Indebted (20 page)

He hums in appreciation and leans into me. “You ready to get those sore muscles relaxed?”

The thought of it is heaven, and I sigh loudly. “Oh yes. I have been waiting for this all day. The doc mentioning it made me want it more.”

Glancing at the tub longingly, I slowly climb in and sink in to my chest. I groan as the heat seeps through me and makes every part of my body sting. Lying there and resting for a few minutes, all thoughts leave me as I simply enjoy the warmth surrounding me. Eventually, I realize I need to try to clean up. I dunk my head under the water, but I struggle as muscle spasms cramp my abdomen when I try to sit back up. Two strong hands pull me into a sitting position.

“Whoa there, I’ve got you.” Liam says. “Aaron? Are you okay? What happened there?”

Panting through pain, I answer, “Yeah, I got one of those spasm things the doc warned me about. I should be fine now, it’s eased.”

“You sit there and relax, I’ll help you.” With that said, he goes straight to work, gently washing me from head to toe.

Needless to say, it makes another part of my body start to ache. As he reaches my face, he whispers for me to close my eyes. Lightly, he dabs the cloth over my swollen eye and the rest of my face, then places a soft kiss on my lips. He backs away before I can respond and clears his throat.

“I’ll be right back. Stay still.” He crosses the bathroom and comes back swiftly. He mumbles, “Hold your breath.”

Water rushes over me, soothing me. When I’m able to see, I open my eyes to find a shirtless Liam rinsing my upper body with a cup. He moves to my hair and massages the shampoo into my scalp. The slow motion of it relaxes me and turns me into mush. Soon, he clears the suds from my hair too.

The medicine is quickly taking effect. I’m getting extremely drowsy. I float in a dreamlike state until the tub starts to drain, and then I have the sensation of being picked up out of the water. Standing me so that I’m leaning against him, Liam dries me off and carries me out of the bathroom.

“Aaron, which door is the one to your room?” he asks me, still holding me in his arms.

I slur, “The one on the left.”

He enters, swiftly yanks the bedcovers back, and lays me down. I hear some shuffling, then he joins me after turning out the light. Crawling into bed, he groans from his own aches and pains, while he draws me to him.

I try to apologize for being sleepy, but he shushes me and tells me to go to sleep. The last thing I remember is him kissing me on the head, and I drift off listening to the steady beat of his heart.

I
WAKE
up with my body screaming at me to move.

Everything hurts, and soon I will have to do just that. However, even though the pain is begging for my attention, the only thing I can focus on is the man in my arms. My thoughts are consumed with him. Gently pulling him closer, my mind runs through the surprises he threw my way yesterday.

I was blown away at his defense of me to his little friend. He wasn’t kidding when he said she was a pistol. Not exactly the word I’d use to describe her, but whatever. I agreed with her on many points, but still, it didn’t make it hurt any less. I knew I was being selfish and was about to say so, when out of nowhere, Aaron jumped in. His adamant justification of his choices and of my place in his future was overwhelming and a huge fuckin’ turn-on. I wanted nothing more than to send everyone packing and take him right then, but the reality of his injuries, and quite frankly, my own, couldn’t be ignored.

Aaron snuggles his face into the crook of my neck and sighs contentedly. Him lying next to me reminds me how close I came to losing him yesterday. He could’ve ended things between us before they even had a chance to start. I was expecting him to be angry with me over the death of Adam, whether it was by my hand or not. I’m still not sure why he isn’t. He doesn’t deal with death every day like I do. It seems too good to be true, and part of me is still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Stirring again, Aaron groans, this time in pain, and opens his sleep-dazed eyes. Even though he is hurting, he still manages to grin at me.

“Hi,” he mumbles shyly, and blushes. “I thought I was dreaming when I felt you next to me.” He bites his lip and continues. “I’m glad I wasn’t.”

I give him a smile. “Good morning. How ya feelin’?”

He shrugs and instantly looks like he regrets it. “I’m sore and stiff, but I’ll live.”

His words hit me hard. He could’ve been killed. He’ll always have protection now. I won’t make that mistake again. I could still kick my own ass for not even thinking of it before. I hope Aaron can handle the changes being in a relationship with someone like me calls for. He said he’s thought about it, and I’m not going to question him. He may be naive about many things, but he’s not a baby or one to be pushed. I’ve already seen that several times.

Aaron nudges me, bringing me out of my thoughts. “What has you thinking so hard? I can hear the gears turning from here.”

“Mmm, just thinking ’bout yesterday and how fuckin’ sexy you are when you lay down the law.”

He snorts and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, right. Me ‘laying down the law’ to a four-foot-ten brat is not sexy.”

“Well, I thought it was.” I take his hand and lead him to my now-hard cock.

He sucks in a breath and grasps me more firmly. He fists me through the material of my sleep pants, making me groan. This is going to be the most sexually frustrating healing time I’ve ever had.

Aaron leans down and kisses me, and I deepen it. He slowly begins to stroke me, causing my breathing to pick up. I wrap my arms around him and bring him closer to me, but he hisses at the pain the movement causes and pulls away.

The strained look on his face immediately makes me feel like shit. “Damn, I’m so sorry. I was thinking with my other head. Are you okay?”

Chuckling a little, he assures me, “I’m fine, don’t worry about it. I wasn’t exactly thinking either. It might be less torture for both of us if we get out of this bed and start our day. I’m sure you have to go into work soon, or at least deal with some sort of business.”

Even though I am loath to leave this bed, he’s right. I can’t believe I’m even going to suggest it, but the words are out of my mouth before I have time to think. “How about we go take a shower together?”

Aaron looks at me like I’m crazy. “Are you joking? That will be even more difficult.” Running his hands up my bare chest, he groans and says, “Just the thought of all these sexy muscles with water running down them is enough to…. Oh no, not happening.”

