Page 116 of This Bitter Sweet Temptation
Woman, are you blind?
I’m hard enough to drive fucking nails, thanks to you.
Howshe hasn’t commented on my dick straining tells me she really could’ve been a nurse. She prods at my knee gently and I flinch.
“Easy,” I snarl, shifting my leg away.
“What’s wrong? Is it deeper than the cuts?”
“Fucking arthritis,” I rasp, wishing I could manifest that word and choke it to death. “It’s been coming on for a little while now. Probably hereditary, my mom has it bad. Little pains. Random flare-ups. It’s been worse the past couple years, but never like this.”
Her brows pull together, and she still has her hands on me, stroking slowly. “I’m sorry, Holden.”
“It’s not your problem.”
“Is there anything you can do?” she asks softly.
“I’ve gotten a couple steroid shots, but they only help so much. They wear off fast in my line of work.” I shrug. “It’s just one of those things you push through. Until today, I managed.”
She cocks her head as she looks up at me, all bright cotton candy eyes and long lashes.
“It bothers you,” she whispers.
I hate the way she sees right through me.
“Unfortunately.” I clench my jaw. “It means I can’t do this job forever.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“Stop apologizing. I’m not useless yet, woman. I’ll still make sure I keep you and that treasure safe if it’s the last thing I do. Duty and all.”
“You need to stop saying that.” She reaches for the bandages. “I’m going to wrap this up.”
“Cleopatra. Shit, I can—”
“Don’t even think about it.” She pushes my hand away.
I’m silent as I watch her bind my knee. Her fingers feel so cool against my skin I don’t want her to stop.
Fucking hell.
With my hand over my face, I tilt my head back so I can’t see her, which makes the pressure of her fingers worse.
Every sense fires on high alert.
I don’t even know how my system does it after a night of little sleep and lingering adrenaline, hollowing me out.
Though I’m not feeling the side effects much now. I force my muscles to relax.
“Holden,” she murmurs.
“Yeah?”
“What are we going to do?”
Finally, a distraction.
I exhale a long breath before I answer.
