Page 69 of Nowhere to Hide

The silk of her skin still burning my fingertips.

CHAPTER 14

CILLA

I couldn’t believeI’d said that to him.

As if me having a scar was important in the grand scheme of things, but having a man right there had sent me down a rabbit hole of thoughts. I was alive, dammit. That was the important part.

At least for now.

Funny how being in the middle of the ocean was safer than anything else in my life. With a stranger who probably would prefer to boot me off his boat than deal with me inhabiting his space.

I started to roll onto my side to wallow, but the stupid staples pulled enough to steal my breath. And whatever those stitches were deep inside of me. Lucky me, scars inside and out.

I rolled onto my back and breathed through the pain.

I was alive.

I could survive some pain.

I bounced my head against the padding behind me. I winced as I tried to sit up. It was truly amazing how many muscles you used in your freaking leg just to sit correctly. The numbing agent was well beyond gone and now the wound felt more like one big gaping nerve.

The rocking of the boat made up for it. I tried to crane my neck to see more of the view, but I was in a crap position. And I didn’t want to call Locke to help me. Again.

I tried to shift my butt back on the couch, but the memory foam already conformed to my body.

He came back through the door with a big bowl of scrambled eggs and sliced strawberries on a smaller plate. “I figured we could share.” He frowned down at me. “What did you do to yourself?”

I sighed. “I’m stuck.”

He shook his head and put the food down on the table. “Want to try and sit on the bench?”

I huffed out a breath. “Yeah, maybe.”

He slid his arm under my knees and the other around my shoulder, lifting me into a princess carry. I yelped and grabbed onto his neck. His hair teased the back of my hand. I was afraid to meet his gaze. Instead, I focused on the overlong beard that hid half of his face. It matched the raggedy hair that was fairly unkempt. He was clean, but it was pretty obvious he was deep in the don’t-give-a-fuck of grooming habits.

My gaze finally lifted and found him staring at me. His hazel eyes were steady and a bit bloodshot. Green and gray with just a little gold swirled in there to make me think of the forest on the edge of my grandparent’s property. Shadows and light living together. I’d gotten lost in that forest hundreds of times to avoid my mother.

She’d drop me at my grandmother’s place when she found the next guy to run away with. Then when she was heartbroken, she’s return and take me back, promising me she’d never leave me again.

I looked away from him, pushing the memory away. “Sorry you have to keep carrying me.”

He cleared his throat. “It’s fine.” He turned and gently settled me on the bench so I could stretch out my leg. I hissed out a breath when my full weight pressed on my leg. “Good?”

I swallowed down the wash of nausea. My hand shook as I pulled myself forward.

He absently stroked a hand down my back before he hustled over to the fridge and returned with a bottle of water.

I took it and drained half of it.

He pushed the strawberries in front of me. “Eat.”

I didn’t feel like it, but I needed the calories for the energy. I managed to choke down a few bites of eggs and half the strawberries before I pushed the plates away. My head pounded and my thigh was screaming.

“Okay, that’s it for you.” He scooped me up again and I grabbed onto his faded green shirt. Instead of settling me on the couch again, he walked up the stairs to where another deck spread out at the front of the boat.

The sun was high in the sky and barely a cloud in the sky.