I agree with a sigh, and we both slowly make our way out of bed. Our movements are measured and calculated to cause the least amount of pain. After making sure we each take our meds and have turns showering, we start on breakfast. We choose cheese omelets with bacon and sausage for something simple yet filling. The two of us work like a well-oiled machine preparing our meal. I’m happy at how easy this is. I’ve never made breakfast with anyone except Grams. I can’t help but smile at the thought of her and I cooking together—it’s one of my fondest memories.

Aaron snaps me out of my thoughts by asking, “What has you smiling with that far-off look on your face?”

“I’m thinking about how Grams and I used to cook together like this. I’ve never had this experience with anyone else. It surprised me at how natural it feels.”

Now it’s his turn to smile. “It is—I’ve never had this either. Mom used to like to cook and we had our fun in the kitchen together.” Sighing, he adds, “I miss that. I’m sure you miss your Grams too.”

Swallowing past the sudden lump in my throat, I answer. “I do, very much. I don’t have many happy things to reflect on, but when I think of one, it always involves her.”

As we sit down to eat, he looks unsure but continues the conversation with a new question. “So, you’ve said you’re not close with your father. Were you never close, or did something happen to change things between you?”

My little story is something I’m going to have to share with him eventually, so I jump right into it. “Well, my parents and I were never very close. They tolerated me, as if somehow it was my fault I was born and ruined all their fun. As I said before, I was shipped off to Grams every chance they got. Anyway, things between John and I changed from lack of interest into pure hate after my mother left. He decided he wanted to be a big man and got involved with the mob.”

“So your father, John, up and wanted to embrace the mob lifestyle? That’s a hell of a midlife crisis.”

Chuckling, I say, “I know, but it fit his needs. John has always been about making money and having power. In his greedy little mind, the Everson family was the easiest and fastest way to get it, and that’s what he did. When I was still in my midteens, he determined it was my time to start contributing to all this grand wealth I was ‘lucky’ enough to have. Ever since then, I’ve been doing this. It’s not at all what I wanted, but I’ve tried to come to terms with my fate. I have a few good friends, and that’s what I focus on. The rest is kind of a blur.”

“Wow. No offense, but your father is an asshole,” Aaron mutters. “I was under the assumption you chose this life. My instincts told me you don’t like what you do, though.”

“Fuck no! This is not my choice. I always wanted to have a civil-service-type job, something that would help others.” Embarrassed at my silly pipe dreams, I glance down at my food so I don’t have to see the look on his face.

Aaron doesn’t even laugh. “At least you had some sort of idea about what you wanted to be. I went with what my mom dreamed for me. I guess in some ways my ambition was to make her happy and proud. I think those kinds of jobs are a great aspiration to have, Liam. I don’t know why you’re acting all ashamed of your dreams.”

I’m better since he isn’t ridiculing me and I really should’ve known he wouldn’t. Aaron’s not that way, at least from everything I’ve seen from him. We soon turn the conversation to light and fun things.

Once we finish our meal, we go about what I guess is a normal day for him when he isn’t working. I have yet to really address the issues Aaron is carrying around with him over his parents, especially his father, but that will come.

D
URING
THE
next few weeks, Aaron and I fell into an easy routine. Mainly we stayed around one or the other’s places. Our wounds were healing slowly, and the frustration got the better of us a couple of times.

“Aaron? Do you know where my clean shirts are?”

He yelled from the other room, “Did you check the basket on top of the washing machine?”

What am I, an idiot? “Of course I did! Why do you think I’m asking you? There’s none here, there’s nothing in my drawer, so where the fuck did you move my shit to now?”

Aaron had a habit of moving and rearranging stuff when he was bored. There was a lot of that, because he had developed a little bit of a fear of going anywhere by himself.

Suddenly, he was next to me. “Well, Liam, if you don’t like the way I do things, you’re more than welcome to take your ass home. You don’t fucking live here, even though I think you’ve forgotten that. Sorry I’m not as efficient as one of your many hired hands. I actually do things for myself.”

“If you wanted me to leave, all you had to do was say so. That’s fine, I’ll get my shit and leave right the fuck now!” I growl. “Oh, wait, I can’t, because you have to move everything all the fucking time and I don’t know where anything is.”

Aaron stepped into my space, and we were mere inches from each other. The heat and anger was rolling off of him. Closing what little space there was between us, he leaned right into my face.

“Well, if you weren’t such a slob, maybe I wouldn’t have to move things constantly. I’m not your damn housekeeper. You can clean your own clothes from now on.”

I was so fucking turned on right then, vibrating with the need to fuck him right up against the wall.

“I never fuckin’ asked you to wash my shit. You offered and I accepted. Don’t offer to do things when you can’t follow through.” That statement had nothing to do with the subject.

His presence alone was an offering. He was right there teasing me, touching me, and giving me those fuck-me eyes all the time. I’d been trying my best to keep my hands off him, and it’d been torture.

“Yeah, well, at least I offer. You walk away and don’t do shit.”

There was a challenge in those words, and I wasn’t walking away from it. “So, you think I don’t want to help? The only reason I don’t is because it’s the right thing to do.” I knew we were no longer talking about housework. My guy wanted to know why I hadn’t made any plays for sex. Oh, I wanted to, but his health came first.

He snorted. “That’s rich. The big, bad mob guy is ‘doing the right thing.’”

I snapped a little then, and all thoughts of injuries went out the window. I pushed him against the wall and immediately claimed his mouth with mine, plunging my tongue in when his lips opened in shock. It took him a moment to respond with a groan, and he met my every move. Running my hands down his body, I enjoyed reacquainting myself. The only words going through my head were “more, I need more, it’s been too long.”