“Well, more like a run. Then I fell.” He’s nodding along as I speak, reaching for the door handle to let me inside.
“You should have some of our medic guys take a look at you.”
“Okay.” I nod, stepping towards the door, surprised he hasn’t made any attempt to ask where I drove my car to. I know he’s not dumb. He must have seen me leave and return. Just as I step inside, I see Vince talking quietly with his wife Jess as they walk down a hallway to an area of the house I haven’t been to before. I think Tito mentioned something about them staying in a special suite. It must be where they’re walking and why I’ve never been down there.
As long as I remain quiet, I can sneak up the stairs before they notice me. So, I calmly push forward, lifting my legs cautiously as I step lightly up the stairs. Their chatter fades just as I reach the top of the stairs, and I make a beeline for my bedroom. Just as I open the door, I hear Tito open his.
“Oh my god, what happened to you?” I turn around instinctually, making his look of horror intensify as he looks down at my knees.
“You should get that looked at.” He steps across the hallway, hands going straight for either side of my face, his thumbs rest on my cheeks, and I try to look away as he tilts my eyes up to his. I can’t, not when he’s touching me like this. “Who did this?”
“Would you believe me if I said myself?”
“Depends if that’s the truth or not.”
“It is.” I quickly say, which earns me a look of suspicion as he studies the rest of my arms and legs.
“What happened?” He repeats, not letting up, and I can tell by the look in his eyes he isn’t going to let this slide.
“I lost my phone in some bushes outside the house.”
“What? How?” He winces, letting go of my face and trailing a hand down my arm.
“My phone, it dropped out of your window. I crawled the length of the house to get it.”
“Let’s take you down to the medics.”
“I’m fine, really. I’ll just take a shower and clean myself up.”
“I think you should really—”
“I’m fine, Tito.” I snap, and I don’t even know why. He’s being sweet. Caring. Now the look in his eyes tells me I’ve confused him, possibly hurt him a little.
“You don’t seem fine.” He finally remarks.
“Well, I am.”
“Will you at least let me help you?” I can tell he really does not want to give this up. And something in me is begging to think he knows I left the house. I really don’t know how to take care of wounds like these, but I’m sure it’s not that complicated. But, on the other hand, he’s been raised in the mafia. It’s highly likely that he has seen thousands of wounds more grizzly than mine and probably even watched the medics tend to them.
“Okay.” I make my voice small, and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I’ve given up fighting for tonight, and that high of adrenaline I was cruising on is now subsiding. I feel the crash slowly creeping in. He takes my hand and leads me into the bathroom in my room, turning on the large bathtub in the corner of the room. He only turns the light above it on, grabs me a towel and my white robe hanging on the back of the door, and begins rummaging through the medicine cabinet for a few things.
“Here.” He reaches for my leg, and I hold on to the sink as he lifts my knee. I rest my foot on his bent leg and watch as he begins to inspect the wound. “It looks deep, but it’s dried. Just as I suspected, you’ll have to soak for a bit.”
“Should I get in then?”
“If you’d like.”
“Okay…” I look over at the tub and then back to him.
“You want me to leave?” A brow goes up as he presses his lips together in question.
“No. Please stay.” I know I shouldn’t be asking this of him, but I don’t know how to not want him. It’s rather consuming. More than I realized, and more than I think I’m willing to admit. There’s still so much to work out before I can allow anything to happen.
“Okay.” He smiles sweetly, making me want to kiss him, so I do. I grab his shirt and tug him to me, and he slightly bites his bottom lip as we collide. It hurts more than I thought it would, as my wounds begin to make themselves known. His touch is still just as addicting, so I don’t lose much from my injuries.
He slowly unzips my jumpsuit from the back, and I pull off the shoulders of it, letting it drop to the ground. I’ve not worn anything under it because I planned to say something about it tonight. But everything went so horribly awry, that we’re here now. He's kissing down my neck, realizing I’m already naked and smiling into my skin as he does.
“God, you’re so beautiful, Scout.” He raises to my lips and kisses me once more before pulling away.