AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It’s electricity.
It’s hunger.
He brings a hand to my face, cupping my cheek the way he once did.
I briefly close my eyes, basking in the feel of his skin on mine. His breath dancing on my lips. His nearness as I allow myself to be consumed by him once more.
“Because I don’t—”
The sound of curtain rings scraping against the metal rod cuts through. Creed quickly drops his hold on me at the same time as I straighten.
“Okay, Captain Lawson.” A petite blonde wearing blue scrubs and a white coat walks in, another woman in scrubs right behind her. “Let’s get you all stitched up.” She stops abruptly when she sees me, dropping into a curtsy. “Your Highness. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I—”
“Not at all.”
I pull myself to my feet, pretending not to be disappointed by her interruption, if for no other reason than I’m desperate to find out what Creed was about to say.
I have the feeling the moment is officially lost. That I’ll go the rest of my life not knowing what he was on the verge of confessing.
“I was just about to leave.”
I start to turn when Creed darts his hand out, wrapping his fingers around my wrist. Electricity rushes through me, his touch causing an intense fluttering sensation to erupt in my stomach. I snap my gaze to his.
“Stay.”
One word. One syllable. But that’s all it takes to chip away at the wall I’ve erected around my heart over the past several years, especially in the last month.
He could just want me to stay because of everything that happened today. Or because he’s still my temporary CPO and would feel better having me in his sight. I can only imagine how frustrated he must have been to leave Archie outside my door so he could get treatment for his wound.
The second we leave this hospital, Creed could very well return to the same brooding, aloof man he’s been the past several days. Hell, the past several weeks. But he’s not that man yet.
Right now, I see a glimpse of the old Creed.
MyCreed.
And I really miss the Creed I knew before this life forced us to become the people we are.
So instead of keeping my distance, I lower myself back into the chair beside Creed’s bed and link my fingers with his.
ChapterTwenty-Six
Esme
“Princess Esme!Princess Esme! How are you feeling?”
I do my best to look as composed as possible, offering a small smile to the reporters swarming the front entrance of the hotel. In reality, I’d give anything to tell them to shove off. But I don’t. I do what I’ve been trained to do.
I smile. I wave. I pretend everything’s okay, even though my body seizes every time I hear the click of a camera shutter. Every time a flash blinds my irises.
I feel like a sitting duck out here, but the royal household insisted I show my face. That I enter the hotel through the front as a way to demonstrate how resilient the monarchy is. That it can bounce back from any hindrance.
I should have known they’d use my near-death experience for their gain.
“I’m perfectly fine,” I tell a group of reporters. “Just a few scrapes and bruises, thanks to the quick reflexes and bravery exhibited by the members of my protection team.”
More shutters. More flashes.
And with each one, my balance grows more unsteady. I flinch a little harder. My breathing becomes increasingly labored.
