Page 96 of Heart of a Rebel

“You care.” I nudge him. “Alert the presses.”

“That’s it.” Adrian reaches out, ignoring the IV’s and his stab wound to grab me and pull me into the hospital bed beside him.

“Hey.” I yelp at the sudden movement. “You’re supposed to be healing.”

“So are you.” Adrian’s finger finds my jaw, carefully tracing around the Band-Aid at my throat.

“It’s a scratch.” I push his hand away.

Adrian shrugs. “Same.”

“Yours is a stab wound.”

“Debatable. I feel fine.”

He wraps his hand through the back of my hair and pulls my face toward his, planting a bruising kiss on me. My lips are still puffy and sore from last night when he wouldn’t keep his off them.

He kisses me like he’s reminding himself he’s alive.

He tugs me closer and my body molds against his. I trace my hands over his chest, skating where I shouldn’t and making him wince.

“Sorry.” I pull away and scan him like his wound might break open at any minute and start spilling blood.

Just because I’m doing surprisingly well, doesn’t mean there haven’t been side effects. Like the constant feeling of Adrian’s blood on my hands. Or the lingering fear of losing him. Strange, small things that imprint in the larger moment.

“I’m good, El.” Adrian cups my cheek. “A stab wound is nothing.”

“Oh really?” I roll my eyes, not believing it.

“Really.” He pulls my forehead to his. “The only thing that could ever actually hurt me is losing you.”

There’s a surprising amount of strength and vulnerability in that comment. The willingness to admit his weakness. Understanding that by doing so he’s handing me a secret piece and trusting me with it.

Trust I broke once and don’t plan to ever again.

“I promise to never hurt you.” I trace the line of his jaw. “At least not intentionally. Don’t hold it against me if I’m feeling you up and hit a stab wound.”

Adrian tips his head back and laughs freely, in a way he only ever seems to do in front of me. “I’ll survive.”

“You better.” I curl up against him and he wraps his arm around me to cocoon me in the bed next to him. “All I could think on that bus was that I told you we’d spend the rest of our time together and that we could have already hit the end.”

“It wasn’t.”

“It could have been.” I sigh, unable to help if I sound a little defeated.

Adrian leans down and rests his face against the top of my head. “Still wouldn’t regret it if it was. Because I had you.”

“That’s an awfully romantic comment coming from you, Adrian Hale.” I bury my face against his chest and hide my smile.

“You bring it out of me, Eloise Kane.”

“Then by all means.” I smile. If this is my reward, I plan to keep doing whatever I’m doing.

34

Adrian

I’mnotsureifEloise realizes it, but she has both of my hands in a death grip. Her eyes are closed and she’s whispering quietly to herself.

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