He lifted me from the tub, and as much as I wanted to argue, I let him carry me toward his bedroom. Only once we were inside his personal space did he put me on my feet, then he went back to grab a towel. When he returned, he wrapped me in the soft fabric before curling his arms around me gently. It was strange—foreign—and I leaned into him, seeking a comfort I didn’t know I needed.
“Master, I can do this.”
“I know you can.” He kissed my cheek. “But if you want to fight, Ari, you need to be healthy. You’re in pain. Let me call someone.”
My first reaction was to tell him to fuck off, but some part of me wanted to please him because he made sense. I wanted to fight to win, but I couldn’t do that if I wasn’t a hundred percent.
I scrunched up my nose in irritation, and he laughed gently, leading me to the bed. He grabbed a pair of boxers from the dresser, then helped me step into them. I held my breath as he carefully tugged the underwear up my legs. He planted a kiss above my belly button before pulling back the blankets, and I slid under as carefully as I could while he switched on the air conditioner.
“I’ll be back.” He disappeared for at least fifteen minutes, leaving me to lie in the bed and think about his words. I hated doctors, but my back was on fire and I could barely move. When he finally returned with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, I’d made up my mind.
“I’ll see a medical professional, I suppose.” I frowned, then focused on his hard chest. He wasn’t well-defined with a six-pack, but I knew from experience strength didn’t come from those types of muscles. They were only for show. Jules was all man, and he handled me like the strongest person in the world. He was perfect.
His brows dipped as he dropped his towel on the floor. His cock was soft, hanging between his legs, but it was still as beautiful as the rest of him. Thick, juicy. I wanted to suck it into my mouth, but I could barely move.
He grabbed a pair of pajama bottoms from the dresser and slipped them on before he slid under the blankets next to me. He laid a palm on my belly, and I sighed, shuffling closer to him. The movement was enough to flare up the pain again.
I sucked in a breath, and he laid a gentle kiss on my cheek. It was too soft and wasn’t what I was used to from him.
“You don’t need to fight. We could kill our next person.”
“Can’t we do both, Master? I was looking at the licenses today. Let me kill for you. Please.”
He hummed and traced a hand down my chest, going low enough I thought he was going to touch my dick, but he stopped at my belly, drawing imaginary squiggles over my skin with his forefinger. “You can’t while you’re like this. I should fuck Uhlig up for doing this.”
“He was testing me.” I grinned. “And I passed. You should’ve seen me.”
He laughed quietly. “I bet you were beautiful.”
“I was.” I tilted my chin again, and he kissed me like I silently begged him to. His mouth was succulent and soft, the opposite of what it should’ve been. Fuck, I wanted him to brutalize me. “And I will be again, in the ring.”
He stared, moving his hand from my belly to my mouth, where he ran a thumb over my bottom lip. My skin tingled under his caresses. “Tomorrow, I’m taking you to the doctor.”
“I don’t have insurance.”
“We’ll figure something out. I’ll pay if I need to.” He dipped his thumb between my lips, and I sucked on it, imagining it was the head of his cock instead. “We’ll get you painkillers if we have to, and once you’re better, we’ll choose our next victim and how we’ll do it. We’ll do this together.”
“And we’ll train, too, right?” I grabbed his hand and sucked his thumb in deeper before moving on to his next finger.
“Yeah, and Uhlig better not try anything like this again. I’ll fucking kill him in broad daylight if he does.”
I shuddered but not in pain. My Masterdidwant to kill for me. “I’d help you.”
He chuckled and kissed me again. “Sleep as best you can. Don’t move around too much. We’ll figure out the doctor tomorrow morning. I’ll wake you up in a little bit for dinner.”
“Yes, Master.” I closed my eyes, content. Not only did I have my Master and was killing for him, now I had a hobby. Dr. Miracle always said I needed one; although, I didn’t think this was what he had in mind.
13
JULES
My jaw achedas I gritted my teeth while jamming yet another number on my goddamned phone screen. Mornings were not my favorite. I should’ve done this last night. I paced the hallway near my front door. It had been so long since I’d taken a day off that I’d forgotten I now had to navigate a phone maze just to tell someone I needed to stay the fuck home. It was annoying, to say the least. I ran my hand through my damp hair. I was happy I’d taken a quick shower before I started this mess because otherwise I would smell bad on top of being annoyed.
“Dial 16 to speak with the on-duty supervisor.” I sighed and poked at the screen of my phone yet again, then pressed it to my ear. The line rang and I had my fingers crossed it would go to messages, but it wasn’t my lucky day. “Hello, Sergeant Calhoun speaking.” His tone suggested he was bored, which was a good thing. If I’d called him while he was out at a crime scene, he would be pissed off.
“This is Rogers. I need to take a sick day.”
“Rogers? You’re taking a day off?” His bafflement was loud and clear, and I sighed.
