Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
T hose sumo wrestler guardian angels were at work again because it was an utter miracle that Riley managed to get Antony into his wheelchair, but by the time he was slumped into the seat, both of them were drenched, though for Riley, the rain was the least of her concerns.
Her knees were threatening to buckle, her heart was about to break out of her ribcage, and bile was rising in her throat. There was no way to tell if it was from adrenaline or fear.
Gasping for air, she put her hands on the arm of the chair and got right in Antony’s face. “If you ever… ever …do something like this again, I’ll..I’ll…” Her face pinched as she realized she couldn’t come up with a suitable threat.
Antony hated having her around. If she threatened to walk away, he’d probably do a little happy dance before throwing himself into the street once more. There was only one thing he seemed to be bothered by, and it was her very presence.
“I will haunt you for the rest of your life,” Riley said through gritted teeth. “I will never leave you alone. I will dog your footsteps worse than a piece of gum on the bottom of your shoe. You’ll look for me around every corner, and just when you think it’s safe…boom! I’ll come back. Like a freakin’ boomerang. And trust me, your future wife is gonna hate it.”
As far as threats went, she knew it left a little to be desired, but it was all she had. Riley wasn’t really the threatening type. More “the sun shining through the clouds” type. And the bit about his wife. Yeah…that hurt to say.
But even if she hadn’t made the conscious choice to put his health over her heart, the way Antony reacted every time he saw her was enough to tell Riley that she wouldn't have stood a chance anyhow.
She’d cry about that later. Right now, she had a jerk to level.
Antony turned and spit out more rain. “I appreciate your very scary threats. But if you don’t mind, I’d like to get out of this rain and maybe see how far back the damage has set me.”
Shaking her head, which was already shaking from the experience, she stomped around and grabbed the handles of the wheelchair. “How a perfectly intelligent, handsome soldier can turn into such a knucklehead is beyond me,” she muttered quietly enough that Antony couldn’t hear her venting anger. “You lost your leg, not your head.”
Griffin whined and jumped up to trot along them as Riley jogged back to the house, maneuvering Antony through the fence and then down the ramp, which proved easier than she’d expected. Apparently, having an accident stopped his desire to fight her at every step.
“Don’t move,” she snapped as they stepped inside the apartment, and she flicked on the lights. She left the chair and stormed in to find some towels.
“How can I?” Antony sneered. “You seem to be well aware that I lost my leg.”
Riley stilled, her heart breaking at the fact that he heard her complaining. Pinching her lips between her teeth, she debated what to do. She needed to apologize, yet she also needed to stop dripping on the floor.
Deciding she still needed a moment to calm her anger, she headed to the bathroom, grabbing a large stack of towels, and walked back out. Riley was silent as she mopped up the growing puddle on the floor, then gave a quick once over to the dog.
After unclipping his leash, she gave his ears a quick scratch. “Good boy, Griff,” she whispered, her voice slightly hoarse. He’d done exactly what she’d trained him to do and that was find help. The fact that Riley was coming to check on Antony and had been the help available was a blessing and a bit of a curse, since her temper had gotten the better of her. But still. Griffin had been wonderful.
The dog licked her cheek, then bounded off to his food bowl once done, leaving Riley the unpleasant task of dealing with the brooding man in front of her.
Antony huffed and grabbed the wheels of the chair. “I’ll need a couple towels for the bathroom.”
Riley stood. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Antony didn’t even hesitate. “To clean up.”
“You’re tracking water through the house.”
“I’m sure you’ll have it taken care of soon enough.”
Pain lanced her chest again, and Riley had to swallow a gasp. “I’m sorry.”
The chair slowed, but Antony didn’t turn around.
“I shouldn’t have said that about your leg.” Riley held her breath. She didn’t mean to. After all, her legs were shaky enough, but she found herself waiting, straining, for a hint of something other than anger from him.
How could she have such deep feelings for a person who hated her in return? Riley wasn’t a young teenage girl anymore. This wasn’t some kind of celebrity crush. It was a man who’d been cut off at the knees…literally…and yet she knew there was something inside of him that was still worth loving.
