Page 52 of Ward Willing
“Why thefuckyour parents sent you to that delinquent school is beyond me.”
I grin. “I probably shouldn’t tell you about the magic mushrooms…”
“I’m driving,” he growls. “End of discussion.”
“Fine. But we’re going back to the venue first to clean you up.”
“Wonderful,” he says under his breath.
“Scotty isn’t there,” I add, crossing my arms.
I don’t miss the relieved look that passes over his face.
As we walk, all I want to do is reach out and make sure he’s okay. My heart is still pounding, and my legs are unsteady beneath me. As we get to the front door of the venue, Bart’s eyes widen.
“Whoa, dude. You okay?”
“He’s fine,” I say quickly. “I’m going to clean him up in the bathroom before we go.”
“Take him up to the staff bathroom,” Bart says, looking between us. “Upstairs and to the right.”
I bump fists with him before leading Liam up the narrow staircase near the ticket booth.
“You know him?” Liam asks.
“Not really. Why?”
He doesn’t answer me, but I have to wonder if he’s asking because of the fist bump. Hiding my smile, I push the door open to the verytinystaff bathroom.
“Inside,” I tell him, holding the door open.
He brushes past my chest, and I have to tell my nipples to calm down.
The door closes, giving us another couple of feet of space, but it’s still a tight fit. Liam leans against the pedestal sink, and I grab a few paper towels and wet them.
“Let me see,” I say quietly.
Liam is still scowling–as if this is his worst nightmare. As if he doesn’t have blood dripping down his face and onto his neck.
As if he’s invincible, which he’s very much not.
He doesn’t move, so I reach up and brush his hair off his forehead. I have to stand on my tip toes, and even then, he’s a fraction too tall.
“You’re too tall. Sit on the toilet,” I command, stepping back.
Something akin to amusement flashes over his features as he pushes off the sink and walks to the toilet, putting the lid down and sitting. I walk over and he opens his legs so I can step between them. Flashes of earlier penetrate the control I’m pretending to have, and after getting a heady whiff of his scent, I nearly moan out loud.
Reaching over to his face, he goes still at my touch. He’s just below my line of sight, so it’s a lot easier to see him this way.
I take the wet paper towels and clean his skin, starting with his cheek. His eyes find mine, and I have to slowly inhale and exhale to calm my jumping nerves. The paper towel catches on his scruff, and I have to dab his skin there before working down to his neck. I go through a few wet paper towels. Other than the blood I’ve mostly cleaned off and dark red ring around his right eye, he looks okay.
I let my other hand come to his nose as gently as possible, examining it.
“Do you think it’s broken?” I ask.
He swallows. “No.”
As I trail my thumb over his other cheekbone, a shiver goes through him. The thought of making Liam shiver with a mere touch…
