“You’ll save me,” he mumbles playfully. I can tell he’s lost more blood than he thinks. He looks a bit rough around the edges, like just blinking is taking work for him.
I can’t help but chuckle softly, and even that hurts a bit. I’ve had worse though, honestly. Every year I seem to get hurt in some worse way. Eventually, I’ll die. I know it. I have a feeling with Carmine around it’ll be harder to kill me than usual.
With a sigh, I look around the room. It’s a nice little villa. I can practically hear the waves crashing down on the cliffside outside and the smell of the salty ocean even stronger. There’s no one else around us. No guards and no enemies threatening our lives. Wherever we are, we’re safe for now.
“Where’s the first aid?” I ask Carmine.
He motions to the glass coffee table right in front of us.
“Ah.” I slide away from him just enough to grab the small suture kit with a fresh needle. It’s not exactly hospital grade, but it’s better than what I did his leg up with that’s for sure.
“Should’ve come here when you got shot,” I mumble as I prepare the needle thread.
“It’s too far away, I probably would have bled out,” Carmine comments. “Besides, I would have had to tell you where it is.”
“That’s true. You weren’t in the shape for that.” I move to the side and behind him slightly. I use some alcohol to clean up around the idea so I can see.
“Need to shave my head?” Carmine asks. I can’t quite tell if he’s joking or not.
I raise a brow. “It would make this easier.”
“Fuck no,” he hisses. “You come near me with a razor and I’ll shave your head.”
I snicker dizzily. “Got it, ya baby.”
I hear him grumble under his breath as I start to push the needle through his flesh, one side to the other, suturing the small gash up with two stitches. They’d have probably done more at the hospital, but they’d have also shaved the area first.
“You’re lucky you didn’t get killed,” I tell him.
“You are,” Carmine replies. “That guy was fucking massive.” He makes a slight face of discomfort as I finish up.
I exhale heavily and toss the needle and remaining thread on the table along with the cotton I used. “I didn’t have a fuckin’ chance, Carm,” I admit freely. “He knocked me out when I got to my car, the next thing I knew I was in that damn chair.”
Carmine growls low and turns to look at me. “Your uncle set that shit up,” he tells me. “He didn’t even give you a chance. I found your phone and called Rosalie. She said that Eivor just decided it was over.”
My hands curl into fists and I close my eyes for a moment. “I’m not surprised,” I tell him. “In his mind, I’ve betrayed the family multiple times now. He thinks what he’s doing is for the best.”
“It’s not,” Carmine huffs and stands up from the couch. “He’s fucking everything up.”
I look up at him. “He’s trying to. I don’t know what his plans are, but they can’t be good from here on out. If he wants me dead, then?—”
“No, absolutely not. You are not dying for that man’s small dick power vendetta,” he tells me and crouches down in front of me.
I’m distinctly aware of the fact that I’m still naked underneath this towel. I look down at him, and he looks into my eyes with an intensity that burns right through me.
I’ve never seen him look so protective, possessive… It’s incredibly hot and I can’t stop myself from reaching out to Carmine and brushing my fingers along his jawline.
“I shouldn’t have tried to kill you,” I tell him. “But I figured, if I don’t—didn’t—that someone would.”
He’s quiet but doesn’t pull away from me.
“I can’t stand the thought of someone else killing you, Carm,” I choke out. “If you even…get that, I dunno.” I shake my head and take a deep breath. My voice is low and gravely.
Carmine’s eyes get even darker and burn even hotter. “If someone is going to kill me, you wanted it to be you,” he replies. He lifts a hand to brush a lock of my hair behind my ear and I turn my face just enough to brush my lips against his palm. It feels rougher than when we met already.
“You understand then,” I whisper.
He nods. “Yes, and…you might not want to kill me, but Soren…if I’m going to die, I want it to be you,” he tells me.
