Page 26 of Cinnamon Cider Whiskey
“You’re a kind man.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I would have hit the bastard.”
He smiled. “You have a lovely night.”
“You as well.” For the first time in a long while, Austin felt as though he not only could hold his head high, but that he had a future and it was looking pretty bright for a change.
6
Cinnamon splashed cold water on her face and stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. She looked like a raccoon. Or something straight from a horror movie. She lifted her shirt over her head. Her side didn’t hurt half as much. Neither did her thigh. The doctor said the stitches could come out in five days. She’d passed that.
She shimmied out of her jeans and ran her hand over the wound on her leg. Flashes of Pete coming at her with a knife filled her brain. She’d never been so scared in her life. She honestly thought she was going to die and all because she had used the computer.
She pressed her hands against the vanity. She needed to tell Austin the truth about what happened. Why Pete lost his shit so bad that night and a few other things. She also wanted these stitches out. They itched like hell.
Sucking in a deep breath, she opened the bathroom door and entered the master bedroom.
Austin was sprawled out in the bed with his back propped up on pillows and a book in his hands. He glanced up and his eyes went wide. He cleared his throat and lowered his novel to hislap. “Are you aware you’re not wearing anything but a bra and a thong?”
“I want you to take these stitches out.” She sat on the edge of the bed.
“Excuse me?” He blinked.
“I’ve seen you do it on horses and other animals before.”
“But I’ve never done it on a human.” He set his book on the nightstand.
“It can’t be that much different.”
He ran his hand across her midsection, fingering one set of stitches and then the other before moving to the set on her leg. “I suppose your wounds look as though they are entirely closed.”
“They’re driving me crazy. Please, take them out.”
“All right. Let me see if I’ve got something small enough. What I use on horses will be too big.” He pulled back the covers. “But could you at least put on some shorts? There are boxers in the top drawer of my dresser. I’ve been able to keep my hands to myself while you’re sleeping in my bed, but that thong is going to change things real quick.”
She laughed. “I thought you liked this style.”
“That’s the problem and there’s only so much a man can take. I’m going to need a cold shower now before I go to bed.” He made his way to the bathroom.
While he rummaged through the medicine cabinet, she found a pair of his boxers and hiked them up to her hips. They were a little too big, so she rolled the elastic down, hoping that would help hold them up. At least for a little while. She hoped that after she told him the truth, he wouldn’t be too mad—at least he shouldn’t be. If anything, he should be flattered.
And then maybe they could deal with what was obviously happening between them. Her feelings were real. She knew that deep in her soul. They had never died and she wanted to explorethem. It didn’t matter that she’d just left her husband because that marriage had died the day they buried their daughter.
Maybe even before.
Her heart had always belonged to Austin and Pete knew it. That fact had made him go crazy.
“Okay.” Austin strolled into the bedroom carrying a small pair of scissors and some ointment. “This should do the trick.”
“You don’t sound very confident.”
“Hey, you’re the one who asked me to do this, so lie down and let me work.” He pressed his hand on the center of her chest and gave her a playful shove. Pinching her stomach, he tugged at the stitches and began removing them one by one. “Let me know if I’m hurting you.”
“It feels so good to get those things out of my body. I just want to scratch like mad.”
“Don’t do that. I’ll put this cream on when I’m done. That should help. It will also help with scarring, so use it a couple of times a day.”
“I’m not worried about the battle wounds. They are reminders of what I escaped.” She lifted her head and glanced down.
He’d removed one set and was rubbing the warm cream on her stomach. “I’m so sorry about what you had to endure. I’m also sorry that I scared you tonight. But you should have been more frightened of him.”
