Chapter Nine
Liam had never cursed so muchin his life, and from the pain radiating from his knee, he wasn’t close to stopping. He thought for a moment about clenching his teeth and trying to keep the string of curses in for the little nun’s benefit, but the relief he felt wasn’t worth the trouble.
Instead of dashing out in the open in the back alley, Cary pulled them into the next building and locked the door behind him. Running through one building after the other, almost taking a straight line through various stores, they surprised quite a few owners and shoppers on their way.
They stopped when they reached a lively boulevard where they could hail a cab. Catriona wanted Cary to follow them, but the boy shook his head and took off without a word, disappearing through pedestrians unaware of the situation. Liam would have preferred to have Cary nearby to get an explanation. Still, he no longer had the ability or the time to run after him, and Catriona’s safety was paramount.
On their way to the apartment, he’d alerted his brothers, telling them that a definite threat was after them all, and to be on their guard. Security had been elevated to the maximum following the incident with Kai and Isabel, but they still couldn’t pinpoint where it came from.
Aleksei texted back that he was secure with Deva at the hospital and would return later for a debrief with any of the others that could be spared. This simple reply was a small blessing, and he’d take all he could get.
By the time they were locked back inside Aleksei’s building, Liam was limping to the point he’d had to accept Catriona’s help to get up the stairs, and it wasn’t something he liked at all. Despite him growling at her, she didn’t say a word, compassion radiating from her to the point where he was both irritated and envying her.
Liam was grateful their apartment was a floor down from Aleksei’s because he didn’t know if he could’ve climbed another set of stairs. Pain made his muscles seize, sending increasing waves of nausea through him. Now he’d have to find a way to lock himself inside his room where he wouldn’t make a fool of himself in front of the little nun.
Unfortunately, all his plans went south when he unlocked the front door and received an excited Chewy’s full weight, making him topple backward.
Chewy half-sat on his chest, licking his face like a puppy, making it difficult to draw a full breath. “Dammit! Down boy. Chewy, down!”
The mutt wasn’t used to being left behind, as since Liam had adopted him, he’d gone everywhere with him. Catriona pulled him back by the collar until the dog calmed down and finally sat. A feat in Liam’s opinion. Now lying across the threshold, debating how he’d ever get back up again, Liam considered crawling until Catriona returned to his side.
“Let me help you up.”
“You’re not strong enough for that. Give me a minute to catch my breath. I’ll try using one of the kitchen chairs.”
Kneeling beside him, she touched his shoulder, another on his chest, and the contact brought a new wave of sensation that battled with the agony he was under. She could’ve said empty words to fill the silence, but instead, she remained still, waiting for him.
Without thinking, he put a hand over hers on his chest, and sooner than he expected, he was willing to try pulling himself off the floor again. What he needed were a couple of pain killers, and an hour alone where he could rebuild his shield and not feel so vulnerable and tempted by the unattainable woman continually touching him.
Even when he finally pushed her hands away, she kept helping him while he used the door jamb as leverage. Heaving and at breaking point break, Liam hopped a few feet and let himself fall on the sofa. Chewy came to whine by his side, obviously upset that his master wasn’t his usual self, and put his big scruffy head on Liam’s good knee. Liam started to scratch the dog’s ear. “It’s okay, boy. Gimme a minute here, and I’ll be fine. Sorry for yelling at you earlier, you big goofball.”
He probably said those words more for himself than the dog, and regretted he’d thrown away all those powerful pills the doc had prescribed to him in addition to the regular dose because he thought he could endure the pain without them. This whole thing was just another stone crumbling from his molehill of hope that he’d return to the Force at some point.
Catriona returned to his side with a bottle of water and two pills. “They won’t probably help much, but that’s all I had in my bag.”
Without a word, he accepted the medicine and downed them, finishing the water bottle. The cold liquid was soothing, but not as much as the woman standing with a worried expression on her face beside him. “And here I thought that you brides of God would rather sustain pain as a proof of your faith than find a quick fix for it.”
She cocked her head. “We do, but we evolve like everybody else. Don’t worry, it’s nothing too strong. I usually take them for menstrual cramps.”
Liam frowned, not sure if she was joking or not. On that last quip, she turned and went back to the fridge. When she returned, she had a bag of frozen vegetables in her hand. “Not as good as peas, but it should do.” She examined him a little and nodded. “You should remove your pants.”
If his body wasn’t so focused on pain, Liam would have surged in anticipation, even if it was obvious there was nothing remotely sexual about her request. When he hesitated, she insisted.
“I’ll get a clean towel to put these on. Otherwise, it will take too much time for the ice to work.”
She turned again, and Liam didn’t know what to do. She returned with a tea towel and stopped, clearly waiting for him to comply. In the most surreal and frustrating situation of his life, he reached for his fly and unfastened his jeans.
With any other woman, he would’ve grinned and plastered a come-on look on his face, using it as a way to tease and entice. He probably would’ve removed his shirt first. He wasn’t in as good shape as before, but his muscle mass and definition was still respectable.
However, while sitting in front of the little wannabe nun, he averted his eyes and undid his pants and slid them down past his knees as quickly as possible. He was glad he wasn’t the type of man to go commando, and that pain delayed his erection. Otherwise, he was sure he would’ve blushed.
“Can you lay down completely on the sofa? Might be better for your knee, and I’ll put a cushion under it for support.”
Everything she said made sense, but it was bizarre to follow her orders. He twisted, carefully putting his legs up, his bad joint closest to her. He twitched when she touched his leg to slide a cushion underneath.
“Did I hurt you?”
He shook his head, just telling himself to let her do her thing so she’d stop touching his bare skin. The more he could feel her warm hands, the more the pain receded to be replaced with something inappropriate.
