care of was herself. Chris had never needed her help, except when he was drunk. Her fear of him had held her back from tending to him.
The water was hot in the bowl, a towel draped over her arm. She walked into the room, setting the half-filled bowl on the bed carefully. Feeling her heart stop in her chest at how close they were now, she slowly pulled back the blanket back from his shoulders, letting it rest on his hips. While she had been in the bathroom, he had stretched out, now laying on his chest.
Tenderness overcame her. Long lashes swept over his proud cheek bones. His chest was huge, like a barrel. Streaks of dirt and blood covered him. She started there, softly swiping the damp cloth over his chest. She had no clue what she was doing, why she was doing it, or if she even should be doing it, but something about him, so relaxed in his sleep, called to her.
His face was much more clear to her. In the room, the shadows had acted as a mask for him. The contours of his face had been mysterious, angry...terrifying. She shivered, remembering the horror that had overcome her when she had seen the mess of his chest and back.
She stared at the water droplets, following their path down his chest and to his defined abs. She swallowed, feeling a sort of heat settle in her stomach. Her hand felt like it was burning, an ache settling in the lower part of her stomach.
Jamie was just letting out a shuddering breath, feeling ashamed at the need rising within her, when something covered her hand. Jamie froze. Large, dark, thick, the man’s hand was covering hers. Her heart stopped in her chest.
Her eyes snapped up to his, the arousal quickly replaced by fear.
Darkly blazing eyes burned into hers.
Awake.
And furious.
Chapter 6
At first, Talon had no clue what was happening to him. Warmth, for the first time in what seemed like forever, was settling upon him with a tight embrace. Soft, delicate strokes, damp with warm water, slid across his skin with a gentleness that shocked him.
He lay there, silently. Talon held in the shivers that ran through him, staring up at the intently working woman through narrowed eyes. Soft light surrounded him, and something covered his hips and legs. The scrape of the material was a surprise to him, the unaccustomed warmth spreading through him as she continued her gentle stroking.
Talon almost shoved her away, almost took her hand off. The slow rage boiling in his chest was subdued, though, as he saw her eyes fill with an unfamiliar emotion. They looked wet, as if she were about to cry. She stared at his chest and wounds as if his pain were hers. Talon’s hands constricted subtly at the foreign emotion. Her eyes followed the trail of the droplets absently, her free hand moving to his leg.
The gentle pressure of her fingers as she stroked his thigh in a comforting motion almost undid him. Feeling his chest pound, he reached up and snagged her hand. Anger, as sharp as ever, coursed through him. Her soft gasp did nothing but make his eyes narrow.
“I’m sorry,” she stammered, attempting to pull her hand away. For some reason he didn’t understand, he tightened his grip around her hand. The fear in her eyes calmed him, but only minimally. Talon held her eyes, dull shock dawning on him.
She was by no means beautiful, he thought with disgust. Her lower lip was too full, her cheeks were too high and regal, and her dark hair was just...too dark. Her shoulders were slim, and with the brighter light he saw more of her than he thought was healthy.
The dress was strapless, the corset extra tight. She looked to be having slight trouble breathing, but he couldn’t tell if it was because of him or how constricting the thing was. Her waist was small, too delicate for his liking. Her hands were slender and pale, just like the rest of her body. He could have easily snapped her wrist, he thought, considering. She would not be so foolish to touch him again.
But even as she tried to pull away to do the very thing he wanted her to, his hand kept her still. He noticed when her hand left his thigh. A snarl escalated from his throat, the veracity of it bringing fear to her eyes.
“Listen, I’m really sorry. Just let me go and I can