Page 73 of Cherry Auction

“I did it, okay,” he finally snaps, yanking back yet again when I try to get around him. His admission certainly stops me cold in my tracks.

My mouth drops open. I don’t understand. “Why?”

He shakes his head, jaw locked so hard it looks like it might break. “I— I don’t—” His head just keeps shaking as he backs away from me.

I rush forward and try to take his hand, but he pulls away.

“Donny. What the fuck?”

“I’m fucked up, okay?” he finally barks out. Then lets out a caustic laugh that sounds more like an explosion of pent-up breath, flinging out a hand towards the house. “If that wasn’t more than apparent. Your da used to whip me back in the day and now I fucking do it to myself.”

He turns away from me and bends over his knees, finally exposing his horrific back to me again, and shouts at the top of his lungs, “Fuuuuuck!”

“Donny,” I whisper, tears still clogging my throat. I reach out a tentative hand towards him. One of the recent whipwounds split open when he bent over. I don’t know how he slept on his back last night. “C’mon. Let’s go inside and I can help bandage these?—”

But he just stands back up in a quick motion, hands on his head and features twisted like he’s hearing some sort of siren that’s too loud. Then he sprints past me and dives in the deep end.

“Donny!” I shout after he disappears under the water. I rush to the edge. He’s there at the bottom of the deep end, just sitting, and not coming back up. Immediately, I dive in after him.

All I want is to grab his arm and drag him to the surface. But whatever frame of mind he’s in, I know it will only get me resistance. So I just swim down until I’m in front of him and do my best to sit on the bottom of the pool with him.

It’s difficult to keep still. My buoyant body wants to float up to the top but if I use my arms, I can hold myself down.

I don’t have to try very hard, though. Domhnall’s eyes were closed when I first swam down, but as soon as he opens them and sees me, they immediately widen. He shoves off the bottom, grabbing me by the waist and taking me back to the pool’s surface with him.

“What were you thinking?” he demands. “You could’ve drowned!”

“Domhn.” I grab his face in both my hands and look in his eyes. “Are you back with me?”

He blinks, looking confused but then his eyes settle on mine.

“We need to go in the house so I can see to your back,” I say calmly.

He jerks in my touch at the mention of his back.

Immediately I murmur, “It’s okay. I’m here. Domhn.” Using my hands, I help direct his face back to mine so he can focus just on me. “I’m right here.”

His gaze finally settles back on mine, and he nods, huffing out hard.

We float in the deep end like that for several long moments, breathing. Just breathing. He treads water and I hold his precious face. Dear god, how quickly the coin flips.

When he drops his head into the crook of my neck like a tired child, I clutch him there, running my fingers through his wet hair and rubbing his neck, kicking my feet to keep us up. It’s only when we bob a little in the water that he jerks back and says, “Shit. Let’s get out of the pool.”

I nod, already missing his head against my chest. “Let’s go inside.”

He’s subdued as we swim towards the shallow end and walk up the pool steps. There’s a little outdoor shower and we rinse off, him always keeping his chest to me. Then I hurry over towards the towels on the bench and bring them back. He towels off efficiently.

“Careful!” I say when he starts to swing the towel overhis back.

He smiles a sad smile. “It’s really okay. I’ve been like this a very long time.”

Nine years. Is his back ever truly able to heal? How often does he do it? How does he put medicine on or bandage himself? I have so many questions, but I can see how questions just shut him down a moment ago. I want to keep him with me.

I wrap my towel around myself to keep from dripping as we walk back in the house. And, needing some kind of connection with him after that revelation, I slip my small hand into his big one. I can feel his surprise and almost pull my hand away. Before I can, though, his strong fingers close around mine. It makes my chest squeeze with emotion. He holds my hand all the way up to his bedroom.

I only let go so I can jog over to his bathroom. I wash my hands thoroughly first, then start rummaging around for first aid supplies. Domhnall stops in the doorway, elbow up casually against the frame as he watches me. I glance over at him and my breath sweeps out of my lungs. Good lord. He looks like a tattooed god, so gorgeous and muscled.

“Stop distracting me with your sexiness,” I mutter, and go back to opening cabinets under the bathroom counter.

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