“No, leave it.” Kasra hurried to his side and bent, bracing him. Took the end of the gauze he’d managed to undo and rewrapped it. “Let it heal.” Only then, only as his hand lowered to her shoulder, sending a jolt of that electricity through her, did she realize what she was doing. That his shirt was still off. That he wasn’t moving. Or speaking. She forbade herself from looking into his blue eyes. “Sleep. You need rest to get better.”
“You’re bossy …” he muttered. His hand came to her face. “Like my sisters …”
Was that a good thing? Instinct told her to stop him. Step back. But curiosity, admiration of this soldier who had saved her life and fought to keep her alive, made her stay those reactions.
He touched her cheek then his hand slipped around the back of her neck.
Breath staggered through her lungs, surprised at the intention digging into his handsome face as he drew her gently closer.
She finally brought her gaze up even as a feathery sweep of his thumb across her lower lip teased her. Felt a stirring she had not felt in … ever. An inability to breathe or move as blue eyes homed in on her mouth.
Kasra lifted her head slightly, angling nearer, not sure he wanted this. Not sureshewanted it. Yet scared not to know that answer. What if she did? A man like him … it was more than she could hope for.
His breath skated across her cheek.
She did not dare move, decided he would regret this later. When he felt better, was in a clearer frame of mind. “You should…”
He tilted his mouth toward hers. A tingling taunt of a touch that made her stiffen.
No … not stiffen.Still. Afraid to burst this bubble.I am so confused. What if he kissed her, then realized it had been a mistake? He would blame her. Say she was trying to seduce him.
Unable to bear that, she shifted aside. “You should rest.”
His breathing went ragged as he followed her around—and his gaze went unfocused. He swayed backward. Then forward. Dropped hard onto the bed. With a groan, he collapsed, unconscious.
She expelled the breath she held. Shuddered. Realized how uncomfortable he looked. Then lifted his legs onto the bed and shifted him over. Covered him. Smoothed her fingers over his mussed blond hair. The stubble that was becoming a beard. “You are a beautiful man.” She sighed. “Far too good for me.”
* * *
He almost kissed her.
Range might have been out of his gourd from the bullet wound and drugs her friend had given him, but he wasn’tthatout of it. He remembered her eyes, the way she’d frozen, not moving away but also not encouraging him. She seemed as conflicted as he had been when his brain told him to veer off.
But her lips … her beauty …Her.
He growled at his idiocy, at himself. He’d told her she was bossy … like his sisters. Who were strong. Assertive. Beautiful. So similar to Willow and Brooke. And Mom. He wouldn’t want her any other way.
And dang, hedidwant her. Didn’t he?
No. It was the exhaustion and injury talking. She was a prostitute. Slept with men.Manymen. Wasn’t sure he could ever get past that, past her selling her body for sex. And not just hers, but others’ … children …
Definitely couldn’t get past it.
Core muscles screaming from the wound, he peeled himself off the mattress. Sat on the edge. Gritting through the pain, he pushed to his feet. Grabbed his toiletries and found a bathroom. He shed his clothes, and removed the bandage. Winced at the red welt and stitches. Yeah, definitely angry, as her friend had said.
He showered, protecting the wound from the water, then considered shaving. Stared at himself in the foggy mirror. They were going to hike through Pakistan. Maybe he’d keep the beard?—it hid the shape of his face. But he hated the thing. It itched.
Cleaned and dressed, he stepped out. Nearly collided with Kasra. Jerked back, tensing in pain.
“How are you?” She wouldn’t meet his gaze, and he knew why. “You slept nearly a whole day.”
“Dang.” That long? It’d felt like a blink. “Can’t believe that wound put me out of commission so fast.”
“I’m glad we were able to come here so Zaki could help.”
“Same.”
She smiled, tucking her chin as she tried to move around him, a nervous energy in the confined space.
