Page 25 of The Tower

"No, butyouare."

Chapter 14

Libby

My lips find his on instinct. He wasn't the one to initiate the kiss, but when our lips clash onto each other, he's the one to take without restraint.

He places his hand on the back of my neck, forcing me to tilt my head back as his tongue invades my mouth with unexpected greed. I'm stunned for just a split second before I respond in the only way that comes to me naturally.

We intertwine with hungry proficiency, the craving obvious in both of us. It's a breathless kiss that speaks of the strong yearning we share. A yearning for intimacy, for connection.

I've never had a first kiss like this. So passionate, so eager, rapacious. Almost selfish, both of us. Neither one of us giving, we're both taking from each other.

My heart hammers against my weak chest with rapid urgency, excited for more. I'm not even surprised that our hands find each other with the same implicitness guiding our lips. Our fingers intertwine, clasping onto each other and pulling tightly. He overpowers me with ease, pulling me closer to him so that our bodies are pushed against each other—with my splinted arm between.

A sharp pain travels up through my shoulder, causing me to interrupt our kiss with an exclamation of pain. I moan, grimacing as I try to ignore the fiery ache radiating from my wounded shoulder.

He stops immediately, his lips leaving mine as he takes a step back.

"You okay?" he asks, his handsome features twisted with worry. "Your shoulder? Did that hurt?"

I nod, biting my lower lip. "I'm sorry, I—"

"No, I am," he cuts me off, raking his hand across his short buzz cut while he lets out a heated sigh. "I should've known."

My heart sinks, and I curse my crippled body for this unwanted interruption. My heart is still racing, still yearning, and my body burns with lust.

I wanted to forget, just for a few minutes, moments even. I wanted to forget about everything that has happened and just indulge myself in this man who has turned my head upside down ever since I first saw him.

Is that really too much ask?

Apparently, it is when you're still suffering from a pretty serious gunshot wound in your useless left shoulder.

"Didn't you say you have something you can give me?" I remind him. "Some pain meds?"

Keane nods. "Yes, sure. Hold on."

My eyes follow him as he rushes out of the room, leaving me standing next to the bed with my cheeks flushed and my core still throbbing with need for more.

I wonder if he's a gentle lover or a rough one. My hope that it's the latter is probably not unwarranted, judging from what little I've experienced with him so far.

I wonder if I will ever find out for sure.

Or ever.

He returns with a surprisingly large bottle, holding it up to my face.

"These are pretty strong," he informs me. "Prescription opioids. They'll work wonders, but we'll have to be careful with them."

I hold out my right hand, casting him an expectant look while he opens the bottle to fetch a tablet for me. Much to my surprise, he doesn't give it to me right away, but arches his eyebrows in a warning look.

"Don't be reckless," he warns. "You may not feel the pain anymore, but your shoulder is still damaged and—"

"Yes," I interrupt him, playfully rolling my eyes. "All I want right now is for the pain to be gone."

I reach for the tablet he's holding out to me, and my eyes fall onto the visible bulge under his jeans. A coy smile spreads across my face, and when he turns around to reach for a bottle of water on the nightstand, I'm lucky enough to get an even better view of his considerable size. It flatters and excites me to see him like this. He's hard because of me, yearning for me, despite the terrible state I'm in. I haven't worn any makeup since the day of the event and have only been dressed in hospital gowns and men's clothes. Tonight was the first time in days I had a chance to take care of myself, wash up, brush my hair properly, and even shave my legs. It took forever, and my shoulder hurt all the way through, but it felt like a spa treatment nonetheless.

He watches me as I swallow the tablet, ignoring the cheeky smirk I throw at him.

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