“It doesn’t hurt,” I said softly. “It looks worse than it is.”
A muscle jerked in his cheek, but he didn’t speak. He simply gently massaged my skin, his expression grim. I drank another bottle of water, watching him. His dark lashes were thick against his angular cheeks, and his mouth a thin line. I could sense he was angry, and I knew it was at River. As horrible as everything had been for me, I knew it had been equally tortuous for Royce.
“I knew you’d find me eventually,” I said.
He glanced up, his eyes glittering with emotion. “I was scared as hell, Max. I lost your trail. I didn’t know what to do.”
“You found me. That’s what matters.”
He sighed. “With a little help, yeah.”
I frowned at his dejected tone. “You seem to see it as a failure that you needed help finding me. Of course you needed help. It’s a big desert.”
“Yeah. It felt a lot bigger too. Felt like you were a needle in a haystack, and no matter how hard I looked, I just couldn’t locate you.” He grimaced. “I sound ungrateful. I’m not. I’m… I’m over the moon to have you back in one piece.”
“I understand why you felt desperate. I lost hope toward the end there too,” I admitted. I hadn’t intended to tell him that, but it slipped out. It was probably okay to be vulnerable, though, because it was Royce.
He winced. “I don’t blame you.”
“I mean, I knew you were looking for me. I simply felt overwhelmed. So many things kept going wrong.”
“I guess we should focus on the here and now,” he said gruffly. “You’re back safe.”
“I am.” I hesitated and then asked, “How did you find me?”
“Lucas. He approached me, hoping to keep River out of prison.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Is that even possible after what he did to me?”
“He could potentially go to a lower-security facility for mental health reasons. I’ll know more when I hear what he has to say.”
“I see. But you arrested River, correct?”
“Absolutely. Still need to interview him though,” he said gruffly. “I’m gonna let Deputy Juan handle that. I don’t think I can be trusted alone with River, but we need to take his statement.”
I shivered. “Of course.”
His hands stopped moving. “Do… do you want to talk about the details of what River did to you?”
I winced. “Is it okay if I do that later? I don’t think I have the mental power. I know you need to hear my side of things, but I can barely keep my eyes open.”
“Okay.” He sighed and went back to rubbing my skin. “Just tell me when you’re ready to give me details.”
“What I really want is a hot shower and sleep.”
“You should eat first.”
Grimacing, I said, “I’ll eat later. I promise. I don’t think I could stay awake long enough to eat.”
“Not even some soup?” He gave a weak smile. “You love soup.”
I shook my head. “Sleep is all I can think about, other than a shower. Need to get the stink of that sinkhole off me.”
“A shower it is.” He sighed and moved between my thighs, leaning in to kiss me. I put my fingers in his thick, dark hair, smiling against his lips. Beat up or not, I felt ridiculously happy to be back with Royce. I could feel his hunger in his kiss, but obviously, he didn’t push for more. Instead, he pulled back and got to his feet. “You feel stable enough to shower alone?”
“I think so.”
“I don’t want you passing out in there.”
