I ripped his bandage off, and he howled. “Shit, Sarah!”
A drastic measure, yes, but it had to be done. No way could I let him find out how those scars he brushed his fingers over ended up on my body. “Suck it up, buttercup,” I said as I doused the gauze with peroxide. “Got to keep this clean.”
“Well if you wouldn’t rip all my skin off in the process, I’d be happy.”
I snuck a peek at him, when I knew I shouldn’t, and I was reeled in like a stupid fish. Gold danced around those amber eyes. They looked so soft at this moment. I’d seen them harsh and focused at work when he was bouncing, but now…they lured me in with their melted chocolate and gold.
“Sarah?” he asked, his voice deeper than before. “You okay? Not going to puke again, are ya?”
“Um…no.” I sat up straight and held out the gauze.
“Easy now.” He cuffed my wrist. “Easy.”
“Why won’t you take meds?”
“Long story.”
“We’ve got all night.”
“You’re really going to stay here, huh?”
I dabbed at the bleeding wound. It was stitched up good, but still puffy and angry looking. It didn’t escape my notice how he dodged my question, though. “No drugs?” I could play this game with the best of them, and now I was curious as to why.
“Nasty shit. Don’t want that in me.”
But he’d drink six beers in a night? Do shots? I’d never seen him use drugs or anything else. Hell, now that I thought about it, he was never with a chick, either. I’d left with tons of guys over the past year, but I’d never seen him leave with a girl. Or have a girl on his arm.
I’d seen him only in the work capacity or…taking care of me.Wait a minute…
“You don’t have to stay, Sarah. I’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, you might be.” I pressed a clean gauze to his skin and ran my fingers along the taped edges so the stickiness would take. “But I told Bill I’d watch after you, and if I leave and you die, he’d kill me.”
He laughed. “Hey, don’t…”
“How about some aspirin, or something like that? Would you at least use that? If you have any here. Your cupboards are empty.”
“Snoop.” He settled back into the bed, the pillow denting beneath his head.
I reached over and rested my palm against his cheek, testing to make sure his face wasn’t warm with fever. His amber gaze bore into me, and he placed his hand over mine. “How do you know about concussions?” His eyelids hung heavy over his eyes. “And stab wounds.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I whispered. “Sleep.”
“Matters…to me.” His lids shut, and the grip on my hand loosened. Surprisingly not much, though. Even as he neared sleep he held on. His eyes fluttered open. “So…beautiful,” he whispered. “Mine.”
Wait, what? I hopped to my feet and stared down at him. He was sleeping, maybe still feeling the effects of the morphine from earlier, but…what’d he say? I had to have heard wrong. Please let me have heard wrong.
I paced the floor at the foot of the bed, the thin carpet doing nothing to pad much beneath my bare feet. He thought I was beautiful? And…his?
First. I wasnotbeautiful. Maybe on the outside, since Nicco forced me to get so many upgrades, but…mine?
Chapter Five
Drey
“Amber?”Ipattedherpale cheeks. Her eyes were focused, fixed on the ceiling. “Please, God. Amber!” I patted a little harder with the same response. “No!”
The needle hung from the crook of her arm, but what wrecked me was the sight of her swollen belly. Only two months to go. How could she do this?