The door swung open.
"Vinny. Shit." Jamie rushed in, dropping to her knees beside me. The towel hit the floor, forgotten.
"I said I was fine," I muttered through gritted teeth.
"You're not fine. You're going to split your fucking stitches," she snapped, gripping my arm.
She was close. Too close. I wanted to grab her and kiss her.
She helped me sit up, her palm pressing into my chest, steadying me. I was naked, bruised, bandaged. She smelled like soap and garlic and something sweet.
And she was looking at me—really looking at me, hard.
I ran my tongue across my teeth. Watching her watch me.
I let my gaze slide down her collarbone, watched her throat work as she swallowed. I saw her pulse flutter at her neck.
After spending so much time with her, I started to realize she was stunning in a different way than Sophia. I started noticing the differences.
She didn't try to be beautiful—she just was. No makeup. No expensive clothes. No teasing tones. She was just… Jamie. She didn't play soft to make herself palatable.
Both made me feel like a man for different reasons.
Sophia needed me. She looked at me like I hung the stars. She needed me to protect her.
Jamie didn't need a damn thing from me. She challenged me. Matched me. She didn't make me feel like a hero—she made me feel seen.
With Jamie, I wanted to prove myself.
Sophia wouldn't like the man I'd become. I would understand that. But Jamie would have liked both versions of me. She had said as much. It did something to me.
Something I didn't have words for yet.
She was affected too. How deep it went, I didn't know. She was hard to read. But in the moment, I could tell there was something there. Her pupils were blown open, and she kept running the tip of her tongue over her lips. Her eyes kept falling to my dick, which was half-mast now.
It pissed me off how much I wanted to touch her. And she would probably let me again. But I couldn't. Our situation was already too complicated.
"Are you going to keep staring at me or let me help you up off the floor?" she suddenly snapped, looking away.
She helped me up, steadying me with her body. Guided me back to bed. When I was settled, she handed me two pills and a bottle of water. I took them without a word, watching her the entire time.
"You want clothes?" I watched her eyes drift down to my dick. I almost smirked.
"No."
She nodded, forcing her eyes back to my face. "You should get some sleep," she said, backing toward the door.
"Don't go to the couch," I said. "You've been sleeping out there uncomfortable. We can share the bed."
"I'm fine on the couch."
"You're not," I said. "The bed's big. Just sleep."
She paused.
I could see the tug-of-war in her eyes.
"I don't think that's a good idea," she muttered.
