Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 10546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 53(@200wpm)___ 42(@250wpm)___ 35(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 10546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 53(@200wpm)___ 42(@250wpm)___ 35(@300wpm)
When I lost my job, I lost my family, too. And even at damn near forty years old… that shit still cut deep. Because the love of family was supposed to be unconditional. Something I was learning was truly unconditional here. Rico was a dick, but he bent over backward to take care of all the misfits he’d taken in, me included.
“Get out of your head, doc,” Drew murmured. Blinking, I lifted my head, looking at him. His dark eyes clashed with mine, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe. His gaze was so intense, it was like he could see right down to the depths of my soul. See how much I fucking ached for him, even though I’d never allow myself to have him. “You got so lost in your head, you literally stopped working,” Drew added after a moment. “You good?”
“I’m fine,” I gruffly responded, focusing back on his hands. I applied bandages to his knuckles and wrapped them up. “You need to keep these clean,” I told him as I began to put away everything. “They’re already swelling, so maybe soaking them in some warm water with Epsom salt will help them—”
My words died in my throat when I turned to grab the bottle of alcohol, only to bump right into Drew’s solid, broad chest. I took a step back, clenching my jaw when I realized I was now flush against the bloodied cabinet. Drew had me pinned, and the predatory gleam in his eyes told me he was well aware of that fact… and that it’d been his intention.
Just what the fuck was he playing at?
“Can I come see you to take care of it for me?” he asked. He very well knew he could. That was literally the reason Rico signed my paychecks—to take care of his men when they injured themselves or got hurt on the job. But the way he asked… there was a hidden meaning behind his words. I just didn’t know what.
“You know you can,” I rasped, hating how much of an effect he had on me. “That’s literally my job.”
He smirked and took a step back. “I’ll see you in a few hours then, doc.”
With that, he turned on his booted heel and left my office, disappearing up the hall. I swallowed thickly and rubbed the back of my neck, hating the sweat that’d beaded there.
I had no idea what the fuck just transpired between us, but I was off-kilter, and Drew had suddenly changed everything up. Never had he gotten up in my space before, and never had he come seen me over busted up knuckles. Getting his hands fucked up was something he tended to do on a regular basis—well, he had before he’d become Maksim’s bodyguard. There used to never be a day I didn’t see Drew beating someone to a bloody pulp within the training ring.
Something had changed, and my stomach was queasy that I didn’t know what. And the unknown… yeah, I fucking hated that.
3
Drew
Maksim frowned when I walked into the kitchen, his eyes immediately going to my hands. Alfonzo was throwing together two sandwiches and didn’t bother to turn and greet me, not that I was surprised. He never did. The only person he went out of his way to do anything for was his husband. Besides, I was just Maksim’s bodyguard. Getting my paychecks and the benefits that came with the job was enough acknowledgment for a man like me.
And it gave me close proximity to my doctor, which was certainly enough… for now.
“What happened to your hands?” Maksim asked, his brows furrowing low over his eyes.
“Went too heavy at training,” I replied, the lie coming easily. Heading to the fridge, I grabbed a water and a protein shake. “Need anything?” I asked before I shut the door.
“No,” Maksim said, his eyes hard and unforgiving. “I want you to tell me the truth.”
I grunted and let the fridge door fall shut. Alfonzo looked at his husband over his shoulder. “Don’t worry about what happened to his hands, mouse.” He set one of the sandwiches in front of him. “Eat so you can take some medicine and get some rest while I ice your shoulder.”
I frowned at Maksim. “Your shoulder is still bothering you?” Usually it eased after a day of resting. To know the pain still hadn’t dulled was unusual.
Maksim scowled and ignored me, clearly in a bad mood, which wasn’t unusual when he wasn’t feeling great. Probably didn’t help that his questions were being ignored. I huffed a laugh and looked at Alfonzo. “Am I needed?”
He shook his head. “No. I’ll call if you are. Just remain close.”
Nodding once, I left the kitchen and headed for Nicholas’s office, also known as the infirmary. My bandages were a bit bloody and needed to be rewrapped, and I hadn’t soaked my hands in Epsom salt like he instructed because I didn’t have any, I didn’t feel like going to the store to get some, and I couldn’t be fucked to rewrap my hands either.