“It needs a bandage?” Should I be worried?
“Just a small one. Don’t worry, angel, I’ll take care of you.”
“You’ve been doing well so far, but there are a few other things I’d like.” I reached down and gripped his length.
He groaned before pulling my hand away. “Hands to yourself. You know what happens when you break the rules.”
“You going to spank me, Lincoln?”
“Oh, that’s a definite. Just not right now.” His voice was a rasp.
His promise made me shiver despite the hot water. The fog lifted a bit as I remembered how he’d manhandled me the last time we’d made love. Funny, I’d never thought of it as “making love” until just then. Then I remembered everything in between. The things I’d done. Wash.
“Oh, Lincoln, I’m so sorry.” My voice came out in a wail.
He took my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Shh, everything’s okay. I forgave you a while back, long before you asked. I still want an explanation, but after tonight I think I have a pretty good idea why you did what you did.”
His look, his tone, everything about him was a comfort to me. He felt like coming home.
He released my chin. “Now let’s finish getting you clean.”
“I’ll never be clean.”
“Don’t believe that for a second. It’s not true.” He turned his hand around so I could see the scars that crisscrossed his knuckles. “You can change.”
My tears mixed with the running water as he continued his work. After he’d washed my hair and done a quick soap-and-rinse himself, he turned the water off and scooted me out of the shower. He wrapped me in a fluffy white towel and hustled me back to his bed. He wrapped a towel loosely around his waist and sat next to me before arranging his first aid materials.
“It’s going to sting, but I don’t think it will scar where anyone will see it. It’s sort of up in your hairline.” He spread some antibacterial ointment on my cut, giving me the promised sting. Then he placed gauze and tape over it. He was so focused, intent, his movements small and smooth.
“Okay, good as new.”
He dropped his hands to his lap and studied me. He searched my face, though I didn’t know what he was hoping to find. There was no redemption in me anywhere, just the fog and the darkness.
“How do you feel? Headache?”
“No, just a little fuzzy.” I shook my head, trying to clear it without much luck. At least the ringing in my ears had cleared.
“Look me in the eyes. I need to see your pupils.”
I did as he asked. His eyes were brilliant green, almost sparkling even in the low light. His hair, still wet, looked even darker than usual, setting off his lighter complexion beautifully. I didn’t even deserve to look at him.
He stared into one of my eyes and then the other before going back and forth.
“I’ve had a few concussions in my time. You got knocked a good one, but I think you’re okay to sleep now. You’ve been awake long enough for everything to have settled down.”
“It was that bad?” I still couldn’t remember all of what happened. I knew there was a wreck, but the other parts were missing. I felt like I’d gotten a mail-order piece of furniture without all the screws, and now I was sitting on my living room floor with a half-built side table and no clue about how to finish it.
He leaned in and brushed his lips against mine. “Let’s discuss it over breakfast.”
“I should get home?” I meant it as a statement.
“Absolutely not.” He tensed and gripped my arm.
It was disconcerting. Someone else had grabbed my elbow like that. Earlier that night, maybe? The piece of a memory that filtered through the fog made me feel sick. I looked at the floor to stop the room from spinning. Lincoln loosened his grip.
“It’s okay, angel. Everything’s okay. I promise. Just sleep here with me tonight.” His voice was so soft, gentle, like a lullaby.
I let out a breath, the feeling of panic fading along with the air from my lungs. Whenever he called me angel, I knew things were going to be all right. No one had ever called me something so endearing.
He cupped my jaw and dropped another light kiss on my lips before pulling me into him. I calmed against his steady warmth, breathing him in until I fell asleep.
Holy fucking headache, Batman. I was in a strange bed in a strange room. But that didn’t really matter. No, what was of utmost importance at the moment was the railroad spike that seemed to be embedded in my temple. I tried to open my eyes, but the light filtering into the room only made the spike vibrate, jarring even deeper into my brain. I needed to figure out where I was, so I kept on blinking, ignoring the pain as best I could.