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I wipe away the tear. “Um… I don’t know.”
“Let’s go downstairs and try something plain, okay? Toast, maybe?”
“Yeah,” I answer, sucking in a stuttered breath. “Yeah, okay. We can try that.”
He climbs out of the bed and snags a t-shirt off the office chair by the desk before pulling it on. I look down at my own body. I’m in a t-shirt that is way too damn big for me and a pair of men’s boxers.
“I figured that would be more comfortable for you to sleep in.”
My bottom lip wobbles as I look up at him. “You took care of me.”
“I did,” he says, coming back to the side of the bed and dropping to his knees. He brushes my hair back from my face, his eyes locked on mine. “I always will, baby.”
“Thank you.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t ever thank me for that.”
I lean in and press my lips to his, my fingers scraping across the stubble on his jaw as I soak in the feel of him. He’s so damn steady, dependable, and that scares me almost as much as it calms me.
Because what if I’m wrong?
What if he needs more than I can bear to give him right now?
He pulls back and our eyes find one another again as he offers me a small little smile and I wipe a few more tears from my face.
“I’m going to carry you downstairs, okay?”
I nod, a surprised chuckle bubbling out of me. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Between the way my body feels and my emotional state, I have zero confidence in my ability to make it down the stairs by myself.
Dalton stands and lifts me into his arms effortlessly, scanning my face as I wrap my legs around his waist. “How’s the head, baby girl?”
“Not good but not as sharp as before.”
He nods. “Good. I think getting some food and water in you will help.”
I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, the move giving my head even more relief as we begin to make our way down to the first floor of the clubhouse.
“Lenny,” Morgan hollers as soon as we reach the bottom of the stairs and I wince.
Too loud.
I open my eyes as she races over to us, studying me as I keep my head on Dalton’s shoulder.
“How are you?”
I shrug as best I can. “Alive.”
“Hey,” someone calls. “That’s progress ‘cause you were dead to the world last night.”
Dalton’s entire body tenses beneath me. “Fucking watch it.”
“Sorry, sorry.” We pass by Jumper and he has his hands up in surrender but there is a grin on his face and I narrow my eyes at him.
This shit is not funny.
“Don’t listen to that idiot,” someone else says and I pick my head up, meeting gray eyes. “Jumper just likes to piss people off for fun.”