Page 40 of The Darkest Knight

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Waking up with the headache from hell, Seth lingered in his cabin longer than he should have. He’d already seen the Howard crew driving toward the cabins. He’d searched to see if he could find Reese in the bunch, but she was nowhere to be found.

Spike was sitting next to the bed, eyeing him in disdain. “Did I do something to you too?”

He received a grunt in response.

He dressed and winced at the throbbing in his temples.

The problem, something he’d known since he was in his early twenties, drinking was only a temporary fix. A buzz didn’t make a man forget his problems, but instead only made him do stupid things. Yeah, he’d bought the corner lot on stupidity last night when he’d showed up at Reese’s cabin. Now he had that shit to face.

Avoiding her was an option, but he’d never been a coward. He wouldn’t start now. He’d opened the bull’s pen and now he had to face the horns.

He could fall back into bed and rest his weary head, but there was no time. He’d downed mugs of beer so he had to live with the punishment. He couldn’t shun his duty because of a little headache.

Starting the coffeemaker, he planned to douse himself in enough caffeine to kill a cow. Then he’d be ready to face the day—to face a blue-eyed beauty. What could she possibly think about him?

He was about to find out…

The knock on the door interrupted his morning plans of drinking three more cups of coffee. He’d know that soft tap anywhere and his gut tightened. Here were the horns he’d referred to.

Swinging the door open, he about swallowed his tongue. Reese and Abby were on his stoop. “Ah, you’re up.” Her smile plucked his arteries.

“Barely.” She had those same tantalizing shorts on again. Hell, it wasn’t her fault that he couldn’t control himself. Last night she’d told him to stop looking. Yeah, right.

“You planning on heading up the hill anytime soon?”

“I planned on taking a caffeine bath first.”

“Probably a good idea considering you look like hell. Can I grab a ride with you?”

What other choice did he have? “Sure.” He used his chin to motion for her to come in and he headed straight for the coffee. He filled a large mug with the legal drug, foregoing the cream. “Want a cup?”

“No, thanks. I’ve had my coffee already. Have you taken pain meds?”

“I don’t need medicine.” He took a long drink of the brew and it slid down his pipes, warming his body.

“Suit yourself.”

He leaned against the counter. “About last night—”

“We don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, we do. I’m sorry. I was half expecting you to be gone this morning.”

“It takes more than a drunk who likes to shed light on things to chase me away.” She winked. “After all, I need this job.”

He brought the cup to his mouth and missed the hole completely. The hot coffee spilled down the front of his shirt, seeping into the cotton and burning his skin. He cursed under his breath and dropped his mug into the sink, then hurried to drag the shirt from his shoulders. Once the shirt was gone, he caught a glimpse of Reese who stood watching, her mouth slightly open. It had been a long time since a woman had looked at him like this. He realized his scars and blemishes were a lot to handle for some. He started to brush passed her, but her hand on his elbow stopped him.

She brought her chin up to meet his gaze and her expression socked him straight in the gut. “This is where you were struck by shrapnel?” She stepped in front of him, the toes of her boots nestled against the toes of his.

“Yeah.” Her fingers gently skimming his shoulder made him jerk. She paused, but only for a mere second before she continued to brush the tips of her fingers along the puckered, scarred skin of the wounds. They had long healed, but having her touching him made his skin burn.

“And these deep, red scars…are they from shrapnel too?” Her attention was now on the thick blemishes where he’d been hit hardest.

“I brought home a bit of Syria.” He could barely force the word through his constricted throat.

“Here…what’s this?” She crouched down, leaning closer, her gaze on his side as her warm breath swept across his skin. Goosebumps scattered his arms. “Is this a knife wound?”

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