He was so good, so strong, so handsome, and yet he buried it all. She wanted to help him un bury it. To help the world see what he so desperately wanted to hide. And yet, the irony of it all meant that she’d become his most loathsome part of life. Especially right now .
“I’m sorry that I said that about your leg,” she choked out, forcing her lungs to move again. “It was wrong and said in the heat of the moment.” She took a step forward but stilled when water sloshed to the floor.
She pushed her hair out of her face. She more than likely looked like a drowned rat.
“I was worried and upset, and I didn’t truly mean what I said.”
Antony slowly spun, his thick brows pulled together. “I…” He looked away and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry too.”
Riley’s eyes widened, and she once more lost her breath. That was definitely not what she’d been expecting him to say. Apologize? Antony Harrison? The man who growled more than he spoke?
“I didn’t make the, uh, wisest choice today,” he admitted, his voice dropping off. “I should have waited until you came or at least until the weather cleared up before trying to do more training.” He lifted one arm, studying the big hole in his coat. “At least I was covered though, right? And I shouldn’t have made that quip about you cleaning up.” He sighed and pushed a hand through his dripping mop of hair. “You’ve stuck around more than anyone else, and I…appreciate it…even if I don’t always say the right thing. I’ve kind of forgotten how to treat my friends.”
The half barking laugh, half sob that broke through Riley’s lips was not something to be proud of, but the tiny bit of light that Antony was offering her was. She had been so sure that all her efforts were being wasted.
Instead of Antony getting better, she was falling more deeply in love, and he was as stubborn as ever.
But this? This gave her hope. Dangerous hope. He wouldn’t ever see her as something more than a kid sister, but at least he would heal. Hopefully.
“We should take that off,” Riley said to cover her emotions as she swallowed back her happy tears. She walked forward, knowing he was right when he said she would clean up the mess, even if the words had been harsh. But so had hers. They’d both spoken in anger and look where it had gotten them.
“Riley,” Antony said in a deadpan voice. “I know you’re like a little sister, but you’re not undressing me.”
Antony could have kicked himself for saying those words, but they needed to be said. He needed to reassure Riley that his feelings were absolutely sibling-like because this situation between them was growing a little too heated.
The heartbreak in her eyes when he’d made that quip about the floor was devastating. And the fact that she apologized first? Yeah, her comment had hurt, but it hadn’t been untrue.
What was he supposed to do, though? She was here, there, everywhere. She kept touching him, talking to him, smiling at him, bringing sunshine into his dark world, and yet he was expected to stay completely unmoved by it?
Just how strong did she think he was?
After a quick flushing of her cheeks, Riley rolled her eyes and laughed, though it sounded strained. “I’m not undressing you, soldier. I’m helping you.” She was close enough now to reach for the jacket. “Besides. It’s not like I’ve never seen a man’s chest before.”
The heat of jealousy flared so fast through his core that Antony almost shouted at the shock. Just who’s chest had she been looking at? And how could Antony find the guy so he could pummel him?
“It’s not like I’ve never seen your chest either,” she said, her voice shaking, along with her hands as she began to help remove the ruined coat. “Have you really forgotten all the times we spent together at the beach when we were kids?”
“I remember,” he said gruffly, letting her move him around. He remembered the scrawny blonde who laughed and ran through the water, splashing Aspen and diving beneath the waves. There was no way she’d paid any attention to his chest…had she? What was the tr uth here, and what was sisterly concern? Antony’s head was getting jumbled from all the whiplash.
Maybe he had hit it on the road, after all.
Truth was, it hurt to move. He was a little afraid there was more damage than just bruises, but he also was afraid of letting Riley know that. Knowing her propensity for helping, she’d have him stripped to his skivvies just so she could check every inch of his skin.
Wait…
“Oh my word,” Riley breathed. “Your shirt…and skin.” She fingered the t-shirt he’d been wearing, which was also soaked. “Antony. You’ve got a bunch of road rash on your back.”
