Page 21 of Battling Aries

“Yeah, I can breathe again without any discomfort,” I tell her, nodding.

In the past week, I somehow allowed Mace to convince me to see his mom. She came by twice already and again today.

“That’s good. You still need to take it easy until you’re fully healed, but I think it’s safe to say you’re getting better. Give your wrist another few weeks, and we’ll take the cast off. I want to make sure it’s good before we do so.”

“Okay.” I nod, wishing I could take it off. I hate looking at the damn thing. I scoot to the edge of the gurney and hop off. “I appreciate all that you’ve done for me.” I did. She’s been a God-send. She made me feel comfortable while she took care of me. Sure, Mace did a good job, but I wasn’t totally comfortable with him. He’s a guy. Worse, he’s a guy who saw me when I was most vulnerable.

All of the guys did, if I’m honest with myself.

“It’s not a problem, honey,” Kendra states, patting my arm. “You’re doing all the leg work in getting better. I’m just making sure nothing else goes wrong while you do so. Now, how about we go and see if Jade and Rosemary need any help with dinner?”

My stomach tightens at the mention of joining the other women. I’ve spent some time with them, but mostly stuck to myself in Aries’s room. Cordelia had taken off for a job in Colorado, and I couldn’t be happier for her. It was just a simple one taking pictures of the mountains for this time of year, and I knew she’d be back. She had to take care of business. It just sucked she left me all but alone without her.

But isn’t that what I wanted in the first place?

I’m not so sure anymore.

I miss her.

I’d been with her since the day I escaped from my Roger. It became the two of us against the world, and now, I find myself stuck here without her.

“That sounds like a good idea.” I don’t want to go against Kendra when she’s been nothing but nice. Nor do I want to keep hiding from Jade and Rosemary.

Both women have been just as kind as Kendra. They’ve invited me to join them. Even asked if I wanted to go shopping with them. It was nice of them, but I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to get to know them, befriend them, only for them to turn their backs on me when Aries finally finished whatever he started by refusing to let me leave. Befriending Kendra was different, she’s a doctor and was only there to make sure I was okay.

Together, Kendra and I make our way from the clinic the club has set up for Mace to the kitchen. I find myself stopping when we get to the main room and find the guys are all huddled up together. But what catches my attention is that Aries is among them.

He’s back.

His eyes were on me.

I swallow down my nerves, wishing I could run and hide.

“You coming?” Kendra asks, getting my attention.

I look at her to see she’s glancing back and forth between Aries and me. Clearing my throat, I take a step back. “Sorry, I’m just going to go lay down. My head is starting to feel funny.”

Pivoting on my toes, I rush out of there, getting as far as Aries’s room before I find myself caught in the middle. Without looking behind me, I know it’s Aries. His warmth is unlike any other. The smell of his cologne is enough to send me into a daze.

“Where you think you’re going?” he murmurs, his breath stroking the shell of my ear.

My breath hitches, my chest rising and falling in place. If I don’t get control of it, I’m sure I’ll start hyperventilating.

“Let me go.” I finally manage to say.

Aries ushers me into his room and closes the door, but what he didn’t do was let me go.

“Aries,” I start, only for him to interrupt me.

“We’ve got a lot of shit to talk about, Scamp, but I want to start off with tellin’ you I’m sorry for leaving the way I did.”

Oh my.

Holy monkey nuts.

Did he just apologize to me?

Aries spins me around, keeps his hands around my waist, and holds me full frontal to full frontal. Having him this close is screwing with me. More so with my breasts pressed up to his chest and him smelling as good as he does like leather, wood, and spice. It’s a heady combination.

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