“Are you worried I’m going to hurt myself?”
“No, I’m worried you’ll shoot my balls off.”
The sly smile drew my attention to her rosy lips, kissed by the cold and swollen from the rough passion. “Now, why would I do that? They are very… useful.”
When I wrapped my hand around the weapon and her hand, she didn’t fight me, but as she’d done every time she’d come into contact with me before, she was questioning who I was and my motives. Maybe so was I.
“Maybe you won’t, but as I said, you can never be too careful.” I shoved the weapon into my jeans, enjoying the moment.
“You’re right. I learned that the hard way.”
Now she had me wondering what she was alluding to.
She’d found one of my jerseys, standing in that, a pair of my boots she’d snagged from my suitcase, and her jacket. She looked far too adorable.
Noticing my heated gaze, she pressed her hand on her stomach, smoothing down the material. It was far too large and covered way too much in my opinion. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Looks much better on you.”
She glanced at the wood, her brows furrowing together. “Are you cutting wood for me?”
“You did say it was frigid in the house.”
Walking past me, she grabbed my cane, holding it out for me. “That’s what blankets are for. You’ve only just begun to heal. Besides, you’re making the task much harder on yourself.”
“How so?”
Shrugging, she acted as if what I was doing was no big deal. “You need to stand further away. Plant your good leg forward and keep both hands on the maul.”
“How do you know this?”
My, oh, my, how her laugh sparked my body’s full attention. “I take care of myself because I have to. You’ll keep better balance if you follow my instructions.”
While her words did have an effect on me, she had no understanding of my life or the reality I’d been born into. She was innocent in a world full of evil men doing terrible things. Pulling her into any aspect of my personal or professional reality would only place her in harm’s way. Yet the look of concern on her face was genuine, not anything I was used to experiencing.
The girl was the real deal, sweet and vulnerable while remaining resolute in refusing bullshit from anyone. Tangible, amazing qualities that could easily be exploited. Nothing about the deeds I’d been required to do since a young man could ever present themselves as being decent or even honorable, although my father would have argued the latter. However, I wasn’t the kind of man to drag her kicking and screaming into danger.
At least not on purpose.
So I kept my answer simple. “Your words are coming from a place of compassion, but in my world, debilitating injuries are seen as a weakness and one I can’t afford.”
The way she was looking at me as if trying to pick her way through the complex layers was exactly what I would have anticipated. And in truth, everything a man could want in a partner. That couldn’t matter.
“I disagree with you. I don’t know what kind of world you live in, and I do understand people are often horrible in their misguided view of anyone forced into a similar position, but not everyone is a terrible representation of humanity. Your cane doesn’t make you a cripple, Montgomery. Your mind is playing enough tricksto convince you that you’re less of a man. I know that’s not the truth.”
“Perhaps you’re right, Fleur, but our worlds are different.”
She shook her head, staring down at the cane in her hand before holding it out for me to take. “Then I don’t think I’d like yourworldvery much. However, we live on the sameplanetthe last time I checked.”
“Nothing I’d want to subject you to. You’re far too…” There was such defiance in the feisty woman.
Her anticipation of me finishing the sentence was evident on her face. What could I offer that would help with the awkward moment? She’d touched me in more ways than just allowing me to taste her luscious body. For a few precious hours, she’d allowed me to be someone I wasn’t and could never be.
“Say it, Montgomery. I’m a big girl. There were no expectations when I agreed to come with you last night. None. My life might seem simple to you, but I have my own share of complications that far exceed running a business. We’re not an instant item because of a taste of blissful passion. You’re here for one distinct purpose whether you like it or not. Healing enough that you can return to your real world, where you could have died from a horrific injury received by an enemy. Don’t worry. I don’t want to know any more about the reason why. That’s your business. You have your life, I have mine. What we shared was amazing but can never happen again. I’m fine with that. Okay?”
The way she lifted her chin, seeing the crimson spots on her cheeks from the brusque chill and the way her lips pursed together while still slightly open was a powerful draw.
Enough that I longed to take her in my arms and drag her back to bed. But she was right. Even after my possessive insistence, I’d need to let her go. A flower flourishing on its own.
