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bsp; Julian had to smile at that. A smile he buried in the pillow as he felt the bed dip as Cole joined them.
A feeling of rightness and safety stole over him as he slipped off to sleep.
21
Keira walked quietly into the kitchen the next morning. A yawn rocked her, and she rubbed at her eyes tiredly.
“Sleep okay?”
She let out a screech, jumping into the air. When she landed, she let out a groan of pain as the muscles in her leg pulled.
“Fuck! Shit! I’m sorry, baby. Are you all right? I thought you saw me sitting here.”
She attempted to breathe through the pain as Cole stood and grabbed hold of her waist to steady her.
“I’m all right.”
“No, you’re not. And you shouldn’t lie about being okay,” he told her sternly. “Fuck. I’m so sorry for scaring you. Did you hurt yourself?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Cole sighed, long and drawn out. Then she found herself suddenly sitting on the counter with his hands on either side of her hips, trapping her. Having him this close made her head spin.
“Keira. We need to get something clear, all right?”
“Um. All right?” She wasn’t sure she liked the sound of where this was going.
“You don’t have to answer every question I ask you; you can tell me you don’t want to answer. But if you give me an answer, it has to be an honest one. I never want you to tell me you’re fine when you aren’t, understand?”
She glanced down guiltily at her lap.
He tilted her face up gently. “Understand me?”
“I understand.”
“Now let’s start that again. Did you hurt yourself?”
She licked her dry lips. “It’s just my leg.”
“What’s wrong with your leg?”
“It . . . I . . . I hurt it a while ago. I was on crutches and stuff. I still have trouble being on it for long hours. It doesn’t like sudden movements.”
“All right. Thank you for telling me.” His thanks filled her with warmth, and she smiled.
“Is there something you can take for it? Do you need an ice pack?”
“Oh, uh, I think it will be okay. I have some pain pills, but I try not to take them as they upset my tummy.”
“Did you ask the doctor for some different pills that won’t upset your stomach?”
“Oh, well, I don’t really like going to the doctor.”
He sighed. “We’ll make an appointment tomorrow to take you and get some new pills.”
“What? No!”
He gave her a stern look. “Yes.”
