It pissed me off that he was grateful for nothing. “Don’t look for me. Don’t wander into alleys. I mean it. I won’t behere to?—”
“Protect me?” He finished. When I said nothing, he burrowed farther under the blankets until he wasn’t visible at all. “Don’t worry about me. I’m used to being alone.”
My instincts recoiled before my brain caught up, and I stood there in the middle of the impersonal, cold motel room, battling back instant anger. Fuming, I yanked down the corner of the blanket so his head was visible.
“Hey,” he complained.
“Don’t hide from me.”I don’t have much time left to look at you.
His face popped up. “I was trying to get warm.”
Stalking into the bathroom, I turned on the shower, setting the water to hot. Back at the bed, I pushed my arm beneath the covers and grabbed hold of his foot.
I jolted, and he stiffened. “Holy hell, is your internal thermometer busted?” I asked as I towed his icy body toward the side of the mattress.
“What are you doing?” he wailed, trying to kick me away.
It was a pitiful attempt. I’d seen cockroaches scurry better. With one last tug, I had him in my arms, bare legs locking around my waist like he was afraid to fall.
Me too, Pip. Me too.
“Hiro.” He said my name like it was the breath in his lungs, an answer to a prayer. Like he was uncertain and trusting all at the same time.
It was napalm for my insides. Instant wipeout, total decimation. In that moment with him in my arms, I realized I’d come here for battle, but he didn’t know there was a war.
Innocence like that didn’t crumble the walls I’d built. Itsimply unlocked them.
His fingers were gentle when they pushed a strand of hair away from my face, and my gaze settled on his as though I’d been looking for him all my life.
Found you.
You can’t stay.
I kept the war he knew nothing about locked tight in its cage.
“I’m taking you to the shower to get clean and warm.” I didn’t recognize the sound of my own voice, something about it nothing more than a stranger.
“I’m tired,” he pouted.
“I’ll wash you.”
Leaning in, he pressed our chests together to rest his narrow chin on my shoulder. The contented sigh he released created a bruise inside me. “Can I wash you too?”
“I thought you were tired,” I retorted as I carried him into the balmy bathroom.
“For you, I could find the energy.”
Oh, it was going to sting when I walked out of there later.
Lucky for me, I was accustomed to pain.
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
Rett
Sunlight streamed through the opening between the curtain and the wall, startling in its brightness. It brought muffled thoughts of how long it’d been since I’d seen the sun and how I’d gotten so used to darkness.
