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He sighed, his hungry gaze on her mouth. “Yeah, a couple. Daisy, you don’t have to do this.”

She ran a hand from his face, down his chest, and to the waistband of his clothing. He shivered under her touch. “I do. And I’ll do more. A lot more to you. But first, you need to heal. Let’s get you somewhere where you can sleep. Then I’ll fix up the ship. And then we’ll plan our next move together.”

***

For once, Rexx’s fists weren’t clenched when he woke. He breathed in deeply, instantly regretting it when his ribs twinged. But he could feel they were improving. With Daisy’s healing touch, and his own self-healing abilities, he’d be back in fighting form by the end of the day.

He exhaled slowly, his fingers brushing over his bare chest as he recalled Daisy’s scorching touch on his skin. His cock hardened at the memory of her so close, her breath tickling his skin as she treated his wounds. Then her mouth was on his, sweet at first, but soon bursting with desire. A desire for him. How could she want him?

He’d revealed too much, but there was no going back. She’d seen the real him. She knew he wasn’t a complete Apexian. He’d been changed, manipulated by the enemy who’d taken him. But she hadn’t balked. And there’d been no flicker of pity on her face. Could it be that she didn’t see his broken side? He worked damn hard to hide it from everyone, but it kept slipping through. One day, it would tear him apart and take down anyone close to him as well. It was his constant fear.

The door to the room slid open. Daisy was silhouetted in the doorway. The sight of her sent a tug of heat and longing through his body.

“Hey, you’re awake.” She stepped inside, and the door closed behind her.

Rexx went to ease himself up from the bed. She hurried over, scooping an arm around his shoulders to give him a hand. He didn’t protest. Any excuse to have her close to him was a good one.

“I feel much better,” he said.

Still, Daisy kept her arm around him. He never wanted the day to come when she stopped touching him. It would soon, when she figured out just how much of a broken mess was hidden beneath his facade.

She stepped back, her gaze sliding over him. “Hmmm, I’m jealous. You look so much better. I wish I could say the same. I want to be able to heal as fast as you and eject this gross thing that’s growing inside me like an evil tapeworm.”

“You always look great.” Although the circles under her eyes were darker, and there were lines across her forehead that hadn’t been there until recently, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

“I came in and checked on you a few times, but you were dead to the world. I decided to leave you for as long as possible,” Daisy said.

“How long have I been out?”

“Seven hours.”

He scraped a hand down his face. “I didn’t mean to flake out for that long.”

“It’s fine. It shows you needed time to heal. And I’ve been hanging out with the cats. They’ve kept me entertained. Let me check on your ribs, see how they’re doing.” Daisy sat on the edge of the bed and peeled away the healing plasters. “That’s good. The bruising’s fading, and there’s less swelling. How do they feel?”

“Better. Less tender. I knew you’d fix me.”

“I’ll put on fresh healing plasters to be on the safe side.” Daisy’s gaze settled on his bare chest, and her tongue slid across her lower lip.

Rexx stared at that tempting mouth. He shouldn’t go there, but he felt powerless beneath her touch. If he didn’t have her, he’d explode.

Her gaze snapped to his, and her cheeks flushed pink. “I should go. Let you get dressed. And you must be hungry. I can—”

Rexx pressed a finger gently against her lips. “There’s only one thing I’m hungry for.”

Her breathing stuttered, and then she was in his arms, plastered against his chest as she kissed him. Her hungry mouth moved down his chest.

Her gaze locked to his as she kissed each scar in turn. “These scars don’t make you wrong. They make you who you are. My incredible, stunning, breathtaking warrior. My partner. Mine.”

Everything faded as Daisy’s warm lips caressed each messed up, abused part of him. She said he was hers. He’d been hers since the first time they’d met. Her laugh, smile, and scent had captivated him. She’d been his focus since that day.

Rexx swallowed a groan as her lips reached his abs. Those simple touches drove him wild. They sparked a passion in him that had been distant for such a long time, he’d almost forgotten what true desire felt like.

She took his hand and eased it into her pants. “I have a scar, too. It’s the same as yours. We’ve both had something taken from us. It’s tested us. Fuck, it almost wrecked me when it happened.”

“You’re not wrecked. You’re strong.” He stroked the hard line of scar that sat on her lower abdomen. “Where did this come from? What happened to you?”

She looked away and shook her head. “I was close to losing everything. After I got this scar, it almost stopped me from chasing something I longed for. But if I hadn’t pushed through, I wouldn’t have met you.”