Anger and helplessness felt like a noose around my neck.
No. Resolve filled me. I would put Dean down. He’d never hurt Bastian again. No one touched the man that I?—
I broke that thought off, pressing a hand to my stomach.
Bastian wasn’t mine.
Yes, he is.
I shied away from that. I didn’t need a label for what I felt for him. I swallowed the flutters of panic. What I had to do was focus on Dean.
I reached out, resting my thumb to the pulse on the side of Bastians neck. It was strong and steady. I pulled in a deep breath and relaxed my tense shoulders.
“Hey.”
At his voice, my gaze whipped to his face. His eyelids were hooded, and the corner of his mouth was tipped up in a half smile.
“You’re a pretty sight to wake up to.” Then, he frowned. “Dammit, Landon drugged me with more than a painkiller.”
“You needed the rest.” I grabbed a glass of water off the bedside table and handed it to him.
He sat up against the pillows and took a sip. “What’s the time?”
“Late, or early, depending how you look at it. Careful.” I leaned over him and fluffed the pillows. “How’s your shoulder feel?”
“I don’t feel a thing.”
“Thanks to Landon’s drugs.”
He handed the glass back to me. I’d barely set it down when he tumbled me onto the bed. I gasped.
“Bastian, your shoulder!”
“It’s fine.” He pulled me against his side, tucking me in tight.
I leaned into the heat of him, breathed him in. I rested my cheek on his chest. “You’re really all right?”
“I am. Don’t worry, little bird.”
I touched the edge of the bandage. Then, I leaned over and peppered featherlight kisses around the edge of it. Moving across his chest, I kissing the healed line where I’d stabbed him.
He made a humming sound. I shifted, running my teeth over his strong throat, scraping over his pulse point.
“I promised to get you naked,” he murmured.
“You’re injured.”
“So?” His hand drifted down and cupped my ass.
“Bastian.”
His other hand slid in my hair, tilting my head back. “It just means you’ll have to do most of the work.”
I felt a flicker of heat. “Landon said to rest.”
“I rested. Now, I want my little bird.” He pulled me down and our mouths met. I had no choice but to lean into the kiss. His tongue tangled with mine, and soon I was panting.
I broke the kiss. “No. You’re hurt and you’re going to rest. No sex.”
