Beautifully Broken

As she gets up, I notice she seems sluggish, and her body veers to the left, bumping into the wall.

I quickly get up from the bed, and when I get to her, I notice the tears on her cheeks.

“Sorry,” she whispers, “I didn’t mean to wake you. I just wanted to get some water.”

I take hold of her arm. “Get back in bed. I’ll get the water.”

I make sure she’s sitting down again before I walk to the kitchen. I grab two bottles of water, and when I walk back into the bedroom, she’s struggling to open the box of painkillers.

“Here.” I open one of the waters, and handing it to her, I take the box of pills. I quickly remove two and give them to her. Her hands are trembling, and it makes me worry. “Is the pain bad?”

She shakes her head and then swallows the medication down. I take the bottle from her and place it on the floor as she gingerly lies back down. Tears keep sneaking out of her eyes.

“Cara, how bad is it?” I ask as I look down at her.

“The pills will take the pain away in a couple of seconds,” she whispers, still not telling me how much pain she’s in.

Worry seizes my chest, and I quickly switch on the light. “We’re up. I might as well change the bandage.” I just want to see the wound for myself. She might have an infection, and her stubborn ass won’t tell me.

I get the first aid kit, and when I push her shirt up, she doesn’t even open her eyes. I slip my arm beneath her shoulders and lift her gently until she’s leaning against my chest. I undo the bandage around her waist and toss it to the side, then ease her back onto the mattress.

Removing a couple of wipes from the packaging, I gently clean the wound while inspecting it. It doesn’t look infected, and it makes me breathe a little easier.

When I throw the wipe to the side, Cara mumbles sleepily, “That felt nice.”

The corner of my mouth tugs up, and I take out another wipe. Then, repeating the process, I watch as the pain eases from her face.

When I go out tomorrow to get supplies for the shower, I’ll check where the doctor is. It’s been eight days since the surgery, and the clips should be coming out soon.

I’m glad I got the new bandages with some tape. I cover the clips and then stare down at Cara.

Christ, she really trusts me.

The thought shudders through me as I realize Cara fell asleep with her shirt bunched up. She’s trusting me not to take advantage of her.

Fuck, that’s huge.

I wonder if she even realizes it.

I throw the used bandage and wipes away and then switch off all the lights. When I lie down beside her again, I can’t fall asleep.

Instead, I spend the early morning hours taking in every beautiful inch of the woman who’s laid claim to my heart.

Chapter 25

CARA

I wake up to find the sun streaming into the room. Sitting up slowly, careful not to aggravate the wound, I have to admit, the pain isn’t as bad as it was last night.

I remember how Damian took care of me and how gentle he was. Emotion wells in my heart, and whether I like it or not, I realize I feel more for Damian than just friendship.

Not ready to face my feelings, I climb out of bed and walk to the bathroom, where I find Damian measuring the wall.

“Hey.”

His head snaps to me, then back to the wall. He makes a mark on the plaster and then steps out of the bath. His eyes capture mine, and it looks like he’s searching for something. “How do you feel?”

Confused as hell.

Miserable.

Damian’s fingers brush over my jaw, and he nudges my face up so I’ll look at him. “I’m here. Any time you want to talk. I’m here.”

I nod and then let my eyes go to the mark he made on the wall. “What are you doing?”

He glances at all the tools lying in the bath. “I need a shower, so I’m installing one. I’ll let you have the bathroom before I get to work.”

“Thanks.” I watch him leave and then shut the door.

I stare at it, and like clockwork, the familiar panic starts to tighten my chest.

I keep my eyes on the door as I quickly relieve myself. When I rinse my hands, I avoid looking in the mirror, not wanting to see the empty shell staring back at me.

After I’m done, I go straight back to bed and pull the covers over my head so it will block out the light.

I don’t fall asleep again.

Instead, my growing feelings for Damian keep me wide awake.

Is it possible to love someone but not want to be physical with them?