Page 70 of Kingdom of Chaos
So. Many. Ridges.
So.Hard.
By the Creator, I need to stop staring. If I don’t, Talon is going to look up and see me wiping drool from the corner of my mouth.
Gosh, Lock. Thirsty much?
With an embarrassing amount of effort, I turn away and busy myself by fishing the gauze and heavy-duty tape from his bag. When I find it and straighten, Talon is leaned up against the sink, a knowing smirk on his face that I pretend not to see.
Clearing my throat, I ask him to turn so I can look at the exit wound first, using that as an excuse to get his eyes off me while I compose myself. I’m irritated to find his back just as appealing as his front, but the prickle of annoyance helps clear the lust from my brain, so I lean into that emotion and get to work.
I’m relieved to find that the exit wound that I packed with gauze is looking better. The bleeding has stopped and it’s already starting to heal. I carefully remove the gauze, then cover the area with a fresh layer and secure it with tape.
When I tell him to turn around so I can check the entry wound, I’ve mostly regained control of myself. Still, I keep my eyes firmly on the injury and away from his annoyingly perfect stack of abs, just to be safe.
As I peel back the tape, I’m surprised to see it’s not as bad as I expected. There’s a little blood, but it’s just a slow ooze; the wound is beginning to close. I don’t want his body to heal over anything left inside, so instead of packing it, I place a thick layer of gauze over the surface and tape it securely in place.
When I’m done, I finally glance up at Talon. “I think you’ll live.”
He cocks an eyebrow. “The look on your face makes me think you’re on the fence about whether that’s a good thing or not.”
I roll my eyes, unwilling to say anything that might inflate his ego more than it already is. I’m about to turn away and tuck the supplies back into his bag when my gaze catches on the slashes across his ribs.
A frown pulls at my lips. I checked them this morning, and they look exactly the same. No change. No improvement. At least that I can tell. I’m no expert in creature healing, but I’d expect some progress by now. The wounds have scarred over, but the skin is still raw and uneven, the flesh ridged and angry-looking.
Something about it doesn’t sit right.
Without thinking, I reach forward and run my finger over one of the newly formed scars, and Talon jerks a little.
“Oh, shoot. That probably hurt. I’m sorry,” I say as I try to snatch my hand back, but he catches it, and lays it flat against his ribs, right over the trio of scar tissue.
My breath catches and I glance up at him, finding his blue-gray gaze.
“You didn’t hurt me,” he says, his voice soft, and far more alluring than it should be.
I nod, because I’m not capable of doing anything else.
My mind has turned to complete mush. The only thing I seem capable of processing is the coolness of the skin beneath my palm and its contrast to the jagged scars.
Lifting a hand to my face, he brushes his thumb first over my cheekbone, and then trails it down my throat only to gently wrap his fingers around the back of my neck, lightly holding me in place.
He releases a sigh, quiet and laced with sorrow, but I don’t know why.
Truth is, I don’t know anything right now except that my heart is pounding and my lips are buzzing and nothing seems to exist except this moment and the two of us.
Leaning forward, he lowers his forehead to rest against mine, our breaths mingling, only the barest sliver of space separating us.
I trail my fingers up his ribs to lay my hand against his chest, and his breath catches.
“Oh, Freckles,” he whispers, and a delicious shiver runs down my spine.
I hate it when he uses that nickname . . . but I also love it.
He leans back a few inches so he can look me in the eye, and says, “What am I going to do with you?”
The air around us heats. Thoughts are completely gone from my head, and like a magnet drawn to metal, my gaze slides down to his mouth in a silent plea.
Talon winces; pain tighten his features, and some of the brain fog lifts. It’s not the air that’s hot, it’s me.
