Page 18 of Tempting Tessa

He stared at her, one corner of his mouth quirking. “You all right?”

“What?”

“You seem surprised to see me.”

“I, uh…”Get it together, Tess! “I’m fine.” She nodded vigorously. Was she trying to convince him or herself?

A finger traced her jawline. “Good. You were shaking during the night. I was worried you were going into shock again.”

Worried. Like a friend would be. Of course. She pushed his arm away and sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the mattress. The room didn’t tilt. That was good. “Probably just a bad dream.”

She started to rise, but he slid two fingers into her waistband and stopped her. She glanced over her shoulder.

He sat up, drawing her close. A hand slid from her wrist to her elbow. “Let me see.”

The way his eyes locked on hers made her feel vulnerable. As if he were asking to see more than her injured arm. As he shifted to sit next to her, his touch was warm and gentle, his face only an inch from hers as he began to peel the bandage off her stitches.

He smelled like sleep and soap. His bare chest and his own recovering injury were on full display, tempting her to run her fingers over each peak and crevice.

As the latex gave way, revealing her red and sore skin, it felt as though he was uncovering more than just her wound. It was as if he were peeling away a layer of her shield.

“I’m fine,” she repeated, the words coming out too soft and breathy to be believable. “It’s fine.”

His gaze rose to hers, holding it. “It’s okay if you’re not.”

The buttress she’d built around her emotions began to tremble. She tried to pull away, but he held her by the wrist. Not forcefully, but securely, as if suspecting something inside her was about to break.

She wanted to lean into that, to him. To let him hold her up, steady her. For the first time in her life, she wanted someone to tell her it would all be okay.

Even if it was a lie.

The old panic that she hadn’t allowed herself to feel since she was nine began to bubble right under her breastbone. Her throat tightened, and her lungs wouldn’t fill. She searched for something to say. Anything. She had to get away from him. Away from his touch, those eyes that peered into her soul.

“Please,” was all that came out. Her lips trembled, and her eyes filled with tears. Her internal buttress shook as if experiencing an earthquake. “I…I can’t.”

Can’t what? She wasn’t even sure what that meant.

His lips quirked. “I know.” He replaced the bandage and let his fingers trace its outline. “Not yet,” he continued. “But you will.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “And I’ll be here when you do.”

Eight

Tommy sat on the edge of the bed, his hands braced on his knees, trying to ignore the tangle of emotions rolling through him. The early morning light seeped through the cracked blinds, painting stripes across the modest bedroom. Tessa had moved back and now sat cross-legged on the bed as if purposely putting a barrier between them.

“I can go on my own,” he said. “You can return to your life.”

She didn’t reply for a long moment, sizing him up, a slight crease forming between her brows. It was both endearing and troubling. He wanted to brush it away, but he knew better than to touch her again right now. “You haven’t said anything about your injury.” She pointed to his wound several days further along in the healing process than hers.

It was still sore, and after their activity yesterday, it was aggravating him. Because of it, he’d had trouble getting comfortable during the night, but he’d kept close to her anyway. “Stitches are holding fine,” he said. “It looks like we’ll both live.”

She gave a laugh, more of an exhale than anything genuine. “I’ll be the judge of that.” She wiggled her fingers at him. “Let me see.”

He stood and turned so that his injured side faced her. Her fingers brushed against his skin, and he tried not to catch his breath. Not because it hurt but because he desired so much more. He wanted her warm, gentle fingers to explore beyond his wound.

And his morning erection came to full attention, bobbing under his waistband.

For an embarrassing heartbeat, neither of them moved or said anything. He snuck a peek at her and saw her blatant appraisal. When she caught him looking, she began examining her work again.

Doing the most challenging thing of his life, he backed away from her hand and spun around.

---