Chapter 15 #2
He gently grabs my wrist and guides me over to the stream.
He pulls a piece of cloth from his pocket and dips it in the water before standing back up and using it to clean my face.
He gently wipes down every inch of my face and I watch his mesmerizing hazel eye as they concentrate hard on his task.
When he’s all done, he holds my face in his hands and searches for any leftover blood.
When he deems me clean, he gives me a small smile and says, “Much better.”
“Thanks Indy,” I say, feeling shy all of a sudden. The act of cleaning my face somehow felt really intimate, and I don’t know how to feel about that.
I glance down to see how dirty my clothes are and am happy to see only a little bit of blood. That’s what makes black the best wardrobe choice. I notice my pants are slightly open, so I start to do them back up when I hear Indy take a sharp breath.
“Sugar, why are your pants undone?” he asks slowly. I look up at his face and can literally see the anger taking over, as his eyebrows narrow, his cheeks turn red and his teeth clench tightly.
“I… he…”
Holding my shoulders carefully, he bends down, so he’s eye level with me. “What—did—he—do?” he all but growls out through clenched teeth.
“He… he was trying to take my pants off.”
He squeezes his eyes tight shut, and I see a tremor go through him as his fingers tighten on my shoulders.
Finally, he regains his composure as he stands and pulls me against him.
It takes me a second to realize he’s hugging me, so I slowly lift my arms and wrap them around his back, being careful not to let my sore palms touch him.
We stand there, silently embracing each other for a few minutes, until he finally pulls back to look down at my face.
“Sugar, why do I feel like you’re going to need an army of men to take care of you?”
“What do you mean?” I frown in confusion.
“I’ve only known you a few hours and you’ve almost died twice.”
“You think those men were going to kill me?”
He pulls me back in for another hug as he replies, “Maybe not. Maybe something worse. I’m just thankful for that masked man, whoever he was.”
“Me too,” I whisper as I press the side of my face into his strong chest. I have to admit, what just happened was a little too close to comfort for me.
I’m not sure what would have happened if that masked man hadn’t rescued us.
I’m just thankful he had, and hope that one day I will get a chance to thank him for saving not only me, but Indy as well.
Indy pulls back again, moving his hands to cup my face. I see his eyes search mine before they move down to my lips, making me lick them nervously.
“Sugar, I can’t stand to think what could have happened to you. The thought of you getting hurt… it pains me.” He pauses as his thumb gently strokes my cheek. “I don’t know what’s happening, I barely know you, but I feel so connected to you already. Do you feel it, too?”
I know what he was talking about, because I feel the same pull to him that I feel towards Ryker and Braxton.
Maybe I just feel that pull to everybody in this world, because my soul belongs here?
No, I didn’t feel that way about any of the men who attacked us, or any of the men at the mating hunt.
But with these three men, I felt it the moment I laid eyes on them.
What did that mean? I knew he was waiting for me to answer, so I decided to be honest.
“Indy, I feel the same way. When I saw those guys surrounding you, I was terrified that something was going to happen to you, and not just because I wouldn’t want you to get hurt, but like the actual thought of you being harmed brings me pain.”
He licks his lips as he runs the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip before whispering, “I need to kiss you, Sugar.”
As he dips his head to mine, I do the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do and turn my head to the side, making his lips connect with my cheek.
“I—I can’t Indy, I’m sorry.” When he pulls back, I see pain and understanding on his face.
He drops his hands as he tells me, “It’s okay, Penny, I understand, I’m too old for you.” I’m not sure what hurts more, the fact that he might think I’m too young for him or the fact that he’s calling me Penny and not Sugar.
I rush to reassure him. “God, no! Indy, that’s not it at all. In fact, I love that you’re older than me, it’s… hot. What are you, forty?”
He nods, replying quietly, “Thirty-nine.”
I lick my lips as I watch his face, to try to understand what he’s thinking. Maybe he thinks I’m too young for him?
“I’m twenty-six. I don’t think the age difference matters, do you?”
“No, Sugar, it doesn’t bother me, but I thought it might bother you. You could have an army of young men at your beck and call. Regardless, there is a reason you don’t want me.”
“Indy, it’s not that I don’t want you. If I’m being perfectly honest, I feel the same pull to you that I feel to Ryker and Braxton. The problem is that I already have two mates, and I won’t cheat on them. I would be devastated if they did that to me, and I can’t do that to them.”
I watch his face carefully, seeing the moment something seems to click in his head as his expression relaxes, as does his posture, and a small smile pulls at his lips. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I ask. Just like that, he was okay with it? Part of me is upset that he’s not willing to fight harder for me, as hard as that would make things.
He turns, grabbing my wrist gently and leading me back to Mabel. He places his hands on my waist as if he’s about to lift me up but pauses, staring into my eyes as he speaks. “Okay, I will wait until I meet your mates, and then I will ask them for permission to court you.”
“W—” Before I can respond, he lifts me up onto Mabel and swiftly jumps up behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist to secure me to his front.
He quickly turns us and we start trotting towards the village, neither of us commenting on the dead bodies littering the forest floor around us.