Page 45 of Little Fury

“Gapey? Is that the medical term we’re going with?”

“I feel like it describes your gash very well.”

“Marcus, I’m not going for stitches. So, you can either find some glue, pinch the edges back together with some steri strips, or stitch it up yourself.”

“Ava, I fucking hate stitching you up. It makes my stomach all fluttery.”

“Marcus, you are a big scary mafia man, and you have made up the word gapey and told me I make your stomach all fluttery.”

“Not big and scary yet, but soon,”he laughs.

“What’s it going to be?” I press.

“There is no glue in this kit, and I would bet you a grand that Steri strips won't hold it together.”

“So? That means what?”I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Fuck off, Ava.”

“Fluttery tummy, here comes Marcus.” He throws his head back and lets out a big laugh. I love that sound from him—that real laugh. I don’t hear it nearly enough. He sighs when he stops laughing and grabs the needle, thread, and other things from the first aid kit.

He carefully rubs the area with a bit of numbing cream.“It says to leave it on the area for 6 minutes for the full numbing to take effect.”

“K.”

He’s standing between my legs as he works, his shoulder to my chest. Once he’s done applying the cream, he turns to face me. We’re close like this. I’m at eye level with him for the first time. I can’t help staring at his eyes up close. I have never had the right words to describe his eyes. They are a lot like Harry’s green eyes, but Marcus’s have these darker green flecks, and they are just spectacular to look at. They’re easy to get a little lost in.

His hands are on my thighs, his thumbs making small circles over my skin. I take my eyes off his. Being this close with his hands on me as he stares into my eyes is too much. I break the connection.“Solid marks, though, for us with the Princess Bride reference extravaganza.”

Marcus sighs quietly.“I'm not sure it was worth your injury, but I agree we killed that bit.”

I give him a big grin. He picks up the needle and thread,“Ready?”

“As ready as I always am for stitches.” He gives me another low chuckle and then starts. The first poke of the needle causes me to suck in a breath, and I grab his forearm."You, okay?”

“I’m fine, it doesn’t hurt. I was expecting it to.” I look at him a little sheepishly. He ignores my embarrassment and works fast to place four stitches.

“There, all done,”he says, tying off the final stitch.“Try not to fight any more inanimate objects. Yeah?”

With the stitches bandaged, Marcus lifts me from the counter and tells me to sit and relax while he cleans up. I happily listen to him and make my way outside, stopping to grab my book from the table and heading out to the hammock. The warm day and the gentle sway of the hammock lull me to sleep quickly. I wake up a little as I feelMarcus get into the hammock with me, but he’s well-practised at it, so he is able to slip onto it smoothly.

I snuggle into him, my face close to his shoulder. One of my hands finds his, and the other wraps itself around his arm. I throw my leg over his, feeling the pull of my stitches with the movement. I see Marcus reach for my book, careful to keep it open to my page before placing it on his chest, as my eyes close and I drift off.

Marcus walks into my room while I’m getting ready for dinner.“Seriously, how aren’t you ready?”He asks as he falls onto my bed.

“Cause my entire personality is to make your life more difficult.”

“Ha! The shit part, Ava, is that you’re only partially joking.”

I look at him and laugh.“Go have a drink. I’ll be there in about 20 minutes.”

I finish doing my hair, leaving it wavy down my back. My makeup is minimal. The tan I’ve acquired over the last few weeks has me glowing, so I add a shimmer to the inner corner of my eyes, highlight above my cheekbones and apply a light gloss. Satisfied with my face and hair, I grab my body lotion and remove my oversized t-shirt. In only my thong, I apply the lotion all over, my skin drinking in the moisture. I’m doing my best to reach my back when I hear Marcus.

“I can do that for you,”He says from the door. I hesitatefor the briefest moment, then toss him the lotion. I grab my top off the counter, hold it in front of me, and turn my back to him.

He steps closer, s breath fans over my neck and it sends a shiver over my body. He puts the lotion in his hands, warming it up a bit before placing them on my shoulders. He applies gentle pressure as he smooths the lotion over my shoulders and back. A small moan slips out at the feel of his hands on me. He stops moving for a moment, before his hands resume making their way down my back. He continues to smooth the lotion into my skin, working his hands lower and lower.

I feel his fingers dip under the waistband of my thong, his thumbs digging into the muscles there. I look at us in the mirror, his hands on my hips, his thumbs pressing into my skin. His head is down, staring at his hands on my ass.

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