Page 68 of The Hunter

Ariana Kane was the fucking enemy.

But she didn’t feel like the enemy right now.

Truth be told, she hadn’t since our first conversation.

“Let’s see this ankle now.” She knelt on the floor and lifted my leg onto her lap. When her fingers skimmed over the swollen joint, it sent a pulse of heat straight up my spine.

And to my cock.

“Still tender?” she asked.

“A bit,” I managed to croak out, discreetly tugging my t-shirt down to cover my erection.

“I’ll get you an ice pack. You should probably keep it elevated, too. Other than that, all you can do is rest and stay off it.”

“Rest,” I scoffed. “I can’t remember the last time I actually rested.”

“Right now, you have no choice but to rest.” She stood and reached for a fresh washcloth, dampening it with warm water. “There’s still some dried blood on your face. Let me clean it off.”

I didn’t object.

I couldn’t.

Not when she leaned in again and dabbed at my skin with slow, tender strokes, each one making me want more of her touch.

“I’ve always wanted a sponge bath,” I teased, trying to cut through the tension that was becoming more and more unbearable the longer I remained in this enclosed space with her.

“That confirms it.”

“What?”

“You’re still concussed,” she replied, carefully dabbing at my brow. “The Henry I’ve gotten to know wouldn’t make jokes about getting a sponge bath. Hell, the Henry I’ve gotten to know wouldn’t make jokes at all.”

She was right.

The Henry I’d let her see was silent. Calculating. Cold.

“There’s a whole side of me you haven’t met yet,” I murmured, my eyes locked on hers. “One I think you’d probably like.”

Her hand stilled on my face.

She didn’t look away. Didn’t blink. Didn’t retreat. Just...breathed.

Her gaze dipped to my mouth, lingering there long enough to make my blood stir. Much like it did at the gala when I couldn’t take my eyes off her in that red dress. How it clung to her in a way that should have been criminal.

I leaned even closer, my body seeming to move of its own accord. Like we were two magnets that couldn’t fight their attraction, regardless of how much we wanted to.

And I’d desperately been trying to fight this attraction since I brought her here. But some forces were too strong to resist.

Her hand trembled against my jaw, but she didn’t pull away. If anything, she leaned in, too. Just the smallest shift. Just enough to feel the warmth of her breath against my lips. I could almost taste them, my mouth salivating at the promise of her kiss.

But then she jumped to her feet. “I should check on dinner,” she blurted out, keeping her gaze averted as she scurried away from me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, blowing out a long breath as I ran a hand over my face.

What the fuck was I thinking? Kissing Ariana Kane wasn’t just a horrible idea. It was the worst thing I could possibly do.

She wasn’t here so I could release some of my pent-up sexual frustration. She was here for one thing and one thing only.