𝐕𝐄𝐗𝐄𝐃 ❷

𝟏𝟒. ✭ 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 ✭

"I don't want to do this with you right now, Tor. You need your rest." I'm not going to get into how the two of them left me behind. How I should've been there and the guilt I feel for not following my gut instinct. I eye his marred abdomen again and the guilt washes over me for about the millionth time.

"I know my body looks completely messed up now." My brow furrows at his words. What? "I look like a fucking living voodoo doll, I know." He gestures to his abdomen. "I get it if—" He spears a hand through his hair again looking uneasy. "Never mind." Torey tries to quickly make an exit out of the guest house but he somehow manages to knock into the side table, effectively stubbing his toe. His automatic reaction is to reach down which has him nearly doubling over and screaming, "Shit! Fuck! Ow!"

"For fuck's sake, Tor." I make my way over to him but he swats my hands away when I try to help him. He's clutching his abdomen, leaning against the table he'd just run into. "Come on, lie down for a bit." I nod to the bedroom. "It's late."

"I'm not getting into bed with you." The retort has me wanting to let out a sigh of relief.

There he is. There's the cocky arrogant bastard.

"I'm not asking you to get into bed with me." Yet he appeared to care if I were in bed with someone else but we won't go there. "You know I would never actually do that, right?"

"Do what?" His words are said through grit teeth. "Try to get me into bed? Sorry to say but that's a lie. You've been there and done that." He lets out a wry laugh through his barely concealed pain.

"No. That's not what Im referring to." He cocks an interested brow. "I would never bring someone back here. I wouldn't sleep with someone else." Especially with everything that is going on. My libido has taken quite the nosedive with Torey in his current state and Dani missing.

"Like I said." He takes a deep breath, trying to diminish the pain he's in. "I wouldn't blame you. I look like a fucking pincushion. I wouldn't want me either." I freeze momentarily but quickly recover at his admittance, not wanting Torey to get all awkward and weird like he tends to. Because he just admitted the real reason he came in here. It wasn't for Dani. Torey is feeling insecure. He thought I didn't want him anymore. He would never intentionally admit that but he unknowingly just had.

"Come on, you stubborn bastard. Lie down and get some rest." I walk into the bedroom and, to my surprise, he follows. I fluff the pillow I'd just been lying on and then fluff another one, putting it atop the other. "There."

"Like I said." He pulls back the sheet and climbs inside. "You're not allowed in the bed."

"Yeah, I heard yah the first time."

"Why are you talking like that? There's a touch of southern twang back in your voice."

"Your bet is as good as mine." He's leaning back in the bed looking rather comfortable. "You need anything? Glass of water? Pain meds?"

"You don't need to fuss over me like a fucking mother hen, Brooks."

"Right."

"But..."

"Mmm?"

"I... maybe... could use some water."

A laugh threatens to escape me at Torey's contradictory behavior. I know if I do he's liable to skulk out and go back to his room, exerting himself unnecessarily to prove a point. Not wanting him to hurt himself, I head into the kitchen to fetch him a glass of water. When I come back I pause in the doorway watching as his fingertips trace from one puckered red line on his abdomen to the next. I clear my throat before entering which has him pulling his hand away.