Page 119 of Never Die for a Sinner
Brushing the still-wet hair back from her forehead, I place a kiss right beside her bandage.
“Always.”
The storm has died down to a steady rainfall when Ava stirs against me.
In my sleep, I let out a groan at the feeling of her tight little body running up against my bare cock.
“Fuck,” I grit, gripping her hip to stop her.
Her eyes flutter open, and she stares up at me in confusion at first. Then shock. Then horror.
“Levi?” Her voice quivers when she says my name as if waking up naked in bed with me is the worst thing that’s ever happened to her.
Can’t say I blame her.
“What are you doing here?” Her eyes roam over me to assess the situation. “Why are you naked?” She pauses, seeming to finally come to terms with the fact that her body is pressed against mine. “Why amInaked?”
I cock a brow at her, holding her in place when she attempts to wriggle away. Behind her, the fire crackles, though it’s died to a warm smolder now.
“Problem, little ghost?” I’m surprised by how rough my voice is. It could be the raging hard on nestled against her thigh, but I’m doing my best to ignore it. This was, after all, about getting her warm. Not fucking her. There will be plenty of time for that later.
“Oh, no.” Her voice takes on that air of cynicism that I can’t wait to fuck out of her. “I often wake up stark naked, cuddled up with strange men.”
“You said it, not me.”
She shoves away from me, and this time, I let her, watching as she settles to the back corner of the mattress and wraps a blanket around herself.
Not like it matters, I’ve already seen everything anyway.
Sliding from the bed, my legs are sore, and my back is tired, but I ignore it. We’re both filthy and caked in mud. Stooping down, I slip my arms under her and hoist her up, blanket and all. I carry her toward the bathroom, ignoring her startled gasp and squirming.
“You said it, not me.”
“Put me down!” she snaps when I kick open the bathroom door. I’ve never used the tub in this cabin, but tonight, we will. I want to make sure she’s warm.
“What are you doing? Where are we?”
I grit my teeth, turn the water on, and wash the dust out before stopping up the tub.
“You don’t recognize the place?” I ask without looking at her.
“Why are we here?” she demands, tugging the blanket tighter around herself.
“Because you were a dumbass and decided to hike through the forest in a storm,” I retort, my patience wearing thin.
“Well, forgive my lowliness, my lord. I have but a maid’s mind and cannot understand such difficult concepts as the weather.”
Little brat.
She turns around to look at herself, wincing when she sees the bandage over the cut on her forehead. Her gaze is shattered, the broken mirror reflecting her image back in a dozen fragments.
“Why is the mirror broken?” she asks, turning back around.
I ignore her question and motion toward the tub.
“Get in the tub, Ava.”
“No,” she snaps back, her cheeks flaming hot while my blood boils. It feels like an epic wild west showdown, only she’s the only one with a gun. I’m just the stupid fuck that decided to mess with her.
