Page 82 of Bad Blood

He pulled back, looking down at me with the most wide-eyed, untamed expression I’d ever seen on him. His gaze kept darting around my face, like he really couldn’t believe I was okay, like he was still looking for some wound he’d missed.

I lifted my hand and brushed my fingers over his cheek. “I’m okay. You came, and—I’m okay.” He closed his eyes, then placed his hand over mine, turning his head and kissing my fingers one by one. “I’m okay. I promise.”

“You’re not okay. He hurt you. He hurt you, and I wasn’t there. You got hurt and you’re not—you’re never supposed to—to?—”

“Cain.” I cradled his face in my hands as his eyes welled with tears. “You found me. I’m okay now. I promise.”

His fat bottom lip quivered, and then he shut his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine, squeezing those thick arms around me so tight I couldn’t move at all.

I didn’t want to.

“Carry me home,” I whispered, tipping my head up and pressing my lips against his.

Cain carried me home and kept holding me for the rest of the day.

That was fine with me. The only place I was happy to be imprisoned was in his arms.

Only his.

Chapter 16

Cain

Icouldn’t get my heart to slow down.

It had been three days since that piece of rotten filth had come onto my land and tried to take Bowen, and I still wasn’t calm.

Howdarehe. How fuckingdare heput his hands on Bowen. How dare he come onto my property and try to take away the person that meant everything to me.

I—

“Cain?”

That sweet, soft voice pulled me from my violent thoughts, and I turned to look at Bowen. He watched me with furrowed brows, then closed his book and crossed to me, climbed onto my lap and held my face in his small, precious hands.

“What’s the matter?”

I turned and pressed a kiss into his palm. “Nothing. I’m okay.”

“You look upset.”

He was so perceptive, and I hated lying to him, so I leaned forward and touched my forehead to his. “I can’t stop thinking about it. About what happened. What if?—”

His lips were on mine, devouring mywhat ifsandshould havesand all my other doubts and fears.

He nipped his way down my jaw, sucked on my throat with a moan, then looked up at me. “Let me make you feel good?”

How could I say no to that face? Those eyes. He’d succeeded in distracting me from my dark thoughts, seemed to know exactly what would take me out of them, was trying to put me in a better mind space and…I loved him for that.

I loved him.

With every atom of my being, I loved this little ball of curious chaos that had barreled into my life and changed everything.

“Bowen,” I said, cupping his cheeks and waiting until his eyes met mine. “I’m so glad you came here. You’re so special to me, you know that, right?”

He stilled, those mismatched eyes widening as they searched mine. “You promise?” he whispered, leaning into me.

His lips brushed mine as I said, “Yeah. I promise, Bow. I love you.”