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Ryker sighed. "You need to learn to be more selfish and take care of yourself first."
He grabbed the paper towel that he set down and lightly wiped at the blood surrounding the wound first before tackling the gash itself.
She hissed before biting her lip. Ryker immediately lessened the pressure on the wound as soon as he heard the sound. She appreciated his attempt at being gentle just because she was in pain.
"I've never done this before, so I'm sorry if it hurts," he apologized.
"What? Cleaned up a cut?"
"No," he paused, his face twisting into a concentrated expression. "I've never helped someone else."
His words didn't surprise her. She knew he stuck to himself, but had he really never cared for someone else? Did that mean no one had cared for him?
He worked in silence and with patience as he cleaned her up. Once he had the wound clean, he continued to wash her visible skin. He started with hands, which were caked with blood from touching her clothes and her shoulder. Once those were spotless, he wiped down her neck before wiping at her face. He carefully avoided her eyes and she couldn't help but to think that it felt like he was caressing her face.
She let him clean her up. She knew from one look at his face that he needed to do it, if not for her than for himself.
"Your brother was with me when I was attacked," Mykie said after he dropped his hand from her face. He balled up the paper towels and threw them in the trash.
"Hmm?" he said, sounding uninterested, but Mykie could see the tension in his back as he refused to turn around and face her. "Did he get hurt?"
"No, he's okay." She sighed. "It just means that I have a lot of explaining to do the next time I see him, though."
"He's a smart boy. I'm sure he'll put two and two together," he muttered, coming back over. There was a First Aid kit that was hanging on the wall, which he grabbed on his way over. He grabbed his last paper towel and patted her wound before he started to apply the square gauze to her shoulder.
"Is he going to look at me differently?" she whispered. "I have to see him next week."
"You don't have to answer him until you're ready," he said, patting her leg once he was done. "He can go a few days without instant gratification. It might do him some good."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"He's used to getting everything he wants as soon as he asks," he said, rolling his eyes. "Even with girls. The ones he attracts are always the simpering kind that's all over him and tripping over themselves to make him stay with them."
"So I'm just one of many? Just a number to him? What, does he just invite every girl he gets drunk with in the bar over and get hands-y with them?" The more questions she asked, the angrier she became. She felt stupid that she allowed herself to consider falling for him.
"You're not one of those girls. I'm sure that if he ever thought you were, you changed his opinion fast," he stated. He held his hand out to her and took it, letting him help her down off the counter. "He cares about you in his own way. Hasn’t stopped talking about you, and it's only been a week."
"Really?" she asked, bewildered. Her anger almost immediately deflated. She knew that he thought that they had this spark and connection, but not that he talked about her to his family.
"I couldn't believe it when he came into the office Monday and was talking about you." He snorted as he pulled the bathroom door open for her. "I can't believe he even came here. I've mentioned it before, and he's always said it's below him."
"You're giving away all your brother's secrets," Mykie murmured. She looked over her shoulder at him.
"I have selective loyalty." He winked.
Mykie looked around the room. It took her a minute before she spotted Jezebeth and Dexter. They had moved from standing around to one of the open tables against the wall. Jezebeth was clinging to Dexter as if her life depended on it and it didn't seem like Dexter was even thinking of letting her go. They looked like they were in their own world alone together.
"You should leave them alone," Ryker murmured, almost reading her thoughts. "I think your father just got done questioning Jered."
Mykie turned her head and saw that he was right. Chance had just walked out of the room Jered was carted off to, rubbing his knuckles as he walked towards his office.
"Go ahead. I'll see you soon," he whispered in her ear. By the time Mykie registered his words and turned around, he disappeared.
She rolled her shoulders—ignoring the pain it caused—and smiled. She was starting to feel tired, but she knew this was the last thing she'd have to do that night. After, she'd be able to go home and curl up in bed.
When she walked in to her father's office, she caught him burying his face in his hands. She gave him a moment, standing in silence before she cleared her throat. His head jerked up and he quickly wiped at his face.
"Mykie. Did you need something?" he asked wearily.
