Page 92 of Little Fury

I step away from Matt to grab my stuff, but that pain in my side will not let go. It takes my breath away, and I stumble; Matt catches me by grabbing my side, and I think I might have hit him in reflex to the pain he caused me.“What the fuck is wrong with me?”

Declan is beside me before I can protest. He lifts my left arm and touches my ribs.“Fuck!”I yell,“Don’t, that hurts.”

“Shut up, Ava, and let me look. I’ve fucked you with fresh bullet wounds, so I know you can withstand a fair amount of pain for a moment.”

Matt and Caden laugh at that, not even trying to pretend they didn’t hear it.“Asshole,”I mutter under my breath. But I do as he asks and stay quiet as he checks my side out.“Okay, so good news, it's nothing serious, just a dislocated rib, and it's an easy fix.”

“That’s good. So, what’s the bad news?”

I miss the look he gives Matt, but suddenly, Matt holds me firm, and Declan puts his hands on my ribs and pushes in and up, and I scream. I’ve been shot, and this hurt more. I think I pass out for a second, or at least see stars, grateful that Matt has me.“That’s the bad news. Ava. Hey, look at me.”

I look up at him, blinking my eyes rapidly.“Fuck, Jake, that hurt. Why didn't you warn me?”

“It's worse if you know it's coming, Ava; trust me.” Matt says.“Are you good now?”

“Yeah, I’m ok. You can let me go. Thank you.”

“All right then. Caden and I will grab your things, and you and the doc can make your way back nice and slow.’

“Why can't you walk me back?”I plead with my friend to save me.

“Because, Ava, the man helped us build a pergola and saved that kid's life after you saved his life. And as much as I want to throat punch him for hurting you, I can’t help but like the Irish bastard,”he says and then leaves quickly with Caden as I stare after them.

“Go with them, Declan. I’m fine.”

“Someone should walk back with you.”

I glare at him for a moment before relenting.“Fuck, fine.”

We walk back slowly; neither of us says anything. We reach the house, and I go to the outdoor shower to rinse off, but pause when I remember I’m not alone. Showering in my room seems like the safer option. I look at him and give him a small smile.“Thank you.”

“Nothing to thank me for. I should go, the restaurant at the hotel; it gets busy at night. Goodnight, Ava.”

Fuck, fuck.

“You could join us for dinner. Marguerite is an amazing cook, and she made tamales for us. She makes them with shredded pork and this red sauce we all fight over.”I smile, thinking about the last time we had that sauce.“The last time we had the sauce, Ben stabbed Caden in the hand with his fork when Caden tried to claim the last bit. It’s that good.”

“Sure, I think I would like that. As long as you don’t stab me.”That fucking accent is an unfair advantage.

“I can't promise no stabbing, but I will try to be on my best behavior. I’m going to go up and shower. You can use the outside shower if you like. There are towels in the box on the side of it,”I tell him as I head upstairs.

Once clean, I open my closet, throw on a pair of underwear, grab a racerback tank maxi dress, and put it on. Looking in the mirror, I try to decide if I love how much side boob it shows.

I do, yes.

I grab a couple of things out of my closet and headdownstairs. I bunch up some of the skirt material to about mid-thigh on one leg, letting it lay longer on the other. I left my pin upstairs, so instead, I tuck it up under the leg of my underwear.

I step into the kitchen, and I see Jake–Declan–standing outside with a towel around his waist, looking at the ocean.“Hey,”I say as I step up beside him. “Enjoying my view?”

“Yeah.”

“It is pretty spectacular,”I say.

“It is.”He says no longer looking at the water.

A slight blush creeps up my neck, under his gaze.“Oh, here, I stole these from the last guy I slept with, but they should fit you,”I say, shoving some clothes in his arms. He glares at me.

“Relax, they’re yours, you jackass. I thought you might want them instead of putting your shorts back on. I know they were pretty wet after the beach.”

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