Page 161

"Then you'll have to do all the work."

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

I push him back against the pillows on the bed.

“You are not to move. I do not want you in pain. It will take all the fun out of it for me. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He chuckles.

“Now you sound like Cass.”

“Sorry. Yes, boss. Is that better?”

“Much,” I say as I kiss him gently on the mouth.

The pillows are piled up wrong, and I know it the second he tries to shift his weight.

He lets out a hiss through his teeth.

"Stop squirming," I said, crossing my arms.

"I'm not squirming. I'm adjusting."

"You're squirming. And you're making it worse."

I start rearranging the pillows behind him. My short black hair is still slightly damp from my shower I took right after I treated him.

I smell like his soap, and something about that makes my chest tighten.

"Better?" I asked, assessing the pillows.

"Almost," he says. "You could come back closer now."

"You really need to rest," I whisper.

"I am resting. I'm lying in bed, surrounded by pillows, being bossed around by a woman half my size. This is the most rested I've ever been."

"You're ridiculous."

"And yet here you are."

I sit on the edge of the bed, close enough that my knee presses against his hip. I can feel his heat across his body.

"Does it hurt here?" I ask when I see a bruise on his ribs.

"Only when I breathe."

"So always."

"Pretty much."

I lean down and kiss him again. I take my time, kissing him like we have all night, which I supposed we do.

He tries to pull me against him and wrap his arms around me, but he flinches in pain. It probably hurts in his ribs and his arm, too.

"I said don't move," I murmur against his mouth.

"I wasn't…"