15. Silas
15
SILAS
I watch Declan move around the kitchen, cleaning up the glass that Emelia shattered. My heart squeezes painfully in my chest as she curls around my arm, gripping my hand between hers. I relax into her warmth and slide my nose across her soft hair. She smells like flowers and gunpowder. My perfect aphrodisiac.
I can’t even express how grateful I am to be able to hold her small frame against me again. With a sigh, I shift so that I can stand. “Holy shit,” I grit out through clenched teeth as I push myself up. My legs shake and my muscles scream like they’re being torched alive.
“What are you doing?” Hector asks, and immediately pushes off the wall he’d been leaning against. His hands grip my forearms, just below the elbows, and steadies me.
My leg chooses that exact moment to give out and I slump forward into his very muscled chest. “I need to go lay down.” I cut my eyes over to Hayden and give him a soft wink. “I’m practically dead on my feet.”
There’s a collective groan at my horrible pun, but Emelia giggles behind me. That makes everything I’ve ever done in life worth it. I would take every ounce of this pain and every bullet on earth just to hear that woman laugh at my terrible jokes.
“I’ll help you,” Hayden tells Hector, and heads down the hallway to turn the lights on.
I reach out my hand to Emelia, and she takes it without hesitation. She stands and gives me a gentle hug. Her lips brush mine and my stomach flips like I’ve just gone down the biggest drop on the fastest rollercoaster known to man. I lean forward when she pulls away, instantly wanting her soft skin back against me. “Goodnight, Si,” she whispers as Hector and Hayden walk me toward my bedroom.
“I can get it from here,” Hayden grunts out as they lower me onto the edge of the bed.
Hector shuffles his feet and shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “It’d be easier with two,” he argues quietly, looking anywhere but at us.
I arch my brow at Hayden, who smirks knowingly but doesn’t say anything. “Are you two really going to help me into the shower and then into my bed?” I ask when neither of them moves.
Hayden bows elegantly. “At your service, your royal highness.”
What an absolute asshole.
I roll my eyes and look over at Hector, who is still standing awkwardly in the doorway. “I don’t mind,” he finally says.
Hayden moves into the bathroom and a few moments later I hear the water beating against the tiles. My muscles tingle at the thought of getting under that hot spray. “Go ahead and bring him in. I can help get him into the water.” Hayden’s voice cuts through the sound of the rushing water.
“Do you, uh, need help?” Hector asks, and motions at my clothes.
If I had more energy and didn’t feel like I’d been thrown out of a burning plane, I’d definitely fuck with him. Instead, I shake my head and pull my shirt over my head. I groan loudly as pain flares to life everywhere. My eyes squeeze shut because I don’t want to be tempted to look at the mangled mess of my body.
Hector clears his throat, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. I don’t want to see the horror and pity in his eyes. I can’t bear it. My stomach drops and I feel an unwelcome wave of nausea hit me. My body tenses when I feel hands gripping the legs of my pants on either side of my thighs. “Easy does it,” he says softly and gently pulls the fabric down my abused skin.
I exhale shakily as the garment leaves my body and open my eyes to find Hector crouching in front of him. The sight would be enough to send me to my knees and have my blood rushing south, if I had enough healthy blood to do anything but keep me alive at this point. My teeth sink into my lower lip as Hector blinks up at me. I watch the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes deeply, his eyes never leaving mine.
Fuck.
I grip my blanket with both fists and will myself not to get an erection with him basically kneeling in front of me, but that’s a losing battle. My cock throbs weakly against my thigh. A pitiful excuse for arousal, if you ask me. But then again, I did just almost die.
His eyes drop to my groin briefly and I can see color seeping into his face. Interesting. “Come on,” he says and stands, holding out both his hands to me. I take them, thankful that some of the awkward tension has evaporated. He walks me into the bathroom, where Hayden is already waiting. In nothing but his boxers.
Fucking fuck.
So much for me not wasting all my blood on a hard-on.
Hayden gently pulls down my last article of clothing and I hold my breath. I close my eyes in mortification as my dick pulses. It’s not as hard as it can be by any means, the pain coursing through my body makes sure of that.
“Don’t worry about it,” he whispers, and helps me step into the hot spray of water.
I groan loudly as the heat works into my muscles, slowly relaxing them one fiber at a time. The water burns my raw skin, but I can’t bring myself to move away. I want it to wash away everything that has happened to me in the last few months.
Hector clears his throat again, drawing my attention to him. I watch as he shifts his feet uncomfortably, his eyes linger on the water dripping down my legs. He takes a step back, stumbling over his feet. And the awkwardness is back. His eyes move from my naked body to Hayden’s tattooed chest. “I’ll let you two finish up here,” he mutters and disappears, closing the door behind him.
“You did that on purpose,” I whisper with a hoarse chuckle as I wash myself with the soap he hands me.
Hayden shrugs his shoulders with a smirk. “I wanted to see if he’d do what I thought he would.”
“And did he?” I ask, and turn off the water. I would stay in the heat forever, but the moisture is starting to make my skin crawl. “He just looked really uncomfortable.”
“He did,” Hayden confirms as he runs a towel gently across my skin.
I close my eyes as the coarse fibers of the towel drag across my burn scars. The nausea rolls my stomach as Hayden helps me into a clean pair of pants. My dick seems to have forgotten that it was looking for a party, to my relief. I let Hayden slowly lower me into the bed and only wince twice as I shift positions and roll to my side. Everything hurts and my eyelids are now heavier than lead balloons. I yawn and relax into my pillow as Hayden pulls the blanket over me. “You should tell Hector you’re sorry,” I say quietly, already half asleep.
He chuckles darkly and if my eyes were open I know I’d see a mischievous glint reflected in his dark gaze. “I don’t think I need to.”
“Why’s that?”
“You didn’t see how he had to adjust himself before he backed out of the room.” My body shudders at his tone and I inhale sharply. “And the look in his eyes,” he continues quietly, “reminded me of what you looked like that first time you saw my dick.” My teeth sink into my lower lip as I remember that day with a small smile. Hector only had eyes for Emelia, we all know this. But…does he want something more? My insides twist at the thought of exploring our curiosities together.
The mattress dips under his weight as Hayden settles in beside me. I fight the urge to turn and burrow into the warmth radiating from his body. “What are you doing?” I ask sleepily, and turn my face toward him.
“If you think I’m not going to hold you the entire night to convince myself that you’re alive and you’re real, you’re fucking stupid.” His arm snakes around my waist, pulling me until my back is snuggly against his front. “Congratulations, you get to be the little spoon,” he whispers, and his warm breath tickles my skin.
I’m too tired and still in too much pain to physically react to him now, so I just let the steady beat of his heart against my back relax me.
I sink into this blissful half-awake and half-asleep state of mind and let myself drift. I’m so thankful to be alive and to be here with the people I care about the most. A soft smile teases my lips as I feel Hayden nuzzle against the back of my head, snoring softly. My body might be broken and healing, but my heart has never felt more whole.