to get them clean.

It feels strangely intimate. He doesn’t say a word, but I can feel his eyes resting on my face the whole time. I can hear his slow breathing. I’m kneeling on the floor in front of him as I work, and for some reason, it feels more intense, more vulnerable, than when he brings me to orgasm.

My hands are shaking just a little as I apply antiseptic wash and then put bandages over the breaks in the skin.

“Thank you, baby,” he murmurs thickly when I’ve finally finished.

“Are you hungry?”

He shakes his head. His eyelids are heavy. His eyes are so tender.

“You want to just go to bed?”

“Yeah. That’s what I want.”

“Me too.”

With that decided, I find the energy to straighten my legs and go wash my hands and face. I’m already in my pajamas, and Cal just strips out of everything but his boxers and splashes water on his face and under his armpits before he collapses into his bed.

I get in with him. I don’t care if our relationship is still fuzzy and undecided. I need him right now.

And he needs me too.

He pulls me into his arms, and I cuddle against him. It’s hot in the cabin, and his body is even hotter, but I couldn’t care less about that.

I hold him until he falls asleep, and then I finally close my eyes too.

* * *

We sleep for a long time. Sunlight is streaming brightly through the windows when I finally open my eyes. I opened the curtains last night, looking for headlights, and forgot to close them again.

I shift slightly as the previous twenty-four hours hit me in one big wave. I must have rolled away from Cal sometime during the night because I’m facing away from him now, clinging to the far edge of the bed.

Rolling over, I can’t help but smile when I discover he’s awake and looking at me. He’s on his back, his head turned in my direction. One of his hands is stretched out toward me, like he’s been touching me. Rubbing my back or stroking my hair.

I wish I knew which one. I wish I’d been awake to feel it.

“Hi,” I say.

His face softens, not quite into a smile. “Hi.”

“You doing okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Are your feet bothering you?”

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