“Guess that explains the stinging,” he grumbled, twisting slightly as if he could see his back.
“Come on.” Riley stood. “Into the bathroom. We’ll need to take off your shirt.”
Antony tried to work up a growl, but his grumpiness had abandoned him in the current circumstance. He shouldn’t be enjoying this, at all. Riley made it clear they were friends, but the idea of her helping patch up his back and touching his skin? Yeah, that crash might’ve been a blessing in disguise.
At least he thought so until he pulled off his shirt, and Riley gasped.
“Oh, Antony,” she breathed.
When her cool, wet fingers landed on his ruined skin, Antony jolted and practically jumped out of the chair. He’d forgotten how much scarring there was down his side. Scarring that no one but his mother and medical professionals had seen.
She’d been nice about the scars on his neck and face and even his hand, but…
Antony jerked away from her touch and began to climb out of his chair. “I’ll take care of it,” he said gruffly, not bothering to temper his tone. Just when he thought— He shook his head. It didn’t matter. He’d never get away from this accident. He lost his leg, but he also lost any hope of a woman seeing him as more than an invalid .
Which was fine. It wasn’t like he needed anyone anyway.
“No,” Riley protested, grabbing his waist as he rose. “Please.”
It was the “please” that stopped him. His heart was beating so hard he was sure that Riley could hear it, especially since her hands hadn’t moved from his body. His breathing was shallow and fast, and he couldn’t quite wrap his head around her plea.
“Please don’t run off,” she whispered hoarsely. “Not like this.”
His arms were screaming with a fierce burn as he slowly lowered himself back into the chair and subsequently the puddle of rainwater. “What do you mean?” he croaked, not daring to look over his shoulder.
Riley’s steps were hesitant as she walked around and crouched in front of Antony, her hand resting on his knee. “Antony, I’ve already told you.” Her smile was wide and bright, but her eyes were filled with tears. “You’re beautiful. You’re strong and amazing.” She shook her head, knocking a few of the tears loose. “I was just caught off guard. I…” She stopped and swallowed, her eyes drifting to his abdomen and her face flushing red before she looked back up at him. “I knew you’d been through a lot of pain,” she whispered. “But seeing the scars made me realize I didn’t know the full extent. I’m so sorry.” She swallowed again, both hands on his knees now.
He almost jerked his missing leg away, but her grip was firm and solid and he couldn’t quite bring himself to draw attention to it.
“I’m so sorry for what you went through. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to heal from something this big.” Her bottom lip began to tremble. “You are truly the strongest person I know.” A short laugh broke through. “And I knew your dad, so…” She shrugged, still smiling through her tears.
“I’m literally half the man my dad was,” Antony snapped automatically.
“Oh, Tony.” Riley’s hands tightened on his knees for a split second as her smile fell, then she stood up. “Come on, handsome. Let’s get you dried up. Then we’ll go to my house for a good meal.”
“I’ve got food here,” he argued, but it was half-hearted. The devil take him, but Antony found himself soaking in Riley’s goodness like a starving man eating a hamburger. He simply couldn’t get enough, even though he knew it would come back to kick him in the butt at some point.
“I’m not eating ramen,” Riley said with a laugh. “I outgrew that stuff ages ago.” Stepping around to his side, she reached her arms around his back, and Antony found himself instantly flooded with sensation.
His skin might be extra sensitive from his injuries, but even that couldn’t explain just how much he enjoyed her touch. Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, he tried to chant the word “sister” over and over again in his head, but it refused to stick.
“If you didn’t look so good with muscles,” Riley wheezed as she strained to help him stand, “I'd tease you about losing weight.”
Antony ground his teeth even harder. If she didn’t stop telling him that he was good looking, he was going to do something they’d both regret.
Okay…
She’d probably regret it, because the thought of kissing Riley was doing things to those stupid elephants in his stomach, and the farthest emotion from him was anything even close to resembling regret.