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Violet’s featherlight steps prick my ears as she enters the ward. I open my eyes to watch her glide over the hardwood floors like an angel. She’s cute this morning, her hair in double braids pinned into a bun, her white coat, and my favorite purple on her lips.

Glad to see she’s still wearing it.

I press my hands into the mattress, sucking through my teeth as I work to sit. Violet jumps forward, wrapping her arms around me and stuffing pillows behind my back.

“You need to take it easy,” she says. And I can’t ignore the ache in my chest from her absence when she lets go.

The drugs she has me on give me no choice but to take it easy. She slept next to me last night. I woke up just enough to see the arms of the basic bedside chair holding her bridal style, her head cranked in the most crooked fashion. I wanted to take its place, but these damned drugs are too strong.

“Under your tongue,” she continues. I let the thermometer in, holding it beneath my tongue. Grabbing my wrist, she presses her fingers to my pulse point while looking at her watch, then she slips the blood pressure cuff over my arm and takes my blood pressure. My skin tingles beneath her touch. After a minute, she releases my wrist, takes the thermometer, and grabs her clipboard at the end of the bed. “Temperature is slightly elevated, that’s not surprising given how long you went before having this taken care of. Riah prepared a stronger antibiotic for you, so we will start that this morning.” Violet writes a few things down, then hangs the clipboard back at the end of the bed. “Dahlia will be by this afternoon to discuss prosthetic design. She’s bumped it up on her task list.”

She’s avoiding me. At least, that’s how it feels. Violet pulls over the supply cart and sets out fresh bandages. Despite the morphine and her soft touch, my leg throbs as she removes my blankets, then the bandage. Violet has always been bubbling beneath the surface when touching me during an exam. Not now, she’s all professional.

“This is so clinical,” I say, trying to nudge her with my foot. At least that’s what I’m doing, wiggling my invisible toes. She looks around the room, then meets my gaze and smiles.

“This is clinical…”

“Aren’t we past the point of needing to be professional when I know what you look like when taking my cock like a good girl, and feeling your heart pounding beneath my fingers?” My lip tugs up when her eyes widen, and the flush rises in her cheeks.

“Lord Powers—”

“Don’t call me that. I like my name on your lips.”

“Is sex all you think about?” She sighs and shakes her head.

“No. I just like how you turn red when I talk about how good you taste.” Her cheeks turn scarlet, and she swallows.

“How are you feeling this morning? Any nausea?” I don’t bother fighting my smile. She’s cute trying to act unbothered.

“A little, not too bad.” She offers me a small smile, and I’m hit with that ache in my chest again. I want to make this girl happy.

“That’s good… I’ll put in a kitchen order for some soup. You’ll be eating simply for a few days.”

She knows my palate. While Pru indulges in oatmeal in the morning, I would go for leftover soup.

“Violet,” I say as she turns to walk away. She swivels back around on the ball of her foot, wrapping her arms around her middle and offering me that same faint smile.

“Yes?” I reach out to her with my hand palm up.

“Come to me.” She freezes for a beat, her gaze locked in with mine, and her lips parting to form a little ‘o’. Then she shakes her head.

“I can’t. You’re my patient, that would be completely inappropriate.”

“I’m not just your patient… We’re more than that.”

“We’re not,” she says, shaking her head again. Her eyes dart over me, then she swallows. She’s trying to convince herself, more than me.

I want to bring her smile back.

“Violet, I need you… I love you.” My stomach twists. It shouldn’t have taken me nearly dying for me to tell her. I love her more than anything.

Violet’s eyes widen a fraction, her gaze flitting to the side and I follow, catching Dean dropping off a backpack at the door.

“I love you, too.” Violet meets my eyes again, lifts her trembling hand, and I snatch it before she can reach me, yanking her down. I stifle a grunt as she crashes into my chest. “Cain! You’re supposed to be taking it easy—” Grabbing her by the jaw, I tilt her up and eat the rest of her words in a kiss, and I’m rewarded with the most delicious little moan. She’s right, though. The effort I put into getting her here has my heart pounding and my lungs winded. So, I give her one last kiss, then wrap her in my arms and guide her head to my chest.

“I’ll rest better with you,” I say, as I lay my head back against the pillow and take a deep breath.

“Five minutes… Then I’m back to taking care of you. I want you to take a nap while I get your breakfast.” She taps her finger twice on my chest. I chuckle, then cough from the sandpaper in my throat.