Chapter 11 Alina
Chapter eleven
Alina
“The water flowed through the valley, smoothly and gracefully, as she walked across the wildflower fields in search of a path to take home. One that would lead her away from the frightening woods that lay behind her. Away from the monsters that call these woods home, according to the many stories she was told as a little girl. But curiosity always got the better of her. And as the sun began to set, she realized she had ventured too far from the safety of her village and had become too close to the horrors that waited in the dark. Spotting a clearing, relief filled her, but only temporarily, because at that exact moment, she felt it. Or more, she felt him. Her breath came out in quick pants as she tightened her cloak around herself, her eyes darting between the trees—”
Creak.
A yelp escapes me as I drop my book onto my lap and slap my hand against my chest, feeling my heart race beneath my touch. My eyes quickly shift to where the noise came from, finding Mauro standing in the entryway.
“Mauro.” Relief fills me as I set my book on the coffee table and stand.
“I thought you wouldn’t be back until later.
” Dark red droplets crawl down his arm. He’s bleeding.
“What happened?” I don’t give him a chance to explain as I rush over to him and inspect the bandage wrapped around his bicep, covered in blood.
“What happened?” I breathe again, my heart beating too fast while my eyes remain glued to his injury. “Who did this to you?”
He grips my chin, gaining my attention. I’m okay.
“No, you’re not. Someone obviously stabbed you.” I shake my head, examining the damage as I try to think clearly. This is so much blood. Too much blood. He could have died…
“Stop!”
My eyes find his…
His knees drop to the grass…
My arms slip around him…
His heart beats as fast as mine…
I clear my throat, fighting the tremble that wants to take over my body as I focus on his injury. “I need to clean this.”
His brows furrow, and he shakes his head, but I don’t take no for an answer. Grabbing his hand, I lead him to the kitchen, stopping beside the sink. Standing so close to his bare sculpted torso sends a wave of heat to my core, but I quickly shake off the feeling. This isn’t the time.
I carefully begin to unwrap the wound. Assessing it up close, I notice that for the most part, the bleeding has stopped, so applying pressure at this point would be useless.
“Can you lean over the sink?” He does so without a fuss, watching as I maneuver the spray nozzle so the water runs over the length of his arm, flushing out any dirt or debris.
I squirt a dollop of soap into my hand and rub it around the area, making sure not to get it too close to the actual cut.
After I’m satisfied, I grab the kitchen towel and pat the area dry.
“You should probably get this stitched up by Dr. Rose. I don’t think a bandage will be enough. ”
He nods and takes a step toward a cabinet as I wash my hands. Reaching inside, he retrieves a suture kit and tosses it to me. I catch it against my chest, and the moment I realize why he just gave this to me, my eyes widen. “You can’t be serious.”
I am.
I shake my head. “No way. I’ve never stitched someone up before.”
There’s a first for everything.
My lips part. “But…what if I mess up?”
He shrugs.
I swallow hard. “You won’t be mad if I do this wrong?”
He reaches out, gripping my chin. “Trust,” he says, sending all of my worries and doubts to the back of my mind.
He trusts me with this.
I curl in my bottom lip and nod. “Okay. I can try.” I look around him. “But I need you to sit so I have a better angle.”
He steps away and walks toward the chair closest to the fire, the one I was just sitting in.
I stand before him with a slight shake in my fingers, but take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing mind.
“I can do this,” I say softly. Opening the kit, I retrieve the needle and thread, then place the thread in the needle’s loop.
I stare down at his wound, having no idea how to begin this.
“So, I’m just supposed to stab this through your skin and start sewing like I’m working on the hem of my pants? ”
One side of his lips lifts in amusement as he nods.
“You have a lot of faith in someone who barely passed home economics.” Taking one last steady breath, I say, “Here goes nothing.” I stab the tip of the needle through his skin, trying not to think about how weird this feels as I quickly work my way to the end of the wound, one suture at a time.
Mauro’s hand grips my hip, his fingers curling into me as his head rests against the back of the chair, closing his eyes.
“I’m almost done,” I tell him as I stitch across one final row and then gently tighten it before tying a knot.
