Page 29 of Emily's Essence

Alicia helped her pull on panties and a large t-shirt and then blow-dried her hair.

“Is there anywhere else on your body that you ache or hurt?”

Emily shook her head. “No. Just my head.”

“Why don’t you brush your teeth so you don’t have to get out of bed again?” Alicia said.

Alicia stood behind her and then followed her into the bedroom.

The drapes were closed, and the small lamp by the bedside was the only light on. No one was there except Hawk, and he was leaning against the dresser with his massive arms crossed over his chest. She tried to ignore him while Alicia redid the bandages and then made her take the pain pills.

“Hop into bed. Hawk is going to stay with you and wake you up every hour. I’m just being cautious. You’re never certain with a head injury. Hawk, call me if she can’t answer a simple question, or she starts vomiting, or her headache worsens. I’ll check on you all in the morning.”

“Thank you, Alicia,” Emily said.

Alicia waved at the doorway before closing the door.

Emily sat there with her head down.

“Let’s get you into bed,” Hawk said.

She glanced at him. “I’m fine, I swear. You don’t have to be here.”

He grunted and started to pull off his t-shirt before he sat next to her and pulled off his boots and socks. Her mouth dropped open when he stood and proceeded to take off his jeans.

“Wait. What are you doing?”

“Getting undressed. I’m not going to sleep in my clothes. I’ll leave my boxers on for now.”

“You wore your clothes before when we had to sleep in the same bed.”

“That was when we didn’t know each other, and you had been traumatized.”

“It’s just I don’t feel comfortable…”

“Too bad. I’m going to brush my teeth, and I’ll be right back to get you settled.”

She was in shock and didn’t have a comeback. Her mouth snapped shut when the bathroom door closed.

She wondered for a split second if she might still be unconscious and that this was just a dream. If it was, she didn’t want it to end.

Chapter Thirteen

Hawk came out of the bathroom to see Emily still sitting on the side of the bed. “Scoot over and lay down, babe, and I’ll put the frozen peas on your forehead.”

She slid to the other side and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Hawk turned off the light, grabbed the bag, lay down beside her, and gently set the peas on her face.

“Is that okay?” he asked. He could see her clearly with the streetlight shining through the window, and she didn’t flinch in pain.

Emily hummed. “Yes. It feels good.”

“It will help with the swelling and pain. Now, go to sleep. That will help the most.”

“Okay,” she murmured.

He watched her as she closed her eyes. Within a few minutes, her breathing had evened out. He lifted the bag off her head and dropped it on the nightstand.

He bunched a pillow between his arm and head and stared down at her. She was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. She was so damn tiny he was afraid he’d hurt her. After watching the other men with old ladies, he understood that being with her could be done. Every other guy with an old lady was huge, and their women were small like Emily. He’d just have to learn to be gentle.

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