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She wouldn’t tell Darien. Causing him unnecessary stress was the last thing she wanted to do, especially when he already had so much he was dealing with.

He was in the bathroom, light spilling through the partially open door, his shadow occasionally blocking it as he toweled off. She had finished cleaning up before him and was now wrapped up in the soft sheets, her skin damp and smelling of soap. Candlelight flickered across the walls and the tangle of blankets, spurring shadows into a hypnotic dance.

The door opened, and she watched as Darien crossed the room. His muscles rippled with every languorous step, every dip and hollow of his impressive physique supplemented by the candlelight. He was shirtless, his upper body sparkling with droplets of water from the shower they’d taken together. The black jeans he wore drew attention to the V that disappeared beneath his waistband—a sight that always made her heart skip.

“See something you like?” he teased as he approached the bed, one corner of his mouth twitching with a smile.

“Love,” she corrected, her face warming. “I see something I love very much.”

He sat down on the bed beside her. She rolled onto her side to face him, the sheets ensnaring her waist. When he took one of her hands into both of his, her rose gold charm bracelet tinkling beneath his touch, she felt his fingers trembling.

Her stomach clenched with unease. “You’re shaking.”

He held out his right hand and looked at it, frowning as if he hadn’t even realized. The trembling wasn’t obvious, but it was definitely there.

She sat up, taking the sheets with her and keeping them wrapped snug around her body as she faced him.

“Baby, I’m fine,” he said softly. “I’ve dealt with this before—it’ll go away.”

“Well, you’re not dealing with it alone—not anymore,” she said gently, taking both of his hands into hers. “We’ll swing by Mordred and Penelope’s tomorrow. I know of a few things that can help you get back to your old self in no time.”

“I’m not sure my old self is any better.”

She flicked him in the nose.

He scrunched it in answer, and she scrunched hers back.

The smile he gave her was a real one—the kind that touched his eyes and showed the dimple in his cheek. “The first time you did that to me, I knew I was already a goner,” he said.

She tipped her head to the side, her hair that was tangled from all their fun slipping to one shoulder. “Did what?”

“Scrunched that cute little nose.” He bopped her on the nose with his index finger. “You ruined me, baby.”

Blush spread through her cheeks. When she ducked her head, he tipped her chin up, his thumb brushing across her lower lip and tugging it down. Then he grasped her chin, leaned in, and pressed a featherlight kiss to her lips.

She got greedy quickly—sliding her tongue over the seam of his lips until he opened them to her. His answering groan that filled her mouth had her body tightening with a wave of desire.

When they broke apart, he kept his eyes—darkened with carnal need—on her mouth as he licked his lips. “I cannot get enough of you.”

“Likewise,” she breathed as she bit her lower lip, coaxing it into her mouth—tasting him on her.

He looked like he wanted to eat her alive.

“What’s this from?” She dragged the pad of her index finger across a scar in his side. It wasn’t a new scar, but she had been meaning to ask him about them—allof them—for a while.

He tipped his head down to see which scar she was referring to, the movement causing a strand of damp, night-dark hair to shift out of place. As she smoothed it back, he said, “A knife.” He took hold of the hand that she’d used to smooth his hair and pressed a tender kiss to the inside of her wrist.

“And this?” She slipped her hand free and circled the puckered scar on his right shoulder.

“Bullet.”

She dragged her pinky finger over another in silent question. This one looked almost identical to the previous.

“Bullet,” he said again. And those weren’t even the bullet wounds from when they were attacked outside of Blackbird.

“Gods, how many times have you been shot?”

“I’ve lost count.” He was fighting a smile.