Page 123 of Lifebound

A million thoughts went through my head.

The sound of water coming from the other side made me turn just in time to see Rune pulling himself out of the water, naked from the hips up, just a pair of shorts on his body.

My train of thoughts crashed into an invisible wall and my mind was perfectly blank again.

This guy is going to be the death of me.

thirty-three

Naked.Ripped. Wet.

God, if you help me out right now not to stare like an idiot and/or jump his bones, I promise I’ll donate all my belongings to a charity as soon as I get back home.

“Hey, Wildcat.”

There went my knees. “I hear you might be a horse.”

Laughter burst out of him suddenly. He brought a fist to his mouth and stopped it right away, but I heard it. Unfortunately for me, I heard it.

Slowly, I moved back to rest against the table. And to put some distance between us so I could check him out while he got himself together again.

My God, he was perfect. His wet hair was out of his face. He’d pushed it all back when he came out of the lake and it looked so good on him it was painful. His pointy ears were perfectly visible, and they suited the rest of his face so well. Every inch of him, from his chest, to his arms, to his abs and that V that his shorts hung low enough on his hips to reveal…

And his tattoo—the mark that apparently extended down his left arm until just above his elbow, and then down his back and all the way to the right side of his torso, the ink seemingly wrapped around his ribcage.

“Don’t mind Raja. She means well.” Rune came closer to me, his eyes sparkling, so light I saw the silver in them. “Let me look at you. How bad is the pain?” He squatted down in front of me.

“It’s…it’s fine,” I whispered.

Rune pulled up my dress and touched my leg gently, then looked up at me. “Do you feel that?”

I feel you everywhere—but that wasn’t what he was asking. And since I currently couldn’t really produce voice anyway, I only shook my head.

Then he grabbed my leg by the heel and pulled it up gently, placed my foot over his thigh.

My eyes closed because I couldn’t handle the sight of him right now, with his hair pushed back like that, his eyes so alive.

“How about now?” He was touching me, pressing his fingers around my ankle just over the bandages. Again, I only shook my head and held on tightly to the edge of the table behind me.

Then he kept one hand around my heel and brought the other up, touching me every few inches, asking if it hurt. But he was wasting his time because, even if my leg did hurt right now, I wouldn’t feel it. My blood was rushing because his hand was almost to my thigh. Mynakedthigh, and he was wet, practically on his knees in front of me.

And when I risked a glance and found him looking up at me with those wide puppy eyes?

Yeah, I wouldn’t feel a bullet going through me right now.

“Raja put potions on you. You should be good to walk without trouble in another few hours.” He finally put my foot down and stood up.Thank God.

“She threatened to kill me if I hurt you in any way,” I muttered—and yep, Raja was still outside, tending to some planters on the other side of the house, her eyes on us.

Goose bumps on my forearms. She’d probably seen Rune checking on my leg just now, and I was willing to bet my life that she hated me more for it.Fuck.

“She can be difficult sometimes, but she’s not going to hurt you. I’ll talk to her,” said Rune, running his hands through his hair again when some strands fell on the sides of his face. Iadoredhow he looked with it pushed back like that. His face was spectacular. It was a miracle on its own. It wasotherworldly.

And I was so, so screwed…

“Don’t. It will just make things worse,” I said. “Besides, I can handle it.”

“I know you can, but you shouldn’t have to. And it won’t make anything worse,” he said, then leaned his head to the side to make me look at him. How in the fuck could I resist?

---