Page 10 of Brutal Mercy

Dr. Moreno waltzes out of the room. And I’m left alone for the first time since regaining consciousness. I am in the biggest bedroom I’ve ever been in. I think you could fit at least half of my house inside this bedroom. The walls are a dark, cool gray with ivory baseboards that complement the mahogany floor. To my right, there’s a seating area with a plush black leather chesterfield sofa, a matching chaise lounge, and two dark navy chairs. There’s a flatscreen mounted above an ivory marble fireplace that’s threaded with gray veins.

And I’m seated on a platform bed that is the largest bed I’ve ever seen. The burgundy comforter feels like silk beneath my fingertips. The comfy mattress makes me want to stay and cuddle beneath the covers for days.

I can’t remember the last time I dawdled in bed with nothing to do. It was before Mom and Dad died.

With a wince, I remove the tattered remains of my flannel and then strip off my black tank and bra, tossing them both onto the mattress. My jeans are more problematic. I try scooching them off over my hips, but with my ankle, battered knees, and exhausted muscles, I can’t lift my hips enough to shove them off.

When a woman has an hourglass figure, it means generous hips.

I’m finally forced to get out of bed to remove them. My head spins as I stand. Damn, were they this tight when I put them on this morning? As I work the skinny jeans down my legs while standing on one foot, I lose my balance and tumble onto the floor with a thud. Pain slices through me.

“Shit. Ow!” I roll onto my side.

And the door opens.

Of course it does. Because fuck my life. Hades marches back inside. “What are you doing?”

My bottom lip quivers as I stare up at him. The guy is fucking massive. He has to be six-four or six-five and is built like a fucking lumberjack. His suit jacket stretches over his muscles like it’s hugging them. And I feel the insane urge to trail my fingers over every inch of those muscles. The thought makes my core clench.

And my panties go damp.

“I fell trying to remove my jeans.” Fuck. I’m sprawled on his floor in nothing but my black bikini panties with my jeans around my knees. Lusting after him when he’s done nothing but be kind to me.

But I can’t help it. I’ve never had my body feel like I stuck my finger in an electrical socket from simply being close to someone.

And for a moment, he stares at me with such possessive lust illuminating those pale blue eyes that I don’t know how to react. No one has ever looked at me like that before. As if he has every intention of spending hours worshipping my body. My entire being comes alive beneath his hard stare.

But then he bends and lifts me up onto the edge of the bed, and I’m fully aware that he’s in a suit and I’m almost naked. He kneels, and slowly, with extreme care, he peels my jeans down over my injured knees. Then my calves.

And one at a time, he removes it from my ankles, taking special care with my left ankle. It’s swollen and throbbing, but I hardly feel it. Because I can still feel his fingertips where they grazed my skin.

Wordlessly, he rises, and then I’m staring at his crotch. I should look away. But pressing against his pants is the thick ridge of his dick. I mean, it’s right there. But he couldn’t possibly be turned on by me. Or be that freaking big.

I’m just me. Luna with the dead parents. Luna with more responsibilities than I know what to do with. Luna who hasn’t relaxed or taken time off in four years. Not since my parents died and I became my sister’s guardian.

I finally lift my gaze, my eyes trailing up the expanse of his torso. When our gazes collide, heat slithers through me. It’s as if we’re the only two people in the world. And I’m drowning in him. Only I don’t know if I ever want to come up for air.

A male throat is cleared, breaking the spell. I jerk my gaze away from Hades. It lands on the doctor, who’s trying not to smirk because he caught me staring at Hades like he’s a god. I flush with embarrassment.

“If you would put the gown on. My assistants are on their way up with the x-ray unit,” Dr. Moreno says, nodding toward my bare chest that I finally cover with my arms.

“But don’t I need a hospital for that?”

Dr. Moreno smiles like he finds my comment charming. “Back in the old days, yes, but technology being what it is these days, you can get everything to go.”

Hades touches my shoulder, and it burns, like volts of energy from a thousand suns. What is this spell he put on me?

“Hold your arms out, and I will get this on you.” He’s holding the hospital gown, yet my gaze tracks to his lips. I wonder what they would feel like. In a strange twist of fate, I yearn to have this man, this stranger, kiss me.

But I shake it off and lift my arms without question. He slides the material down over my arms, and his fingers trail over my skin. From his stunned expression, it appears I’m not the only one surprised by the strength of our chemistry. It sparks between us. His fingers graze me as he bends over my head, tying the strings at my neck and mid-back. His scent, a heady, dark amber and opium, washes over me.

And I find myself wanting to inch closer and inhale him. Get close enough to feel the heat pumping off his body and curl into him.

“Lie back on my bed,” Hades instructs.

And I feel weird again, because I don’t want to disappoint him. “Wait, this is your bed? This is your bedroom?” I shiver at the implications. Because from what I saw before I passed out, this house is massive. Why would he bring me tohisbedroom?

“It is. Now be a good girl and lie down.”

---