Page 13 of Ignite

“You’ll need to rest for a few days. Keep it clean. The stitches will dissolve over time. Although, if it starts bleeding or looks infected, just pop back in. Or speak to Finn.”

As he goes to sit up, I hold up my finger and his eyes widen.

“I’m not quite done. I need to cover it.”

“Okay, Nurse Hallie.” He salutes me and lays back down.

I hold back my laughter. I can’t believe I called him a good boy.

Nor can I believe he was kinda into it. A man of many secrets, I bet, just like Finn.

I finish up bandaging the wound and bite back a grin as I look into his deep green eyes.

“Good boy. You’re all done.”

I swear he growls under his breath, and I squeeze my thighs.

He’s so handsome. The tattoos give him a scary edge, but there’s a spark in his eyes that gives him away.

A lightness. I bet many people fear him, but to me, he relaxes me yet has me burning up inside.

Grabbing his pants from the floor, I hold them out to him, and he smiles as he takes them out of my hand.

“I’ll. Um.” I clear my throat. “I’ll go wait outside for you.” I point to the door and awkwardly step back.

“Why? I’m not taking my boxers off. You’ve just stared at it for the last hour. I don’t need privacy at this point.”

I stay rooted in the spot as he slides on his pants and yanks them up. As he does, his shirt rises, and I get a view of his six-pack. And of course, more ink.

I wonder if every inch of him is tattooed.

He even has a star under his eye.

Maybe each one is a story.

“You okay there, Hallie?” he asks.

My eyes meet his, and my mouth falls open.

“Yeah, just looking at your ink. You’ve got a ton of it.”

“I must like pain.” He flashed me a cheeky grin.

“Physical is sometimes better than mental.”

A somber look flashes across his face before he replaces it with a smile.

“Yeah, you can say that again. Fighting, tattoos, fucking, and cars. They’re my distraction.”

I chew on my lip as he takes a hobbled step towards me.

Jesus, he towers over me, looking down at me.

“Sounds like a good combination there,” I tell him.

“Do you need a lift home?” I ask, checking the time on my watch.

“To my garage, please. You got time?”

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