She let out a whine. I pressed a kiss to her nose before standing up and knocking on the door.
I wasn’t prepared for the sight before me when I opened the door. Machine sat on the floor, his back leaning against his bedframe. The mirror that had been above his dresser was missing. Machine didn’t look up when I entered the room; instead, he continued to stare off into space, holding a chain in his hands. Prominent circles darkened his eyes, and his beard had started growing in.
I realized that despite the time I spent with Machine, I’d never known what he faced. I wondered how well I really knew him. I had witnessed what going to war had done to my dad. He never talked about his time in the military; instead, he drowned his pain with booze and gambling.
I knelt before Evan and moved my hands to cup his cheeks. His beard felt soft against my skin, but it still felt wrong to seehim unshaven. His eyes remained fixed on some point in the distance.
“Evan?” I said, but got no response. It was as if he were in a trance. I frowned and tried again. “Hammer?”
The nickname caught his attention and he looked up startled, meeting my gaze. His dark hazel eyes seemed to pierce into my soul. I gave him a small smile.
“I’m here,” I said.
He gripped my waist and pulled me into a hug. I felt the moment his shoulders finally relaxed as I embraced him back. He buried his head in my chest as I rubbed his back and tried to soothe him. The hug lasted for several minutes before I pulled back and cupped his cheeks once more.
His eyes were glistening. I swiped away a tear that ran down his cheek. Even in his darkest moment, even with his scars, he was still beautiful. He closed his eyes for a moment before meeting my gaze again.
“You’re here,” he croaked.
“You asked for me.”
He placed his hands over mine and squeezed as if he were holding on to me for dear life.
“Are you trying the beard life now?” I teased, trying to lighten the mood.
The side of his lips quirked up. In that moment, I realized why he had wanted me to come. I wouldn’t be overly gentle or scared of him. He seemed to know a lot of things about me that I didn’t even know about myself.
“Felt like trying something new,” he replied.
I gave him a small smile. “It’s, um… nice.”
He chuckled. “You suck at giving compliments.”
My Machine, finally coming back to me.Shit. He wasn’t mine. What was I thinking?
“I know,” I said with a shrug.
I let out a little giggle, and the sound seemed to make his eyes brighten. He stood up abruptly, making me fall back. He grabbed my wrists and hauled me up with him before walking me to the bathroom. I looked at him with confusion. He grabbed some items from a drawer and sat down on the vanity.
“What are you doing?” I asked, looking up at him.
Without a word, he grabbed the items beside him and held them up to me. I let out a laugh as I noticed the razor and shaving cream in his hands.
“I was just teasing you!” I protested, now feeling like a bitch for how I had responded.
“It needs to go,” he said back with finality in his voice. “Plus, it’s itchy.”
He placed the razor down and scratched his cheek. A smile tugged at my lips despite my efforts to hide it. I grabbed the items from him and turned on the water. I squeezed a dollop of shaving cream into my hand before rubbing it over his beard. Machine sat still as I slowly brought the razor over his skin and washed the hair down the drain. I blushed, surprised by the intimacy of the mundane action.
I continued until his entire beard was gone and his beautiful, chiseled, hard features were back. I grabbed the hand towel and wiped the remnants of the shaving cream off his face before setting the towel back onto the vanity and placing my hands on my hips.
“Good as new,” I praised while Machine slid down from the counter.
He felt his cheeks before looking in the mirror. He gave me a smirk.
“Not bad, Bunny.”
I rolled my eyes and walked back into his bedroom. Machine grabbed my hips as he walked past me. The touch sent a joltof electricity down my spine. He sat on the end of his bed and tapped the space next to him. He met my eyes.
