Page 126 of Mama Si's Paradise

I took a step back because I knew who I was talking to. I knew who he was and why I was supposed to be afraidof him—just afraid, not curious.Afraid, like everybody else.

I thought for sure he was going to tell me to get the hell away from his face. He hated my guts—he always seemed to be plotting my murder when we were in the same room. Or maybe he was going to kill me right here and now because I’d given him the perfect opportunity tonight, but…

Grey stepped back on his good leg, and he basicallyfellon the chair with a deep sigh like he just put the world down from his shoulders.

Damn.I was sweating.

“What’s your next order?” he asked, head thrown back, eyes open just a slit as he looked up at me.

Now was probably not the time to think about how incredibly sexyhe looked covered in blood and grime with his hair all over the pace and his jeans all but completely ripped. Definitely not the time—but again,damn.

“Just…just sit there. I’m gonna get some water to clean you up, okay?” I said despite my better judgment because I must have really lost my mind.

But how was I going to just leave him here bleeding like that, barely standing?

His brows shot up. “Suit yourself.”

I turned.

I squeezed my eyes shut, cursing myself in my head.

Cabinets all around me, and I was opening and closing them without really thinking, too focused on my heartbeat, on the beautiful monster sitting there behind me, bleeding like he’d been cut into a million places.

Why, why, whycouldn’t I just mind my own damn business?! Why couldn’t I be rational for once in my life andleavewhen I knew I ought to?!

Instead, I had a plastic bowl filled with water and a few dish towels in my hands that I found in the cabinets, and I was actually going back to him.

I was going back toclean blood off Grey Evernight.

His eyes never moved away from me, even while I had my back turned to him. I felt them on me like a physical touch again, and he followed my every movement when I kneeled down in front of his chair and put the bowl and towels on the floor.

He straightened up in his seat, looking down at me like he wasfuriousall of a sudden, and my heart skipped a beat.

Fuck, he looked sobigfrom down here. The way he was staring at me…

“You don’t have to.”

The words struggled to make sense to me for a second—God, I was so afraid.

“I know,” I said and dipped a towel in the water.Breathe, Fall. Breathe!

I was here now. It was done. I wasn’t going to leave here without helping him. I’d already started. “May I?”

Leaning back on the chair again, Grey only nodded, so I grabbed the pieces of his jeans and I pulled them to the sides as gently as I could to reveal his leg.

Fuck, it was worse than I thought. So much blood. So many cuts—anddeep. I could have sworn I saw his bones through the torn flesh, and my stomach twisted. Bile rose up my throat.

Thank God I hadn’t eaten anything, or I’d have thrown up all over his leg.

“What happened?” I whispered, slowly touching the wet dish towel to his knee where there was the least amount of open flesh. The worst of it was on his calf and shin.

My God, how had he not passed out yet? That must have hurt so badly.

“Ran into this crazy wildling tonight,” Grey said, his voice hushed, sounlikeGrey. “Women just don’t like me much.”

I snorted, dipping the towel in the water again. “Nobodylikes you.”

Only after the words left my lips did I realize what I said.

---