in front of me, his broad, masculine shoulders set in a protective posture.
“Run!” he barked, then shot at Blake. He didn’t have to tell me twice, and a second later I was dashing through the trees, hoping to find a place to hide. As I ran, a sharp pain shot through my shoulder and I buckled over onto my knees. Glancing around, I couldn’t see anyone, so I knew whoever got me must’ve taken their shot from far away. Still, the paintball hurt like a bitch. I’d been hit right in the spot where I pulled a muscle during rehearsals.
A warm hand touched my arm, and I blinked. Damon crouched down in front of me, a look of concern on his face.
“You all right?”
I winced. “Not really. Someone shot me in my bad shoulder.”
Damon’s expression darkened as he helped me to my feet. “Come on, let’s find someplace safe where we can check it out.”
We were in the farther end of the woods, but I could still hear the pop and whirr of paintballs being shot in the distance. When we found an old wooden shed, Damon pushed open the door and led me inside. It smelled like wet leaves and earth. There was nowhere to sit, so I leaned against the wall for a minute, trying to catch my breath as I pulled off the helmet. Damon did the same.
“I’m beginning to wonder if I should’ve just stayed in bed today,” I said as he came to stand in front of me, his hands going to the padded vest I wore. “Perhaps my alarm not going off was a sign.”
“Whoever shot you is a fucking arsehole,” he grunted, his mouth set in an annoyed slant.
“Hey, this is the name of the game,” I said as Damon clipped free the vest. All of a sudden, he was turning my body and pulling my shirt away from my skin to check the damage. My pores prickled when the cool air hit me, and I swallowed at his hot touch.
He sucked in a harsh breath and swore, “Jesus Christ.”
“Those paintballs leave really bad bruises,” I said, trying to break the tension that was rolling off him in waves. It made my stomach coil tight in anticipation of him full-on losing his rag. Sure, Damon was always so silent and stoic, but I got the sense he could be scary if fully triggered.
“Jacob’s a fuckwit. Does he want us all too injured to perform?” He sounded angry.
“I’m not sure he thought that far ahead. I can just imagine him stumbling upon paintballing in an online search, and picking it simply because he thought it’d make him seem cool.”
Damon’s fingers touched the area that was sore, and I inhaled sharply.
“Sorry,” he apologised, moving his hand away.
“No, it’s okay. Just…is it very bad?”
“Your shoulder is red and a little bit welted. The bruise won’t come until tomorrow. How’s the pain?”
I bit my lower lip and turned back around. “It’s manageable.”
His dark eyes zeroed in on my exposed shoulder and neck. “Do you want to go back to the centre? We can sit the rest of the game out.”
I shook my head. “You go back and play. I think I’ll just rest in here for another few minutes, then head to the centre myself.”
He didn’t appear to like this plan and shook his head. “I’m not leaving you on your own out here.”
“Why?” I feigned terror. “Are there bears?”
Damon bit back a smirk, and I enjoyed getting a reaction out of him. “No, smartarse, there aren’t bears, but this is a big forest. You could get lost.”
“I can remember the way back. I’ll be fine.”
“I’m not leaving you, Rose.” He stood firm, and I could tell from his tone that he wasn’t going to budge on the matter. I busied myself fixing my clothes while Damon slid down the wall to sit on the leaf-strewn floor. A second later I joined him, and an odd silence filled the space.
“Here,” said Damon, pulling me into his chest. “Lean against me. That hard wall can’t be very comfortable on your shoulder.”
He was right, it wasn’t. His chest was a far superior surface. Unfortunately, sitting with Damon’s arm draped around me brought with it a lot more feelings than sitting against the wall of the shed. This was the closest I’d been to him in what felt like forever, and my senses were on overdrive. His smell filled my nose, his warmth seeped into my body, and his touch