AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Shaking off the thought, I moved along the side of the house toward the window over the sink. Somewhere in the distance, I heard an engine start up and a car drive off. Odd.Why would anyone be going out in the middle of the night?
Stopping by the window, I glanced into the house. I could definitely see around the kitchen, but it was a pretty boring view. The wind whistled, making my nipples pucker and a shiver move down my spine. Just on the other side of the window, a large tree rustled.A branch must have hit the window.
It was a completely logical explanation, but it seemed… off. The branches were blowing around now, and none of them were smacking into the window. Moving forward, I grabbed the one closest to me and bent it toward the house. It would reach… but I had to force it in that direction.
“What the hell are you doing?” a low voice demanded behind me.
I let out a strangled sound as another surge of adrenaline pummeled me, making the vein in my temple near my stitches throb. I pitched sideways onto the ground, and the branch I was holding ripped from my hands, the force of it making it crack into the glass.
Maybe it hit the window earlier when someone was running away.
“Max,” I said, sagging back. “Fuck.”
Scowling, Max stomped over the ground, crossing his tatted arms over his bare torso. All he wore was a pair of thin gray sweatpants. Even his feet were bare. His black hair wasn’t mussed from sleep but wild and unruly as if he’d been tossing and turning and pulling it out by its roots.
I averted my gaze immediately, a flush of awareness zinging through my limbs. My eyes zeroed in almost immediately on the round black button lying right beside my hand. I reached for it at the same time Max spoke.
“What the hell are you doing outside in the middle of the night?”
Closing my fingers around the button, I pushed up from the ground, starting around him to go back inside.
“Wes.”
“I thought I saw something,” I said, not turning back. “It was just the tree.”
He muttered something I chose not to listen to and hobbled back into the house, slipping the button into my pocket. I thought about mentioning it to him, but what was the point? It could have been lying there for weeks.Or maybe someone really was just out here.
Either way, I wasn’t in the mood to be chatty with Max.
Inside, the warmer air caressed my skin. All the aches and pains in my body seemed even louder than before.
“Shit, my pills,” I muttered, going into the kitchen to search for the three tablets that could be anywhere.
One of them was in the sink, but I saw none on the counter, so I dropped on my hands and knees to search the floor. “Can you hit the light?” I asked, feeling around the tiles.
“Are you out of your goddamn mind? Get the fuck off the floor,” Max ground out, his arms circling my waist as he lifted me.
I jerked away from him, the feeling of his hands something I just couldn’t endure right now. “Don’t touch me,” I warned, skittering back.
“I hurt you.”
My eyes widened. Did he come down here to apologize, to acknowledge the kiss? All the anger I clung to for protection started to ebb in favor of his apology. I’d forgive him. I’d forgive him so fast. I just—
“You should have told me.” His words were harsh as he dragged a palm over his tired face.
“What?”
He stalked forward, eyes simmering. Grabbing my shoulder, he held me still, gesturing with his free hand to the massive bruise stretching across my torso. “Why didn’t you tell me about this.”
“The doctor told you I was bruised,” I said dumbly as it took a minute to penetrate what we were talking about.
He was asking about the bruise. He thought he touched it when he yanked me off the floor. That was the hurt he meant. The physical pain.
If you think this bruise is bad, you should see the injuries on the inside.
“It’s just from the seatbelt,” I muttered, pushing him back so I could continue looking for the meds.
“Leave them,” he insisted, grabbing the bottle to shake out another dose in his palm. “Here,” he said, dumping them in my hand before grabbing my water.
