Page 91 of As Thick As Thieves

“I’m just going to check on him. I won’t stay too long, the guys are busy for hours so I’ll be home before them,” I explained, starting towards Stone’s bedroom. “I’ll see if he’ll let me in.”

Leah gave me a thumbs up, turning to Jai to argue some more, but I blocked them out as I left the room and made my way along the hall to Stone’s bedroom, hesitating before lifting my hand to knock. The bed creaked but he didn’t reply.

“Stone? Let me in,” I said firmly, his voice reaching me a moment later.

“Penelope, go home.”

“No.”

“For fuck’s sake, leave!” he barked, but the usual anger was gone, making me frown. I tried the handle just in case, but I wasn’t surprised to find it locked.

“Please? I’ll go home once I’ve seen you.”

“I don’t want you to see me like this,” he said more quietly, his voice sounding like it was closer to the door.

“I’ll stand here all damn day and night if I have to, but then the guys will show up and cause a scene. I’ll leave once you let me in and I can—” I didn’t get to finish before the door opened to reveal his swollen, bruised face, a small gasp leaving me. “Jesus, Stone. You need medical help.”

He limped back towards the bed, so I stepped inside and closed the door behind me, moving across the room to sit on the side of the bed.

“It’ll heal on its own. You’re worrying for nothing,” he mumbled, wincing as he tried to get comfortable. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

“Fucking bullshit,” I bit out, reaching out to touch his face, but he pulled away. “Let me look at you. This cut needs cleaning.”

“Why do you even give a shit? You shouldn’t. You kept me alive, but now you need to stop putting yourself in danger for me.”

I scowled, giving him the stink-eye. “Don’t chase me down and beg for forgiveness, then get annoyed because I let you in a little. You stink, so you’re going to get out of bed, have a shower, and tend to these cuts and bruises. Got that?”

He blinked at me with confusion for a moment before the faintest smile tugged at his lips. “You think you can boss me around now?”

“I saved your life, so you can do me a favor and get in the bathroom.” I stood, crossing my arms to glare down at him. “Come on, don’t make me drag you.”

“You’re not watching me shower,” he said flatly, but he started easing himself out of bed, slowly making his way towards the closet.

“Grow up, it’s just a dick,” I threw back, his eyes narrowing on me from across the room.

“Penelope—”

“Stop arguing with me. Get in the bathroom now so I can check you over, make sure you’re clean, then put ointment on the damage. Then I’ll leave.”

He muttered under his breath about me being a pain in the ass, but he grabbed an armful of clean clothes and followed me out of the room, snarling as he noticed Leah peeking around the corner at the end of the hallway. “You’re dead to me!”

“Love you too, boss,” she replied brightly, giving me a wink before ducking out of view. Stone tried to shut me out of the bathroom, but I barged past him thanks to his current weak body, pointing towards a stall. “Go on. Strip off, and let me see the damage.”

“If you wanted to see my dick, you didn’t have to romance me,” he deadpanned, stepping into the stall and letting me slip inside before locking the door, trying to pull his shirt over his head but struggling.

“Just accept my help without giving me attitude,” I scolded, stepping closer to help him out of the shirt. He tried to step back from me at first, but he was obviously in a lot of pain because he let me strip him after a half-assed argument about it. His body was black and blue, bruises covering his ribs and chest, and when he turned around, his back and shoulders were no different. He jerked as I reached out to touch one on his back, but I followed him and slid my palm down his side where his ribs were.

“These are bad,” I murmured, my brow creasing as I explored his beaten skin. “They have to be broken.”

“They are,” he mumbled, turning to face me, giving me a moment to inspect the bruises on his chest more. “Now that we’ve cleared that up—”

“Shut up and get in the water,” I said, cutting him off before he could attempt to kick me out. He rolled his eyes, but he did as he was told, turning the taps on and stepping under the spray. My eyes drifted over him as he turned his back to me, and I couldn’t help myself as I took a peek at his dick as he turned a little.

“If you’re going to stare at my dick, at least wash it for me,” he grunted, my eyes flashing up to find him watching me.

“I was just seeing if my assumption of you having a pin dick was right,” I joked as he turned his face towards the water, gently cleaning it before stepping back to answer me.

“If you think you can hurt my feelings by attacking my dick, you have another thing coming. I’m very comfortable with my body, and I know for a fact that there’s nothing wrong with the size of it. Nice try, though.” His hand dropped to his dick, and I held his gaze as he washed himself, taking his time like an asshole. He finally decided he was clean, and I handed him a towel once he’d turned the water off.

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