AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Bathroom’s this way.” He looks at me but keeps his head tilted down as if he’s thinking over a problem he can’t solve.
He pulls a cord, and the light over the mirror blinks on as he rummages in the cupboard under the sink and pulls out a box of supplies – a first aid kit of sorts.
I open the box and set it on the toilet seat.
“Sit.” I point to the edge of the bath, and he plants himself.
I rinse a cloth under the warm water and use it to clear some of the blood away. As I rub the fabric across his skin, I’m careful to keep away from the open wound. This close, I can count the number of eyelashes that frame his coal, dark eyes, but focus on the injury. The nasty ripped skin looks painful and angry. Just like the throbbing in my foot.
My hands shake, so I take a breath to calm my nerves. I feel his gaze on me as I keep working, and his eyes attract me like a magnet that I fight.
“This might leave a scar,” I admit. Although, I don’t know why I say that. Maybe I'm just trying to break the tension – make a connection.
I go to the first aid kit and take out the antiseptic cream but think against it. There aren’t any butterfly plasters, so take out the larger sterile gauze. My eyes scan over the packet of painkillers, and I shove them into my back pocket.
“I’m not sure what else I can do apart from putting this over the cut. You might want to see a proper doctor.” I open the packet and apply it to his cheek. He doesn’t flinch and keeps his eyes level on mine.
“Would that bother you?” he asks.
“Seeing a doctor?” He takes my hands, preventing me from retreating.
“The scar.”
My gaze roams over his face, focuses on the darkening bruises now that the blood is cleared away, and I think about the mark scorched into the flesh of my foot.
“No.” It’s an honest answer. How could I judge anyone when I have a hideous reminder of this place to carry with me forever? The toxic mix of pain and humiliation drives tears to glisten in my eyes, and I can’t keep looking at him.
I pull my hands free from his grasp, take the painkillers out of my pocket, and pop two from their silvery confines. And then pop a third and shove them into my mouth, taking a mouthful of water straight from the tap after.
“What’s your name?”
“Five.”
“Your real name.” His hand slides around my jaw and holds me hostage. It sends a ripple of nerves through my body, but there’s a pull towards him – an attraction that I know he feels, too. And when I look at him, the position I’m in doesn’t seem quite so dire.
“Naja.”
“Naja.” He repeats it back to me, and I can’t help but feel hope in hearing my real name from his lips.
The air charges between us, and the small bathroom fades away until there’s just us.
And I make the decision.
I lean forward and press my lips against his. Firm and slow, but with no question as to my intent despite the question of my motives.
The salt and tang of copper infuse as I press my lips harder. A flood of heat and adrenaline swamp me, and it takes my breath.
Reed takes this second to punch up the intensity of the kiss, and I don’t fight him.
Chapter Nine
JACKSON
Standing, I push her back to the wall before this turns into a frenzy that isn’t meant for her. She pants in shock, eyes wide at my aggression. I’m not surprised, but everything – every single fucking thing – is still wound up tight from the beating I took.
I back off a step or two until I’m turning out of the bathroom and looking around the dusty apartment for a drink. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing up here with her. And I sure as hell know I should be keeping my hands to myself. Maybe it’s just pride or anger at Dragon. Either way, getting more attached to something that’s going to be sold in two days is pathetic.
A lone, half-drunk bottle of whiskey sits abandoned in the kitchenette, and I grab it, twisting the top off so I can sink some sense into myself. She walks up behind me, unsure of herself I suppose. I’m not surprised at that either.
