Page 23 of Moments of Madness (The Hunters)

And I just can’t stop smiling.

“How’s your back?” Kyson asks. I turn in my seat to face him. It hurts, but only a little. Happiness overshadows the pain.

“I’ll survive.”

“That seems to be your motto,” he grumbles.

“Thanks for defending my honor.” I smile, knowing full well it wasn’t for me but because he’s probably jealous.

“Shut up.”

“Oh yeah, that’s how all the ladies want to be spoken to,” I say with an eye roll.

“You ain’t no lady.”

I flip my hair over my shoulder. “I totally am.”

“You keep telling yourself that,” he mumbles.

I don’t bother arguing with him. What’s the point? I have a feeling Kyson usually wins. That or he isn’t used to people arguing with him. And to be honest, my back really does hurt, especially now that the alcohol is wearing off.

When we arrive back at Kyson’s house, I gasp in pain as I get out of the car, but I don’t tell him that. He doesn’t bother waiting for me as he walks ahead and into the house, but he does leave the door open. When I get to the stairs, I sit down on them.

Goddammit! My back is really hurting now. Aching.

“Why are you sitting out here?” I don’t answer him. Just put my hand on my back and groan. I feel him lean down and touch my back. I don’t even bother shooing him away, letting him untie the bow and part the two halves of my dress. “Fucking hell, you said it was fine.”

“It was,” I tell him.

“Clearly, it’s not. Your back is fucking red and bruised.” Without another word, he scoops me up as if I’m a child and carries me inside.

“I can walk, just so you’re aware,” I inform him. Then I scrunch my nose and tell him, “You smell.” He does smell, but it’s absolutely delicious. So it’s best he puts me down because no woman should be subjected to that scent.

He glances down at me, then back up, holding me in his arms as if I am as light as a feather, and I don’t avert my eyes from him.

“Stop staring,” he says and adjusts his hold on me. I wince and look away. “Fucking hell, you’ll have to ice it.” He kicks my bedroom door open and carries me to the bed before he gently lays me down. Glancing up at him, I notice he won’t look my way. He watches where he puts me before he turns and walks out of the room without saying a word. Sitting up, I let the dress fall from my shoulders and pool at my waist—I have no bra on, as one wasn’t needed with this dress—then I try to look at my back. I can’t see anything, but I can feel the pain when I twist.

Maybe this week is just that for me—pain.

But on the bright side, I’m in a place where it doesn’t stink, and no one is going to come in and try to hurt me. Well, that I’m aware of. Managing to get up, I go over to the full-length mirror and turn around so I can look over my shoulder to see how bad it is.

Shit.

It’s red.

But then again, I’ve had worse.

“You have small tits.” Whipping my head around, I see him standing at the door with a bag of ice in his hand. After a moment, he enters the room and moves behind me. He lifts the bag and places it on my back. I suck in a breath at his touch and the coldness of the ice against my skin. When I glance back at him, his eyes meet mine.

“Nothing wrong with small tits,” I tell him.

Kyson’s lips fight a smile, but he says nothing, just holds the bag to my back. I should care that he’s in the room with me while I’m half exposed, but he doesn’t give me a vibe that I need to cover up around him. Which is weird, considering who he is and what he’s done to me.

“I think I’ve got it from here.” I lift my hand and try to reach for the bag, but it hurts to put my arms in that position.

“Lie on the bed… And take that fucking dress off so I can burn it.”

I let the dress slip over my hips, and then I walk to the bed. Lying down in only a G-string, I feel something against my skin. Turning my head slightly, I can just see his features. His eyes are trained on my bare ass as he lays a towel on my back, then places the ice. “Go to fucking sleep,” he grumbles, throwing the sheet over me before he storms off.

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