The comment makes my stomach bottom out a bit, but I don’t respond, just swallow hard as I give Kat’s hand another squeeze.
When Dr. Lang finishes the last stitch, she sits back with a satisfied nod. “All done. Let me get this bandaged up for you.”
She applies antibiotic ointment and wraps Kat’s hand in clean white gauze, then covers that with a protective bandage as she goes over the wound care instructions.
After we check out at the front desk and make a follow-up appointment for the stitches to come out, I help Kat to the car. She’s looking better now that it’s all taken care of, some color back in her face. The fear has faded from her eyes, although she still looks a bit dazed.
Back at the cabin, I immediately shift into taking care of her. I settle her on the couch with pillows propped behind her back,then bring her a glass of water and the ibuprofen the doctor recommended.
“What else do you need?” I ask, scanning her face for signs of pain or discomfort.
“I’m fine.” She smiles wanly. “Really. You’ve done plenty.”
That’s not good enough for me. I can’t relax until I know she’s comfortable, until the tight knot in my chest eases.
“I’m making you some food,” I announce, heading toward the kitchen. “Your blood sugar must be low after losing blood. You need to eat something.”
She starts to protest, but I’m already pulling out bread. I make us both peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, then bring them both into the living room. She eats slowly, and I can actually see her getting stronger with each bite. The color fully returns to her cheeks, the shakiness in her hands eases.
“Better?” I ask when she’s finished.
“Yeah. Much better.” She gives me a small smile. “I guess I really was hungry. Thanks.”
“Want to watch a movie or something?” I grab the remote from the coffee table. “Something mindless to take your mind off your hand?”
She fixes me with a look I can’t quite read, shifting her weight on the couch. “You don’t have to stay, Asher. I know you probably have other stuff to do today. Calls with your agent or whatever.”
I shake my head, settling onto the couch beside her. “Nope. This is all I need to be doing right now.”
I pull up a streaming service, and we settle on a comedy neither of us has seen before. She tucks against my side, and I wrap my arm around her shoulders, careful of her injured hand.
“Thank you,” she murmurs as the movie starts, tilting her head up a little.
I start to brush it off, to say it’s nothing, but she stops me with a look.
“Asher. Thank you.”
I swallow past the tightness in my throat. “I just hate seeing you hurt.”
She smiles a little, her eyes softening as she snuggles closer to me on the couch. We turn our attention back to the movie, but I’m not really watching. I’m too aware of her beside me, of the way she’s relaxed against me.
As the movie wraps up, I feel her moving a bit, shifting around like she can’t quite get comfortable. She adjusts her position, and her breast rubs against my side as she leans closer.
I look down, worried. “What do you need? Are you in pain?”
She looks up at me again, and when our gazes meet, there’s something new in her eyes. Something needy and hungry. When she speaks, her answer is just one word.
“You.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Kat
Asher’s eyes flash with heat at my words, but then he immediately stiffens, leaning away from me on the couch. Putting actual physical distance between us when a second ago we were pressed close together, my body tucked against his side.
“I can’t,” he says, his voice strained. “I don’t want to hurt you or jostle your injury. You need to rest. The doctor said?—”
“The doctor said to avoid strenuous activity with my hand,” I interrupt, lifting a brow. “She didn’t say anything about the rest of my body.”
