“Dragos?” Raina’s melodious voice called through the wood of his front door. “I saw you return home. I hope I’m not bothering you.”
His heart leapt in his chest as he rose, and he steeled himself to be in her presence. After such a long day, and with his arms slightly burning, he was worried he wouldn’t be able to control his reaction toward her. Would she sense his desire and be disgusted? Or worse, angry? Vowing not to let that happen, Dragos inhaled a deep breath and opened the door.
“Hi,” she said, her white fangs flashing under the late-afternoon sun. “I hope I’m not imposing, but I stopped by Sadie’s clinic today.” She lifted a white tube and shook it. “This is some healing salve with some fancy chemicals she and Nolan concocted. She says it will soothe and heal your burns expeditiously.”
Taken by her kindness, he extended his hand. “Thank you. That’s very thoughtful.”
“Oh, I…” She held the tube tight and hesitated. “I thought I might rub it on for you. If you want me to.”
Dragos felt his throat bob as he stared into her eyes. Disbelief coursed through him at the offer. Although he’d love nothing more than to have her delicate fingers rub salve on his skin, he wondered if she knew he’d never been touched in a moment of healing or kindness. No—Dragos’s skin had only felt the crush of war and the slice of weapons.
“Never mind then,” she said, offering him the tube. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable—”
“It’s fine,” he all but grunted, stepping back and gesturing to her with his head. “Come in.”
She shuffled inside and glanced around his cabin before grinning. “You have a nice place.”
“Thank you,” he said, closing the door before trailing toward the couch. “We can sit here.”
Nodding, she lowered to the sofa as he sat beside her. Her eyes darted over his arms, and she tilted her head. “I think it will be easier if you take off your shirt,” she murmured, eyes narrowed as she assessed. “Your wounds stretch above your sleeves.”
“Okay,” he said, voice raspy from arousal and fear. Perhaps it was strange to feel fear when one was about to be voluntarily touched for the first time, but he felt it all the same. Tugging the shirt over his head, he lay it on the arm of the couch before facing her.
“Let’s do your left arm first,” she said, patting her thigh above her knee. “Rest your palm here, and I’ll work the salve over your skin.”
Dragos slid his palm over the soft fabric of her pants, struggling to calm his erratic heartbeat. Raina opened the tube and squirted a portion on her fingers before setting it on the couch. Smiling into his eyes, she touched her fingers to his forearm and began to gently rub.
Dragos expelled a heavy breath, and her eyes flew to his, a question in them as she froze. “Does it hurt?”
“No,” he rasped.
Craning her head, she softly asked, “Is this all right? You seem uncomfortable.”
He nodded. “It’s just the first time.”
“The first time?”
“That anyone has voluntarily touched me,” he said, the low timbre of his voice encircling them.
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