Page 23 of Dark Consequences

That garners her attention. “What is it? Are you hurt? Is it Michael? Rose? Oh, please tell me it’s not Liam.”

“No. Everyone’s fine. It’s actually about Lily.”

“Oh, your new houseguest,” she teases, her tone turning a little too gleeful for me. “Rose told me all about her. She sounds lovely, brother.”

“Gabriella,” I grind out between clenched molars. “Can you help or not?”

“Of course. What’s wrong?” she asks, switching to doctor mode.

“Lily fell asleep outside, and she’s cold to the touch. I brought her inside, but now she’s shaking and won’t wake up. What do I do?”

“I’m not even going to ask why she fell asleep outside unless she was trying to escape your ugly mug.” She laughs when I growl out her name. “Do you know how long she was outside?”

“I don’t.”

“Shaking is actually a good thing. Okay. Listen carefully. You need to warm her up slowly. Blankets would be best and wrap her up like a burrito. It’ll prevent any more body heat from escaping. If you can, change her clothes too. I recommend throwing some in the dryer for a minute to help give her body a quicker restart.”

“And then?”

“Just monitor her. If she doesn’t stop shaking or she grows colder, then she’ll need a hospital and warm fluids.”

“Okay.” I pause, my eyes trailing over Lily’s shaking figure and Mei’s balled up small body next to her. “Thank you.”

“Anytime. I look forward to meeting them, by the way. Maybe tomorrow? I can swing—”

“Good night, Gabriella.” I hang up on my sister midsentence.

Mei remains curled up next to her mom as I follow my sister’s instructions to the letter. A spare outfit warms in the dryer while I get more blankets from the closet and throw on a shirt myself. When I return to Lily’s room with everything, she still trembles, and her lips appear bluer, but it could be my imagination.

“Lily? I have to get you out of your cold clothes and into some warmer ones.” It seems silly to tell her what’s about to happen aloud when she’s not even awake, but it makes me feel better, like I’m not a complete perverted asshole. She would be awake to give me her permission in a perfect world, but it’s life and death here. I don’t have a choice. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

Lifting Lily against my shoulder, I try hard to ignore how she instinctively turns into my neck, as if subconsciously seeking my warmth. Grabbing the bottom of her shirt, I drag it up and over her shoulders, pulling back just enough to tug it off her head.

When she nearly topples over, I instinctively wrap my arms around her bare back to stop her.

And…fuck.

Her skin is cold and smooth to the touch, and I can feel the firmness of her nipples pressing against my chest. I fight the irresistible urge to pull her closer, my longing to bring her to the bed and possess her body overwhelming. But no…I’m not like Xiao. I prefer my women to enjoy their time with me. I never have to force them.

Somehow, without seeing or touching a single thing of note, I pull the fresh shirt down her body and place her back against the bed. She scrunches her face up in the most adorable way, almost like she’s upset her heat source is suddenly gone, making me chuckle.

My eyes fall next to her pants, and I pray to everything holy that she’s wearing underwear of some kind. She is. Much to my delight…and disappointment. Really, I should get a damn reward for being this…virtuous.

Once changed, I tuck a plush blanket around her like a burrito and then tug a thick comforter up to her chin. Mei curls up beside her mom once I’m done, and I cover her in a spare blanket before grabbing another one for myself. Pulling an oversized chair up close to the bed, I settle in for the night. It’s only after Lily stops shivering and a hint of pink returns to her cheeks that I finally fall back asleep.

13

Lily

Raphael is the first thing I see when I open my eyes. He rests his head on his arms, right in front of me on the edge of the bed. He’s so close that I can feel his warm breath gently brushing against the back of my hand that he holds.

I wait for the panic that a man’s touch brings me…but it doesn’t come. Strangely enough, his touch is comforting, like a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer or finally putting on that old T-shirt after a long day in scrubs.

His face is softer, less intimidating, and more vulnerable in sleep. Before my kidnapping and abuse, Raphael was precisely the kind of man I found myself attracted to. Tall, dark-haired, tattoos, with a killer body. Raphael checks every box and more.

And the thought terrifies me. Because I can see myself falling for him. It would be so easy. But that can never happen. It won’t. Raphael lives in the world I’ve grown to hate and want to be free from. And I’m too damaged to be loved. Too lost. And that’s okay. Because when this is all over, I will have Mei, and she’s enough for me.

From the second I stared into my daughter’s eyes, my life belonged to her. The moment she took her first breath, she became the center of my world. My sole purpose in life transformed into ensuring she grew up happy, safe, and loved. Granted, I’m two for three there, but I’m working on it now that I’m free of Xiao. I’m not sure how…but I’ll figure it out.

---