Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
LYLA
I slammed my hands on my hips and glared at Adam.
He was the worst patient. A mix of stubborn and demanding.
If he wasn’t telling me he didn’t need my help, he was telling me how to help him.
I couldn’t help but wonder if Violet was having similar issues with Seth who was also out of work recovering.
On top of being homebound and healing, he was still frustrated because they never found the arsonist—only the place in the woods where he’d been hiding out.
They weren’t able to pull prints off anything, but they did find a rusty old fire department button.
Similar to ones we would give out at carnivals and fairs.
It was for the station that the kids' godfather worked out of.
So even though it felt like a substantial piece of evidence, without DNA, it felt like we were all back to square one yet again.
It wasn’t actually a total loss, though. Some of the puzzle pieces had started to fall together, and it all made sense. He hadn’t been spotted getting to and from the houses because they all backed up to the large area of forest that weaved through and behind our town.
I pulled a calming breath into my lungs and softened my glare. “That was not what the doctor said.”
He shrugged. “Pretty much. He said I can continue all normal activity as long as I feel up to it.” His lips lifted into that sexy smirk of his. “And trust me, I definitely feel up to it.”
I rolled my eyes. He was heading back to work later this week, and honestly, I was looking forward to it.
The graze wasn’t too bad, but the wound needed to fully close and be mostly healed before he could go back on shift.
More than a week off, and with restrictions, had him going stir crazy. In more ways than one.
He took a step toward me, and I took one back, shaking my head. “You literally just got the stitches removed.” I took another step back and hit the wall behind me.
He caged me in with his hands on either side of my head.
“Lyla, my love.” He cupped my face, brushing his thumb along my lower lip.
Heat pooled low in my belly, and between his words and his touch, I didn’t stand a chance.
“I promise I’ll take it easy. In fact, if it makes you happy, I’ll let you do all the work.
But I cannot wait another minute to be inside you. I need to feel you.”
Before I could protest again, his mouth descended on mine. I melted into the kiss, my body coming alive, craving everything he was offering. I moaned into his mouth while his tongue explored every inch.
He trailed his mouth along my jaw and nipped at the shell of my ear. “You want that too, don’t you?”
I tried to squeeze my legs together to relieve the throbbing at the apex of my thighs, but his knee wedged between them, stopping me.
“You’re already soaked for me, aren’t you?” He ran his hand up my leg and under my sweater dress, brushing his fingers over the fabric of my lacy thong. “You were hoping I would be cleared and find out what you were wearing under this dress.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. One I couldn’t totally argue with.
But the doctor said he still wanted him to take it easy for the next day, and I didn’t think that meant plowing into me until I saw stars.
The way his fingers dipped under the fabric, teasing and exploring, I was a writhing mess in seconds, completely forgetting about his injury and the doctor’s orders.
“Tell me, love.” He sucked on the sensitive skin of my neck, and I all but lost it. “Tell me you’re as desperate as I am.”
“I am. So desperate.”
He pulled back, looking down at me, and removed his hand. His pupils blew out as he brought his fingers to his mouth, sucking my wetness off them and moaning like a starving man who’d just had his first bite of food.
I sighed. “I just don’t want to hurt you.”
He cupped my face with both of his hands and his gaze bore into me. “Nothing you will ever do could hurt me.” He pressed his lips to my forehead. “Being with you will always bring me happiness, never pain.”
I smiled, thinking how grumpy he’d been with me just a few days earlier when I demanded he sit down and let me take care of him. Even then, he had a very different, and probably better—or at least more fun—idea of what that entailed.
He searched my face. “Do you trust me?”
“With my whole heart,” I whispered, running my hands up his chest and latching them behind his neck.
A smile lit up his face, like that was all he needed to know. He stepped back and grabbed my hand, pulling me down the hallway to our bedroom.
Concern and my own stubbornness gave way to anticipation, and love and utter happiness swelled in my chest. I couldn’t wait to spend forever with the insanely stubborn man who never failed to make me feel absolutely cherished and adored.