Page 63 of The Pakhan's Kidnapped Bride
I grab his hand and pull him into the kitchen, where the light is brighter, and I can see properly.
He sighs again, trying to pull his hand away. “It’s not bad, Anya, I’m just going to shower and go to bed. I’m so tired I can barely stand.”
Shaking my head, I scold him, “Just let me look.” I push his back against the kitchen counter.
He pulls his mouth to the side but doesn’t argue again, just watches me with an amused tint in his eyes.
I unbutton his shirt and stand on my tiptoes to tug it off his shoulders, carefully pulling the sleeves off his arms because the blood has already dried, and I remember how much it stings to pull the fabric away from a wound. But Em doesn’t even flinch.
There are several cuts on his forearms. One of them is deep. The others aren’t too bad.
“What happened?” I ask, my voice tight.
“Some morons tried to attack me as I left the meeting point this evening. There was a disagreement at the meeting, and I think one of the guys set his guards on me, trying to make a point.”
“That’s horrible,” I yelp.
Em chuckles. “You should see the other guys, though. All three of them.” When I glance at his face, he looks mildly proud of himself.
I narrow my eyes, and he shrugs. “They should have known better than to mess with me. And their leader will feel the sting of the consequences tomorrow when his warehouse is shut down. I gave him a fair deal, and he wanted to test my limits. He clearly needs to be reminded of his place in the chain of command.”
I roll my eyes, ignoring the knot in my stomach. This Bratva business is all so ruthless. I can’t let it get to me, though; it’s how the world works.
“I need to disinfect this,” I say, tracing my finger carefully around the cuts.
“Just leave it.”
“No. It might not be too bad now, but if it gets infected, you’ll be miserable. Let me take care of you for a change.”
He tilts his head to the side, and a warm smile brushes over his lips.
“Alright, kitten. You can take care of me,” he concedes.
I take his hand and pull him upstairs to his bathroom, where I know the first aid kit is.
He sits on the edge of the bath with his legs apart, and I sit on one of his knees as I work on his arm, then switch to the other knee to work on the other arm. It’s cozy, sitting on his lap. Intimate and comforting.
Step by step, I disinfect each cut, the same way he disinfected my bullet graze. I learned a lot watching him, and now I get to repay the tenderness he showed me on that day.
I can feel his eyes on me the entire time as he watches quietly. I’m lost in the task, wanting to be perfect for him.
When I’m done, I tape the last piece of bandage over his forearm and double-check that each one of them is secure.
“Did I do okay?” I ask, looking up at him with a hopeful glance.
“You did an excellent job, kitten. I would have you as a nurse any day,” he chuckles, wrapping his arms around me and pressing his lips against mine.
He pauses, his mouth still touching mine. “Now, I think I know how you can distract me and help me fall asleep.” He grins, standing, taking me with him, and carries me to bed.
Chapter 19 - Emmanuil
My laptop beeps, letting me know an e-mail has arrived.
I lean back in the office chair and roll my sleeves up over my forearms. My eyes drift down to the bandages over my arms. She didn’t have to put so many on, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her at the time. She was so focused on the task, her delicate hands working gently over my wounds. If it were me, I would have scrubbed them with soap, maybe slapped a dressing over the larger cut, and gone to bed.
A smile touches my lips as I brush my fingers over one of the bandages.
Letting her take care of me was a special moment. One I will hold onto. The way she sat on my knee, her eyes narrowed, and her nose scrunched with concentration. She’s cute. She’s sexy. She’s beautiful. She’s funny, sweet, and caring.