A breath of relief leaves me as I look down at my work. Not too bad for my first time.
I grab the kit and pull out the antibiotic ointment, putting a dime-sized amount on the tip of my finger. Carefully, I glide it over the area. He stiffens the slightest bit.
“Does it hurt?”
He shakes his head.
“You don’t have to put on a brave face for me.
” I let the pads of my fingers skim across his flesh, taking my time as I trace his muscular arm.
I’m lost in thought when I feel his heated gaze on me.
Glancing up, his eyes meet mine, locking me into place.
“I need to wrap a bandage around it,” I say softly.
Neither of us moves.
The only sound I hear is my beating heart.
The one telling me not to feel anything for this man, as it will only end in heartbreak.
The one reminding me that this is all an illusion.
One that will be ending sooner rather than later.
Internally shaking my head, I reach for the gauze and gently wrap it around his arm. When I finish, I take a breath and step back.
Mauro’s fingers find my hand, and he holds it between us, concern etched across his chiseled face as he watches a tremor wash over me.
“I’m okay. Just the adrenaline wearing off.”
He doesn’t look convinced, but instead of pushing me, he drops my hand and reaches for the book on the table. The current romance I was getting swept away in before he arrived.
He arches a brow as he holds it out between us as if asking what this is.
“That’s one of my favorites,” I tell him, a smile gracing my lips.
“It was my mother’s copy. My father told me she left it for me.
” I take it from him, opening to the page where I left my bookmark.
I remove it, holding it between us. “Along with a list of all of her favorites.” I gaze at the folded piece of paper with the Lire C’est La Vie emblem at the top, a small bookshop in Paris.
“It’s always been one of my dreams to read them all.
I know it probably sounds silly, but each time I read one, I feel like my mom is with me.
” I lift a shoulder. “My only problem is, I can’t seem to find a copy of her number one favorite, One Night Between Us, since it’s out of print.
” I’ve hunted high and low, near and far.
In every library and bookshop I’ve seen.
There have even been a few people who’ve gone so far as to laugh in my face when I told them what I was searching for, not knowing it was now considered a rare book collector’s treasure. “Maybe someday.”
He regards me with an intensity in his eyes, causing me to hug the book to my chest carefully. “I was rambling. Sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“Read.” The word floats between us, the sound of his voice, sending a pleasant shiver over me.
“You want me to read to you?”
He nods.
I find the place where I last stopped. The place where I’m sure the woman was about to meet the monster that haunts the woods. “I don’t think you’ll particularly like this one. There’s a lot of romance in it. It’s a darker retelling of Beauty and the Beast.”
He shrugs, indicating it makes no difference to him.
“You’ve been warned.” I step away to take a seat on the couch, but his fingers encircle my wrist, stopping me. Looking at me, he leans back and then glances down at his lap.
I swallow hard, feeling a flush cover my cheeks, but I don’t hesitate as I make myself comfortable on his thighs, his left arm coming up around my shoulders. Placing my head against his bare chest, I realize how perfectly we fit together.
Like two puzzle pieces carved from the same piece of wood.
Mauro snags the blanket that hangs over the back and places it across the two of us.
Taking a breath, I open the book and begin to read.
“Her breath came out in quick pants as she tightened her cloak around herself, her eyes darting between the trees. Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared at the edge of the woods, her heart beating wildly in fear of the monster before her. But the monster was not a beast with claws and fangs like she had been told by so many. But a man. One who appeared transfixed by her, keeping a distance. As if under an enchantment, she took a step toward him, only for him to take off into the woods, disappearing into the darkness. And she wondered then if she really had seen him or if it was all a dream.”
Peeking up, I find Mauro’s eyes closed and his face appearing more relaxed than I’ve ever seen before.
I never dreamed I’d be here, in his lap, spending my night reading to him. It seemed too good to be true that even I didn’t allow myself the fantasy of this moment.
But here I am.
Living a life I’ve only ever read about.
I only wish it wasn’t going to end.
I snuggle against him a little closer, melting into his strength, and continue to read until I’m no longer able to keep my eyes open.