A sharp pain made me cry out, and I swung my hand toward the threat. Strong fingers wrapped around my wrist, stopping me from connecting. I breathed hard through my nose and glared up at Cain.
“Sorry,” he said, his eyes fixed on my chest. “The scab was stuck to the gauze. I tried to do it fast.”
I looked down at the wound, my eyes following a thin trickle of blood from where a tiny piece of the scab had come off.
Cain gently lowered my fisted hand to my lap, then balled up the gauze and set it beside him. “I’m gonna put the new one on now, yeah?”
My voice was croaky when I tried to speak, so I cleared my throat and tried again. “Yeah.”
Luna shifted, resting her big head on my left foot. It was warm and heavy and soft.
Why did Cain have her? Why were they…living together? How could an animal live like this with a person? Was he fattening her up to eat her? Is that what he was doing with me?
“This is gonna be a little cold.” He rubbed some kind of paste over the scab, front and back, then wound new gauze around my shoulder.
“There. I’m done. How does that feel?”
Cain scooted away from me, taking all that heat with him.
I brushed the pads of my fingers over the bandage. “Fine.” I pulled my shirt back on, wondering why I’d thought he might hurt me.
He hadn’t. Not yet. There were so many opportunities for him to hurt me, and he hadn’t.
He stood up. “I’ll be right back. I’ve got a surprise for you.” He flashed me a smile, didn’t wait for my response, and walked out of the room.
A…surprise?
What was that?
I tensed, not liking the sound of that. But his smile had been like all his others—kind and soft and warm.
There was no hidden malice, no cruel glint in his eyes.
He came around the corner hardly a minute later, triumph in his voice. “Finally found a brush in all that junk.” He was smiling and holding something in his hand. “Want me to brush your hair?”
I lifted my hand to my hair, staring at him in confusion.
“Like this,” he said, bringing the object to his head and running it through his hair. He repeated the motion over and over again, and I got distracted by his lips for a moment.
Particularly his bottom lip. It was large and plump, curving up as he smiled softly.
I slowly raised my eyes to his again, noticing his smile slip away, a pink color staining his cheeks now.
“Do you—I can brush your hair, or you—you can do it, if you want, obviously. It’s up to you.”
I didn’t want to do it. “You do it. Teach me.”
His eyes searched mine, and my attention was pulled down to his Adam’s apple when he swallowed. He had a nice throat. Thick. I wanted to bite it, but not to hurt him. Just to feel it in my mouth, taste it with my tongue. Would I taste his scent? All that heat?
“Okay…” He glanced at the couch, then said, “I think the easiest way will be if you sit on the floor in front of me while I sit on the couch. Or, no, you can sit on the couch and I’ll?—”
I was already sliding from the cushions onto the floor. I leaned back against the couch, putting my hand on Luna’s head when she adjusted herself and moved closer, resting on my thighs.
Cain didn’t move until I looked at him and raised my brows.
“Right,” he said. “I have to—” He pointed at the spot behind me, and I realized he needed me to move so he could sit down.
I leaned forward, and he slid in behind me. When I leaned back, his thick thighs were framing me. He could trap me in those thighs and squeeze the life out of me.
