Page 49 of Up In Flames
“Jesus, Phoe. I’m rubbing his forehead and temples to try to alleviate his headache, you dirty bastard.”
“Just make sure he stays awake,” Phoenix says unapologetically.
“Taylor!” Livvy shouts, making Taylor jump in my lap.
“Christ, Liv. Shut the hell up,” he groans.
She giggles and then tries again with a whisper. “Sorry.Taylor.”
“What?”
She catches my eye while she answers her brother. “You are most definitely the sun.”
It must be some sibling code I know nothing about because Taylor just smiles and says, “Thanks, Liv.”
For the rest of the ride to the hospital, I keep my fingers on Taylor’s face, head, and neck, working to give him something to concentrate on. Unfortunately, it causesmeto focus onhim.The freckles on the bridge of his nose, the slope of his cheekbones, his jawline…his lips.
God, these fucking lips.
Completely losing focus on where I am, why I’m here, and who else is in this car, I swipe my thumb across his bottom lip.
It’s so smooth, I instantly do it again. Taylor stays unmoving in my lap, but his breathing is steady and strong. I swipe again, and this time he parts his lips just enough to allow his tongue to slip through, catching the pad of my thumb.
I catch my groan before it escapes, but the sensation has already taken hold, and my cock begins swelling under his head.
Shit.
I remove my hand from his face so I can figure out how to adjust myself, but he catches it and puts it back against his cheek, maneuvering my thumb into his mouth and sucking lightly.
If I thought my cock was getting stiff a second ago, I’m now afraid it’s going to catapult Taylor right out of the truck.
We probably won’t have a chance to talk tonight, but it needs to happen soon because my anxiety over what the fuck I’m doing is weighing on me heavily.
Chapter 18
Taylor
Both the X-ray and head CT come back clean. No spinal fractures, brain bleeds, or concerning edema.
“I don’t love that your vision is still blurry or that you have a bad headache, so you’re going to need to be monitored tonight and woken up every hour,” the doctor explains, her voice echoing around the sparse room as she enters.
I was moved to a private room because Knox threw an absolutehissyat the nurse when she tried to tell him he couldn’t be in the bay with me because he isn’t family. I guess Dr. Singh didn’t get the memo because she looks at Knox and asks, “Are you his father?”
I watch in horror as Knox’s face loses all color.Great, my nausea is back.
It’s a simple mistake, and an easy assumption to make considering I’m also here with my sister, and Knox is clearly older than me and her. Plus, I’m well aware I look younger than my actual age…butfuck. I was beginning to think we were headed in the right direction, but as this lovely lady highlights our age difference, I feel Knox slipping away from me.What will finally be the breaking point for him to shut this down completely?I wonder.
I want to lay claim to him, let him know I’m not ashamed or embarrassed by others’ opinions, but that would absolutely be the wrong move right now, so I wait for him to give the answer he’s most comfortable with.
His jaw clenches as he answers with a curt, “No.”
She eyes him for a second, like she’s wondering how he’s back here with me if he isn’t family, but ultimately must decide it’s not worth her time and mercifully moves her attention back to me.
“Okay, well, who do you live with?” she asks me.
“I live alone,” I bite harshly, silently addinglike the grown-ass man I am.
“Well, I can’t discharge you if you’re going home to an empty house, so I’ll work on your admission orders.”
