Page 33 of A Dark Fall
Oh, bloody hell.
I cover my mouth instantly. “Oh my god, Jake, that was a complete accident. I didn’t mean to hit you. Let me see,” I say, moving toward him.
He touches his hand to the blood and inspects it. Then he gives me a look that might be shock or awe and tilts his head back.
“No—forward, here, like this,” I instruct, and he puts his hands out to stop the blood from dripping on my white rug.
As I reach up, I see the chunky antique turquoise ring that is now officially a weapon. I yank it off and throw it onto the chair as though the ring is the villain of this piece, not me.
“Here, sit down. I’ll get some ice ...” I lead him to the sofa and leave him there to go through to the kitchen, shaking my head as I do.
What on earth was that? I don’t act like that. I wonder vaguely when my period’s due. He has such a flammable effect on me, as though around him, every single nerve in my body is a live wire, and one tiny spark from him will set it off.
I burst his bloody nose. Oh, dear god.
When I get back to the living room, I find him sitting back on the sofa, holding his nose with his head tilted back even though I told him not to. Though, since I bursthisnose, I don’t feel like scolding him for it. As I come to kneel beside him on the couch, he glances at me sideways and flinches.
“You didn’t come back with a baseball bat, did you?” he jokes.
My cheeks flame as I shake my head and kneel up to gently wipe away the blood around his mouth and nose. “I’m so sorry.” I grimace. Oh, his perfect, innocent nose. Bloodied and sore because of me.
He shrugs. “I probably deserved it, to be honest.”
I shake my head firmly. “No, you didn’t. No one deserves to be smacked across the face. It was a complete accident. I don’t know what came over me ...”
“Well, unfortunately, not me,” he says, staring at me.
I look back at him confused, and he’s smirking playfully now. Oh ... I get it now. I blush slightly and bite back a smile. Well, at least he still has a sense of humor.
“I really am sorry,” I say guiltily.
“I’m sorry too. I was wrong to say that to you.” He looks guilty as well. “I did it for a reaction, I suppose. Got one.”
I look at him for a long moment. He wanted a reaction from me? That’s hilarious. So, my attempt at mounting him against my living room wall wasn’t reaction enough?
“You got one all right,” I whisper.
He looks at me seriously now. His voice when he speaks is low and soft. “You know, if you hadn’t canceled on me, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Oh, is that right?” I say, raising an eyebrow. “How do you know?”
He smiles adorably, and I go back to wiping and dabbing. Erasing the evidence.
“You’re making this fucking difficult for me, you know?”
“I know ...”
He sighs, the weight of his stare heavy on my face. “I meant the part about you being fucking gorgeous when you’re angry, by the way. Pissing you off has its upsides.”
I should look away from his eyes, where it’s safer. I finish wet-wiping around his face and mouth, and then I bring the freezer bag with ice to his nose, settling it gently on his cheek. He winces as it touches his skin, and I wonder how long the ice will take to melt since his body is so hot. Then I laugh inwardly at my double meaning.
“So ... do you need to monitor me through the night?” he asks.
“We’ll keep it here until you can’t feel your face anymore, or until it melts. Whichever’s first,” I say, and he nods, turning his face forward.
I take a long look at his profile as he shifts to get comfortable, spreading his legs and slouching down lower so his head is resting on the back of the couch. My eyes take this as an invitation to glance down at his body, my heart speeding at the faint outline of the bump in his trousers. The image of him relaxing in my house makes me feel strangely content. Seeing him sitting comfortably on my sofa, seeing him stroke my cat. Bizarrely, I also enjoy tending to his burst nose.
I glance away from his crotch and back up to his face, where it’s safer. Though, as soon as my eyes land on that perfect face, I remember there are no safe places to look at.