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Marcus’s eyes widened when he heard my voice. He swung his gaze towards me and a new kind of fear crossed his face, likely at the memory of his balls being crushed and yelled, “Keep that fucking bitch away from me!”
Rory’s fist flashed out and caught Marcus on the jaw. “You don’t get to speak to her like that,” he muttered with deathly calm.
When he came to stand beside me, I looked up to see a mix of anger and sorrow in his steel-blue eyes. His jaw was set, and his brow was furrowed in determination. “I’m sorry he called you that. I’ll make it right,” he murmured, just loud enough for me to hear.
He turned to look at Max and Chris. “Take out the trash and dump him at the waterfront when you’re done,” Rory ordered, his voice low and commanding. To me, he said, “Come on, we’re done here. Let’s get you to your bed.”
Without another word, he picked me up and carried me up the stairs. By the time we got to the first floor, he set me down on my feet. “Kat, I’m sorry. I don’t want to drop you. Do you think you can walk upstairs?”
I nodded, and he wrapped his arm around my waist. My leg throbbed with each step, and I had to stop to rest twice, but once we were in the hallway upstairs, I couldn’t wait to flop onto my bed.
“Easy now,” Rory murmured, his arm tightening around my waist as I stumbled. “Almost there.”
We reached my room, and he helped me inside, easing me down onto the bed. I winced as my injured leg protested the movement.
“Let me take a look at that.” He stooped over and grinned. “I promise not to be a perv.”
For a minute I was confused. Until I felt his hands working the button of my jeans and then the zipper. True to his word, there was nothing pervy as he pulled them down over my hips. I could hear the rip of Velcro as he gently pulled on the tensor bandage and unwrapped it from my thigh. I felt like a rag doll as he rolled me onto my side. I could feel the heat of his gaze on the back of my leg, and even then, everything was good, until he touched it.
“Still a little bruising right here,” hemurmured, softly as he gently brushed the back of his knuckles against my skin. Little sparks of electricity coursed through my veins at such an intimate touch.
“It’s fine,” I insisted, trying to ignore the way my heart raced at his nearness. I sat up and pulled the blanket as I did, covering my half naked body. “Just a bit sore.”
“It’s hot.” He stood and looked at me, one eyebrow raised skeptically. “I don’t believe that it’s just a bit sore. Stay put, I’ll grab some ice and painkillers.”
Before I could protest, he was gone. I flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. What a mess this had all become. I’d come here looking for answers about my family, and what I found was a man that rubbed me the wrong way. And I was starting to fall for him.
He returned moments later, ice pack and pill bottle in hand. “Here,” he said, handing me two small white pills and a glass of water. “These should help with the pain.”
I swallowed the pills gratefully, then hissed as he pressed the ice pack to my swollen leg. “Jesus, that’s cold!”
“That’s kind of the point, darlin’,” Rory chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. For a moment, I allowed myself to really look at him.The strong line of his jaw, the way his dark hair fell across his forehead, those steel-blue eyes that seemed to see right through me...
“Like what you see?” he teased, catching me staring.
I felt heat rush to my cheeks. “You wish,” I murmured, pulling my jeans up as I moved to get off the bed so I could walk him to the door. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I need some sleep.”
He put his hand on my shoulder, “Stay there, I’ll see myself out.”
He started to turn away but then stopped. “Kat, wait.”
I looked at him, my heart suddenly racing. The intensity in his gaze made my breath catch in my throat.
“About earlier, at the warehouse...” he began, his voice low and husky. “I meant what I said. I shouldn’t have done that. It was... wrong.”
I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the disappointment that bloomed in my chest. “Right. Of course. No worries, it was just the heat of the moment. I get it.”
Rory was quiet for a long moment, his hand stilling on my leg. When I finally worked up the courage to look at him again, his eyes were intense,searching mine.
“And if I said it did mean something? Because just so you know, I want to do it again,” he murmured softly.
I swallowed hard; my mouth suddenly dry. “Rory, I...”
A sharp knock at the door interrupted what I was about to say. We both jumped, startled by the sudden intrusion.
“Kat? Rory? Are you in there?” It was Connor’s voice, urgent and slightly panicked.
Rory sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, we’re here. What’s up?”
