It left me speechless.
He was escorted to a spare bedroom on the top level, a few doors away from our bedroom. I had Helena prepare it, pulling back the sheets on the bed so he could slip inside easily. A vase of fresh flowers was on the nightstand, and the windows were open to reveal plenty of sunlight.
He lay back on the bed and sighed, fully dressed because he was too weak to get his clothes off. When his men tried to help him strip down, he kicked them away. “Are you kidding me? Get out.”
The guys left.
I slowly approached the bed, looking at his remains as if I were at a wake. I stopped above him, staring down at a plum instead of a face. “You shouldn’t have gone home alone in the first place.”
With his eyes closed, he shrugged. “I just wanted to get home…get in bed.” He took a deep breath, the exertion of conversation too difficult.
“You want me to take you to the hospital?”
“And give that asshole the satisfaction?” he asked bitterly. “I’d rather die.”
“Well…they have something magical called morphine. That might defeat your pride.”
He was quiet as if he was considering it. “No.”
“How would he even know you’re in the hospital?”
“Trust me, he’d know.”
I dragged the armchair toward the bed and took a seat. “How about I help you get undressed? You seem uncomfortable.”
“I’m not uncomfortable because of the clothes…”
“They aren’t helping either.” I got to my feet and pulled off his shoes and socks.
“That’s the most you should do.”
“Come on. Your clothes are dirty. You don’t want that stuff in a fresh bed.”
“Well, Hades will kill me if I let you see me naked. He’s already pissed enough at me as it is.” He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. Every time he blinked, the white color around his eyes was a stark contrast to his bruised eyelids. He wouldn’t turn his neck to look at me. Any movement at all seemed too difficult.
“Relax. I’m not going to take off your boxers.”
“Doesn’t matter. He won’t like it.”
“If that’s really the case, he needs to grow up. You do too.” I undid his jeans then pulled them off his body, being as gentle as possible so I didn’t strain something already injured.
He winced a couple of times as I got the denim over his ankles and away from his body. I folded them up and placed them on the dresser. “The shirt is gonna be a little harder.” My eyes didn’t linger on his physique, but his muscle definition was obvious. He had muscular legs and a tight stomach.
He closed his eyes as he prepared for the worst. “Just get it over with.” He took a deep breath before he forced himself upright, cringing in pain as he lifted his arms over his head to get the clothing off.
I got it over his head as quickly as possible.
He fell back to the bed, breathing heavily in agony.
When I looked at his chest, I saw a chiseled body packed with strength and power, but I also saw endless bruises. His ribs had been wrapped with gauze to cover most of the damage, but the discoloration had spread everywhere. “How many ribs did you break?”
He held up three fingers.
“Did they give you any painkillers?”
He nodded to his jeans. “In my front pocket. But they aren’t strong enough to mask the pain entirely.”
“I’m sorry…” I grabbed the blankets and pulled them up over his body, tucking him in like a child going to bed. My fingers brushed through his hair to feel his temperature before I grabbed the remotes on the nightstand. “Want to watch TV?”
“No. I just want to lie here.”
“Alright.” I took a seat again. “Let me know if you’re hungry or need anything.”
“The last thing I want to do is eat…” He kept his eyes closed as he lay there, indisposed.
I watched him with sadness in my heart, but I also felt a twinge of guilt for my relief. Hades came home in one piece, not a single scratch. I was glad Damien was the one with broken bones instead of my husband. “It’ll pass, Damien. Just stay calm. The calmer you are, the less intense the pain will feel.”
“Yeah…” His hands rested on his stomach, and he was entirely still. “Is Hades home?”
“No. Went to the bank.”
“How pissed is he?”
“Well…he’s very upset. But he also allowed you to stay here, so he can’t be that angry.”
“Yeah. I guess that’s true.”
“And he wouldn’t have made the trade in the first place if you weren’t the most important thing to him.”
His eyes opened, and he chuckled. “I’m not the most important thing to him. You are.”
“Maybe it’s both of us.”
He stared at the ceiling. “I should have listened to Hades. I should have backed off when he told me to. Now we’ve lost our business…and I got my ass beat like a little bitch.” He sighed loudly, wincing when he took a deep breath.