38
Jace
I step under the hot shower, the spray at my back, letting the water run down my body.
I hate that Olivia is right. I know how to take care of a fresh wound. Does she think this is the first time I’ve been shot?
It’s not and likely won’t be the last.
I tip my head back, letting the water soak through my hair. I’m quick to shower, but mostly I just needed the time alone.
Olivia invades every waking thought. Even when the physician downstairs heavily sedated me, I was dreaming about her.
I dry off, the bandage dry except for the moisture in the air, making it a bit humid. Thankfully, the doctor used a waterproof dressing on the wound.
I didn’t bring any clothes into the bathroom. I don’t usually when I shower, but I’m also not accustomed to sharing my bedroom with anyone.
I wrap the towel around my waist and step out of the bathroom. The hot steam follows behind me.
The medication the doctor gave has helped dull the pain and probably a few of my senses.
Olivia is stretched out on the mattress, her legs buried under the sheets. She is holding Astrid as she feeds her, curled against her chest.
I try not to stare. It’s the first time Astrid has been quiet, except when she’s sleeping, which doesn’t feel often. The girl has a set of lungs on her. She probably gets that from her mother.
There are boxers in the top drawer of my dresser. I stalk across the room, the towel snug around my waist. The bullet that grazed my leg was superficial. It doesn’t hurt, but that could also be the narcotics prescribed, making me feel like I’m floating on air.
I drop my towel and dress.
Olivia glances at me. She opens her mouth but shuts it.
“What’s that?” I ask. She doesn’t say anything, but she was contemplating it, and I want to know what she’s thinking.
“I didn’t know about all the scars,” she says as she glances over my back.
Quite a few injuries left a mark, from bullet wounds to literally being stabbed in the back.
“There’s quite a lot we don’t know about each other.” I don’t mean to come off sharp and abrasive, it just happens naturally.
I slide on my boxers and sweatpants, coming to sit at the edge of the bed. I skip the shirt.
“With Luka dead, you’re safe. No one will harm you. I promise you’re under my protection, whether you decide to stay with us or leave.”
She’s silent and glances from me down to Astrid as the little tiger falls asleep.
I shift closer, my arm nudging hers as I sit with her on the bed. “But if you leave, Astrid remains here, with me.” I want to make it clear she can leave at any time, but not with my daughter.
“Do you want me here as Astrid’s mother?” she asks. “Or are you looking for more with me?”
Her cheeks redden, and she smiles weakly, staring down at the bedsheets.
I brush a lock of hair from her eyes, pushing it behind her ear.
Timidly, she glances at me.
Is she embarrassed talking about what we shared?
It was sex. Hot and fun, but there wasn’t anything more to it. She had a hormonal need, and I scratched that itch.