VENGEANCE IN HIS BED

d, the screen's harsh glare cutting thr

skin still felt sensitized, the phantom weight of Ethan's hands f

After Sarah died, I had systematically cauterized my social life, cutting off anyone who reminded me of the girl I used to be before I became a woma

l me, Claire, I'm worried." I didn't reply, not that I could. Emerald was loud, bright, and dangerously perceptive. If I let her i

eaningless news until the first grey ligh

arrival of breakfast, poached eggs, pancakes, nuts, a bottle of yoghurt and fresh fruit which I shared with Leo. H

ork. An email from Ethan was already waitin

: E.

0 LAND GRANT

ll

stal properties. There are discrepancies in the origina

he sub-level u

his present. I worked until my eyes ached, the dust from the old ledgers making my throat feel tigh

e was one good thing about this house, the food. The rest of the day

pushed away the roasted chicken, his sm

ered, his voice sounding like it w

nd was nearly recoiled b

ravel bag, nothing but a few Band-Aids and some expired aspirin. No child's fever reduc

do right now." I paced around, hitting the floor hard with my feet be

tching me. I rested the towel on his forehead and hugged him to my bosso

't sit here and watch him bake from the inside out. Soon he was dozing

needed ice to bring his temperature down and, if I was lucky, maybe a first-aid k

, my bare feet silent on the cold tiles. I reached for the ind

you think y

oway was standing in the doorway, her robe c

id, trying to keep my voice

Mr. Vale will not tolerate his presence. You were hired to work, not to run a nursery for a sickly brat.

d, my fear turning into

countered. "Get your ice

ge. I turned back to the freezer, my vision blurring with tear

of ice cubes, m

break a h

Holloway's. It was deeper, richer, and it sen

wasn't wearing a jacket, his white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, his hair messy in a way th

suddenly draining out of me. I felt small,

tanding in my space, his heat radiating off him. He reached out, his hand

he bowl of ice fro

," he said, his voice firm. "

No, you

aire mask sliding back into place, but his eyes were fixed on

sion. Five minutes later, the door opened and Ethan walked

s whimpering. He sat on the edge of the mattress, and I watched, frozen, as

but his movements were precise, almost tender. He administered

low," he murmured, mor

e to ask," I said, my

The tension from the dream, the tension from the library, it all c

, stepping closer. He looked down at me, his gaze tra

" I said, the truth slippin

ached out, his thumb catching a stray tear on my cheek I didn't

ward mine. "Don't ever stop being afraid of me,

was a frantic drum, and for a heartbeat, I wanted him to close the

soft sigh in his sleep, his f

ke a vault. He picked up his medical bag and place

le. "You're off duty tomorrow. Don't let me se

e in the dark with my sick nephew and a reali

want Ethan Vale's ru

ith a finality that made the room

his chest, the medicine finally doing its work. My mind was a battlefield, replaying the way Ethan's thumb had brushed my ski

ve Leo the liquid again after sixty minutes. He had left the small black

Focus!" I scolded my

ootstep, every shadow seemed to move. When the timer finally vib

rength aspirin Ethan had pointed out. But as I pulled the bottle out, my fingers brushed against a c

e bedside lamp, mocking me. My stomach did a violent, nauseating flip. I stared at it, the

nned against the headboard of a different bed, his dark eyes hooded with the same predatory hunger he'd direct

e? a small, traitorous voice wh

et as if it had burned me. I wasn't jealous, maybe I was repulsed. I was a hunt

my mind. What if he put the condom there a