He backedaway.
As Ingrid trailed after him, I called out, “In case I don’t see you again, Ingrid, have a safe trip back, and say hi to your family fromme.”
She looked over her shoulder at me, then at August, then at our hands. “I will,” she said, offering me a weaksmile.
Once the door was closed, Sarah loosed a breath. “Well, that was a littleawkward.”
“And this is why I advocate polygamy,” Lucas said brightly. “And orgies. Everyone gets what they want, or rather,whom.”
Sarah smacked histhigh.
“Ow. What was that for? I’m allowed my opinion,” he muttered. “It’s my constitutionalright.”
“When you’re going to say stupid shit, use your inside voice,” Sarahsaid.
“Stupid shit?How was thatstupid?”
“It was unhelpful,” she said, gaze pinging between August andme.
Greg blustered into the room then. “Got here as fast as Icould.”
I’d never been so happy to see the pack doctor. One, because I was anxious to get my bandage off, and two, because I didn’t want to talk about our tangled love lives anymore. I sensed Lucas had been trying to lighten the atmosphere, but his quip had the adverse effect. August’s grip had become bruising, as though my former mate was afraid that if he let go, I would ventureaway.
I’d moved him the night of the duel. Perhaps if the link still connected us, August wouldn’t have felt so threatened, but now that it wasgone. . .
“Glad to see you awake, kid.” Greg squirted some disinfectant into his palms and rubbed them as he approached mybedside.
I tried to smile, but a bolt of nervousness shot throughme.
“So, I’m going to take a look under thebandage.”
Take a look underneath it?“Is there a chance it’s not comingoff?”
As his fingers inched up to the gauze, he seemed to realize we weren’t alone. “You mind giving Ness and me someroom?”
“Sure, doc,” Lucassaid.
Sarah rose from the bed reluctantly. “I’ll be rightoutside.”
“Want August to stay, Ness?” Gregasked.
My heart started pounding double-time. “I-I. . .”
August’s motionless body finally came alive. “I’d like to stay.” He dipped his chin into his neck to peer down at me. “If that’s okay withyou?”
Greg waited until I acquiesced before proceeding to remove the bandage. As the strips fell away, and cool air touched my newly exposed skin, Ishivered.
August let go of my hand and skated his palm across my back to drive warmth into my chilledskin.
Greg gathered the fallen gauze and chucked it in the garbage. He lifted his fingers to my face again, I assumed to remove the last of the bandages, but he simply prodded mycheek.
“You’re not going to remove everything?” I finallyasked.
His hand arced down slowly. “I did,Ness.”
He must not have, though, because something was still obstructing my sight. I raised my hand to do it myself. When my fingertips bumped against my lashes and the slick surface of my eye, I turned tomarble.
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