Page 58 of Bragg's Match

“The one who hit you.”

“An intruder hit me?”

“There was a thud and then you moaned.”

“Because I fell off the sofa.”

I set my weapon on the dining room table. “Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”

He chuckles. “Does hurting my pride count?”

I snatch two glasses from the cupboard and pour water into them before handing one to Brody. “You’re certain you didn’t hurt yourself? You were moaning awful loud.”

“I hit my head on the coffee table when I fell.”

I set my water down before grasping his head to check it. I notice a trickle of blood on his temple. “You’re bleeding.”

“It’s no—”

I don’t let him finish. I capture his hand and drag him down the hallway, through my bedroom to my bathroom. I indicate the toilet. “Sit.”

“But I don’t need to go potty.”

I growl at him. “You’re bleeding. This is no joking matter.”

He sobers. “Sorry. No more jokes.”

I find a washcloth and wet it before kneeling in front of him to clean the blood. His eyes sparkle and I wag my finger at him.

“We agreed no jokes.”

“What about sexual innuendos? Do they count as jokes?”

“You can’t help yourself, can you?”

I press the cloth against his wound and he jerks back. “So much for not being hurt.”

“It’s barely a scratch. I don’t want you taking care of me.”

A fist wraps around my heart and squeezes. He doesn’t want me to take care of him? I can’t deny how much those words hurt. This is what I do. I take care of the people I care for. Does he not want to be a person I care for? I thought—

“Whatever you’re thinking – stop.”

I scowl at him. “You don’t know what I’m thinking.”

“I didn’t say I did. But I do know whatever you’re thinking is wrong.”

“How do you know what I’m thinking is wrong if you don’t know what I’m thinking?”

He cups my chin. “Because hurt flashed in your eyes at my words. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You didn’t hurt me.”

“Pixie, don’t lie to me.”

His blue eyes staring into mine are full of honesty and warmth and – damn it – I can’t lie to him.

“I want you to care for me but I don’t want you to take care of me,” he says.

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