Page 44 of Wicked Oath

“Well, do that. Get changed into something comfortable and I’ll turn the television on,” he says, patting my leg before standing. I gather what I need to go to the bathroom to change. When I pull my shirt off, I notice a rapidly forming bruise on my side.

“Oh fuck,” I say louder than intended.

“What’s wrong?” Viper asks as he nearly rushes in. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees I don’t have a shirt on. I watch as his eyes go from my face to my tits. His gaze lingers for a moment before he sees the bruise. “Oh, wow.”

“How the fuck did I get that?” I ask, turning in the mirror to see it better. He steps behind me and rests one hand on my bare shoulder before gently pressing in on my ribs.

“Ow!” I gasp. “Fuck, that hurts.”

“Grab your shirt and come lay down,” he says.

“Why?”

“I’m going to see if you have a broken rib,” he says as I pull the oversized shirt on. I nod and we go into the room. I lay on my side, and he gets on the bed behind me.

“Is this going to hurt?” I ask as he pulls my arm up.

“Yes,” he says honestly. “But I’ll be as gentle as possible.”

“Okay,” I say with a small voice.

“Take a deep breath,” he says. As I draw air into my lungs, he presses in to feel my ribs. I groan slightly but it doesn’t hurt as badly as I expected. “Nah. Nothing is broken. You just bruise easily.”

“Yeah, I do,” I say. My voice cracks when emotion builds up. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to have to babysit me.”

“Believe it or not, Laney, I like being around you,” he says as he rolls me to face him.

“Why?” I ask.

“You’re fun to be around. You challenge me every day. You’re smart,” he says. “How about this? You sleep, and I’ll stay right here. Okay?”

“I’m afraid,” I admit quietly.

“Of what?” he asks, brushing hair out of my face.

“That they’ll hurt someone I care about,” I say. “Talon has already been hurt so much by them. What would stop them from hurting you? I’m afraid if I go to sleep, I won’t be able to help anyone.”

“You mean if you go to sleep, you can’t sacrifice yourself instead,” he says, and I nod. “We are all in this together, Laney. We all play a different role, but we are all together.”

“I’m sorry you lost your girlfriend,” I say softly. “You’ll find happiness, though. Talon did.”

“I know,” he says with a soft smile. “Happiness has a way of finding us when we least expect it.”

“Yeah,” I smile.

“Stop being stubborn and close your eyes, Delaney,” he instructs.

“Bossy,” I argue.

“Bratty,” he laughs. “Go on.”

“M’kay,” I say and close my eyes. I sigh and relax when he starts gently stroking my hair. Exhaustion sneaks in and starts dragging me down faster than I expected. I am mentally drained, but I feel safe enough to relax.

Chapter Eleven

Talon

Watching Jude comfort Delaneyhas me feeling a mix of emotions. Part of me is hoping he will kiss her or make her come until her stubborn ass goes to sleep. Another part wants to join him in comforting her, but there is a tiny part of me that is enraged that my best friend is lying in my bed with my wife, comforting her while she fights sleep like a toddler. Their feelings for each other are so fucking obvious to everyone but her. Delaney either doesn’t recognize the truth or she’s really good at hiding it.

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