He nodded and picked up the wastebasket sitting in a corner of the room.He retrieved his toolkit from the backpack he’d brought inside, then sat next to her on the bed.Oaklie had moved back to her original position and had given him a pillow to rest his back against.“What should I make?”he asked, suddenly feeling nervous.
“What do you feel like making?”she replied.
His gaze went to the intricate pattern she’d created around the doorframe.“I’ll carve a branch with some flowers,” he decided.Oaklie tucked her legs beneath herself and got comfortable as he began whittling.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
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IT WASN’T BORING ATall watching Arkas carve the image he saw in his mind during the next few hours.Oaklie was mesmerized watching his talented hands delicately chip small pieces of wood into the wastebasket.
“Don’t go quite so deep,” she murmured as he was shaping a thin branch.It would snap if he added any more pressure to it.
“It’s too thin now,” Arkas said in dismay.“It won’t be able to hold the flower I wanted to carve.”
“I can fix that,” she offered and reached over to touch the chunk of wood.Her fingers brushed against his and his entire body tensed.He casually lifted his right knee higher to hide his instant reaction to her.Their sexual tension was off the charts just from that brief touch.Concentrating on her task, Oaklie tried to will away her own desire for this hulking warrior sitting right beside her.“That should help,” she said, adjusting the thickness of the branch he was working on.
“Thanks,” he said in a slightly husky voice.“That’s much better.”
“I’m going to take a lunchbreak,” she said to give him time to gain control of his raging hormones.“I’ll use a bathroom in one of the other rooms,” she added.She’d already used the bathroom here and couldn’t flush a tank that didn’t hold any water.
“Make sure you lock the door securely, female,” Arkas reminded her.
“I will,” she said with an eyeroll.She couldn’t decide if his overprotectiveness was endearing or annoying.Considering how much danger lurked around these days, she opted for endearing.
Her magic unlocked the door and she entered the room next door.The cambion dutifully fused the wood so no one could get in, then used the bathroom.She was tempted to put her hair up, but didn’t.Arkas was fascinated with her hair.It was stupid, but she wanted to make him smile, even if it was over something as trivial as this.
“It’s not like we have anything else to smile about,” she murmured as she headed back to their room.The wind intensified and she glanced out through the hallway window.She stopped when she saw a truck cruising slowly towards the motel.The windows and windshield had been smashed.The occupants were shielding themselves from the deluge as best they could.
“Arkas!”she called out, but he’d already sensed them.
The warrior appeared next to her, peering through the window as well.“They appear to be a family,” he said.
“Is that a little girl sitting on the passenger’s lap?”Oaklie asked incredulously.
Arkas nodded grimly.“What do you want me to do?”he asked.
