“Of course.” Briar smiled. Though… it looked a bit sad for some reason. “I’ll be in the other room. Take your time.” He then grabbed the now empty tray and exited the medical wing.
I suddenly felt nervous as I walked toward Maddox. My breaths shook, and those silly butterflies fluttered faster, more chaotic now than before. Reaching his cot, I rested my hip against the edge of the mattress and peered down at him.
A sharp, masculine jawline. Long, dark eyelashes and cupid bow lips. The front of his short black hair fell over his brow, and I softly moved it aside with my fingertips. His shirt had been removed, and even with the bandages around his torso, I saw the perfectly shaped muscles of his chest and stomach—the pectorals I wanted to shove my face into.
What’s wrong with me?Drooling over a sleeping, wounded man. As gently as possible, I brought the sheet up higher and tucked it in around him before shifting my gaze back to his face.
His eyes were open.
“Oh. Sorry.” I jerked my hands away from the sheet. Had he seen me checking him out? Lord, I hoped not. “Didn’t mean to wake you. Go back to sleep.”
“Wait,” Maddox said as I started to leave. He grabbed my hand. “Stay.”
That one word had been spoken with a quiet vulnerability, as if it was a plea rather than a demand. Surprised, I settled back on the edge of the cot. He didn’t release my hand. Instead, he slid his fingers through mine.
“Maybe this is a dumb question, but how are you feeling?”
Firelight flickered across his face, shining on his blue eyes. They looked so much softer than usual. “Much better now that you’re here.”
Surely, I’d heard him wrong. I could believe many things about this fantasy world, but having the icy—but oh so hot—captain of the knights stare at me withthatlook in his eyes was too much for my brain to process.
“I think you might have a fever,” I said. “Or maybe the elixir is making you loopy. The Maddox I know wouldn’t say anything like that.”
That amused him. “Tell me, Muffin Lord from the kingdom of Arkansas, what is it you think you know about me?”
“Well, you’re grumpy and demanding. You don’t smile much, unless it’s to poke fun at me. And you’re stubborn.”
“Fair points. Though, I’d say I’m determined rather than stubborn.” A ghost of a smile landed on his lips but didn’t fully form. “As for poking fun at you… I admit I take much more enjoyment than I probably should in doing so.”
“I…” My throat tightened. “I was worried about you.”
“You were?”
Not trusting my voice, I nodded.
“When I was attacked by the Fenrir, I thought of you.”
“So, you’re saying I’m some feral hairy beast? Thanks. You should know, though, that my bark is worse than my bite. Just give me food, and my tail starts wagging.”
He chuckled under his breath. “So strange. It is a thing about you that captivates me.”
“Yeah, I think the meds are clouding your mind.” There was no way someone as boring and average as me could captivate anyone, in this world or in mine.
“My mind is clear.” His fingers gently squeezed mine. “Clearer than it’s ever been.”
I dropped my gaze to our joined hands, unsure how to respond. My breaths shortened, and my heartbeat became erratic. He said his mind was clear, yet mine had never felt more muddled.
“Evan.” My name sounded so damn soft on his lips. “Look at me.”
Slowly, my gaze returned to his face. His tender expression made my breath freeze in my chest, lungs refusing to work. Or maybe they’d forgotten how.
Maddox rested his hand on the side of my neck before sliding it to my nape. He then gently pulled me down to him, capturing my lips.
A small sound left my throat. For such a strong and seemingly emotionless knight, his kisses were so damn soft.
“Is this all right?” he whispered.
I answered him by easing into the kiss. He dipped his tongue into my mouth, issuing from me another moan. I trembled like it was my first time. That’s what it felt like. That nervousness when you realized just how much you were crushing on someone and then having that someone make a move on you. The excited flutters low in your belly as their lips first pressed to yours.
