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“I see.” The air thickened in the room, the tension increasing the longer I stayed rooted in my place.
Now that I had seen her, I could leave. There was no reason for me to stay.
“Glad to see you’re okay.” I cleared my throat. “I’ll get going now.”
“Do you need to? I know you may be on duty, but could you? Stay, that is.” Her voice was so soft and meek. I could see this ordeal's toll on her—the fear that swam behind her eyes, the tension locked in her body tightly.
“Okay.”
“You know you don’t have to stand over there, right?” The ends of her lips tipped upward. “I won't bite.”
She may not bite, but she was dangerous to me. Being near her had proven to be a risk. Yet, my feet moved toward her without a second thought.
“Why were you at a crafts store?”
Her lips parted into an oh shape, and her cheeks took on a light pink shade. “Oh that, well… um. Why does it matter?”
“Well, for one, you are currently in a hospital bed. Not to mention the fact that you don’t paint or draw.”
“Says who? I have many talents that you may not know about. May I remind you that you barely know me?”
“That may be true, but I had also seen your artwork when you were in high school. Your work left much to be desired.”
“What?” She squeaked, “I will have you know I won an award and an art competition my freshman year.”
“It was a participation award,” I deadpanned. “You are great behind the camera. I would say phenomenal even, but actual art is not your forte.”
She tilted her head to the side. “You’ve seen my pictures?”
“Just your earlier stuff for your senior year project.”
Her eyebrows pulled together, “But how? You weren’t even home at the time. Weren’t you deployed in Syria?”
She was right. I was. But Jake had posted a picture she took of him, and curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to see what she was all about; the girl was talented. It was no wonder she was already racking in clients.
“I was, but Jake sent me some of your work to update me on his daily life.”
I may have imagined it, but I could have sworn that I saw a little glimmer of disappointment wash over her. But she quickly corrected herself, masking whatever was going on in that little head of hers.
A moment of silence passed between us. The air thickened more and more with each passing second. The buzz that moved in every nerve in my body was maddening.
“Thank you, Nathaniel,” She whispered. “For saving my life.”
Thump. Thump. Smack. My heart pounded heavily in my heart like a bass drum.
“You’re welcome, Lia.” Her nickname rolled off my tongue like butter.
A single breath escaped her lips.
Every molecule of oxygen evaporated from my lungs, leaving me breathless. She was covered in dirt, her hair was unbrushed, and she wore a hospital gown. But she never looked more beautiful in my eyes.
My eyes moved from hers down to her lips between her white teeth. I wanted nothing more than to loosen her hold on her lips and claim them as my own.
These carnal thoughts were the same ones I had tried to suppress for months, but all they had done was feed my hunger and need for her.
For months I had told myself that she was not mine to have. That she was off limits. But at this moment, staring into her eyes like I was, I felt the possessiveness take siege of my heart.
I knew navigating things with her would be tricky, given how intertwined our pasts were. But now I realized just how screwed I truly was.
