Page 212 of Crucible
Khalil is the one to answer after finishing off his first. “What the fuck?” Are you trying to piss her off more?”
“What? What did I do?”
“This tastesamazing, Seth.”
“Okay, so? Isn’t that a good thing?”
“You just hurt Aurelia’s feelings and then showed her up.”
“Oh. I wasn’t trying to make it good. I just followed the directions!”
Khalil’s eyes blow wide. “Definitelydon’t tell her that.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
“Man, I’m telling you,” he warns with a shake of his head before going back to devouring the food.
I put a couple of fajitas on a plate for Aurelia and carry them to Thorin’s bedroom where the door is still closed and probably locked. I’m holding my breath when I knock lightly. I don’t breathe until I hear her quiet voice.
“Go away, Seth. I’m not hungry.”
I want to ask how she knew it was me, but I don’t. Instead, I stand back, lift my leg, and kick the fucking door in. It flies open, slams against the wall, and bounces off as I walk inside to Aurelia sitting up, her stunned gaze staring back at me.
“Are you serious right now?”
I don’t realize I’ve been followed until I hear Thorin grumble, “My thoughts exactly.” He’s standing on the threshold, inspecting his door. “For future record,I have a key.”
“You burned a lot of energy today,” I tell Aurelia while ignoring Thor. “You need to refuel.” I set the plate on the nightstand, but Aurelia doesn’t acknowledge it as she glares up at me.
“I’m a grown woman, Seth. I can decide when I eat, thank you.”
“Fuck that. If you’re not going to take care of yourself, I’ll damn well do it for you.”
“Oh, goody!” She smiles and claps her hands together before resting them on her cheek. “Now all of my problems are solved!”
My gaze narrows when I feel my patience drain. “All right. What the hell is your deal? You’ve been kind of a bitch all day.” I reach out and grab her chin in a possessive grip, yanking it toward me when she looks away. “Where did my Sunshine go? Hmm?”
Her pretty lips curl. “I’ve always been a bitch, Seth. You’re just now noticing?”
“You’ve never been mean without cause. What’s the matter, baby?”
Aurelia looks tormented, and then her gaze softens after a while, becoming less sharp and more vulnerable, even as her pout remains. “My stomach hurts.” She releases a whimper like she’s been holding it in and hiding the pain all day. “It’s been cramping all day.”
“Okay…” I nod my understanding. “Is that all?”
She shrugs. “I guess.”
I sit down next to her and rub my palms together to warm them up before slipping my hand under her shirt to rub her belly. I have no idea if it’s actually helping, but when Aurelia’s lashes flutter closed, I think that it might be. “How’s that?”
“Better,” she whispers back, resting her head on my shoulder.
Khalil appears and stands over us with two pills in one hand and a tin cup full of water in the other. When Aurelia lifts her head and tries to take them, he shakes his head. “Open.”
Dutifully, her lips part, and she sticks out her tongue. I sigh when my dick twitches in my sweats at the sight because I don’t think I’ll be getting any tonight.
Khalil places the aspirin on her tongue and then holds the cup to her lips for her to drink. If she’s cranky about being handled so delicately, she knows better than to complain. Therewill always be times when we’re rough with our girl, but we will nevereverbe careless.
When she drains the cup, Khalil sets it on the nightstand next to her dinner and takes a seat on her other side to join me in rubbing her stomach. Aurelia sighs and lays her head on Khalil’s shoulder this time, but I don’t mind. Thorin returns to the room, bearing a small mug with steam curling from the rim. When he offers this olive branch to Aurelia, I see that it’s tea. “I put a little honey inside. I didn’t know how you took it.”
