“Stop,” Lilly shouts, stepping between us.
I stand back, not wanting to hurt Lil, but kick the knife away from him.
She faces her brother as if she’s shielding me. “Just go, Ash. I know him. Just get out of here before I kill you myself.”
I watch over her shoulder as Ash collects the littered notes from the floor before he legs it out the door. My chest rises and falls under my long-sleeved black top. “Are you all right?”
She presses her hand against my stomach. “I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.” She lifts my top to reveal my wound andlooks up with tears dripping from her lashes. “Sit down. I need a better look at this.”
I grip her wrist, pulling her hand away from my stomach. “That was a dirty knife.” I take the few steps over to the sink, my gash burning with every step, but I need to wash her hands and check she’s safe.
“It’s fine. I don’t have any cuts. I’m okay.” She pulls from my grip and turns the tap on, washing the blood from her hands in the sink. After scrubbing her skin, she holds her hands up. “See?”
Holding my side, some of the tension from my shoulders leaves when I see Lilly’s not hurt.
She opens a cupboard and pulls out a first aid kit. “Now sit down before I stab you myself.” Her steely blue eyes penetrate my mask with a fierce look that you don’t want to mess with.
“I can deal with it. Just give me a needle and thread.” I open the first aid box, looking for something I can use.
Pulling on a pair of gloves, she says. “If you don’t sit down and let me take care of this, I’m calling 999.” Her jaw tightens as she presses her luscious lips together.
I roll my eyes, scrape a chair along the floor, and sit at her table. Leaning against the wooden backrest, lifting my top, I make sure the rest of my abdomen is covered. Only a small fraction of the skull on my stomach is showing. I can’t be the only man who has a skull tattoo, but I’m probably the only one she knows with a skull chewing a bullet. Fuck’s sake. I silently curse my choice of tattoos as she wipes the area.
She kneels on the floor between my legs and washes the blood from my stomach with a wet cloth.
“If I knew you were giving my money to him, I’d have—” I suck in the air through my teeth as she wipes at the open wound, cleaning it with some pink liquid.
“It’s none of your business what I do withmymoney.” She wipes more blood from my stomach as it trickles from the gash. “I think some glue and steri-strips will be enough, but you should really go to the hospital to get this checked out. I’m no expert.”
“I trust you. Just glue it. I’ll be fine.”
She opens her first aid kit on the table, setting out the equipment she needs. “He could’ve killed you.”
I huff out a puff of air under the mask. “I highly doubt that.”
My stomach clenches as she pinches my wound, holding the edges together to apply the glue. I grip the wooden chair beneath me and hiss.
“I thought…” She swallows, then wipes her eye against the back of her hand. “I thought he was going to kill you, or you were going to kill him. If I lost either of you, I couldn’t bear it.”
Pulling off my glove, I caress her tear stained cheek. “If he wasn’t your brother, he’d be dead already.”
She leans into my touch, rubbing her cheek against the palm of my hand. “Promise me you won’t hurt him.”
I hiss through the mask. Every bone in my body wants to break his. But he doesn’t need me to destroy him. He’ll do that on his own soon enough. “You know I’d do anything you ask of me.”
She lets out a sigh of relief, her shoulder relaxing on the exhale. “Thank you.” Her lips press against my palm that cups her cheek.
We fall silent as she applies the steri-strips. I grit my teeth and silently curse under the sweltering mask. I’d come here tonight with plans to tie her up and make her squirm, but thanks to her fucking brother, it’s me doing the squirming as she puts the last strip on.
She attaches a dressing, smoothing her hand over the white pad. “If the wound gets red, hot, or more painful, don't be a hero and get some antibiotics.”
Her lips press against the small section of exposed skin on my stomach, and it’s like all the pain is gone for a moment. With her head so close to my groin as she kneels at my feet, my dick twitches, waking up despite the pain in my side.
I groan inwardly at having her like this, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. My fingers run through her black hair, stroking and patting her head as if rewarding her for being a good pet.
She kisses more of my stomach, working her way down, and starts to unbuckle my belt. My dick grows against my zipper. Thoughts of those luscious lips around my cock and her two front teeth scraping along my shaft have me practically weeping from the tip, but I need to go.
“Not tonight, nightingale.” I fist her hair, forcing her head back. “I'm not touching you until I get that knife checked and make sure your druggie brother didn’t give me anything.”
