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Footsteps right outside the door, on the other hand, got me moving. I shot up, straining to hear if they stopped. The key sounded, and then Santino and Lucius came through the door, their expressions tight. At least all their limbs were still attached to their bodies.
A sudden wave of doubt hit me. Is it weird that I’m still here? But he didn’t tell me to get lost. Should I have given him more time to cool off?
But when Lucius noticed me, he rushed inside. His arms wound around my middle, and he buried his head in my neck.
Santino cleared his throat and turned on his heels. “I’ll be at the diner across the road.”
He closed the door, leaving me heaving for breath. I wrapped my arms around Lucius and buried my face in his hair. He smelled like antiseptic and gunpowder.
I lifted my head to make sure he didn’t have any visible injuries. “Are you okay? Did you find him?”
“He’s gone. It’s over.”
My hands moved over his back and a pained groan escaped him when I moved them down his spine. “You got hurt? Let me see.”
His face contorted in pain. “It’s nothing. Just a bruise.”
I ignored his protests and carefully pulled his shirt up. A gasp escaped when I saw the swelling and bruising covering his entire back and side. “Lie down.”
He raised a brow at my bossy tone but slowly lowered himself down on his stomach on the bed. “It looks worse than it is.”
I glared at him, then found some cold towels to put over his back. He sighed in relief.
Taking a seat next to him, I ran my hands through his hair. “Do you have painkillers?”
“Santino picked some up on the way. They’re in my pocket.”
When he made no move to get up, I put my hand down his pants pockets, eliciting a different groan this time. But I found the pill bottle and pulled it out. “Have you taken any?”
“Not yet.”
I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and handed it to him. Lucius sat up, his face going white at the movement. Once he’d downed the pills and water, he sank back onto the bed. “Lie down with me?”
The relief I felt at him not shutting me out anymore made my legs feel like noodles. I scrambled up the bed, lying on my side and facing him, getting as close as possible.
He turned his head to look at me and grinned. “Hey.”
I traced his jawline with my finger. “Hey, yourself.”
“You know what would be even better than painkillers?”
“What’s that?”
“A kiss. And a promise to stick with me.”
I placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. “I’m sorry for going behind your back.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. You made the right call when I was too proud to admit I needed help.”
I placed another kiss on the corner of his mouth. “Does that mean you’ll stay?”
“Everything worth a damn to me is here.”
Another kiss, this time on his top lip.
Before I could pull away, he captured my lips with his, his kiss hungry.
We could have stayed like that for minutes or hours and it would never be enough. I slid my hands under his T-shirt, roaming, feeling, exploring. Lucius pressed his body to mine, his firm hold reassuring. I was content to lose myself in his touch, needing the reassurance.
